Post by CEPI (Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations)

Yesterday at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, CEPI was honoured to co-host a high-level convening alongside the NATO International Staff and the Norway Delegation to NATO for members of the Resilience and Defense Policy and Planning Committees on the importance of the #100DaysMission and rapid vaccine and medical countermeasure capabilities for defence.   Bringing together representatives from across Allied delegations, EU institutions, and the NATO enterprise, the discussion underscored a clear and urgent reality: biological threats, whether natural, accidental, or deliberate, pose an increasing asymmetric risk to both health and security, with direct implications for force protection, operational readiness and societal resilience.   A central focus of the discussion was the 100 Days Mission, driven by CEPI and partners and a centrepiece of CEPI’s 3.0 strategy, to enable the development of vaccines against novel viral threats within 100 days. Participants explored how these capabilities are critical for strengthening biodefence, enhancing resilience, and reinforcing deterrence, while contributing to broader efforts to build scalable, mission-ready health security capabilities.   What stood out most was the strong potential for alignment across health and defence communities. There is growing recognition that rapid medical countermeasure development is not a “nice to have,” but a core component of modern security and defence infrastructure.   The conversation also highlighted the importance of doing this safely and securely, ensuring that speed is matched with robust biosecurity, trusted collaboration, and responsible innovation, particularly as advances in biotechnology and AI simultaneously lower technical barriers and expand the capacity to design high-consequence pathogens. The adoption in 2024 of NATO’s Biotechnology and Human Enhancement Technologies Strategy is a milestone for Allies in addressing biotechnology.   This convening marked an important step in translating strategic intent into practical collaboration. We look forward to continuing to work with NATO, Allies, and global partners to operationalise these capabilities and ensure we are collectively better prepared for the biological risks of the future.