The U.S. national commission investigating the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks yesterday released a report of its findings (AFP photo/Brendan Smialowski). Large-Scale Intelligence Reforms Needed, Sept. 11 Commission Says in Report By Mike Nartker Global Security Newswire WASHINGTON — The U.S. commission investigating the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks yesterday recommended several sweeping intelligence reform measures, as well as changes to how Congress oversees the U.S. intelligence community (see GSN, July 21)...Full Story

9/11 Commission Recommends Threat-Based Grants By Joe Fiorill Global Security Newswire WASHINGTON — The U.S. Homeland Security Department should consider only risks and vulnerabilities in giving grants to emergency-response agencies around the country, the federal commission created to study the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks said yesterday in its long-awaited report (see GSN, May 27)...Full Story

Another Attack Probable, Commission Members Say By Marina Malenic Global Security Newswire WASHINGTON — Another strike against the United States on the scale of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks is probable, members of the commission investigating those attacks said yesterday (see GSN, June 23)...Full Story

	Friday, July 23, 2004

Large-Scale Intelligence Reforms Needed, Sept. 11 Commission Says in Report By Mike Nartker Global Security Newswire WASHINGTON — The U.S. commission investigating the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks yesterday recommended several sweeping intelligence reform measures, as well as changes to how Congress oversees the U.S. intelligence community (see GSN, July 21). President George W. Bush and former President Bill Clinton were not well served by intelligence prior to the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, commission Chairman Thomas Kean said yesterday. “Having read every single presidential daily briefing having anything to do with this subject under two administrations, I can tell you that the two presidents of the United States were not well served by those [intelligence] agencies and they did not, in my opinion, have the information they needed to make the decisions they had to make,” he said during a press conference to release the commission’s report of its findings. In its report, the commission recommended the creation of a National Counterterrorism Center on the “foundation” of the existing Terrorist Threat Integration Center, which is responsible for analyzing terrorism-related information. The proposed center would be responsible for both joint foreign and domestic intelligence and operational planning efforts. The head of new center, who would be appointed by the president and would have the rank equivalent to a deputy Cabinet secretary, would also have input into the selection of personnel to lead counterterrorism efforts of various government agencies. The commission also recommended the creation of a national director of intelligence to oversee the various intelligence agencies. In its report, the commission listed several flaws in the current structure of the intelligence community that prompted the need for such a director, including structural barriers to joint efforts, divided management of intelligence capabilities and the weak capability of the director of the CIA to set intelligence priorities and shift resources. According to the commission’s report, the new director would oversee several national intelligence centers that would focus on specific subjects, such as the proposed National Counterterrorism Center and centers responsible for areas such as weapons of mass destruction, drug trafficking and regional issues. The national intelligence director, who would work within the executive office, would also be responsible for submitting a unified intelligence budget and would be involved in selecting the heads of various intelligence-related agencies.  Commission Vice Chairman Lee Hamilton said yesterday that the commission’s recommendations were important to ensure “unity of effort” within the intelligence community. In addition to structural changes within the intelligence community, the commission called on the CIA director to improve the agency’s analytic capabilities, human intelligence capabilities, diversity of agents and agents’ language skills.  The commission did not recommend in its report the creation of a new domestic intelligence agency, as some have proposed. Instead, it said that the FBI should develop “a specialized and integrated national security work force” to help improve the bureau’s intelligence capabilities.  The commission also recommended that overall amounts of funding appropriated to national intelligence and intelligence agencies should no longer be kept secret. Congress should also draft an intelligence appropriations bill separate from those departments’ parent agencies, according to the report. Response to the Report Bush yesterday praised the Sept. 11 commission’s efforts. “I appreciate the hard work of the commission and the spirit in which their recommendations are written. We will give serious consideration to every idea because we share a common goal:  to do everything in our power to prepare for and to stop any terrorist attack,” he said during a campaign stop in Glenview, Ill. Bush also said that the commission’s recommendations were “consistent with the strategy my administration is following to address these failings and to win the war on terrorism.” Bush said he agreed with the commission’s recommendations to improve coordination between intelligence agencies, as well as to improve human and technological intelligence capabilities. The president did not address, though, commission calls for structural changes to the intelligence community. In a press statement yesterday, acting CIA Director John McLaughlin said that the agency would consider the commission’s recommendations, but also noted the progress made in improving intelligence since the Sept. 11 attacks. “We will consider how these conclusions and recommendations can enhance the many changes that have been made since the 9/11 attacks — changes that have not only transformed the intelligence community’s collection, operational, and analytic capabilities in the war on terrorism, but have also strengthened our government’s ability to deal with the threat to our homeland,” he said. U.S. Senator John Kerry (D-Mass.), Bush’s anticipated challenger in the November presidential election, said yesterday that the commission’s report indicates that the United States is still not safe from future attacks. “Nearly three years after terrorists attacked our shores and murdered our loved ones, this report carries a simple message about our current state of security for every American who remembers that dark September day: We can do better. We must do better.  And it’s time to act — now,” he said in a statement, promising to implement intelligence reforms if elected. The proposal for the creation of a national intelligence director has received increasing attention following the release of a report earlier this month by the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, which criticized the intelligence community’s performance regarding prewar Iraq’s alleged WMD efforts. Legislation to create such a position has been introduced in both houses of Congress and the proposal has received bipartisan support. While the White House has yet to comment on the merits of the proposal, some senior Bush administration officials, such as McLaughlin and Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge, say the measure would add needless bureaucracy. During interviews today, national security adviser Condoleezza Rice refused to answer questions as to whether Bush would support the creation of an intelligence “czar.” “The president is a man of action. I think he will want to be decisive.  But we have to be responsible, too, and ask questions as to what this would do to improve our collection, to improve our analysis, to improve our priority-setting, to improve the setting of requirements,” Rice said on CBS’ Early Show. Changes in Congress In addition to reforms of the intelligence community, the commission called for changes in the way Congress oversees intelligence and homeland security efforts and warned that under the current structure “the American people will not get the security they want and need.”  In response, the commission recommended the creation of either a joint committee between the House of Representatives and the Senate or the creation of a committee in each house of Congress with both funding appropriation and authorization authority to oversee intelligence. The new committees should be smaller in membership than those that currently exist, and should also have subpoena authority and a dedicated oversight subcommittee, according to the report. In addition, members of the new intelligence committees should be allowed to serve indefinitely, the report says. The commission also called for the creation of permanent standing committees in both houses of Congress responsible for homeland security. Currently, there is only a select homeland security committee in the House of Representatives.  Sept. 11 commission member Bob Kerry warned yesterday of the potential bureaucratic disputes within Congress that such proposals could bring. “In my experience in politics, when somebody’s asked to give up something they will come up with all kinds of reasons other than the most important one, which is they don’t want to surrender authority, to cite for why they won’t want to do it. And I am hopeful that the circumstances surrounding this commission will cause Congress to act differently, but I am not optimistic,” said Kerry, a former Democratic senator from Nebraska. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) said Wednesday that “institutional inertia” could block changes within Congress. “If we’re going to … respond and improve, we are going to have the challenge of overcoming the institutional inertia which is a product of a lot of what we have in Washington, D.C., and that’s going to be the challenge for us as leaders,” Frist said following an advance briefing on the commission’s report. While agreeing that there would likely be “pretty stiff resistance” for structural changes, Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.) said yesterday that such measures could be implemented. “I really believe that with this coalition and the individuals behind me, who have gained national and international credibility, that we’ll be able to overcome it,” McCain said alongside several other Democratic and Republican senators. House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Chairman Porter Goss (R-Fla.) yesterday, though, defended his committee’s oversight performance. “In terms of all of the oversight advice and guidance and help in the inquiries we’ve had around the globe, from evolving nations and entrusted allies who have been around a long time, there’s no other place to go. We may not be perfect, but we’re the best that's available,” said Goss, who is reportedly among the possible administration choices for a permanent CIA director. Timeline Following the release of their report yesterday, members of the Sept. 11 commission called on the administration and Congress to quickly implement their recommendations. “If these reforms are not the best that can be done for the American people, then the Congress and the president need to tell us what’s better. But if there is nothing better, they need to be enacted, and enacted speedily, because if something bad happens while these recommendations are sitting there, the American people will quickly fix political responsibility for failure, and that responsibility may last for generations,” commissioner James Thompson said. House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) said yesterday that he would call on relevant House committee chairmen to hold hearings on the commission’s recommendations “over the next several months.” Saying that little would likely be done this year, Hastert warned against acting too quickly. “Anything that we’re going to do is going to be deliberate and not rushed. We’re going to make sure it really solves problems,” he said. In the Senate, McCain said yesterday that he would like to see possible action on the commission’s recommendation “as early as possible next year.” Senator Joseph Lieberman (D-Conn.), though, called on congressional leaders yesterday to call a special session to seek to enact legislation on the commission’s recommendations before the end of the year.  “This is not an ordinary matter we’re talking about. The national security of the United States, the lives of the American people are on the line,” Lieberman said. Back to top       9/11 Commission Recommends Threat-Based Grants By Joe Fiorill Global Security Newswire WASHINGTON — The U.S. Homeland Security Department should consider only risks and vulnerabilities in giving grants to emergency-response agencies around the country, the federal commission created to study the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks said yesterday in its long-awaited report (see GSN, May 27). The recommendation comes amid continuing controversy over how to dole out funds for purchases of items ranging from radios to radiation detectors. The grants are currently distributed based on a formula that combines per-state minimums and other considerations, such as population density. With campaigning in full swing for November’s elections, new partisan rancor has stalled legislation to reform the system by giving greater weight to assessed threats. One such bill was to have gone before the full House of Representatives this week but never made it to the House floor (see GSN, May 11). “Homeland security assistance should be based strictly on an assessment of risks and vulnerabilities. Now, in 2004, Washington, D.C., and New York City are certainly at the top of any such list. … Federal homeland-security assistance should not remain a program for general revenue-sharing,” the commission wrote. It is unclear whether Homeland Security would be able to base its grant allocations strictly on threat assessments. Under the 2002 law that created the department, Homeland Security is required to produce and regularly update a national assessment of the terrorist threat, but experts say the first complete assessment could still be years away. In a related recommendation, the 9/11 commission said response agencies around the country should, as a condition of receiving Homeland Security funds, implement “incident command systems” such as that used in and around Washington to establish unified command in a disaster. The commission added that Congress should pass pending legislation that would expand the radio spectrum available for emergency-response agencies and that the federal government should fund such efforts. Communication, Command and Control Plagued New York Response The commission cast communication and command-and-control shortcomings as the major problems in agencies’ response to the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center. Police, firefighters and employees of the Port Authority, which owned the World Trade towers, were hampered by a lack of radio-communication capacity and procedures, the commission said. In particular, it said, the towers’ concrete and steel floors blocked radio signals, and communication volume overwhelmed available channels. In addition, the panel wrote, “The 911 [emergency-switchboard] system was not equipped to handle the enormous volume of calls it received.” As a result of the communication problems, responders often lacked information that would have been useful in managing the attack consequences. New York Fire Department Chief Peter Hayden, a deputy chief at the time of the attacks, testified in May that “people watching on TV certainly had more knowledge of what was happening 100 floors above us than we did in the [north tower] lobby. … Without critical information coming in … it’s very difficult to make informed critical decisions.” The panel said all the New York agencies have worked hard to improve radio communication systems since the attacks. Command and control was another major problem in New York. The Port Authority Police Department lacked standard operating procedures for coordinating multiple commands in a major incident, while the Police Department (NYPD) and Fire Department (FDNY) were better prepared but still hampered by command-and-control confusion on Sept. 11, the panel said. Command and control posed problems both within and among the agencies. The city’s Emergency Management Office (OEM), part of the mayor’s office, was set up in 1996 to coordinate incident response among agencies but appears to have had little effect on the proceedings on Sept. 11. “The FDNY and NYPD each considered itself operationally autonomous. As of Sept. 11, they were not prepared to comprehensively coordinate their efforts in responding to a major incident. The OEM had not overcome this problem,” the commission wrote. The commission said the Police Department had “comparatively fewer” command-and-control difficulties than other agencies because it was accustomed to managing large events. The Fire Department, according to the panel, “has made a substantial effort in the past three years to address” the “significant shortcomings” in its command-and-control system. “It is less clear,” said the panel, “that the Port Authority has adopted new training exercises or major incident protocols to address these shortcomings.” Another problem in New York was a failure on the part of responders to imagine or predict events that lay ahead, the commission said. South tower authorities’ instructions to occupants after the north tower was hit, according to the report, made it clear that “the prospect of another plane hitting the second building was beyond the contemplation of anyone giving advice.” The instructions induced many workers to stay in place and others to return to their places of work after beginning to leave. Responders also uniformly failed to predict the eventual collapse of the towers from the airplane impacts and ensuing fires. “In the 17-minute period between 8:46 and 9:03 a.m. on Sept. 11, New York City and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey had mobilized the largest rescue operation in the city’s history. Well over 1,000 first responders had been deployed, an evacuation had begun, and the critical decision that the fire could not be fought had been made. Then the second plane hit. … What had been the largest and most complicated rescue operation in city history instantly doubled in magnitude,” the commission wrote. “The emergency-response effort escalated with the crash of United 175 into the south tower. With that escalation, communications, as well as command and control, became increasingly critical and increasingly difficult. First responders assisted thousands of civilians in evacuating the towers even as incident commanders from responding agencies lacked knowledge of what other agencies and, in some cases, their own responders were doing,” the panel continued. A third attack in a separate New York City location, according to the report, might have been all the more devastating because of the large number of first responders present at the World Trade Center. “Though almost no one at 9:50 on Sept. 11 was contemplating an imminent total collapse of the twin towers,” the panel wrote, “many first responders and civilians were contemplating the possibility of imminent additional terrorist attacks throughout New York City. Had any such attacks occurred, the FDNY’s response would have been severely compromised by the concentration of so many of its off-duty personnel, particularly its elite personnel, at the WTC.” “Generally Effective” Pentagon Response Offers “Broader Lessons” The report indicates that although the New York attack was much larger in scale, “broader lessons in integrating multiagency response efforts are apparent when we analyze the response at the Pentagon,” because of the presence of federal agencies at the Defense Department headquarters and the facility’s location near the Virginia-Washington border. “The emergency response at the Pentagon represented a mix of local, state and federal jurisdictions and was generally effective. It overcame the inherent complications of a response across jurisdictions, because the Incident Command System, a formalized management structure for emergency response, was in place in the national capital region on 9/11,” the panel wrote. “While no emergency response is flawless,” wrote the commission, “the response to the 9/11 terrorist attack on the Pentagon was mainly a success, for three reasons: first, the strong professional relationships and trust established among emergency responders; second, the adoption of the Incident Command System; and third, the pursuit of a regional approach to response. Many fire and police agencies that responded had extensive prior experience working together on regional events and training exercises.” The Pentagon attack response, said the panel, was easier than the World Trade Center response because the former did not involve multiple impacts or surrounding buildings and did not take place 1,000 feet above ground. “Yet the Pentagon response encountered difficulties that echo those experienced in New York,” wrote the panel, including “significant problems with both self-dispatching and communications.” “It is a fair inference, given the differing situations in New York City and northern Virginia, that the problems in command, control and communications that occurred at both sites will likely recur in any emergency of similar scale. The task looking forward is to enable first responders to respond in a coordinated manner with the greatest possible awareness of the situation,” according to the report. “If New York and other major cities are to be prepared for future terrorist attacks,” the commission added, “different first-responder agencies within each city must be fully coordinated, just as different branches of the U.S. military are.” Back to top       Another Attack Probable, Commission Members Say By Marina Malenic Global Security Newswire WASHINGTON — Another strike against the United States on the scale of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks is probable, members of the commission investigating those attacks said yesterday (see GSN, June 23). “We face a determined enemy who sees this as a war of attrition — indeed, as an epochal struggle. We expect further attacks,” said commission Chairman Thomas Kean, former New Jersey governor. “Against such an enemy, there can be no complacency,” he added in a press conference on the release of the commission’s report. Other commission members echoed that warning. “Now we’ve been told by everyone, from the president of the United States on down — it’s going to happen again,” said former Illinois Governor James Thompson. The United States has made inroads against Islamic terrorist networks, added Kean, but a potent threat still remains. “Put simply, the United States is faced with one of the greatest security challenges in our long history. We have struck blows against the terrorists since 9/11,” he said. “We have, we believe, prevented attacks on the homeland,” he added. “We do believe we are safer today than we were on 9/11,” he went on. “But we are not safe,” Kean added. White House national security adviser Condoleezza Rice agreed today with the chairman’s assessment. “We’re clearly safer. And I would agree completely with the commission’s statement that we are safer but not yet safe,” Rice said on the CBS Early Show. “The terrorist only has to be right once. You have to be right 100 percent of the time. And we’re never going to be right 100 percent of the time,” she added. Rice said the Bush administration’s security strategy includes both a defensive element in protecting the country, as well as an offensive element in targeting terrorists abroad. “You have to take away their territory. You have to defeat the enemy abroad and not just sit back and wait for them to attack again,” she said. President George W. Bush said offensive measures against terrorist networks have made the country safer. “Today, because we’re on the offensive against terrorist networks, the American people are safer,” he said yesterday in Illinois. “But this does not mean that our nation is fully secure. In a vast, free society such as ours, there is no such thing as perfect security. And no matter how good our defenses are, a determined enemy can still strike us,” he added. Back to top       Legislators Seek $25M for U.S.-Israeli Collaboration in Pilot Antiterrorism Initiative By Joe Fiorill Global Security Newswire WASHINGTON — U.S. lawmakers are seeking to fund U.S.-Israeli collaboration on antiterrorism products and services in a possible pilot program that could later be extended to other countries. Approving a bill that would give the Homeland Security Department $25 million for the program in fiscal 2005, the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee this week sought to establish grants for U.S.-Israeli work to “identify, develop or modify existing or near-term homeland-security information, equipment, capabilities, technologies and services to further the homeland security of the United States.” The bill’s language echoes that of a House of Representatives measure introduced in March by the Select Committee on Homeland Security’s senior Democrat, Jim Turner (Texas). The development work would amount to a pilot program to determine whether U.S. and foreign institutions could cooperate on such products and services in a way that would be profitable “and, in turn, self-sustaining,” said a source with the Senate committee. Legislators hope to expand the program later to involve countries other than Israel, added the source.  “They chose Israel because they are already ready and willing to partner,” said the source, citing current U.S.-Israeli technology cooperation through the Binational Industrial Research and Development Foundation. Under the Senate bill, introduced by Governmental Affairs Committee Chairwoman Susan Collins (R-Maine), grant-giving would be preceded by an assessment of U.S. needs in an area, and eligibility would be limited to joint ventures involving both U.S. and Israeli institutions. “The government of Israel and companies in Israel have extensive experience with matters pertaining to homeland security generally and antiterrorism specifically, including expertise in the field of border integrity, transportation security, first-responder equipment and civil-defense planning,” the bill reads. Several provisions in the measure could limit U.S. government spending on the program: Homeland Security could require the Israeli government to pay some or all of any project’s cost and could require grant recipients to pay up to half of project costs or simply to repay the grants with interest. “We’re kind of worried if we have to put matching money in,” an Israeli official said in an interview yesterday, adding that Israel otherwise approves of the initiative. The bill, which would be inserted into the 2002 act that created Homeland Security, includes an introductory passage praising the existing U.S.-Israeli foundation, which is known as the BIRD Foundation. The bill envisions creating a similar fund or expanding the BIRD Foundation to coordinate the antiterrorism grants. “We like the idea that we would be using an existing fund,” the Israeli official said, “because we do not want to create more organizations, more nonprofits … but if the U.S. will decide that we need a new fund, then we will have a new fund.” The foundation’s board last month approved spending $8 million on nine initiatives, including baggage-check and bomb-detection systems. “In the homeland-security field … the number of applications has increased,” the foundation said in a press release at the time, “despite the widespread confusion in understanding needs, identifying customers and defining required applications. A prior version of the Senate legislation, sponsored by Collins and her committee’s top Democrat, Joe Lieberman (Conn.), included no mention of Israel or the foundation. The initial language would have created “an intergovernmental grant program” without specifying the governments involved. Turner’s bill is substantially similar to the Senate measure. The House bill, which is pending before the Science Committee and a Homeland Security subcommittee, would earmark $25 million for a grant-giving “United States-Israel Homeland Security Foundation. The House bill would limit the grants to private businesses, while the Senate bill would allow grants both to businesses and to entities such as government agencies and academic institutions. Back to top

Lugar Seeks Expanded Cooperative Threat Reduction U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) yesterday called for the expansion of the Cooperative Threat Reduction program, which seeks to secure and dispose of former Soviet weapons of mass destruction, to include countries beyond the former Soviet Union (see GSN, July 22). “Topping our priorities must be to make certain that all weapons and materials of mass destruction are identified, continuously guarded, and systematically destroyed ... to keep them out of the hands of terrorists. Expanding and globalizing the Nunn-Lugar program can help accomplish this,” Lugar said in a press statement on the report of the U.S. commission examining the Sept. 11 attacks. Lugar, along with former Senator Sam Nunn (D-Ga.), is the architect of the CTR program (Lugar release, July 22). In a report of its findings released yesterday, the Sept. 11 commission called for increased efforts to prevent terrorists from obtaining weapons of mass destruction, including increased support for the CTR program. In addition, the commission recommended the creation of an international legal regime for the prosecution of would-be WMD smugglers and the expansion of the Proliferation Security Initiative, a U.S.-led multilateral effort to interdict WMD-related cargo shipments (Sept. 11 commission release, July 22). Yesterday, the Russian-American Nuclear Security Advisory Council released a report outlining the 2003 accomplishments of various U.S. threat reduction programs, including the Defense Department-operated CTR program and efforts conducted by the Energy and State departments. The accomplishments listed in the report include the destruction of Russian ICBMs, submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) and related equipment, progress in the construction of a chemical weapons disposal facility near the Russian town of Shchuchye and progress in eliminating Soviet-era biological weapons infrastructure (Russian-American Nuclear Security Advisory Council release, July 22). Back to top

Los Alamos Director Suspends 19 For Security, Safety Violations The director of the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico yesterday suspended 19 laboratory employees and threatened that they could be fired if two computer disks reported missing earlier this month were not found, according to the New York Times (see GSN, July 22). Of the 19 employees, 15 have been placed on investigatory leave for security violations and four for safety violations, according to Director Peter Nanos and S. Robert Foley, the University of California official in charge of Los Alamos. The suspended employees have lost their security badges and can only return to the laboratory under escort, according to the Times. Nanos said that 11 of the 19 employees had access to the location where the missing disks were kept. While each has denied having any knowledge of the incident, Nanos said that if the disks are not found, all 11 would be held responsible and would no longer be trusted with classified material (Sandra Blakeslee, New York Times, July 23). The four nonsecurity suspensions were related to the separate investigation of an incident in which a Los Alamos intern suffered an eye injury from a laser, Associated Press reported (Barry Massey, AP/Yahoo!News, July 22).  Back to top       N. Korea, Iran May Hope To Generate EMP, Report Says North Korea and Iran may be looking to generate an “electromagnetic pulse” with a high-altitude nuclear explosion to disable U.S. computer systems, a congressional task force said Thursday (see GSN, July 15). A nuclear explosion over the United States “has the potential to hold our society at risk and might result in defeat of our military forces,” the report states. U.S. military forces depend on digital technology in their efforts to find and defeat the enemy, according to Reuters. Russia and China “considered” using an electromagnetic pulse as part of a limited nuclear option, the report states. “Rogue states, such as North Korea and Iran, may also be developing the capability to pose an EMP threat,” says the report to the House Armed Services Committee. “The U.S. must establish a global environment that will profoundly discourage such attacks,” it adds (Jim Wolf, Reuters/Yahoo!News, July 22). Meanwhile, the United States and Japan agreed today to greater cooperation on preventing proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, with particular concern expressed over nuclear development in Iran and North Korea, Agence France-Presse reported. Officials from the two countries reiterated the need for expert cooperation on North Korea during a semiannual arms-control meeting in Tokyo, a Japanese diplomat at the conference said (AFP, July 23). Back to top       Iran Cannot be Allowed Nuclear Weapons, Blair Says British Prime Minister Tony Blair yesterday said the United Kingdom and its allies would prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon and urged the country to cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency, the Xinhua News Agency reported (see GSN, July 21). “It is not acceptable that Iran has a nuclear weapons capability, and that is why we are working with our other partners to make sure that it doesn’t,” Blair said. “We will do whatever we can and whatever is necessary to ensure that Iran obeys the very clear statements that have been made by the atomic energy authority,” he added (Xinhua, July 22). Back to top       Israel to Distribute Antiradiation Pills The Israeli army is set to begin distributing pills to prevent radiation sickness next month in the area surrounding the country’s two nuclear reactors, Associated Press reported (see GSN, July 9). Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz informed the Israeli Cabinet of the plan Sunday, according to the Defense Ministry. Distribution of the medication is scheduled to begin Aug. 8 in Dimona and Yavne, according to a report in Bamahane, a weekly publication for soldiers. Israel has stockpiled the pills for decades, and is distributing them now in case of a nuclear accident or an attack on one of the reactors, Bamahane added. Security sources told the Maariv daily that the decision does not reflect a change in the threat level for a radiation incident (Mark Lavie, AP/Yahoo!News, July 22). Back to top

Hungary Displays Athens-Bound Mobile Biodefense Lab Hungary yesterday unveiled a mobile biological defense laboratory that will join a NATO protection force preparing to defend this summer’s Olympic Games from possible terrorist attacks (see GSN, July 20). “By deploying this lab, we can help prevent a biological attack on the games,” said Brig. Gen. Laszlo Tombol, head of the Hungarian army’s NATO coordination department, according to Associated Press. “Terrorists could poison the drinking water in Athens, or the soil where the athletes will compete, or perhaps infect the air using aerosols. They might even deploy biological weapons like anthrax in letters,” he added. The convertible laboratory unfolds into a tent, and can be folded and packed into two cargo containers for transport on the back of a truck. It is expected to arrive in Greece at the end of the month and is to be deployed 40 miles from Athens, according to AP (Karl Peter Kirk, AP/The Scotsman, July 22). Back to top

Russia to Review Chemical Weapons Disposal Effort Russia plans to hold a review July 28 of its chemical weapons disposal effort, according to ITAR-Tass (see GSN, July 19). The Russian chemical weapons elimination commission met today to consider new wording for the chemical weapons disposal program, according to ITAR-Tass. Commission Chairman Sergei Kiriyenko has said that the drafting and approval of new wording for the program could take several months to complete (Tatyana Khan, ITAR-Tass, July 23). Back to top

First Missile Interceptor Installed at Alaska Base Technicians yesterday installed the first missile interceptor, part of the Ground-based Midcourse Defense system, at Fort Greely, Alaska, according to Associated Press (see GSN, July 14). By the end of the year, five additional interceptors will be deployed at Fort Greely and four interceptors will be deployed at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, according to AP. Ten more interceptors are to be deployed at Fort Greely by the end of 2005. “We’re coming to the end of an era where we have not been able to defend our country against long-range ballistic missile attacks,” said Maj. Gen. John Holly, head of the Missile Defense Agency’s ground-based missile defense program (Rachel D’Oro, AP/Yahoo!News, July 23). Back to top       Congress OKs $417.5 Billion Defense Bill, $10 Billion for Missile Defense The U.S. Congress yesterday approved an authorization bill providing $417.5 billion in defense spending for fiscal 2005, $10 billion of which was earmarked for national missile defense, Associated Press reported (see GSN, July 22). The Senate approved the measure 96-0, while the House of Representatives voted 410-12 (Alan Fram, AP/Yahoo!News, July 23). Back to top       Clarification A June 8 Global Security Newswire article mistakenly suggested that William Sowder, director of missile defense integration at Teledyne Brown, had reviewed and was asked to comment on a U.S. Defense Department report on Missile Defense Agency modeling and simulation capabilities. His comments on the issue were not made in response to the report. It also said Sowder viewed those capabilities for the Ballistic Missile Defense System as “simplistic,” though he did not use the word in an interview and said he does not view it that way. “I think I was saying that MDA is on the right path, that we just have not gotten there yet. And I think I made a statement that we’re sort of like just getting out of kindergarten, going to first grade. We’re trying to get the models all in place to try to do a performance analysis, but we’re not quite there yet,” he said this week. Sowder said he believes the effort is further along because of recent initiatives by the agency.           Back to top

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