A peek behind Operation Warp Speed's curtain

We’re getting a clearer picture of Operation Warp Speed — the Trump administration’s ambitious, yet secretive, plan to accelerate the development of Covid-19 vaccines and medicines. STAT has obtained an organizational chart of the $10 billion initiative, showing it to be a highly structured effort led more by military than civilian scientists.

About 60 military officials, including four generals, help lead Operation Warp Speed, STAT’s Nicholas Florko exclusively reports. Many have never worked in health care or vaccine development. Those behind the initiative are flying in equipment and raw materials from all over the world — and have systems in place to guard the vaccine carefully from “state actors who don’t want us to be successful in this,” according to a top HHS official.

Among the eight most important players in Operation Warp Speed are Moncef Slaoui, a former GlaxoSmithKline vaccine researcher, and General Gustave Perna, who has led supply chain operations for the military.