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U.S. Response: Security Department Has Improved U.S. Defenses Against WMD Attacks, Official Says By Mike Nartker Since its inception, Homeland Security has launched a number of initiatives to protect the United States against terrorist attacks involving weapons of mass destruction, such as stockpiling millions of doses of antibiotics and vaccines against biological weapons agents, inoculating health care workers against smallpox (see GSN, Aug. 18) and the installation of biological and chemical-agent sensors (see GSN, July 11) at strategic locations throughout the United States, England said. In addition, the department has also worked to protect potential U.S. infrastructure targets — such as power plants — and, through Operation Cornerstone, worked to combat money-laundering operations, he said (see GSN, Aug. 1). England also said that since March, Homeland Security has conducted more than 400 exercises to help localities evaluate their emergency action plans and has provided more than $4 billion to train and equip first responders. A study released yesterday by RAND, however, found that many first responders throughout the country believe they lack adequate protective gear to respond to terrorist attacks involving weapons of mass destruction (see GSN, Aug. 20). “The majority of emergency responders feel vastly underprepared and underprotected for the consequences of chemical, biological or radiological terrorist attacks,” the RAND study says. In addition to working with state and local officials, the Homeland Security Department has sought international cooperation against terrorism, according to England. For example, U.S. inspectors have been stationed at international seaports through the Container Security Initiative to identify and search high-risk cargo shipments heading to the United States, he said (see GSN, Aug. 6). Since the effort began, agreements have been reached to station inspectors at the top 20 international ports, he said, adding that since June, the program has been expanded into areas of the Middle East, Turkey and Malaysia. “We have made measurable progress towards reaching the high standards of readiness and protection to which President [George W.] Bush has called us, and to which the American people are entitled,” England said during a speech at the Heritage Foundation. In his remarks, England singled out the Terrorist Threat Information Center for heightened praise (see GSN, July 23). The center, which opened in early May, is designed to help improve information-sharing among U.S. counterterrorism agencies, such as Homeland Security, the U.S. Defense Department, the CIA and the FBI. “In my judgment, it [the center] may be the most important thing we have accomplished in the country … because without intelligence, actionable intelligence, it is very difficult to protect and defend this nation,” England said. “So this is a way to break down the barriers between the various intelligence agencies, to have them co-located, to be able to share information,” he added. The center has come under criticism, however, from some members of Congress for only serving to add another layer of bureaucracy to intelligence, according to reports. “What this looks like is the intelligence community’s ‘jobs-forever program,’” the Los Angeles Times last month quoted Representative Loretta Sanchez (D-Calif.) as saying. While Homeland Security has made progress in defending the United States against terrorism, more remains to be done, England conceded yesterday. “Homeland security is a marathon, it’s not a sprint,” he said. England said the department is still working to consolidate the various terrorist “watch lists” in use by a number of U.S. agencies to help track suspected terrorist operatives (see GSN, Aug. 14). He blamed technical challenges, however, for the delay in creating a single, unified list. “I wish I could tell you this was as simple as just pouring two different … bottles into one larger bottle,” England said. “It’s not that simple to do,” he added. Earlier this month, however, Democrats in both the House of Representatives and the Senate sent letters to Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge criticizing the delay in establishing a unified list. “This problem needs to be fixed,” Senator Joseph Lieberman (D-Conn.) wrote in his letter to Ridge. “Potentially fatal gaps in our watch-list system should be closed. It is important to have a consolidated national watch list operating around the clock to alert us to terrorists attempting to enter our country,” he added.
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