Pentagon Sending Money to EcoHealth Alliance Abroad
The Pentagon is still funneling money to the suspended grantee EcoHealth Alliance and is unable to fully access data on gain-of-function research it may be funding overseas — including in China, according to a letter exclusively obtained by The Post.
Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment William LaPlante in a letter to Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) revealed the shocking lapses in oversight from the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, which is tasked with countering threats from weapons of mass destruction.
“Data generated through these projects are the property of the partner country and are used to generate periodic reporting,” Laplante told Ernst in the Aug. 1 missive.
PENTAGON DOESN'T KNOW EXTENT OF GAIN-OF-FUNCTION RESEARCH FUNDED OVERSEAS
The Pentagon's internal watchdog admitted it doesn’t know how much gain-of-function research is funded overseas, despite spending $1.4B from 2014-2023.
A recent report found the Pentagon failed to track funding details, making it unclear if U.S. funds were used in risky pathogen research, especially in China.
Over $15.5M in grants went to research organizations in China and other countries, including $6.5M given to WuXi AppTec, a company linked to the Chinese military.
The audit covered 12,660 grants, totaling $1.4B, but lacked detailed tracking.
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