DHS Science and Technology Chemical and Biological Division
Encyclopedia
The Chemical and Biological Division of Homeland Security Science and Technology is a division of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, organized within the Department's Science and Technology Directorate. Its self-described mission is to "increase[] the nation's preparedness against chemical and biological threats through improved threat awareness and advanced surveillance, detection, and protective countermeasures."
The division is led by its director, Elizabeth George. It is supervised by the Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Science and Technology
Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Science and Technology
The Science and Technology Directorate is the research and development arm of the United States Department of Homeland Security.-Leadership:The Science and Technology Directorate is led by the Under Secretary for Science and Technology...
, a position that was, , held by Jay M. Cohen
Jay M. Cohen
Jay M. Cohen is a retired Rear Admiral of the United States Navy and Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Science and Technology of the United States Department of Homeland Security....
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The 2007 High Priority Technical Needs Brochure published by Homeland Security defines critical focus areas for Chemical and Biological research, falling primarily under the category of "chemical/biological weapons defense":
- Tools to detect and mitigate animal disease breakouts
- Policy net assessments to provide fresh perspectives on fundamental elements of the national biodefense strategy
- Improved tools for integrated CBRN Risk Assessment
- Incident characterization capability for response & restoration
- Improved ChemBio Forensic Analysis capability
- National-scale detection architectures and strategies to address outdoor, indoor (e.g., highly trafficked transportation hubs) and critical infrastructure
- Consequence assessments of attacks on chemical facilities and Chem Bio attacks on other critical infrastructure
- Integrated CBRNE Sensor Reporting capability
- Handheld rapid biological and chemical detection systems
- Detection paradigms and systems for enhanced, emerging and novel biological threats