Last month, the U.S. government stunned many in the scientific community by canceling nearly $500 million in contracts for mRNA vaccine research.
But according to a report in Nature, while the Department of Health and Human Services is pulling back, America's military continues to bankroll key mRNA vaccine efforts — especially against some of the world's most dangerous pathogens.
Even as HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. winds down the department's mRNA commitments, the Department of War is stepping in to keep parts of the research alive.
Among those benefiting is a program targeting Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF), a tick-borne virus with a fatality rate as high as 40%, Nature reported.
"A lot of us are at least relieved the Department of Defense (DoD) is not abandoning mRNA research," Amesh Adalja, infectious disease expert at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, told Nature. But he warned that the division in federal policy risks jeopardizing U.S. and global readiness against emerging biological threats.
The conflict in funding became especially clear at HDT Bio in Seattle.
In August, HHS's Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) abruptly ordered a halt to its CCHF vaccine trial — even one already in human testing. Within days, the Department of War's Joint Program Executive Office (JPEO) for CBRN Defense intervened and instructed HDT to resume.
Meanwhile, HHS has formally announced a "coordinated wind-down" of its mRNA activities. Its press release states that 22 projects will be terminated or re-scoped under BARDA, claiming mRNA vaccines "fail to protect effectively against upper respiratory infections like COVID and flu."
Kennedy says the administration is redirecting funds to "safer, broader vaccine platforms."
Responding to media inquiries, HHS press secretary Emily Hilliard defended the shift, asserting that the agency is focusing on "evidence-based, ethically grounded solutions" and insisting the move will not cripple pandemic preparedness.
Still, scientists warn that fragmented policy may hollow out long-term capacity. As Nature reports, mRNA research lacking War Department backing has largely stalled — forcing labs to rebrand proposals under terms like "nucleic-acid-based medicines" to fly under the radar.
If past is prologue, the consequences could be steep: America's ability to race against a novel biological threat might depend on preserving unified, consistent leadership — not fractured signals between HHS and the Department of War.
Newsmax reached out to the Defense Health Agency for comment.
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