Beyond the Annex: Using Public Health as a Strategic National Security Force Multiplier

Public Health is formally recognized as one of the 16 critical infrastructure sectors; however, it is often relegated to a supporting role-viewed as a recovery asset rather than a readiness driver. In an era of compounding crises, this passive stance creates systemic vulnerability across communities. This session engages emergency managers to shift the paradigm from 'Public Health as a Service' to 'Public Health as a Strategic Capability'.

By integrating public health as a peer in critical infrastructure planning, we unlock a national security force multiplier. We will explore how Biological Intelligence (BIOINT) can be leveraged as a 'biological radar' node, reducing the decision-to-action timeline to prevent localized outbreaks from paralyzing communities. Furthermore, we examine the vital role of public health in maintaining Operational Readiness from rural to urban jurisdictions, ensuring that the mission-critical workforce-from power plant operators to defense contractors-remains mission-capable, thereby emphasizing the need for a robust public health infrastructure to increase resilience and protect the nation from the hollowing-out effects of disasters.

Attendees will leave with resources for moving their jurisdictional Public Health agency from a siloed functional annex into a ubiquitous, proactive asset embedded within emergency operation planning and training as well as national security strategies.