A Revamped Strategic National Stockpile Still Can't Match The Pandemic's Latest Surge

The Strategic National Stockpile, which the U.S. has traditionally depended on for emergencies, still lacks critical supplies nine months into one of the worst public health care crises this country has ever seen, an NPR investigation has learned.

A combination of long-standing budget shortfalls, lack of domestic manufacturing, snags in the global supply chain and overwhelming demand has meant that the stockpile is short of the gloves, masks and other supplies needed to weather this winter's surge in COVID-19 cases.

The Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) is a secret network of warehouses scattered across the country, each one the size of several Walmart Supercenters. It serves as a stopgap measure during an emergency — a pandemic or, say, a nuclear, chemical or biological attack.