Measuring Cooperative Biological Engagement Program Performance

de Stephanie Young, Henry H Willis, Melinda Moore, Jeffrey Engstrom

"The Cooperative Biological Engagement Program (CBEP) is the biological threat component of the Cooperative Threat Reduction program. It grew out of efforts to address risks associated with legacy biological agents, related materials, and technical expertise developed as part of the biological weapon program in the former Soviet Union. CBEP now partners with about 20 countries in different regions around the world and works with them to address diverse threats to international security, including terrorist organizations seeking to acquire pathogens of security concern; human, animal, and agricultural facilities operating with inadequate safety and security safeguards; and the spread of diseases with potential security or economic consequences. As the program has evolved since its inception two decades ago, so too have its content and approaches to performance measurement. The objective of the research reported here was to build on existing work to develop a comprehensive evaluation framework and recommend metrics for assessing and communicating progress toward CBEP's goals. The report ultimately recommends a number of qualitative and quantitative indicators of CBEP performance, some that can be implemented immediately, some to be implemented later"--"Abstract" on Web page.