US government failing on bioterrorism response planning

Former Senator Bob Graham (D-FL) and former Senator Jim Talent (R-MO), chair and vice chair of the bipartisan Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism, have released a report card indicating that the US government is not taking the necessary steps to protect the country from the threats posed by WMD and terrorism.

Of 17 grades, the report card includes three failing ‘F’ grades on rapid and effective response to bioterrorism; Congressional oversight of homeland security and intelligence; and national security workforce recruitment. Fortunately, all three grades could be substantially improved by committed leadership in Congress and the Administration.

“Nearly a decade after September 11, 2001, one year after our original report, and one month after the Christmas Day bombing attempt, the United States is failing to address several urgent threats, especially bioterrorism,” said Senator Graham. “Each of the last three Administrations has been slow to recognize and respond to the biothreat. But we no longer have the luxury of a slow learning curve, when we know al Qaeda is interested in bioweapons.”

“We are also enormously frustrated about the failure of Congress to reform homeland security oversight,” said Senator Talent. “The Department can’t do its job, if it is responding to more than 80 congressional committees and sub-committees. This fragmentation guarantees that much of what Congress does is duplicative and disjointed.”

The Report Card also includes ‘A’ grades for achieving specific actions related to a review of domestic programs to secure dangerous pathogens, for finalizing and approving an Interagency Bioforensics Strategy, and for conducting recommended reorganization inside the National Security Council.

The full table of grades is as follows:

Recommendation	Grade
Biological Risks
Enhance the nation’s capabilities for rapid response to prevent biological attacks from inflicting mass casualties.	F
Tighten government oversight of high-containment labs	D+
Conduct a comprehensive review of the domestic program to secure dangerous pathogens.	A
Strengthen domestic and global disease surveillance networks.	C
Propose a new action plan for achieving universal adherence to the Biological Weapons Convention.	B+
Develop a national strategy for advancing bioforensic capabilities.	A
Nuclear Risks
Implement a comprehensive policy toward Pakistan.	Incomplete
Work with Russia to reduce dangers of WMD.	C
Strengthen the nonproliferation regime.	B
Review cooperative nuclear security programs.	B+
Government Reform
Reform congressional oversight to better address intelligence, homeland security, and crosscutting 21st-century national security missions.	F
Implement education and training programs to recruit and retain the next generation of national security experts.	F
Integrate, under a single overarching strategy, efforts to coordinate, integrate, and deliver foreign assistance, public diplomacy, and strategic communications.	C
Designate a White House principal advisor for WMD proliferation and terrorism.	A-
Create a more efficient and effective policy coordination structure by restructuring the National Security Council and Homeland Security Council.	A-
Citizen and Community Preparedness
Practice greater openness of public information so that citizens better understand the WMD threat.	B-
Work with a consortium of state and local governments to improve preparedness in the event of a WMD attack.	C