Countering WMD and UAS Threats in Iraq

Background
The Department of State’s Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation, Office of Cooperative Threat Reduction (ISN/CTR) is announcing an open competition for assistance awards through this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). ISN/CTR sponsors foreign assistance activities aimed at mitigating weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and related delivery systems proliferation. This effort focuses on security threats from non-state actors and proliferator states. The goal is to enhance long-term sustainability to maximize programmatic impact while minimizing reliance on external support.

Grant Details
The grant aims to enhance Iraqi partner capabilities to counter unmanned aerial systems (UAS) threats and improve chemical and biological (CB) attack preparedness and response coordination. Key objectives include:

1) Supporting the implementation of a national strategy regulating UAS usage in Iraqi airspace;
2) Increasing awareness among Iraqi national security institutions regarding UAS threats;
3) Strengthening preparedness for incidents involving pharmaceutical-based agents or toxins;
4) Developing best practices for sample chain-of-custody in conflict-prone environments;
5) Enhancing partnerships between government, industry, and academia to mitigate risks at high-risk chemical facilities;
6) Creating agency-specific plans to address CB threats at mass gatherings.

Eligibility Requirements
Eligible applicants include U.S.-based non-profit/non-governmental organizations (with or without 501(c)(3) status), foreign-based non-profit organizations/NGOs, Federally funded research and development centers (FFRDCs), public international organizations, foreign public organizations, U.S.-based private/public/state institutions of higher education, foreign-based institutions of higher education, and U.S. for-profit organizations or businesses. For-profit entities may be subject to additional review.

Period of Performance
The period of performance for the grant is set for 15 months.

Grant Value
The total funding ceiling for this opportunity is $1,500,000, with an anticipated number of five awards.

Place of Performance
The grant activities will be performed in Iraq.