Health crises, particularly those involving infectious diseases, pose profound risks to stability, social cohesion, and governance worldwide.
As the world nears the five-year mark since COVID-19 emerged, global health has reemerged as a critical pillar of national and international security. Health threats, particularly those involving infectious diseases, don’t stop at borders, and their consequences can extend far beyond hospitals.
From pandemics to localized outbreaks, infectious disease events have the power to destabilize entire regions. They strain public institutions, disrupt economies, and erode public trust, making them fertile ground for unrest, misinformation, and in extreme cases, violent conflict. In fragile states and post-conflict settings, these disruptions often land hardest, undermining governance and threatening stability.
For the U.S. government, strengthening global health systems has become a strategic imperative — not just for humanitarian reasons, but for the sake of national security. Dexis works alongside U.S. agencies to support this mission, deploying specialists across dozens of countries to build local capacity, respond to outbreaks, and integrate public health into broader security frameworks.
Health Crises Are Security Crises
When outbreaks spiral out of control, they can overwhelm health systems and send shockwaves through supply chains, markets, and civil society. During COVID-19, governments faced not just ICU shortages, but public protests, political instability, and exposed gaps in emergency preparedness. Similar dynamics play out on a smaller scale with diseases like Ebola, cholera, and Mpox — especially when surveillance and diagnostics are weak. Outbreaks have even impacted military readiness, with disease spread aboard ships and bases reducing operational capacity.
A health worker gets her temperature checked during the launch of the mpox vaccination campaign at the General Hospital of Goma, on October 5, 2024 in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Photo: Aubin Mukoni/AFP.
Biosecurity and the Risk of Weaponization
The risk of infectious diseases being weaponized, whether through bioterrorism or dual-use research, adds another layer of urgency. Weak health infrastructure makes countries vulnerable not just to natural outbreaks, but to deliberate attacks or accidental releases. Strengthening biosecurity is now a key component of national defense strategies, and building global capacity to detect, report, and contain outbreaks is one of the most effective deterrents available.
Policy Preparedness Matters
Even the strongest health systems can falter if policies are outdated or uncoordinated. Ministries of health and other institutions often require support to align national strategies with global health security frameworks. Dexis advisors work closely with counterparts to conduct policy reviews, identify preparedness gaps, and coordinate across sectors, from agriculture and animal health to border control and public communications.
On the Ground During the Mpox Surge
When nearly 20,000 cases of Mpox (formerly monkeypox) were reported in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in early 2024, U.S. agencies mobilized quickly to support local authorities. A Dexis global health security expert deployed to Kinshasa to coordinate the U.S. response with the Ministry of Health and other partners. Despite unrest and travel challenges along the eastern border, the team adapted in real time — enabling a critical outbreak assessment in Bukavu.
In a parallel effort in Burundi, Dexis deployed a senior livestock specialist just as the country reported its first three Mpox cases. The advisor arrived within days, helped launch the health response, and coordinated with limited local U.S. personnel to stand up preparedness systems. U.S. officials noted that the effort “epitomized hitting the ground running.”
The Road Ahead
Health threats aren’t just humanitarian concerns — they are indicators of broader systemic risk. Preventing the next pandemic requires a networked approach that links epidemiology with diplomacy, security, and logistics. As disease threats continue to evolve, the global response must become faster, smarter, and more connected.
Dexis’ work alongside U.S. agencies demonstrates that investing in health systems abroad doesn’t just save lives — it strengthens alliances, stabilizes regions, and reduces the need for more costly interventions down the line. In the fight for global security, public health is no longer a side mission. It’s on the frontlines.