How Can U.S. Civil-Military Health Assistance Enhance Asia’s Health Security?
This report demonstrates that Asia faces high risks for global health security (GHS). The risk is made greater because of uneven capacities to respond among different countries and fragmented public health networks beyond influenza response, further demonstrated by the impacts of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The report provides a comprehensive review of the capacity and gaps in Asia’s GHS networks and U.S. agencies’ GHS efforts in the region. The report includes recommendations aimed at helping U.S. policymakers develop practical steps to reassert GHS leadership in Asia with a whole-of-government approach under the 2024 U.S. Global Health Security Strategy (GHSS).
Key Findings
Asia is a hot spot for GHS risks
- Asia’s rapid economic growth has contributed to favorable conditions for zoonotic disease emergence, and the region’s high population density, intensive livestock farming, and uneven public health system capacities contribute to the further spread of disease.
Gaps in existing global health security networks in Asia minimize collaboration
- Multiple GHS networks exist in countries and across subregions in Asia. But obstacles — such as resources, geopolitical tensions, and limited response capabilities — hamper coordination across subregions.
U.S. agencies lack a general sense of coordination in supporting global health security activities in Asia
- The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), and U.S. Department of State (DOS) each work in the region as key players supporting GHS, but they could offer stronger, more-coordinated assistance by working together under one distinct strategy.
Multiple challenges and opportunities exist for the United States working in Asia exist after COVID-19
- Regional collaborations can be limited or harmed by shifting geopolitical tensions and may deter cooperation in the region.
- The COVID-19 pandemic decreased the credibility of major global health agencies, such as the U.S. CDC and World Health Organization.
- Regional funding constraints include minimal international donors, which often focus on specific issues rather than addressing sustainable national health priorities, such as infrastructure and health research.
Recommendations
- U.S. policymakers and U.S. GHS organizations should build on the new GHSS’s whole-of-government approach and the establishment of the U.S. Bureau of Global Health Security and Diplomacy to support better coordination, data platforms, and communication channels among key U.S. global health stakeholders in Asia.
- U.S. policymakers and U.S. GHS organizations should strengthen U.S. global health leadership and engagement in Asia to improve regional communication and cooperation mechanisms and enhance collective resilience against future health threats.
- U.S. policymakers and U.S. GHS organizations should focus on building relationships, depoliticizing public health, and enhancing transparency in data sharing.
