Gail Cassell and Janet Shoemaker were invited to attend a meeting at the White House Old Executive Office Building on 18 December to discuss the President's National Strategy for Countering Biological Threats. The Strategy was released on 9 December at the annual meeting of the Biological Weapons Convention in Geneva. The Strategy includes U.S. support for reinvigorating the BWC as the premier forum for discussion and global planning to contain and reduce biological threats. The administration's objectives include increased transparency, by making the annual U.S. declaration of confidence-building measures available on the Internet, and linking security and public health by promoting global health security through implementation of the International Health Regulations.