---
kind: "section"
citation: "6 U.S.C. § 597a"
title: "6"
title_heading: "Domestic Security"
number: "597a"
heading: "Medical countermeasures"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/6/597a"
units:
  - "Chapter 1 — Homeland Security Organization"
  - "Subchapter XIV — Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office"
  - "Part C — Chief Medical Officer"
---

# §597a. Medical countermeasures

- (a) **In general—** Subject to the availability of appropriations, the [Secretary](/usc/6/101.md?p=16) shall, as appropriate, establish a medical countermeasures program within the components of the [Department](/usc/6/101.md?p=5) to—
  - (1) facilitate [personnel](/usc/6/101.md?p=15) readiness and protection for the employees and working animals of the [Department](/usc/6/101.md?p=5) in the event of a chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, or explosives attack, naturally occurring disease outbreak, other event impacting health, or pandemic; and
  - (2) support the mission continuity of the [Department](/usc/6/101.md?p=5).
- (b) **Oversight—** The [Secretary](/usc/6/101.md?p=16), acting through the Chief Medical Officer of the [Department](/usc/6/101.md?p=5), shall—
  - (1) provide programmatic oversight of the medical countermeasures program established under [subsection (a)](#a); and
  - (2) develop standards for—
    - (A) medical countermeasure storage, security, dispensing, and documentation;
    - (B) maintaining a stockpile of medical countermeasures, including antibiotics, antivirals, antidotes, therapeutics, and radiological countermeasures, as appropriate;
    - (C) ensuring adequate partnerships with manufacturers and [executive agencies](/usc/6/101.md?p=8) that enable advance prepositioning by vendors of inventories of appropriate medical countermeasures in strategic locations nationwide, based on risk and employee density, in accordance with applicable Federal statutes and regulations;
    - (D) providing oversight and guidance regarding the dispensing of stockpiled medical countermeasures;
    - (E) ensuring rapid deployment and dispensing of medical countermeasures in a chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, or explosives attack, naturally occurring disease outbreak, other event impacting health, or pandemic;
    - (F) providing training to employees of the [Department](/usc/6/101.md?p=5) on medical countermeasures; and
    - (G) supporting dispensing exercises.
- (c) **Medical countermeasures working group—** The [Secretary](/usc/6/101.md?p=16), acting through the Chief Medical Officer of the [Department](/usc/6/101.md?p=5), shall establish a medical countermeasures working group comprised of representatives from appropriate components and [offices](/usc/6/590.md?p=3) of the [Department](/usc/6/101.md?p=5) to ensure that medical countermeasures standards are maintained and guidance is consistent.
- (d) **Medical countermeasures management—** Not later than 120 days after the date on which appropriations are made available to carry out [subsection (a)](#a), the Chief Medical Officer shall develop and submit to the [Secretary](/usc/6/101.md?p=16) an integrated logistics support plan for medical countermeasures, including—
  - (1) a methodology for determining the ideal types and quantities of medical countermeasures to stockpile and how frequently such methodology shall be reevaluated;
  - (2) a replenishment plan; and
  - (3) inventory tracking, reporting, and reconciliation procedures for existing stockpiles and new medical countermeasure purchases.
- (e) **Transfer—** Not later than 120 days after December 27, 2021, the [Secretary](/usc/6/101.md?p=16) shall transfer all medical countermeasures-related programmatic and [personnel](/usc/6/101.md?p=15) resources from the Under [Secretary](/usc/6/101.md?p=16) for Management to the Chief Medical Officer.
- (f) **Stockpile elements—** In determining the types and quantities of medical countermeasures to stockpile under [subsection (d)](#d), the [Secretary](/usc/6/101.md?p=16), acting through the Chief Medical Officer of the [Department](/usc/6/101.md?p=5)—
  - (1) shall use a risk-based methodology for evaluating types and quantities of medical countermeasures required; and
  - (2) may use, if available—
    - (A) chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear risk assessments of the [Department](/usc/6/101.md?p=5); and
    - (B) guidance on medical countermeasures of the [Office](/usc/6/590.md?p=3) of the [Assistant Secretary](/usc/6/590.md?p=1) for Preparedness and Response and the [Centers](/usc/6/681.md?p=1) for Disease Control and Prevention.
- (g) **Briefing—** Not later than 180 days after December 27, 2021, the [Secretary](/usc/6/101.md?p=16) shall provide a briefing to the Committee on [Homeland](/usc/6/101.md?p=1) Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on [Homeland](/usc/6/101.md?p=1) Security of the House of Representatives regarding—
  - (1) the plan developed under [subsection (d)](#d); and
  - (2) implementation of the requirements of this section.
- (h) **Definition—** In this section, the term “medical countermeasures” means antibiotics, antivirals, antidotes, therapeutics, radiological countermeasures, and other countermeasures that may be deployed to protect the employees and working animals of the [Department](/usc/6/101.md?p=5) in the event of a chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, or explosives attack, naturally occurring disease outbreak, other event impacting health, or pandemic.

## Source credit

(Pub. L. 107–296, title XIX, § 1932, as added Pub. L. 117–81, div. F, title LXIV, § 6408(a), Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 2404.)