DNI Releases Records on 120 U.S.-Funded Foreign Biolabs

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard released declassified intelligence material on U.S.-funded biological laboratories operating in more than 30 countries. The documents identify more than 120 facilities and list research involving anthrax, Ebola virus, Marburg virus, and other pathogens.

One slide states that more than 40 laboratories in Ukraine received U.S. government support. Funding amounts listed include more than $3.4 million for the Central Reference Laboratory in Odesa and more than $2.1 million for the Institute of Veterinary Medicine.

The declassified slides show connections among the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, the Naval Medical Research Center, the World Health Organization, and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization.

Several U.S. universities, including the University of Florida and Kansas State University, also appear on the diagram.

Gabbard’s office stated that intelligence analysts had previously warned that a U.S.-funded laboratory in Ukraine was vulnerable to Russian attack or accidental damage. The documents do not detail every project or current activity at the listed facilities.

Gabbard directed intelligence agencies to increase collection on foreign biological laboratories receiving U.S. support. The release coincides with unrelated domestic cases involving biological materials in Nevada and charges against two National Institutes of Health researchers for allegedly smuggling samples.