Today, the term "asymmetric threat" has become synonymous
with "terrorism." In addition to what many would consider
conventional terrorist activities–such as assassination, kidnapping,
and bombing–the United States now faces the threat of attacks
using chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear, and high yield
conventional explosives (CBRNE) weapons of mass destruction (WMD).
The challenge of defending the nation against asymmetric threats
is daunting, but surmountable. The new administration should consider
adopting the recommendations of the Gilmore Commission to hasten
the country’s preparation for such an eventuality.
Congress, meanwhile, can do its part by resurrecting and passing
H.R. 4210, The Preparedness Against Terrorism Act of 2000. H.R.
4210 contains many of the elements and recommendations of the Gilmore
Commission Report. During the summer of 2000, H.R. 4210 was passed
by the House but died in the Senate.
The Gilmore Commission was established by Congress and chaired
by Virginia Gov. James Gilmore. In its December 2000 report, the
panel called on the new administration to develop a national strategy
for fighting terrorism and establish the National Office for Combating
Terrorism (NOCT) in the executive office of the president. The Gilmore
Commission reports can be accessed via the Internet at http://www.rand.org/organization/nsrd/terrpanel/.
As described in the report, the NOCT office would oversee the development
of a national strategy for combating terrorism, coordinate and review
programs and budgets of the federal agencies involved with combating
terrorism and identify conflicts and duplications among federal
entities. Most importantly, the office would administer a budget
certification/decertification process for federal agencies to insure
program accountability and compatibility.
Some argue against the establishment of a NOCT, saying that the
capability and authority already resides:
However, the domestic focus of both these agencies makes them unsuitable
for combating a problem that is both domestic and transnational.
The idea of the Defense Department as lead agency for combating
terrorism is publicly unacceptable and politically unpalatable,
and rightly so. This option smells of martial law and the Reconstruction
Era, subsequent to the Civil War, a dark period in U.S. history
that brought no credit to the military or the civilian government.
The Pentagon currently supports all emergency functions of the federal
response plan and should remain in just such a role.
The NOCT would include the highest levels of people from local
and state responder and emergency management organizations as well
as professional organizations associated with fire, law enforcement
and medical services.
Many pieces of the puzzle are already in place, requiring only
the overarching organizational framework. Arguably, the requirement
to equip and train response organizations to perform the consequence
management mission after a WMD attack is the greatest challenge
the United States faces.
Several agencies already are addressing the challenge by either
congressional mandate, executive direction or on their own accord.
The office of state and local domestic support programs at the Justice
Department provides a funding mechanism and grant assistance to
local and state response organizations for the purchase of systems
and specific items of equipment to enhance their capabilities to
respond to an attack.
The Army’s Soldier, Biological, Chemical Command used to
provide training and loan military chemical defense equipment to
many cities. That mission has now been assumed by the Justice Department.
The command’s laboratories also conduct test and evaluation
of military and commercial chemical detectors, as well as personal
protective equipment for use against chemical warfare agents and
toxic industrial chemicals.
The Defense Department’s consequence management program integration
office (CoMPIO) was formed to organize, equip and train Reserve
Component units to support first responders. These units include
the National Guard Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Teams
and existing Army Reserve and National Guard Chemical units, specially
prepared to provide reconnaissance and mass casualty decontamination
support.
The CoMPIO subsequently teamed with the Marine Corps’ program
manager (PM) for NBC, at Marine Corps Systems Command, to equip
the units. PM Marine/NBC provides research, development, test and
evaluation, and acquisition services for the Marine Chem/Bio Incident
Response Force (CBIRF), which is dedicated to consequence management.
PM Marine/NBC formed the defense consequence management systems
office (DCMSO). The DCMSO has developed a plan to provide regional
support, logistics, and emergency resupply of selected consumables
and equipment to more than 200 units in 54 states and territories.
The CoMPIO also teamed with the Special Operations Forces support
activity to form the Defense Consequence Management Support Center
(CoMSUPCEN). The center is a hub for integrated logistics support.
It serves as a supply support activity for military and commercial
equipment, kitting and shipping agent, and logistics operations
center for units whether deployed or at home station.
The Interagency Board for Equipment Standardization and Interoperability
(IAB) was established in 1998 by the Department of Justice and the
Department of Defense as a local and state working group to develop
and publish a standardized equipment list for response organizations.
The Department of Justice, the Department of the Army, Marine Corps
Systems Command, and the Interagency Board each bring some of the
elements to the table. Currently, these organizations interact with
each other either informally, or through memoranda of agreement.
The National Office for Combating Terrorism could serve as the
official umbrella to bring these and other organizations together
in a codified manner to achieve the larger goal of ensuring that
more local, state and federal response organizations are equipped
and logistically sustained with the proper equipment necessary to
respond to, identify and mitigate the effects of a WMD attack.