Infectious Diseases, Foreign Militaries, and US National Security

I am not above a shameless plug. Today, Amazon starts selling Threats in the Age of Obama, a book edited by Michael Tanji and containing a contribution by yours truly titled “Infectious Diseases, Foreign Militaries, and US National Security”. The book is a crash course on emerging national security threats. Each of the more than 20 contributors (and Michael) tackle a different aspect of national security, from cyberwarfare to public diplomacy.

My own contribution examines the role of health. Specifically, I explore the effect of global health / infectious diseases on foreign militaries and argue that their health vulnerabilities have a significant, negative impact on US national security.

I would publish my entire contribution on War & Health, but I am pretty sure I signed something saying I wouldn’t. So instead, below is a little teaser:

In the 21st century, infectious diseases are increasingly a serious threat to the national security of the United States, even if they strike outside the nation’s borders. The lessons learned from the effect of HIV/AIDS in African militaries reveal the necessity of giving health concerns a more central position in discussions of national security. In particular, US programs to strengthen the effectiveness of developing world security forces must also increase their health capacity. The United States has a national security interest in strengthening the capacity of friendly foreign armed forces to respond to infectious diseases within their ranks. The framework for this program already exists. The United States’ African Contingency Operations Training and Assistance program boosts the capacity of African militaries to conduct peacekeeping and humanitarian missions on the continent. The program’s greatest challenge, according to one commentator, is that the HIV/AIDS epidemic is crippling the participating militaries before they can be effectively deployed. Enlarging the role of health capacity building in this and similar programs offers a means to make friendly militaries more resistant to infectious disease, increasing their ability to provide domestic, international, and regional stability.

So, if you are interested in a good read with some great contributors, pick up a copy on Amazon.

Update: Here are a list of all the contributors for those interested: Dan tdaxp, Christopher Albon, Matt Armstrong, Matthew Burton, Molly Cernicek, Christopher Corpora, Shane Deichman, Adam Elkus, Matt Devost, Bob Gourley, Art Hutchinson, Tom Karako, Carolyn Leddy, Samuel Liles, Adrian Martin, Gunnar Peterson, Cheryl Rofer, Mark Safranski, Steve Schippert, Tim Stevens, and Shlok Vaidya. And editor, Michael Tanji.

Christopher Albon is a Ph.D. candidate specializing in armed conflict, public health, human security, and health diplomacy.

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Tagged as: Africa, Books, Health, HIV, Infectious Disease, Military, National Security, Threats in the Age of Obama, United States