When it comes to bioweapons, we’ve moved beyond anthrax in the mail. No one wants to think about an AI bioweapon or any other type of biothreat. These threats are a real risk that we must confront now before Americans suffer. We have powerful tools available to protect us, but Washington must act to secure a stockpile of resources for when — not if — bioweapons become an immediate threat.

A key family of risks defines U.S. national security: CBRN threats, or chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats. CBRN threats include nerve agents, hazardous industrial chemicals, bacteria, viral agents and toxins. These agents and more pose a severe risk to the citizen, the warfighter and undermine our nation’s security. Exposure to chemical agents and pathogens triggers a public health emergency response.

While government prioritizes America’s overall security readiness, CBRN threats are still a weak spot. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth called for the United States to be on a “wartime footing.” However, if we don’t ensure we’re ready for CBRN disaster or terror, the United States is on the backfoot.

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence published its “Annual Threat Assessment of the U.S. Intelligence Community” in the spring, noting that “the threats of nuclear proliferation and chemical and biological warfare capabilities continue to grow.”

The report’s authors highlight Iran’s rebuke of Chemical Weapons Convention obligations and research and development of “biological agents and toxins for offensive purposes.” As the authors explain, “China, North Korea and Russia probably maintain the knowledge and capability to produce and employ traditional biological pathogens and toxins, and historically have pursued — or, in the case of North Korea, continues to pursue — pathogens that cause highly infectious or contagious diseases.”

Unfortunately, flashing red threats from our enemies continue to fly under the radar. In April, The Telegraph quietly published the most urgent headline I’ve seen recently, “Iran may be about to bring the war to the US homeland.” The danger of bad actors using AI to create and deploy bioweapons has gained traction in the public discourse, yet the U.S. remains largely unprepared.

We have the tools to respond to a biothreat, but we need to ensure they are readily available in a crisis. Four elements will ensure our readiness: The Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act, the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response, and the Strategic National Stockpile.

Congress must reauthorize the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act, and Washington must ensure the others have necessary funding. It’s time to prepare America for the next attack.

Greg Burel formerly served as director of the Strategic National Stockpile at the Department of Health and Human Services. He wrote this for InsideSources.com.