The American Biosecurity Initiative (ABI) has appointed former U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke and former Congressman Patrick McHenry as senior advisors to strengthen national medicine security.

Washington, Sept. 16, 2026 -- The appointments aim to make the discovery, development, and manufacturing of medicines a core national security priority for the United States.

Strategic Leadership

Jennifer Crook, ABI Executive Director, stated that Locke and McHenry bring experience in economic competitiveness, national security, and U.S.-China policy. She emphasized that medicine is a national security asset requiring immediate attention to secure scientific and manufacturing capacity.

Locke served as Governor of Washington from 1997 to 2005, U.S. Secretary of Commerce from 2009 to 2011, and U.S. Ambassador to China from 2011 to 2014. He noted that China takes biotechnology seriously and urged the U.S. to strengthen domestic discovery and manufacturing capabilities.

McHenry represented North Carolina's 10th District in Congress from 2005 to 2025 and served as Chairman of the House Financial Services Committee. He is now a Distinguished Fellow at Georgetown University's Psaros Center for Financial Markets and Policy. McHenry highlighted that America's lead in medicine discovery stems from a system where capital and science connect, requiring a durable bipartisan strategy to protect.

Supply Chain Focus

ABI is working to reduce reliance on overseas supply chains for critical medicine parts. The initiative aims to strengthen U.S. biopharmaceutical capabilities and build more secure supply chains with trusted allies.

Crook added that economic strength and national security reinforce each other, stating that the U.S. cannot defend itself or compete economically without the ability to manufacture necessary medicines for citizens and armed forces.