GCRI Special Advisor for Government Affairs Jared Brown has a new essay in War on the Rocks about the Defense Production Act and the US’ systemic failure to prepare for catastrophes like the current SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Brown writes in his essay that “the executive branch’s ad-hoc application of the Defense Production Act’s authorities to this pandemic is Exhibit A of how our government, across multiple Republican and Democratic administrations and throughout the national security enterprise, has failed to develop or adapt the Act’s tools for the threats of the 21st century”.

In addition to working with GCRI, Brown is also Senior Advisor for Government Affairs at the Future of Life Institute. Before joining GCRI, Brown worked for the Congressional Research Service and the Department of Transportation. He is one of the original authors of the Congressional Research Service’s primary report on the Defense Production Act.

USNS Comfort in Manhattan image credit: Featous on a CC BY-SA 4.0 license