Operation Warp Speed

Operation Warp Speed Seal

Operation Warp Speed was a "Public-Private Partnership" which initially dumped $18 Billion US dollars into private entities with the goal of producing vaccines for the Covid-19 pandemic. On May 15, 2020, President Donald Trump referred to Operation Warp Speed as a "massive scientific, industrial, and logistical endeavor unlike anything our country has seen since the Manhattan Project".

Operation Warp Speed has been praised by the Federation of American Scientists as "the most effective government-led R&D effort in a generation".

Background

Excerpt from the Federation of American Scientists:

"Operation Warp Speed (OWS) was a public-private partnership that produced COVID-19 vaccines in the unprecedented timeline of less than one year. This unique success among typical government research and development (R&D) programs is attributed to OWS’s strong public-private partnerships, effective coordination, and command leadership structure. Policy entrepreneurs, leaders of federal agencies, and issue advocates will benefit from understanding what policy interventions were used and how they can be replicated. Those looking to replicate this success should evaluate the stakeholder landscape and state of the fundamental science before designing a portfolio of policy mechanisms.

"Development of a vaccine to protect against COVID-19 began when China first shared the genetic sequence in January 2020. In May, the Trump Administration announced OWS to dramatically accelerate development and distribution. Through the concerted efforts of federal agencies and private entities, a vaccine was ready for the public in January 2021, beating the previous record for vaccine development by about three years. OWS released over 63 million doses within one year, and to date more than 613 million doses have been administered in the United States. By many accounts, OWS was the most effective government-led R&D effort in a generation...

Biden Changes Name

In an interview published at Science magazine titled "Ex–vaccine chief reflects on triumphs, failures, and Trump" dated January 29, 2021, the "the former scientific head of Operation Warp Speed" Moncef Slaoui revealed that Joe Biden changed the name of Operation Warp Speed when he took office:

"I'm surprised we got an email yesterday saying that as of tomorrow, you cannot use the name Operation Warp Speed anymore. I asked myself, why? This is probably why I'm not a politician. It just escapes rationality and understanding. Because in a way, everybody that works under Operation Warp Speed feels like, what did we do wrong? I would redo it in the blink of an eye. But next pandemic virus, please, do not come during an election year.

• Also see the Biden Transition COVID-19 Advisory Board.

President Trump Awards Presidential Commendations to Operation Warp Speed Team

On January 19, 2021, President Trump awarded Presidential Commendations to the Operation Warp Speed Team:

• General Mark Milley
• Secretary Alex Azar
• Jared Kushner
• Moncef Slaoui
• Gustave Perna
• Deborah Birx
• Anthony Fauci
• Adam Boehler
• Brad Smith
• David Norquist
• Chuong Huynh
• Janssen Kimberly Taylor
• David Simon
• Rebecca Kurna
• Jonathan Seals
• Merck Daniel Wolfe
• Christopher Houchens
• Robert Johnson
• Matthew Hepburn
• Jason Roos
• David Boucher
• John Mascola
• Barney Graham
• Emily Erbelding
• Mary Marovich
• Richard Gorman
• Christy Ventura
• Joseph Chapman
• Deacon Maddox
• Christine Oshansky
• Tremel Faison
• Mike Angelastro
• Carlo De Notaristefani
• Anita Patel
• Nancy Messonnier
• Greg Hand
• Meghan Pennini
• Marina Kozak
• Rachel Overman
• Efrain Garcia
• Amy Jenkins
• Karl Erlandson
• Sean O'Neil
• Mary Homer
• John Redd
• Janet Woodcock
• Kevin Bugin
• Deydre Teyhen
• Kimberly Armstrong

Operation Warp Speed Funding for the Future

The Lancet published a viewpoint paper in March 2021 with the summarized key points as follows:

• The USA should accelerate the rejoining of WHO, expand its role in COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access, and contribute funding and vaccines to this global effort.
• Countries with excess vaccines (which were developed through funding from Operation Warp Speed or the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations) through preorders should consider assignment of excess vaccines to COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access and support the mechanisms for logistics, implementation, and follow-up of vaccinated populations.
• As a continuation of the work of Operation Warp Speed, research into efficacy against COVID-19 variants; optimisation of schedule, dose, and boosters; correlates of protection; effectiveness and herd immunity; long-term safety and adverse events after immunisation; and global surveillance for mutations should also be used as an opportunity to strengthen health systems and research capabilities in low-income and middle-income countries as a part of pandemic preparedness and global health security.
• Operation Warp Speed funding should be followed by support for optimising vaccination practice and vaccine acceptance worldwide, to counter misinformation and vaccine hesitancy.