Book Reveals U.S. Contingency Plans for a Genetically Engineered Plague Attack
Annie Jacobsen’s new book outlines a grim, fictional scenario of a genetically modified plague hitting the United States and details real-world contingency plans such as the Devolution program.
In her latest work, veteran author Annie Jacobsen combines interviews with former senators, FEMA leaders, and senior State Department and National Security Council officials to craft a fictional yet plausible outbreak of a genetically modified plague in America. The scenario shows streets filled with panic, a president ordering a WARNORD, and the activation of the secret Devolution plan that would relocate leadership to hidden sites while martial law is imposed.
Jacobsen points to real precedents, including a 2000 live-action drill in Denver that collapsed under a simulated pneumonic plague and a recent WARNORD signed by former Secretary of Defense Mark Esper during the early Covid response. She highlights that the 1972 Biological Weapons Convention lacks enforcement, allowing nations to amass defensive bio-weapons, and notes that Russia reportedly has a plague vaccine whereas the United States does not. The book warns that a biotechnical arms race, driven by post-9/11 fear and lucrative defense contracts, could make such a catastrophe inevitable, leaving the nation unable to recover once the pathogen spreads.
Why it matters
Understanding the lack of defenses and secret plans for a bio-weapon attack highlights critical gaps in national security and public health preparedness.
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