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Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response
The Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) is an operating agency of the U.S. Public Health Service within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that focuses on preventing, preparing for, and responding to the adverse health effects of public health emergencies and disasters. Its functions include preparedness planning and response; building federal emergency medical operational capabilities; countermeasures research, advance development, and procurement; and grants to strengthen the capabilities of hospitals and health care systems in public health emergencies and medical disasters. The office provides federal support, including medical professionals through ASPR’s National Disaster Medical System, to augment state and local capabilities during an emergency or disaster.
The agency has direct predecessors going at least back to 1955. In 2002, it was promoted to be a staff office headed by an Assistant Secretary, and in 2006 it was expanded and renamed the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. In July 2022, it was announced that the agency was being elevated from a staff office to an operating division, and renamed the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response.
As part of the announced 2025 HHS reorganization, ASPR is planned to be absorbed into the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Under the Pandemic and All Hazards Preparedness Act of 2006 (PAHPA) (Pub. L. 109–417 (text) (PDF)), HHS is the lead agency for the National Response Framework (NRF) for Emergency Support Function 8 (ESF-8). The Secretary of HHS delegates to ASPR the leadership role for all health and medical services support functions in a health emergency or public health event. To meet the public information requirements of PAHPA the Public Health Emergency.gov web portal was created to serve as a single point of access to public health risk, and situational awareness information when the President or the Secretary of Health and Human Services exercise their public health emergency legal authority.
The Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Reauthorization Act of 2013 (Pub. L. 113–5 (text) (PDF)) improved and reauthorized the provisions of the PAHPA. The primary portion of the bill dealing with this office is Section 102. Among other things, the bill requires the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, with respect to overseeing advanced research, development, and procurement of qualified countermeasures, security countermeasures, and qualified pandemic or epidemic products, to:
As of 2023, ASPR has eight program offices (headed by a deputy assistant secretary):
Office of
ASPR is the Secretary's principal advisor on matters related to bioterrorism and other public health emergencies. They are responsible for coordinating interagency activities between HHS, other Federal departments, agencies, offices and State and local officials responsible for emergency preparedness and the protection of the civilian population from acts of bioterrorism and other public health emergencies. The ASPR also works closely with global partners to address common threats around the world, enhancing national capacities to detect and respond to such threats, and to learn from each other’s experiences as another step toward national health security for the United States and other countries.
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Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response
The Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) is an operating agency of the U.S. Public Health Service within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that focuses on preventing, preparing for, and responding to the adverse health effects of public health emergencies and disasters. Its functions include preparedness planning and response; building federal emergency medical operational capabilities; countermeasures research, advance development, and procurement; and grants to strengthen the capabilities of hospitals and health care systems in public health emergencies and medical disasters. The office provides federal support, including medical professionals through ASPR’s National Disaster Medical System, to augment state and local capabilities during an emergency or disaster.
The agency has direct predecessors going at least back to 1955. In 2002, it was promoted to be a staff office headed by an Assistant Secretary, and in 2006 it was expanded and renamed the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. In July 2022, it was announced that the agency was being elevated from a staff office to an operating division, and renamed the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response.
As part of the announced 2025 HHS reorganization, ASPR is planned to be absorbed into the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Under the Pandemic and All Hazards Preparedness Act of 2006 (PAHPA) (Pub. L. 109–417 (text) (PDF)), HHS is the lead agency for the National Response Framework (NRF) for Emergency Support Function 8 (ESF-8). The Secretary of HHS delegates to ASPR the leadership role for all health and medical services support functions in a health emergency or public health event. To meet the public information requirements of PAHPA the Public Health Emergency.gov web portal was created to serve as a single point of access to public health risk, and situational awareness information when the President or the Secretary of Health and Human Services exercise their public health emergency legal authority.
The Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Reauthorization Act of 2013 (Pub. L. 113–5 (text) (PDF)) improved and reauthorized the provisions of the PAHPA. The primary portion of the bill dealing with this office is Section 102. Among other things, the bill requires the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, with respect to overseeing advanced research, development, and procurement of qualified countermeasures, security countermeasures, and qualified pandemic or epidemic products, to:
As of 2023, ASPR has eight program offices (headed by a deputy assistant secretary):
Office of
ASPR is the Secretary's principal advisor on matters related to bioterrorism and other public health emergencies. They are responsible for coordinating interagency activities between HHS, other Federal departments, agencies, offices and State and local officials responsible for emergency preparedness and the protection of the civilian population from acts of bioterrorism and other public health emergencies. The ASPR also works closely with global partners to address common threats around the world, enhancing national capacities to detect and respond to such threats, and to learn from each other’s experiences as another step toward national health security for the United States and other countries.