United States Senator Jerry Moran toured the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility on Friday.
Moran says the purpose for his visit was to discuss NBAF workforce attraction and retention, the continued relationship between the Department of Homeland Security and United States Department of Agriculture and the facility’s safety and capabilities.
“Both for the safety of the people in the country, safety from concerns I have with other countries being interested in learning our science, particularly China, and particularly with what we’ve seen with a human pandemic – the safety of our livestock industry and the food supply chain in the United States from either an intentional or unintentional attack,” Moran said.
During his tour, Moran was also received updates on the facility’s construction and commission timeline, which was delayed last year due to the pandemic.
He says NBAF construction is “rapidly coming to a conclusion.”
“This opportunity for Kansas to host a national research facility will be approaching in the next year-and-a-half or so,” Moran said.
According to Moran, NBAF is scheduled to reach “initial operating capability” in May.
NBAF is expected to be fully operational in December 2022, per the DHS website,
