Homeland Security Watch

Comment by William R. Cumming

January 21, 2006 @ 2:31 pm

In January 1997, almost a decade ago, DOD and FEMA submitted a report to Congress on the status of Executive Branch capability to respond to a WMD event. That report documented weaknesses and was published in its entirety in the Congressional record in an unclassified format. A brief review of that report indicates many of the same deficiencies still exist. For example, no first responders at the State and local level know exactly the federal financial and technical assistance that will be available should there be a WMD event or incident. No public available plan published todate indicates the mechanizm for its trigger nor how it will be funded. Nor does any published plan indicate the minimum planning basis for the plan with respect to consequences, for example mass casulties or deaths, housing, emergency medical, or logistics systems. Nor have discrepancies between technical civil agency response plans documented in a December 1993 Presidential Report to Congress by EPA been resolved. This resolution is mandated in the Homeland Security Strategy (July 2002), the Homeland Security Act (November 2002) and HSPD-5 &8 (2003). Now the head of the NIMS Coordination Unit has been named as the FEMA Deputy Director for Gulf Coast Coordination, confirming his absence all fall due to Katrina from the important mission reconciling disconnects in various federal civil response plans. Basically, no first responders know or can predict who, what, when, or where federal assistance will be brought to bear on an WMD incident or event. As we approach 5 years this fall from 9/11 making sure all responders know exactly what happens with respect to federal roles and assistance in an WMD incident or event continues to foreshadow a failure whatever the expectations of government officials at all levels, the private sector, and the American people. Secretary Chertoff cannot state with precision who will be in charge in a WMD event or incident and more important what personnel, organizations and resources will be applied. Finally, budget resources for such a response might not be available until a Congress that could have been impacted by the event acts to pass supplemental legislation. The feds like the State and locals need a contingency fund that does not require legislative action.