Chertoff's Broken Record

As much as I've liked many of Secretary Mike Chertoff's good efforts to get the Department of Homeland Security straightened out, I will not miss his repeated insistence that we're all just inches away from being overwhelmed by terrorists and their "existential threats" to the US government. And, of course, where would we be without a warning that CBRN terrorism is just a question of when, not if?

Chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear attacks are considered the most dangerous threats that could be carried out against the U.S. But those threats are also the most unlikely because it is so difficult for Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups to acquire the necessary materials, according to the internal Homeland Security Threat Assessment for the years 2008-13.

The Al Qaeda network continues to focus on U.S. targets vulnerable to major economic losses, casualties and political "turmoil," the assessment says.

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said this month that the threat posed by weapons of mass destruction remained "the highest priority at the federal level." Speaking to reporters early this month, he said more people, such as terrorists, will learn how to make dirty bombs and biological and chemical weapons. "The other side is going to continue to learn more about doing things," he said.
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Intelligence officials predict that in the next five years, terrorists will try to conduct a destructive biological attack.

Officials are concerned about the possibility of infections to thousands of U.S. citizens, overwhelming regional healthcare systems.

There could also be dire economic effects from worker illnesses and deaths. Officials are most concerned about biological agents stolen from labs or other storage facilities, such as anthrax.

"The threat of terrorism and the threat of extremist ideologies has not abated," Chertoff said in a year-end address last week. "This threat has not evaporated, and we can't turn the page on it."

Yes, the possibility of a terrorist attack within the United States is always there. And there is a more remote chance that it could be a CBRN incident that takes place. But gods above, I will be so happy when we have political officials who don't feel the need to raise the specter of CBRN terrorism at every opportunity to keep the populace (and congressional politicians) in fear of a nebulous threat. You see continued examples such as the federal/state fusion centers where the alleged threat just doesn't seem to support the investments. 

We ought to take reasonable and sustainable measures to reduce the overall risk of terrorism. Our current strategies to plan for and respond to bioterrorism and radiological dirty bombs, both calling for vast networks of point detectors, are badly flawed and need to be shelved. We could easily remove those ugly Jersey barriers that surround so many federal buildings in Washington DC and northern Virginia if we targeted specific terrorist groups instead of going into bunker mentality to every possible hazard. But that will take adult leadership... that is coming, soon.