US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said the US has funded more than 120 biological laboratories in more than 30 countries, while also announcing a policy shift under President Donald Trump to end federal support for gain-of-function research around the world.This information was revealed on Thursday and was based on newly declassified intelligence material. This revelation sparked controversy over biological research abroad and US national security surveillance.According to a statement from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), several facilities were engaged in working on dangerous and highly contagious pathogens under limited supervision.“The Office of the Director of National Intelligence will continue to work closely with partners across the government to determine where these laboratories are, and what pathogens they contain, to end dangerous gain-of-function research that threatens the health and well-being of the American people and people around the world,” Gabbard said.Gabbard also said that declassified records show that more than 40 laboratories in Ukraine handled Soviet-era biological warfare pathogens and conducted research involving particularly dangerous pathogens, including anthrax, Ebola, Middle East respiratory syndrome, SARS and plague.
One example cited is the Kherson Diagnostic Laboratory, which reportedly received US$1,728,822 in funding, while its license to work with certain pathogens was still listed as “in progress.”
“The Office of the Director of National Intelligence’s statement added that the intelligence community is expanding its review of foreign facilities and activities, including clinical trials, in order to assess the risks associated with foreign-funded research programs.Gabbard also issued a directive to increase intelligence gathering on these facilities, saying they already reveal more details about the work being done and raise significant ethical, financial and security concerns.“Despite the clear potential for catastrophic global impact research on dangerous pathogens in biolabs, politicians, so-called health professionals like Dr. Fauci, and entities within the Biden administration’s national security team, lied to the American people about the existence of U.S.-funded and supported biolabs, and threatened those who tried to expose the truth.
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence will continue to work closely with partners across the government to determine where these laboratories are located, and what pathogens they contain, to end dangerous gain-of-function research that threatens the health and well-being of the American people and people around the world.Separately, Gabbard canceled two Biden-era intelligence assessments on so-called “Havana Syndrome,” also known as Anomalous Health Incidents (AHI), that affected US diplomats and intelligence officers abroad.A memo from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence said that previous assessments “selectively excluded relevant intelligence, suppressed alternative analysis, relied on ethically flawed medical study and “collected limited intelligence to maintain a line of analysis based on the absence of evidence.”
Original assessments concluded that a foreign adversary was unlikely to be responsible for the events, although some officials said a small number of cases could not be completely ruled out.
The revised move was welcomed by some lawmakers. “This is huge news for the AHI victim community, for analytical integrity, and for the American people,” Rep. Rick Crawford, Republican of Arkansas and chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said in a statement.
“These flawed, deceptive, and fabricated intelligence community assessments have caused great harm to some of our nation’s bravest.”The issue of anomalous health incidents first emerged in 2016 in Havana, Cuba, where US employees reported symptoms including dizziness and severe headaches, followed by similar reports in other countries. Intelligence agencies remain divided on whether these cases were caused by directed energy attacks or other explanations.On Thursday, President Donald Trump also nominated Jay Clayton, US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, to succeed Gabbard as Director of National Intelligence.