Reviewing public strategic documents and struck, once again, but how frequently the risk of an uncontrolled pandemic is mentioned. Like here, in the first chapter of the DOD's Joint Operating Environment:

Or here, in the 2017, 2018, 2019 Worldwide Threat Assessment (and I'm sure many previous versions, but you get the message)

And here, in the 2005, 2010, 2015 National Security Strategies...

... as well as the 2006, 2010, 2014 Quadrennial Defense Reviews (albeit in passing).

Leaving aside the important but well-trod discussion what plans did & did not exist, what I'm struck by is how pandemics were very much a part of the *mainstream* national security conversation. These aren't niche documents.

The risk was noted regularly and widely, but was still not an obvious priority for most of us. My question then is: what else could fall into this category? What other risks is the national security community aware of but maybe not thinking as seriously about as it should?