November 23, 2020
Contact: Wendy Robinson
wrobins@gmu.edu

 

National Security Institute Publishes New NSI Law and Policy Paper:
“Stopping the Spread: Pandemics, Warning, and the IC”

 

Arlington, VA – COVID-19 has demonstrated a clear need for a new national strategy in mitigating the threats of a global pandemic and the U.S. Intelligence Community (IC) can offer unique capabilities, as discussed by the National Security Institute (NSI) at George Mason University’s Antonin Scalia Law School’s latest NSI Law and Policy Paper publication, “Stopping the Spread: Pandemics, Warning, and the IC,” by NSI Visiting Fellow James P. Danoy.

 

This Law and Policy Paper:

• Summarizes the Intelligence Community’s (IC) focus on the national security threat posed by the spread of infectious diseases.

 

• Argues that the IC, with its unique collection and analytic capabilities, can contribute value-added assistance to the public health community’s world-wide threat monitoring and containment efforts.

 

• Proposes actionable recommendations to enhance the U.S.’ ability to detect and warn of global pathogenic outbreaks in order to implement effective mitigation measures.

 

“Jim Danoy’s excellent paper on the role of the Intelligence Community in pandemic surveillance and warning effectively rebuts criticism from those who argue that pandemics are not a national security threat and the IC shouldn’t be directly involved in getting ahead of them,” said Jamil N. Jaffer, NSI Founder & Executive Director.  “To the contrary, Danoy makes a bold and controversial, yet ultimately compelling argument that the Department of Health and Human Services ought to be a formal part of the IC,” said Jaffer.

“The COVID 19 pandemic has underscored the threat infectious diseases pose to our nation’s security and global stability,” said author James P. Danoy. “The U.S. Intelligence Community (IC) leveraging its global collection and analytic capabilities can play a key supporting role in helping detect and track pathogenic outbreaks.  This paper offers an approach for greater IC engagement in combatting infectious diseases working in partnership with the public health sector,” James added.

 

The paper is available here.

James P. Danoy’s bio can be found here.

About the National Security Institute

The National Security Institute serves as a platform for research, teaching, scholarship, and policy development that incorporates a realistic assessment of the threats facing the United States and its allies, as well as an appreciation of the legal and practical challenges facing U.S. intelligence, defense, law enforcement, homeland security, and cybersecurity communities.  NSI draws on the experience of its fellows, as well as its highly distinguished advisory board and faculty, to produce timely research and policy materials that deliver insightful analysis and actionable recommendations to senior policymakers in the White House and key departments and agencies, as well as those on Capitol Hill.

About George Mason
George Mason University is Virginia’s largest public research university. Located near Washington, D.C., Mason enrolls more than 33,000 students from 130 countries and all 50 states.  Mason has grown rapidly over the past half-century and is recognized for its innovation and entrepreneurship, remarkable diversity, and commitment to accessibility.

About the Scalia Law School
The Antonin Scalia Law School at George Mason University is defined by three words: Learn. Challenge. Lead. Students receive an outstanding legal education (Learn), are taught to critically evaluate prevailing orthodoxy and pursue new ideas (Challenge), and, ultimately, are well prepared to distinguish themselves in their chosen fields (Lead).  It has been one of America’s top-ranked law schools for the last fifteen years.