As biological threats continue to loom large on the list of national security concerns, a landmark initiative known as the Analysis for Coastal Operational Resiliency (AnCOR) is coming to a close after seven years of intensive scientific collaboration. Led by the Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate (S&T), in partnership with the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), AnCOR has developed practical tools, tested decontamination methods, and run full-scale exercises to ensure maritime responders can act quickly and effectively in the event of a bioagent incident.
From simulated anthrax releases to stormwater tracer studies, AnCOR has emphasized readiness, resilience, and realism. The program’s findings are poised to benefit not only the Coast Guard, but also a broad array of federal, state, and local agencies involved in chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosive (CBRNE) response.
A Practical Playbook for Biological Incident Response
The Coast Guard’s missions—ranging from search and rescue to port security—require an operational continuity that must withstand biological threats. AnCOR has enabled USCG teams to simulate and rehearse entire bioagent response operations, including sample collection, decontamination, and hazardous waste management. The exercises culminated in a tabletop simulation at the Atlantic Strike Team’s New Jersey base, where responders utilized EPA’s Readiness and Emergency Strategy Planning On-Demand (RESPOND) tool to manage a mock anthrax release.
RESPOND’s integrated modules allow for real-time decision-making on sampling strategy, decontamination agents, and safe disposal of contaminated materials. These tools are complemented by physical job aids—like maintenance procedure cards—to guide responders in the field. Notably, virtual reality technology was used to simulate spatial constraints and waste sorting challenges, giving responders a more immersive and hands-on training experience.
Tracing Pathogens Through Rain: Lessons from the Stormwater Tracer Study
Understanding how biological agents like anthrax spores behave in the environment is essential to containment and cleanup. One of AnCOR’s most innovative efforts was the Stormwater Tracer Study conducted at USCG Base Elizabeth City in North Carolina. Using non-pathogenic anthrax surrogates and a suite of environmental sensors, researchers tracked how rain transports spores from asphalt, concrete, and grassy areas into stormwater systems.
This work resulted in predictive models and real-world data that allow responders to identify contamination hotspots after rainfall. By building hydrodynamic models based on surface type, rainfall intensity, and runoff pathways, teams can generate site-specific maps that optimize post-incident sampling and decontamination.
Scientific Rigor Meets Operational Realism
AnCOR’s strength lies in the realism of its tests and the scientific rigor applied throughout. In early decontamination trials, a decommissioned Coast Guard vessel was deliberately contaminated with three different non-pathogenic anthrax surrogates. EPA scientists tested cleaning methods ranging from fogging with peracetic acid to fumigation with methyl bromide and hydrogen peroxide vapor.
Each technique was assessed for effectiveness, safety, cost, and impact on sensitive electronics. While some methods eliminated all viable spores, others left residual contamination, underscoring the importance of selecting the right decontamination method for the environment and mission needs.
Why It Matters: Biosecurity Is Public Health Security
Although the primary aim of AnCOR is to ensure Coast Guard operational resilience, the project’s implications extend far beyond the maritime domain. Biological incidents, whether accidental or intentional, can have cascading impacts on nearby communities, ecosystems, and critical infrastructure. Ports are often located in densely populated urban areas—New York, Los Angeles, Miami, and New Orleans to name a few—where an uncontained bioagent release could disrupt emergency services, supply chains, and civilian life.
By ensuring that responders are equipped with evidence-based tools and procedures, AnCOR helps reduce the time between detection and cleanup—potentially saving lives, restoring public confidence, and minimizing long-term socioeconomic fallout. This investment in bio-preparedness is a critical component of both national defense and public health protection.
Building a Blueprint for Cross-Sector Recovery
The benefits of AnCOR extend beyond the Coast Guard. Other DHS components—such as FEMA, Customs and Border Protection, and the Secret Service—can leverage its guidance. Moreover, state and local emergency managers and public health agencies now have access to validated tools and methods developed in partnership with top federal scientific agencies.
As AnCOR concludes in September 2025, the Coast Guard will retain a library of reports, guidance documents, and RESPOND toolkits. The project’s legacy is a robust and field-tested framework for biological response that enhances national readiness across land, sea, and air.
The Impact of Trump-Vance Administration Cuts on Biodefense Research
Despite the vital role initiatives like AnCOR play in protecting U.S. public health and maritime infrastructure from biological threats, sustained progress in this field is increasingly at risk under the Trump-Vance Administration. Recent federal budget proposals and agency-level staffing reductions have raised alarms among career scientists, emergency preparedness officials, and national security experts. Cuts have specifically targeted civilian biodefense research at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and other partner agencies involved in CBRNE response.
The Science and Technology Directorate (S&T), the driving force behind AnCOR, has faced successive reductions in funding. These budgetary constraints have resulted in delayed or canceled field exercises, curtailed innovation in detection and decontamination technologies, and reduced interagency training opportunities.
The EPA’s Homeland Security Research Program (HSRP), a critical partner in AnCOR’s field studies and hydrodynamic modeling efforts, has also experienced significant personnel attrition following hiring freezes and reorganizations. Several experienced environmental engineers and biosafety scientists have either taken early retirement or left for academic or private-sector positions, citing unclear support for long-term biodefense work. These losses hamper the government’s ability to maintain and adapt tools like the RESPOND software or hydrological models developed through the Stormwater Tracer Study.
Moreover, the Trump-Vance Administration’s broader skepticism of federal scientific institutions has fostered uncertainty around long-term continuity for CBRNE preparedness efforts. Proposals to further consolidate or defund EPA homeland security functions and transfer responsibilities to other agencies without scientific mandates could result in duplication, misalignment, or mission degradation.
For public health and national defense stakeholders, the erosion of this capacity is particularly troubling. Programs like AnCOR are not just about responding to hypothetical attacks—they build real-world operational resilience in the face of both deliberate and natural biological incidents. Diminished investment in such capabilities threatens to leave critical maritime and urban infrastructure vulnerable to contamination scenarios that could have cascading effects on commerce, national security, and civilian health.
As a result, experts are calling on Congress to restore funding and reaffirm bipartisan support for biological threat preparedness, warning that failure to do so risks not only the operational readiness of the U.S. Coast Guard and other service branches, but the broader biosecurity of the United States.
Sources and Further Reading
- DHS S&T Directorate: Delivering Tools to Prepare the Coast Guard for a Bioagent Incident (2025)
- DHS S&T Directorate: Tracing the Path of Pathogens after Rain (2022)
- DHS S&T Directorate: Helping Coast Guard Prepare to Clean Up Following an Anthrax Attack (2020)
- Technologically Speaking Podcast – “Speed Up the Cleanup”