DTRA News

June 5, 2024

DTRA Albuquerque Opens New Facility at Ribbon Cutting Ceremony On Kirtland Air Force Base

KIRTLAND Air Force Base, New Mexico – The Defense Threat Reduction Agency’s Albuquerque Office (DTRA-ABQ) will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony Wednesday, June 12, 2024, for the agency’s new multi-use building on Kirtland Air Force Base. The 76,000 square foot facility will be home to more than 300 U.S. military personnel and DoD civilians and includes unclassified and classified work spaces and meeting rooms, administrative offices, and a seismic laboratory.

May 28, 2024

Strengthening Biosecurity in Nigeria

The United States Defense Threat Reduction Agency’s (DTRA) Cooperative Threat Reduction (CTR) Biological Threat Reduction Program (BTRP) recently held a groundbreaking ceremony with U.S. and Nigerian officials to commemorate the planned construction of a new biorepository for Nigeria’s National Veterinary Research Institute (NVRI). As a testament to NVRI’s rich 100-year history and leadership in addressing zoonotic diseases that affect both humans and animals in the country and the region, NVRI and DTRA co-hosted a celebratory centennial event at the upcoming construction site in Vom, Nigeria. Special guests included the U.S. Chargé d’Affaires – David Greene, the Governor of the Plateau State - His Excellency Barrister Caleb Mutfwang, the Director of Planning and Policy Coordination at the Ministry of Agriculture – Ibrahim Tanimu, and 270 attendees from both the public and private sectors.

May 18, 2024

Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction: An Agreement Between the United States and Armenia on Counterproliferation Cooperation

On 02 May 2024, the United States and Armenia extended an agreement, known as the “Umbrella Agreement,” instituting bilateral cooperation against the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD). Since its inception in 2002, the Umbrella Agreement has underpinned the U.S.-Armenian partnership, and seeks to detect, prevent, and deter the proliferation of WMDs and related materials and technologies. Owing to the effectiveness of the agreement, the United States and Armenia have previously extended it twice: the first time in 2009 and again in 2016. This third and, most recent, extension will span an additional seven years through November 2030.

April 25, 2024

Strengthening Biosecurity in Southeast Asia

Strengthening Biosecurity in Southeast Asia: A Dialogue between the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, and Five Southeast Asian Partners to Improve Biosecurity The Defense Threat Reduction Agency’s (DTRA) Cooperative Threat Reduction (CTR) Biological Threat Reduction Program (BTRP) recently attended the Southeast Asia Strategic Biosecurity Dialogue facilitated by the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security.

March 20, 2024

DTRA Sponsors Training Event in Thailand

The Defense Threat Reduction Agency’s (DTRA) Cooperative Threat Reduction program recently sponsored a training event in Thailand that focused on updating participants in the latest Competitive- Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (C-ELISA) techniques.

March 6, 2024

DTRA’s Biological Threat Reduction Program and the Tripartite Health Organizations conduct workshop on Zoonotic Workforce Development.

In partnership with The Defense Threat Reduction Agency’s Biological Threat Reduction Program and the Tripartite health organizations (World Health Organization (WHO), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), and the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH)), conducted a workshop aimed at fortifying and mobilizing Kazakhstan's workforce for effective preparedness and response to zoonotic disease outbreaks Jan. 23-25 in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

March 1, 2024

Providing A Secure Border: The Department of State Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, The Defense Threat Reduction Agency and The Government of Moldova Partner Together to Improve Border Security

The Defense Threat Reduction Agency’s (DTRA) Cooperative Threat Reduction (CTR) met with the Minister of Internal Affairs (MIA) and representatives from the American Embassy to Moldova and the Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) to discuss the Moldova National Terrestrial Trunked Radio (TETRA) Network (MNTTN) project. Since 2014, DTRA has worked with the Government of Moldova (GOM) and is currently working with both MIA and INL to complete a communications network that will provide 100% secure communications for border security in Moldova.

Feb. 26, 2024

DTRA Partners Participates in Groundbreaking Ceremony for African Union Pan-African Veterinary Vaccine Center in Ethiopia

Members of the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) participated in a ground-breaking ceremony for the new African Union (AU)-Pan-African Veterinary Vaccine Center (PANVAC) laboratory and training center in Bishoftu, Ethiopia Feb 21.

Feb. 23, 2024

DTRA Partners with Philippines to Increase Regional Public Health Capacity

The Defense Threat Reduction Agency’s (DTRA) Biological Threat Reduction Program (BTRP) and the Chemical Security and Elimination (CSE) program in partnership with partner-nation, the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GPH) held a formal ribbon-cutting ceremony announcing the construction of a National Virtual Training Center (NVTC) on February 21, 2024.

Nov. 10, 2023

Senior Defense Leaders Visit Kazakhstan to Commemorate Cooperative Anniversary

The Defense Threat Reduction Agency Director (DTRA) Rebecca Hersman and Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (DASD) for Threat Reduction and Arms Control (TRAC) Kingston Reif traveled to the Republic of Kazakhstan for key leader engagements and site visits to commemorate 30 years of nonproliferation cooperation between the Agency and Kazakhstan from Oct. 30 to Nov. 2.