Opportunities for Enhanced Defense, Military, and Security Sector Engagement in Global Health Security

Abstract

Despite years of dedicated resources, the global community remains unable to prevent the appearance of emerging infectious diseases and to reliably mount an optimal response when prevention fails. SARS-CoV-2 is the most recent in a long line of pathogens whose penetration into human populations has revealed fragilities in subnational, national, and international postures with respect to major outbreaks. The world is grappling with how to address these weaknesses in advance of the next outbreak with pandemic potential.

Identifying the role of the Defense, Military, and Security sectors (or “DMS” where these sectors can reasonably be considered a unit) in global health security is especially relevant at a time when outbreaks in fragile areas are increasing, and the capacity to deal with them—even in relatively secure regions—is stretched. There are, of course, important differences among these sectors. Some are comprised of operational units (military forces, border protection, intelligence) while others offer policy and programmatic support. There are also relevant differences within sectors which may reveal themselves from country to country, with broad variation across military capabilities, defense priorities, and other areas. Indeed, the missions of these individual sectors, and their particular roles in infectious disease, are sufficiently unique to justify dedicated treatments of each; much of this work has in fact been done, particularly regarding Defense and Military. Here we collate analyses and view the sectors collectively because, at their core, these are all security agencies in some form. DMS are security actors in the most traditional sense that are also engaged in preventing and mitigating high consequence health threats.

This evaluation offers an analysis of what global health security leadership and effort looks like as performed by nations and by international organizations, and highlights selected domestic and international activities of some countries. It describes the specific ways in which the defense, military, and security sectors are represented, and potentially under-represented, in these efforts. It identifies factors that may be driving under-representation and considers opportunities for redirecting these sectors toward successful partnerships with the Health sector and global health security groups. Finally, it issues findings, solutions, and a roadmap for optimizing the integration of global-level defense, military, and security sectors into global health security initiatives.