WASHINGTON, D.C. (NPA) — United States Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard has disclosed newly declassified evidence indicating that the U.S. government has funded more than 120 biological laboratories across over 30 countries.
According to Gabbard, the disclosure follows months of reviews of Intelligence Community records and holdings. The laboratories reportedly include facilities in Ukraine, some of which were considered vulnerable to compromise due to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict.
She said previous intelligence assessments had warned that at least one U.S.-funded laboratory in Ukraine likely housed dangerous pathogens and faced risks of attack, seizure, or damage amid the war.
The newly declassified documents, which have been made public, provide details on the existence, locations, history, and funding of the laboratories.
Gabbard alleged that information regarding the full scope of the programme had been withheld from the American public for years, claiming that concerns raised about the facilities were often dismissed and those making such claims were accused of spreading foreign propaganda.
According to the DNI, many of the laboratories either currently engage or have previously engaged in research involving hazardous and highly contagious pathogens. She further claimed that some facilities conducted gain-of-function research with limited public visibility and oversight.
The disclosure comes more than a year after U.S. President Donald Trump signed Executive Order 14292 on May 25, 2025, aimed at ending federal funding for gain-of-function research globally.
Speaking on the issue, Gabbard criticised what she described as efforts by some politicians, health officials and members of the previous administration to downplay or deny the existence of U.S.-funded biolaboratories abroad.
“Despite the obvious potential for catastrophic global impact research on dangerous pathogens in biolabs can have, politicians, so-called health professionals like Dr Fauci, and entities within the Biden administration’s national security team lied to the American people about the existence of U.S.-funded and supported biolabs, and threatened those who attempted to expose the truth,” Gabbard said.
She added that the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) would continue working with relevant government agencies to identify the locations of the laboratories, determine the pathogens they contain, and support efforts to end what she described as dangerous gain-of-function research.
Gabbard also announced new guidance directing the Intelligence Community to intensify information gathering on overseas biological laboratories and related facilities.
According to her, the directive has already yielded additional information on clinical trials reportedly being conducted at some of the facilities, raising what she described as significant ethical, financial and national security concerns.
