Black & Veatch says it has been selected by the Pentagon’s Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) to work with the government of Armenia to develop a sustainable program to strengthen that country’s human and veterinary biological threat reduction capabilities and the public health system. The project is the first time DTRA has selected a contractor to provide program design for a country before contracting for program implementation. The project is part of DTRA’s Cooperative Biological Engagement Program to combat bio-terrorism and prevent the proliferation of biological weapons-related technology, pathogens and expertise. The program also aims to enhance host governments’ disease surveillance systems to detect and report bio-terror attacks, epidemics and potential pandemics.