America’s Stockpiles Are Hardly Strategic - Defense One


Among President Biden’s first acts was to order a “status and inventory” report from the Strategic National Stockpile, a once-quiet backwater of the public-health bureaucracy thrust into the spotlight amid last year’s acute shortages of medical supplies and equipment. Now, as the pandemic and competition with great powers fuel proposals to construct additional stockpiles—and not simply of gloves and ventilators—it is worth taking stock of where we are. Many of our existing reserves lack clear direction and face an uncertain future.
Federal stockpiles essentially come in three flavors: medical, defense, and commodities. The SNS and All-Hazards Emergency Caches contain a wide array of medical drugs and other supplies. The National Veterinary Stockpile fulfills this function for livestock.