WMD Report Grade Released Tomorrow
The bipartisan Partnership for a Secure America gave the U.S. an overall grade of C in its progress toward preventing a nuclear, biological, or chemical attack on U.S. soil and combating the proliferation of WMD abroad. Three D’s, eight C’s, and seven B’s.
Spencer Hsu at the Washington Post first reported the story today in advance of tomorrow’s roll-out at the PSA offices in Washington, DC. Lee Hamilton, co-chairman of the 9-11 Commission and Obama adviser will introduce the findings with Republican Slade Gordon, also a member of the 9-11 Commission and former Congressman from Washington. Both 9-11 Commission chairs, Hamilton and Gov. Tom Keane, sign the report’s introduction.
The WMD Report Card will be released tomorrow. Get the information on attending here
The WMD Report Card is not only a report for well-known experts no longer in government to criticize those still in. The WMD Report Card offers advice. On the nuclear threat, for example, it recommends that the U.S.:
Conduct a comprehensive re-evaluation of the changing threat of nuclear terrorism
Eliminate bureaucratic obstacles to proliferation prevention
Strongly encourage foreign partners to live up to commitments under G8 Global Partnership, UNSCR 1540, and other agreements.
Resolve outstanding bilateral legal disputes to facilitate continuation and expansion of the Proliferation Security Initiative.
Strengthen existing science and human engagement programs to leverage US science and technology capacity, global development assistance, and other potential inducements as a means of building deeper and sustained cooperation for the nonproliferation of nuclear weapons, materials and know-how.
Full disclosure: I serve on the PSA’s Board of Directors. However, this project was well underway before I joined. Executive Director Matt Rojansky, led the charge on this with PSA’s new Associate Director, Michael Landweber. I look forward to seeing how tomorrow’s roll-out unfolds.
Fortunately, PSA’s report comes as the Congressionally mandated WMD Commission, which is charged with expanding counter-terrorism efforts to prevent WMD, is slated to report out soon. Members of the WMD Commission are consulting the PSA report according to the Washington Post and what sources tell me. Let’s hope this gets on the radar of the presidential candidates, one of whom will inherit an evidently average effort to deal with one of the greatest threats to national security.
