DHS Secretary Napolitano Visits K-State

In January, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security finalized its decision to name Kansas State University as the future home of the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF) after a three-year site selection process that began with 29 potential locations across the country.

DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano followed up the selection with a personal visit last week to K-State, during which she highlighted the importance of research to protect the American food supply and agriculture economy.

In a briefing with Secretary Napolitano at K-State’s Biosecurity Research Institute, KBA president Tom Thornton said Kansas’ animal health infrastructure and expertise will accelerate this critical research.

“When it comes to the critically urgent work of protecting America’s food supply, Kansas offers a solution, not a site,” Thornton said. “We already have national leadership in this research, which will allow us to move forward on day one as the federal government’s partner in achieving the NBAF mission.

Once built, the NBAF will serve as the nation’s premier research facility for developing vaccines and countermeasures for diseases that threaten livestock and other animals, which agricultural and bioterrorism experts consider an urgent national priority.