Robert Kadlec
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Robert Peter Kadlec ( ) is an American physician and career officer in the
United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...
who served as Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Services (Preparedness and Response) from August 2017 until January 2021. He is responsible for the creation of the COVID-19 vaccine development program Operation Warp Speed.


Early life

Kadlec graduated with a B.S. from the
United States Air Force Academy The United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) is a United States service academies, United States service academy in Air Force Academy, Colorado, Air Force Academy Colorado, immediately north of Colorado Springs, Colorado, Colorado Springs. I ...
in 1979, an M.D. from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in 1983, and an M.A. from
Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private Jesuit research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic higher education, Ca ...
in 1989.


Career

Kadlec spent 26 years as a career officer and physician in the
United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...
. He was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for service in Iraq. In the White House Homeland Security Council, Kadlec was Director for Biodefense and Special Assistant to President
George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...
for Biodefense Policy from 2007 to 2009. Kadlec was Deputy Staff Director for the United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence when he was nominated by President
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to become
Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response The Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) is an operating agency of the United States Public Health Service, U.S. Public Health Service within the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Health ...
(ASPR), an office within Health and Human Services. Kadlec was confirmed for this position by the
United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...
on August 3, 2017, by
voice vote In parliamentary procedure, a voice vote (from the Latin ''viva voce'', meaning "by live voice") or acclamation is a voting method in deliberative assemblies (such as legislatures) in which a group vote is taken on a topic or motion by respondin ...
.


Office of Preparedness and Response

In January 2018, Kadlec testified to the U.S. Congress that the US was dangerously unprepared for a pandemic. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Kadlec had heavily focused the office on preparing for a response to bioterror attacks, a choice that was later scrutinized. From January through March 2020, Kadlec and his team focused on evacuating U.S. nationals from cruise ships and countries hard-hit by the pandemic; Kadlec's defenders said that this focus was necessary to protect Americans, while detractors criticized him for missing opportunities to prepare for pandemic COVID-19 in the United States. Notably, he overruled CDC scientists who objected to the joint evacuation with minimal precautions (separation from non-infected people only by a thin plastic sheet) of Diamond Princess passengers infected with COVID-19. In April 2020, Kadlec demoted federal scientist Rick Bright, removing him from his position as head of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) and reassigning him to a lower post at the
National Institutes of Health The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and public health research. It was founded in 1887 and is part of the United States Department of Health and Human Service ...
. The following month, Bright filed a wide-ranging whistleblower complaint against Kadlec and several Trump administration officials.Nicholas Florko
Trump administration fires back at ousted vaccine expert as he testifies on his role in U.S. coronavirus response
''Stat News'' (May 14, 2020).
Bright asserted that Kadlec ousted him in retaliation for his "insistence" that the federal government focus resources on "safe and scientifically vetted solutions" against the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
rather than "technologies that lack scientific merit" such as the use of hydroxychloroquine, which had been pushed by the Trump administration. Bright also alleged that in January 2020, Kadlec had delayed acting to obtain face masks, testing swabs, and other materials for which there was later a shortage. Supporters of Bright and supporters of Kadlec each accused the other "of preferential treatment for favored contractors and inappropriate spending decisions." HHS denied that Bright had been retaliated against, but the Office of Special Counsel recommended Bright's reinstatement as BARDA chief, finding a "substantial likelihood of wrongdoing" in his ouster.


Operation Warp Speed

Kadlec led the formation of the COVID-19 vaccine development program named Operation Warp Speed (OWS). In April 2020, Kadlec worked with Peter Marks (physician), director of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER) at the
Food and Drug Administration The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or US FDA) is a List of United States federal agencies, federal agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is respo ...
(FDA) to develop OWS. Kadlec and Marks wrote a proposal for then Secretary of the
Department of Health and Human Services The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is a cabinet-level executive branch department of the US federal government created to protect the health of the US people and providing essential human services. Its motto is ...
(HHS) Alex Azar detailing how Operation Warp Speed would screen potential vaccine candidates and eventually distribute final product to all Americans. A memo circulated by Kadlec and Marks to Azar on April 12 was the first detailed accounting of OWS’ goals: Inside the Messy Race to Develop a COVID Vaccine
''Esquire'' (October 19, 2021).
:''"Project Warp Speed'' :''Maximally expediting a safe, effective vaccine'' :''A safe, effective, broadly administered vaccine is the single most important solution to the Covid-19 pandemic'' :''MISSION: Maximally expedite the development of a safe and effective vaccine with sufficient scale to inoculate all Americans who need it'' :''DEADLINE: Enable broad access to the public by October 2020'' :''PLAN: Modeled after the Manhattan Project approach, a multi-disciplinary, multi-sector team that brings the numerous in-flight efforts under a single authority to drive relentless coordination, barrier elimination, and accountability for mission success"'' Kadlec was responsible for setting the aggressive deadline of October 2020 to complete simultaneous clinical trials and roll out the vaccine to the American public. Recognizing the national security importance of OWS, Azar and Kadlec also worked to enlist the Department of Defense (DoD) as a key partner in both the science and the logistics. While OWS was initially named “Project Warp Speed,” Kadlec would later rename it to “Operation Warp Speed” to better reflect the role DoD would play. On April 24, 2020, Kadlec approved the first communications between FDA and companies who would eventually partner with the government to successfully develop and distribute COVID-19 vaccines. OWS was announced to the public on May 15, 2020.


Emergent BioSolutions inquiry

Kadlec, before becoming Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response in 2017, consulted for Emergent BioSolutions and co-owned a company linked to its founder, without disclosing this during his Senate confirmation. After taking office, he secured a $2.8 billion, 10-year contract for smallpox vaccines from Emergent, raising concerns about conflicts of interest. A congressional inquiry followed after 15 million Janssen COVID-19 vaccine doses were ruined at Emergent's
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facility, focusing on Emergent's ties to the Trump administration, quality control issues, and an 800% price hike for anthrax vaccines. Kadlec was also scrutinized for backing a $628 million award to Emergent. The inquiry was not pursued further.


References


External links


Biography at U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
*

" by Dr. Robert Kadlec, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services website. * Videos: ** ** **
21st Century Germ Warfare
by LtC Robert P. Kadlec (Air War College, Studies in National Security No.3, Sep 1998) {{DEFAULTSORT:Kadlec, Robert Georgetown University alumni Living people First Trump administration personnel United States Air Force Academy alumni United States Air Force officers United States Department of Health and Human Services officials Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences alumni Year of birth missing (living people)