Preparedness Against Terrorist Attacks: Hearing Before the Subcommittee on Oversight, Investigations, and Emergency Management of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, House of Representatives, One Hundred Sixth Congress, Second Session, April 6, 2000U.S. Government Printing Office, 2001 - 90 pages |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
Advisory Panel areas assets biological Capabilities for Terrorism CBRN chemical Chief EVERSOLE Chief Freeman Civil Support Team CLAPPER Combating Terrorism CONG CONGRESS THE LIBRARY consequence management coordination counterterrorist CSTs Department of Justice develop Domestic Preparedness Office Domestic Preparedness Program duplication Emergency Management Emergency Preparedness equipment federal agencies federal assistance federal efforts federal exercises Federal Government Federal programs federal response FEMA Fire Chiefs fire service FOWLER funding going Guard Weapons HAZMAT interagency issue LIBRA LIBRARY OF CONGRESS Louisiana State Police Madam Chairman Michael Freeman National Domestic Preparedness national strategy NDPO Oklahoma City Oklahoma City bombing Panel to Assess potential prepared preparedness against terrorist preparedness efforts questions RABKIN RARY recommended response teams risk assessment role Subcommittee on Oversight Terrorist Attacks Involving terrorist incident terrorist threats TERRY testimony Thank threat and risk TILLIE K TRAFICANT Virginia Weapons of Mass Wermuth
Popular passages
Page 61 - First Annual Report to the President and the Congress of the Advisory Panel to Assess Domestic Response Capabilities for Terrorism Involving Weapons of Mass Destruction, /. Assessing the Threat, December 15, 1999; and.
Page 61 - For more than 3 years we have evaluated and reported on a number of issues concerning federal programs and activities to combat terrorism. A list of related GAO products appears at the end of this statement. Our testimony will first highlight Important information on the threat, focusing specifically on the threat of terrorist attacks involving chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear (CBRN) materials.
Page 65 - In our view, by using worst case scenarios, the federal government Is focusing on vulnerabilities (which are unlimited) rather than credible threats (which are limited). As...
Page 43 - ... preparedness, the progress of Federal training programs for local emergency responses, and deficiencies in Federal programs for response to terrorist incidents involving WMD; to recommend strategies for ensuring effective coordination of Federal agency response efforts and for ensuring fully effective local response capabilities for WMD terrorism incidents; and to assess appropriate state and local funding for response to WMD terrorism. 8 To meet those objectives, the Panel determined that it...
Page 64 - US intelligence agencies had reported an increased possibility that terrorists would use chemical or biological weapons in the next decade. However, terrorists would have to overcome significant technical and operational challenges to successfully produce and release chemical or biological agents of sufficient quality and quantity to kill or injure large numbers of people without substantial assistance from a foreign government sponsor. In most cases, specialized knowledge is required in the manufacturing...
Page 63 - Intelligence and law enforcement agencies assess the foreign and domestic terrorist threats to the United States. The US intelligence community — which includes the Central Intelligence Agency...
Page 2 - I will ask if you will stand and raise your right hand. Do you solemnly swear the testimony you are about to give in this hearing will be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?
Page 68 - Similarly, multiple programs for equipment — such as the separate DOD and Public Health Service programs and the new Department of Justice equipment grant program — are causing frustration and confusion at the local level and are resulting in further complaints that the federal government is unfocused and has no coordinated plan or desired outcome for domestic preparedness. A major federal initiative to provide better focus and to coordinate federal assistance programs is the National Domestic...
Page 43 - The panel shall1. assess Federal agency efforts to enhance domestic preparedness for incidents involving weapons of mass destruction; 2. assess the progress of Federal...
Page 64 - ... people without substantial assistance from a foreign government sponsor. In most cases, specialized knowledge is required in the manufacturing process and in improvising an effective delivery device for most chemical and nearly all biological agents that could be used in terrorist attacks. Moreover, some of the required components of chemical agents and highly infective strains of biological agents are difficult to obtain. Finally, terrorists may have to overcome other obstacles to successfully...