As Congress perform oversight in the 110 th Congress, biodefense research, biosecurity, and the activities of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in this area may become of interest. As DHS continues its activities in biological threat assessment, the 110 th Congress may have a unique perspective into these federal forensics and research programs. Transparency and oversight of research and development in biodefense is an area of international interest, as development of biological weapons is prohibited under the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention. Congressional oversight of federal programs, especially those performed in federal facilities for homeland security purposes, is considered to play a key role in ensuring transparency. The DHS and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) have leading roles in protecting civilians against biological weapons. The National Biodefense Analysis and Countermeasures Center (NBACC) is a program office within the DHS Science and Technology Directorate that funds biodefense research and other activities. The mission of the NBACC program is to understand current and future biological threats; assess vulnerabilities and determine potential consequences; and provide a national capability for conducting forensic analysis of evidence from bio-crimes and terrorism. DHS has requested and received appropriated funding for the construction of a biodefense facility dedicated to homeland security activities and overseen by the NBACC program. This facility, the first DHS laboratory focused on biodefense, has drawn the attention of Congress, arms control experts, local community groups, and others. This report will outline the organizational structure of NBACC, describe its mission, and report the funding DHS has received for construction of its facility. It will then discuss select policy issues, such as funding for NBACC facility construction, oversight of NBACC research, and the potential for duplication of federal effort between NBACC and other agencies. Funds for NBACC programs are provided through the DHS Science and Technology Directorate. Activities funded include both intramural and extramural efforts. The programs within NBACC, as well as the construction of the NBACC facility, have been reported as part of the Science and Technology Directorate's Biological Countermeasures portfolio. The NBACC program currently conducts research through partnerships and agreements with federal and private institutes. To provide a unique home for research overseen by the NBACC program, DHS is constructing an NBACC laboratory at Fort Detrick, MD as part of the National Interagency Biodefense Campus. Funds for the laboratory, estimated to cost $128 million, have been appropriated over FY2003-2005. Construction commenced on the NBACC facility in June 2006. The NBACC facility is operated as a federally funded research and development center (FFRDC). The U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity, acting as the contracting authority for DHS in this instance, released a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the operation of the NBACC facility. On December 20, 2006, DHS announced that Battelle National Biodefense Institute had been awarded the NBACC management contract. Similar to the Department of Energy National Laboratories, the NBACC facility is a government-owned, contractor-operated facility where the contract operator manages the facility and provides the technical expertise and program execution to support DHS's needs. The identity of the NBACC facility component centers has evolved since the facility's conception. Different information has been presented to Congress through various DHS testimony and documentation over the course of this evolution. In 2003, the FY2004 DHS budget justification and testimony by DHS Assistant Under Secretary for Science and Technology Albright stated that four centers would comprise NBACC: the Biodefense Knowledge Center (BKC), the Bioforensics Analysis Center, the Biothreat Assessment Support Center, and the Bio-Countermeasures Testing and Evaluation Center. In 2004, the FY2005 DHS budget justification and testimony by Assistant Under Secretary Albright stated that NBACC consisted of three organizational units: the Biodefense Knowledge Center, the National Bioforensic Analysis Center (NBFAC), and the Biological Threat Characterization Center (BTCC). In 2005, the FY2006 DHS budget justification and testimony by DHS Under Secretary for Science and Technology McQueary refer to the NBACC facility as having two component parts: the National Bioforensic Analysis Center and the Biological Threat Characterization Center. This two center configuration is reportedly the final configuration for the NBACC facility. The two NBACC component centers identified in the FY2006 DHS budget, the Biological Threat Characterization Center and the National Bioforensic Analysis Center, are operating in interim facilities pending construction of the NBACC laboratory building. The BTCC has ongoing activities in a number of government and private laboratories. The NBFAC is housed at the United States Army Medical Research Institute for Infectious Disease (USAMRIID), located in Fort Detrick, MD, and operates as a joint federal effort, including representatives of DHS, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Army. The NBFAC is currently receiving, handling, and performing forensic analysis on biological samples. Apparently conceived as part of the NBACC facility, the Biodefense Knowledge Center was dedicated on September 10, 2004, and is located at the Department of Energy's Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. This center operates as an independent center though its work is closely coordinated with that of the NBACC facility centers. While funding for the BKC originates from within the Biological Countermeasures portfolio, the BKC is funded independently, not as a component of the NBACC program. The BKC draws on the expertise of scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and three additional national laboratories: the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratories, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Three Department of Homeland Security University Centers of Excellence, located at the University of Minnesota, the University of Southern California, and Texas A&M University, also collaborate with the Biodefense Knowledge Center. The NBACC facility is to be part of the federal biodefense research and development network. As such, its activities are to be coordinated with those of other network members, including the Plum Island Animal Disease Center, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and USAMRIID. The mission of the NBACC program is to understand current and future biological threats; assess vulnerabilities and determine potential consequences; and provide a national capability for conducting forensic analysis of evidence from bio-crimes and terrorism. Each of the NBACC facility component centers executes a piece of this overall program mission. Also, the Biodefense Knowledge Center appears to collaborate with these centers to assist them in meeting mission goals. The Biological Threat Characterization Center is to conduct studies and laboratory experiments designed to find and address critical gaps in understanding current and future biological threats, assess vulnerabilities, conduct risk assessments, and determine potential impacts. An apparent goal of this program is to provide a science-based assessment of possible biological threats, focusing on those pathogens deemed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to have the potential for high consequence. Types of research to be performed in characterizing biological threats include, but are not limited to, investigating potential biothreat pathogens, studying pathogen stability and viability, and assessing lethality through dose/response studies. An earlier presentation on NBACC program activities also included developing strategies for defeating genetically engineered pathogens, and expanding current capabilities in testing non-human primates exposed to biological aerosols. The National Bioforensic Analysis Center was designated in Homeland Security Presidential Directive 10 (HSPD-10), Biodefense for the 21 st Century , as the lead federal facility to conduct and facilitate the technical forensic analysis and interpretation of materials recovered following a biological attack. The NBFAC conducts analysis of evidence from a bio-crime or terrorist attack to obtain a "biological fingerprint" in order to identify perpetrators and determine the origin and method of attack. Consequently, when housed in the NBACC facility, the NBFAC would provide the federal government with a centrally coordinated, validated bioforensic analysis facility. To meet this mission, NBFAC is developing forensic tools, methods, and strain repositories for pathogens of concern. The Biodefense Knowledge Center supports NBACC facility component centers and has its own functions and missions. One is to provide scientific assessments and information to the Homeland Security Operations Center regarding potential bioterrorism events. Another is to be a repository of biodefense information, including genomic sequences for pathogens of concern, the existence and location of vaccines, bioforensics information, and information about individuals, groups, or organizations that might be developing these pathogens. Finally, the BKC aids in assessing potential bioterrorism agents as "material threats" for the purpose of the Project Bioshield countermeasure procurement process. The BTCC and the BKC jointly make these assessments. The total construction cost for the NBACC facility has been determined by DHS to be $141 million, a $13 million increase from the initially requested $128 million. Original funds for the construction were appropriated in FY2003âFY2005. The additional $13 million were reprogrammed from other portfolios. Construction began in June 2006 and is projected to be finished in FY2008. Community response to the NBACC facility construction has been mixed. The construction of the NBACC facility, along with new laboratory space for other federal agencies, at the Fort Detrick site has been identified as beneficially spurring investment and development in the surrounding area. Some local advocates and citizen groups have protested the construction of the NBACC facility though. They cite concerns regarding security, safety, and secrecy surrounding the facility. The DHS operates the NBACC facility as an FFRDC, overseen in a manner akin to the Department of Energy National Laboratories. The NBACC FFRDC contractor has the responsibility for enacting the projects and program developed by the NBACC program office. This includes bringing the existing interim centers into the new NBACC facility, when constructed, and continuing those activities currently ongoing, such as the biological risk assessment process.