Robert Kadlec, M.D., M.T.M.& H., M.A is the special assistant to the President for homeland security and senior director for biological defense policy in the White House Homeland Security Council. Prior to his appointment, he was the director for Biodefense and Public Health at PRTM Management Consultants. Previously, he served as staff director for the Senate Subcommittee on Bioterrorism and Public Health, where he oversaw the drafting of the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act (PL 109-417). The law, signed by President Bush on December 19, 2006, improves the functioning of Project BioShield of 2004 and reauthorizes the Bioterrorism Preparedness Act of 2002. Before that, he served as director for BioDefense Preparedness and Response at the White House Homeland Security Council from February 2002 until March 2005, where he was responsible for coordinating medical issues pertaining to the threat of bioterrorism with the National Security Council and the Federal Interagency. He conducted the BioDefense End-to-End Assessment and was instrumental in drafting Homeland Security Presidential Directive 10, The National BioDefense Policy for the 21st Century. In his military career, he was assigned to the Joint Special Operations Command at Fort Bragg, NC and the 16th Special Operations Wing at Hurlburt Field, Florida. He also served in senior advisory roles in the Office of the Secretary of Defense for Policy and the Central Intelligence Agency. Dr. Kadlec holds an M.D. and an M.T.M.&H. (tropical medicine and hygiene) from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences; an M.A. in national security studies from Georgetown University; and a B.S. from the United States Air Force Academy. He is board certified in Aerospace and Preventive Medicine. He is a graduate of the Air War College.