WMD: Commission” More Needs To Be Done to Counter Bio Threat

By Michael B. Kraft

To help counter the threat of bioterrorism attacks, a special Congressional Commission is advocating stronger NSC leadership, better funding and reform of the fragmented Congressional oversight.

These were among the recommendations in an interim “The Clock is Ticking” report issued at a briefing yesterday, Oct. 21, by the Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism, chaired by former Senators Bob Graham, a Florida Democrat, and Jim Talent, a Missouri Republican.

The report is a follow-up to the one released in December which warned that it is more likely than not that a weapon of mass destruction will be used in a terrorist attack somewhere in the world by the end of 2013.” The Commission 2008 report also said that it “believes that terrorists are more likely to obtain and use a biological weapon than a nuclear weapon. (see my December 3, 2008 posting.)

In releasing its new report, the WMD commission said that although progress had been made since its December report, “the nation’s level of preparedness for dealing with the threat of bioterrorism remains far lower than that of the nuclear threat.”
“The clock is ticking…the United States is better off than it was previously but the problem is that our adversaries have made even more progress,” Senator Graham said. The former chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee apparently was referring to published reports that that Al Qaeda and its some of its supporters were continuing to show interest in using biological weapons for mass attacks.

Senator Talent said “it is only getting easier and cheaper and faster to develop and use biological weapons—and our best response is to mitigate the effects through faster. safer vaccines and therapeutics. It’s essential that the US government move more aggressively on this issue.”

The October report stated that “Central to U.S biosecurity strategy should be the recognition that biological weapons are distinct from nuclear weapons and require a unique approach. Unlike nuclear weapons, which require highly advanced technology, massive infrastructure, and rare materials that can be closely monitored and secured, biological weapons materials occur naturally, require no significant infrastructure to produce,and can be found in nearly every part of the world.”

The report was released yesterday at a conference hosted by the George Washington University Institute for Homeland Security Policy, which has a long history of interest in biological and other WMD threats.

Key recommendations were structural and resource-related. The Commission said it “strongly recommends that the National Security Council needs a senior official whose sole responsibility is to improve America’s capability for bio defense.” If that person is not there you don't get the balance in the approach between nuclear and bio," Senator Talent said.

Although Commission members did not mention him by name Gary Samore, a veteran in the nonproliferation area, was appointed this year as NSC coordinator for WMD. He is well respected, but apparently there are some in the “bioterrorism community” who feel that he is primarily a nuclear expert and does not have the background in the biosecurity area where a different and sprawling set of agency actors are involved, such as Heath and Human Services (with its components such as the Center for Disease Control and NIH), the Agriculture Department, the Department of Homeland Security and the specialized components of the Defense and State Departments that deal with biosecurity issues

Senator Talent said that is “important to set up good governance now just establish good policy.” He noted that Commissioners had discussed the idea that in order to give the nonproliferation and bioterrorism issue more clout and strengthen interagency coordination, Vice President Biden should be put in charge. They sent a letter to President Obama last June urging such a move. In their report, they said that “in numerous cases in which policy tradeoffs were required nonproliferation was viewed as a secondary security issue.”

White House spokesman Nick Sapiro said in response that Samore "most definitely has the president's ear on nuclear and biological nonproliferation." He said the National Security Council has two teams of experts with scientific, public health and medical expertise to address biodefense issues.

(In testimony to a Senate Appropriations Committee in 2006, Frank Cilluffo, Director of the Homeland Security Policy Institute who was the moderator for yesterday’s conference also urged a better coordinated interagency approach.)

The two former senators yesterday criticized the fragmentation and duplication of Congressional oversight, saying there were currently more than 80 Congressional
committees and subcommittees with oversight authority over some aspect or another of DHS. They acknowledged it is difficult to get chairmen to yield some of their jurisdictions but Congressional leadership should push the effort.

Senator Talent said “If you're going to still have 80, I’d rather not have oversight. The report said that in 2008, DHS officials testified 146 times before 48 House and Senate committees and subcommittees and provided 2,148 briefings.

On the budget issue, the commission complained that two important programs have been under-funded and their budget was raided to help cope with the H1M1 threat. They said the administration’s FY 2010 request of $305 million for the Department of Health and Human Services Biological Advanced Research and Development Agency (BARDA) was “insufficient by a factor of 10.” BARDA is responsible for developing a systematic approach to developing and purchasing vaccines, drugs, therapeutics and diagnostic tools for public health medical emergencies.

BARDA manages Project BioShield, which includes the procurement and advanced development of medical countermeasures for chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear agents

The commission said the outgoing Bush administration had requested an additional $969 m in additional funding for BARDA and that should have been included in the stimulus package but was not included

White House spokesman Nick Shapiro said that BARDA has $2 billion available next year and $6 billion to develop H1N1 flu countermeasures.
"Protecting the American people from WMD threats -- whether nuclear, biological, or chemical -- is among the president's top national security priorities," the Washington Post reported he said

On the legislative front, The WMD Commission strongly supported the WMD Prevention and Preparedness Act of 2009, (S. 1649) which included measures to strengthen the biosecurity of the U.S. The bill was introduced in September by Senators. Joseph Lieberman (D-Conn) and Susan Collins (R-Maine), the chairman and ranking member of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. The bill is undergoing some revisions, Senator Lieberman’s staff said. The initial version includes provisions that require DHS to set new security standards for U.S. labs using the most dangerous pathogens, including risk assessments, personnel reliability programs, and staff training; a national strategy for dispensing antibiotics and other medicines to the public; and a communications plans to convey instructions to the public - including whether to evacuate or shelter-in-place - in the critical moments after an attack. The bill also includes a section calling for assistance to help other countries strengthen their biosecurity.

During the question and answer session, Prof. Barry Kellman of De Paul University Law School, a specialist in legal and other international bioterrorism issues, asked the Commissioners why they did not focus more on the need to be able to quickly distribute vaccines and other drugs to counter bioterrorism attacks overseas. He noted that bioagents used overseas could quickly be spread by travelers to the United States. Sen. Graham responded that the commission’s basic strategy was “leadership by example.” that the U.S. should be the “gold standard” and lead by example.” (The US. government has a number of programs designed to assist other countries counter biosecurity threats. I have been working with Kellman and his newly formed International Security and Biopolicy Institute on a study of these USG programs and policies for a House Foreign Affairs subcommittee.)

On budget issues, a questioner from industry asked the Commission to expand on the budget cuts for BARDA referred to earlier. Sen. Talent said he was concerned that the funding allocations were budget driven and not policy driven. He said that without strong leadership to direct it, OMB will put budget cuts ahead of policy needs.
Sounds familiar.

A final report is scheduled to be released in January 2010. This October progress report is available at www.preventwmd.gov