133 STAT. 948  PUBLIC LAW 116–22—JUNE 24, 2019  SEC. 404. PREPARING FOR PANDEMIC INFLUENZA, ANTIMICROBIAL  RESISTANCE, AND OTHER SIGNIFICANT THREATS.  (a) STRATEGIC INITIATIVES.—Section 319L(c)(4) (247d–7e(c)(4))  is amended by adding at the end the following:  Determination.  ‘‘(F) STRATEGIC INITIATIVES.—The Secretary, acting  through the Director of BARDA, may implement strategic  initiatives, including by building on existing programs and  by awarding contracts, grants, and cooperative agreements,  or entering into other transactions, to support innovative  candidate products in preclinical and clinical development  that address priority, naturally occurring and man-made  threats that, as determined by the Secretary, pose a signifi- cant level of risk to national security based on the  characteristics of a chemical, biological, radiological or  nuclear threat, or existing capabilities to respond to such  a threat (including medical response and treatment  capabilities and manufacturing infrastructure). Such initia- tives shall accelerate and support the advanced research,  development, and procurement of countermeasures and  products, as applicable, to address areas including—  ‘‘(i) chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear  threats, including emerging infectious diseases, for  which insufficient approved, licensed, or authorized  countermeasures exist, or for which such threat, or  the result of an exposure to such threat, may become  resistant to countermeasures or existing counter- measures may be rendered ineffective;  ‘‘(ii) threats that consistently exist or continually  circulate and have a significant potential to become  a pandemic, such as pandemic influenza, which may  include the advanced research and development, manu- facturing, and appropriate stockpiling of qualified pan- demic or epidemic products, and products, technologies,  or processes to support the advanced research and  development of such countermeasures (including  multiuse platform technologies for diagnostics, vac- cines, and therapeutics; virus seeds; clinical trial lots;  novel virus strains; and antigen and adjuvant mate- rial); and  ‘‘(iii) threats that may result primarily or second- arily from a chemical, biological, radiological, or  nuclear agent, or emerging infectious diseases, and  which may present increased treatment complications  such as the occurrence of resistance to available  countermeasures or potential countermeasures, including antimicrobial resistant pathogens.’’.  (b) PROTECTION OF NATIONAL SECURITY FROM THREATS.—Sec- tion 2811 (42 U.S.C. 300hh–10) is amended by adding at the end  the following:  ‘‘(f) PROTECTION OF NATIONAL SECURITY FROM THREATS.—  ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out subsection (b)(3), the  Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response shall imple- ment strategic initiatives or activities to address threats,  including pandemic influenza and which may include a chem- ical, biological, radiological, or nuclear agent (including any  such agent with a significant potential to become a pandemic),  that pose a significant level of risk to public health and national 