An inspector in New York City uses a radiation detector to monitor a crowd on New Years Eve in 2002. U.S. officials said yesterday that teams trained to locate and disarm nuclear weapons are well prepared and organized (Henry Ray Abrams/Getty Images). Nuclear Terror Response Teams Ready, Officials Say By David Ruppe Global Security Newswire WASHINGTON — Specialized U.S. teams trained to locate and disarm nuclear and radiological terror weapons are well equipped and organized for rapid action, two senior U.S. officials said at a congressional hearing yesterday (see GSN, Oct. 14)...Full Story

Leavitt Says Bird Flu Work Aids Terrorism Readiness By Joe Fiorill Global Security Newswire WASHINGTON — The scramble to ready the United States for the possibility of a deadly influenza pandemic will yield long-term gains for bioterrorism preparedness, Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt said yesterday (see GSN, Oct. 26)...Full Story

U.K. Hints at Military Action Against Iran British Prime Minister Tony Blair yesterday hinted at military action and warned against the dangers of a nuclear-armed Iran, a day after President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called for Israel’s destruction, the London Daily Mail reported (see GSN, Oct. 28)...Full Story

	Friday, October 28, 2005

U.S. Treasury Official Says North Korea Using Counterfeit Money to Finance WMD Proliferation A senior U.S. Treasury Department official has said counterfeit U.S. dollars produced in North Korea are believed to be funding Pyongyang’s WMD programs, Agence France-Presse reported today (see GSN, Oct. 19). U.S. Treasury Undersecretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Stuart Levey said the United States is concerned about the large amounts of counterfeit currency coming out of North Korea. “You have to come to the conclusion that the counterfeit is supporting the proliferation,” he said (Agence France-Presse, Oct. 28). Levey also said that China’s help is needed to halt North Korean counterfeiting, the Associated Press reported. “It is clear there is a shared understanding of how seriously we take such threats,” he said today after discussing the matter with Chinese officials in Beijing. “It was a very encouraging response (Christopher Bodeen, Associated Press/NewsfromRussia.com, Oct. 28). Back to top       New Zealand Responds to WMD Readiness Report New Zealand has begun to correct deficiencies identified in a 2004 report on the nation’s ability to respond to a WMD attack or a natural outbreak of disease, The Dominion Post reported today (see GSN, July 22). The country’s response capability for a potential biological, chemical or radiological incident is “less than adequate,” according to a report by World Health Organization infectious diseases and counterterrorism consultant Tony Della-Porta. First responders lack equipment for managing a significant chemical agent event or to conduct a large-scale decontamination, the report found. Poor coordination between health laboratories also hampered their ability to deal with an outbreak of SARS or avian flu, Della-Porta reported. The consultant made 25 recommendations. They included: improving three diagnostic laboratories to allow them to test and identify dangerous infectious disease specimens; organizing a public health laboratory network to improve coordination between health agencies; and reviewing the response capabilities of emergency agencies following a chemical or biological attack, according to the Dominion Post. New Zealand has increased the budget of the Institute of Environmental Science and Research by more than $1 million each year to improve its ability to support public health agencies during an outbreak. Planning is also under way for the National Center for Biosecurity and Infectious Disease. Its responsibilities are expected to include responding to a chemical or biological incident. Officials are examining other recommendations in the report, which would be instituted over a period of five to 10 years (Kelly Andrew, The Dominion Post, Oct. 28). Back to top       Turkmenistan Prohibits WMD Transit Through Airspace Turkmenistan’s People’s Council earlier this week banned the transport of weapons of mass destruction and related materials through its airspace, the newspaper Neytralnyy Turkmenistan reported (see GSN, Oct. 6). The ban also covers missiles, missile technology, WMD delivery systems and any associated technologies. Turkmenistan also said it would work to implement international nonproliferation initiatives (Neytralnyy Turkmenistan/BBC Monitoring, Oct. 28). Back to top

Nuclear Terror Response Teams Ready, Officials Say By David Ruppe Global Security Newswire WASHINGTON — Specialized U.S. teams trained to locate and disarm nuclear and radiological terror weapons are well equipped and organized for rapid action, two senior U.S. officials said at a congressional hearing yesterday (see GSN, Oct. 14). The Energy Department’s Nuclear Emergency Search Teams (NEST) do not have trouble locating aircraft to fly them on their mission of rapid, anytime, worldwide deployment, according to retired Adm. Joseph Krol, associate administrator for emergency operations at the National Nuclear Security Administration. Nor does the federal government need a more streamlined decision-making process for deploying teams, according to John Lewis, deputy assistant director of the FBI’s counterterrorism division. The two appeared before the House of Representatives Homeland Security Prevention of Nuclear and Biological Attack Subcommittee. Aircraft There are 29 Energy Department teams of scientists, engineers and support personnel located at eight “centers of excellence” at national laboratories around the country, according to Krol. Depending upon the scenario, teams might drive, take department aircraft or hitch rides on other government aircraft during an incident response. A National Journal article noted in June that a 2003 Energy Department inspector general’s report said planes in the agency’s small fleet of aircraft are frequently unavailable because they are undergoing repairs or are carrying VIPs. The article reported that NEST members sometimes needed to hitch rides on military planes or even commercial airlines to get to where they were needed. Krol said the teams do not need their own fleet of aircraft for more consistent transportation. There has never been a time the teams could not get a ride, though sometimes, initially, they have been refused, he said. “Persistence prevails. … It’s a manageable problem,” he said. Chain of Command Lawmakers also asked whether the federal nuclear response command structure might encumber a rapid deployment against a suspected nuclear weapon threat. While the search teams operate within the Energy Department, the Homeland Security Department in a crisis could bring the unit under its management. Meanwhile, the FBI, after determining the specific nature of the threat, would take command of the search and defuse operation, which also could also include personnel from other agencies and the military. Representative James Langevin (D-R.I.) asked whether having Homeland Security situated between the search teams and the FBI in the chain of command potentially slows the response. The FBI’s Lewis said a memorandum of understanding between Homeland Security and the FBI satisfactorily resolved questions about the command structure in favor of FBI operational authority. Homeland Security’s role “doesn’t hamper me. I have what I need today to respond very quickly and take care of business,” he said. Detection Weakness Krol addressed a much-reported limit to the capabilities of the nuclear search teams and state and local entities: that the sensitivity of radiological detection devices — necessary for finding hidden sources — produces false alarms on bananas and other common sources of harmless radiation. We “do get hits on naturally occurring sources of radiation. You just have to run those down.  There’s no way out of it. In some ways, we’re a slave to physics,” he said. The multiagency Domestic Nuclear Detection Office housed at Homeland Security, which organizes development and deployment of national nuclear detection capabilities, also is working on solving such detection challenges, Krol said. “We’re optimistic that in their effort to bring together architectures and do hard-core research into new possibilities for radiological detection, that they have an opportunity to make a difference,” he said. The Energy Department spends about $10 million annually on detector research and development, he said. “We are constantly working on coming up with more sensitive meters, more portable meters,” he said. Krol said the “great equalizer in radiological search” is the ability of teams to send back information on a detected radiation source for analysis by experts at the national laboratories. They can “get the absolute best analysis of what we provided,” he said. The federal government relies primarily on intelligence information and detection by state and local authorities for leads on possible threats, Lewis said. Krol said most major metropolitan areas are “adequately equipped” with detection devices. A problem, though, is that many state and local personnel are not properly trained, probably because they have so many other issues they deal with, he said. “They don’t spend a lot of time on radiation training,” Krol said. Back to top       U.K. Hints at Military Action Against Iran British Prime Minister Tony Blair yesterday hinted at military action and warned against the dangers of a nuclear-armed Iran, a day after President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called for Israel’s destruction, the London Daily Mail reported (see GSN, Oct. 28). Blair said Iran was making a “very big mistake” if it believed such comments would be ignored. “To anybody in Europe knowing our history, when we hear statements like that made about Israel it makes us feel very angry — it’s just completely wrong,” Blair said. “And it indicates and underlines I am afraid how much some of those places need reform themselves. Because, how are we going to build a more secure world with that type of attitude? It’s a disgrace, I am afraid.” “If they carry on like this, people are going to be asking me, ‘When are you going to be doing something about this?’” he continued. “Ask yourself: A state like that, with an attitude like that, having a nuclear weapon?” (Benedict Brogan, Daily Mail, Oct. 28). Meanwhile, the United States refused to back Israel’s call to remove Iran from the United Nations, the Associated Press reported. “Iran is a member of the United Nations,” said State Department spokesman Sean McCormack. “What I think we would encourage instead is Iran to start behaving in a responsible manner as a member of the international community.” He added that Iran should stop the covert development of nuclear weapons and halt the oppression of its own people. “Our concern is with Iran's having the know-how, the technology and the capability to enrich or reprocess [nuclear material] on its territory,” he said (Barry Schweid, Associated Press/Baltimore Sun, Oct. 27). Russia, however, continues to support Iran’s civilian nuclear program despite the comments made about Israel’s demise, Agence France-Presse reported. “Our position regarding Iran has not changed,” said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. He added that cooperation was needed between Tehran and the International Atomic Energy Agency to resolve “all questions that come up in relation to Iran's nuclear program.” Lavrov said Ahmadinejad’s comments were “totally unacceptable.” “I cannot fail to recognize that those who favor transferring the Iranian nuclear issue to the U.N. Security Council now have an additional argument,” he said (Agence France-Presse I/IranMania.com, Oct. 27). Indian Foreign Minister Natwar Singh also said New Delhi was opposed to “aggressive action” against Iran, Agence France-Presse reported (Agence France-Presse II/Yahoo!News, Oct. 27). Iran, meanwhile, has backed away from Ahmadinejad’s comments, Reuters reported. “Mr. Ahmadinejad did not have any intention to speak up in such sharp terms and enter into a conflict,” said Iran in a statement from its embassy in Moscow.   “It's absolutely clear that, in his remarks, Mr. Ahmadinejad, president of the Islamic Republic of Iran, underlined the key position of Iran, based on the necessity to hold free elections on the occupied territories,” the embassy said (Maria Golovnina, Reuters, Oct. 28). Western diplomats said that the Israel comment undermined Tehran’s assertion that it wants only a nuclear program to generate electricity, Agence France-Presse reported. “These comments confirm the legitimacy of international suspicions over Iran's nuclear program, especially when put together with its ballistic missile program,” said a European diplomat. “Nobody seriously thinks that Iran is going to launch an attack on Israel tomorrow. The regime may say these are just slogans, but it has to realize what Ahmadinejad said is extremely dangerous,” a Western diplomat said. “You can’t say Israel must be wiped off the map and then say you only want a nuclear fuel cycle to make electricity. You cannot talk war and claim peaceful intentions. It doesn’t add up” (Stefan Smith, Agence France-Presse III, Oct. 27). A Middle Eastern Diplomat said Ahmadinejad’s statement should not disrupt diplomatic efforts on Iran’s nuclear program, Agence France-Presse reported. “If these comments are followed up by other radical moves, then there is room for concern, but otherwise it is just a storm in a teacup,” the diplomat said. A second diplomat added that the comments “are not going to help back-door negotiations taking place but they are not going to tip them over” (Michael Adler, Agence France-Presse IV/SpaceWar.com, Oct. 28). Back to top       Chinese President Visits North Korea Chinese President Hu Jintao today is expected to discuss six-party talks on Pyongyang’s nuclear program during his visit to North Korea beginning today, Agence France-Presse reported (see GSN, Oct. 27). Over the course of his three-day visit, Hu would attempt to persuade North Korea to stick with pledges it made to disarm in the last round of talk, according to AFP. “This is critical to China's image as a rising power and its credibility and ability in delivering results,” said Asian nonproliferation expert Jing-dong Yuan of the Monterey Institute of International Studies. “But most important, failure would completely rupture the six-party process, which in turn could lead to further deterioration of the peninsular and indeed Northeast Asian security situation.” “Hu will no doubt reinforce to [North Korean leader Kim Jong Il] that forward progress must be made,” added Ralph Cossa, president of the Pacific Forum CSIS. Cossa said China could lose patience with Pyongyang if Kim backs away from his promises. “China's patience is running thin. The risk to Hu in going is that if North Korea plays games at the next round in early November, it also discredits China's and Hu's personal diplomacy skills,” he said (Agence France-Presse/Yahoo!News, Oct. 28). Meanwhile, North Korean U.N. representative Han Song Ryol in a speech on Capitol Hill yesterday said the United States was “applying sanctions against North Korea in a roundabout way” to push Pyongyang to give up its nuclear weapons, Agence France-Presse reported. He repeated a previous statement that North Korea considers sanctions a “declaration of war.” Han also said that North Korea would not give an inventory of nuclear weapons and manufacturing sites.  “The D.P.R.K. and the U.S. now are at war technically and there exists tremendous filed mistrusts between them. Under these circumstances, the D.P.R.K. cannot accept the demand to reporting its nuclear weapons voluntarily,” he said (Agence France-Presse/Yahoo!News, Oct. 27). Han also said North Korea would not give up any details on its nuclear program until it has received a light-water nuclear reactor, Reuters reported. Speaking with the Yonhap News Agency, Han said that Pyongyang was not interested in South Korea’s offer to provide electricity if it is meant as an alternative to a reactor. “To give up the graphite-moderated reactors, the light-water reactor has to be completed,” he said (Reuters/New York Times, Oct. 28). Back to top       FBI Continues Search for Uranium Document Forger The FBI is continuing to search for the source of forged documents that indicated prewar Iraq was seeking uranium yellowcake from Niger for use in a nuclear weapons program, The New York Times reported today (see GSN, Oct. 27). An Italian journalist passed the documents to the U.S. government in October 2002. President George W. Bush noted them in making his case for war in his 2003 State of the Union address. In March of that year, the month the United States led the invasion of Iraq, the CIA determined the papers were fake, according to the Times. A presidential commission on WMD intelligence reported in a classified version of its report this year that the CIA had previously received false information on the Iraq-Niger connection. That occurred several months before former Ambassador Joseph Wilson was sent to the African nation to investigate the matter. There are several theories regarding the origin of the forged documents, the Times reported. One is that former Iraqi exile Ahmad Chalabi, whose Iraqi National Congress was a source of now-discredited information on Iraq’s WMD programs, was involved in preparing the fake documents. Another, potentially more believable, theory is that personnel at the Niger Embassy in Rome forged the papers in hopes of making a profit from them (Douglas Jehl, The New York Times, Oct. 28). Back to top       Trial Begins for Suspected German Proliferator Trial began yesterday for a German businessman suspected of delivering equipment that could be used in uranium enrichment to Pakistan’s nuclear weapons program, Agence France-Presse reported (see GSN, Sept. 26). The suspect, identified only as Rainer V., is charged with violating German foreign trade and weapons regulations. Authorities charge that his company, Vacom GmbH, shipped pumps, special ventilators and other “dual-use” equipment to the Khan Research laboratories then operated by Pakistani nuclear scientist and proliferator Abdul Qadeer Khan. A verdict is expected to be returned on Nov. 17, AFP reported (Agence France-Presse/Dawn, Oct. 27). Back to top

Leavitt Says Bird Flu Work Aids Terrorism Readiness By Joe Fiorill Global Security Newswire WASHINGTON — The scramble to ready the United States for the possibility of a deadly influenza pandemic will yield long-term gains for bioterrorism preparedness, Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt said yesterday (see GSN, Oct. 26). Increased outbreak monitoring abroad and improved response and vaccine capacity within the United States will prove to have been crucial gains even if the avian influenza virus never mutates into a form that can be passed from human to human, Leavitt said in a lunch speech at the National Press Club here. “If a pandemic were to happen tomorrow, we are inadequately prepared,” said the health secretary, whose tenure in the post is approaching the one-year mark. “That’s true of every nation on the planet.” The current “bird flu” outbreak emerged in poultry in Southeast Asia, sickening more than 100 people who contracted it from birds, and has spread as far as Europe. Experts predict the spread will continue but say the gravest danger lies in the possibility that the virus could mutate into a form capable of human-to-human transmission, a development that could lead to millions of human deaths. Leavitt said there is no way to predict whether such a mutation will occur but that given the potential consequences, countries must prepare for a human-to-human pandemic as if it were a certainty. The United States is seeking to boost vaccine-production capacity, improve local distribution of federal drug stockpiles in a crisis and increase international surveillance of disease outbreaks — efforts that will give the country a better chance at containing a bioterrorist attack, Leavitt said. “Virtually everything we do will benefit us in the long term, and not just with viruses, but with bioterrorism and other pandemics,” said the secretary. Leavitt said that although Washington monitors outbreaks extensively in regions such as Southeast Asia, governments cannot possibly track and contain every suspicious illness. As a result, he said, domestic preparedness is Washington’s highest priority. “There is no way that a central government in any nation on the Earth is going to be able to monitor and manage every one of those situations,” he said. “Our primary effort needs to be preparing to fight it here at home.” Leavitt said President George W. Bush would soon release a national strategy on pandemics and that the Health and Human Services Department would issue a related national pandemic and public health response plan. He indicated that drug distribution and vaccine capacity would be chief concerns. “The capacity doesn’t exist within the United States to produce vaccines at sufficient speed and sufficient quantity to reach every American,” Leavitt said. The secretary called for wider use of cell-based, rather than egg-based, culturing of pathogens for vaccine production. Most vaccines are now based on cultures grown in chicken eggs, but using human or animal cells for culturing could mean large gains in speed and capacity. Cell-based production “will change the world of vaccines forever,” Leavitt said. Back to top       Fiscal 2006 is Transition Year for New U.S. Homeland Security Medical Office, Chief Doctor Says By Joe Fiorill Global Security Newswire WASHINGTON — The U.S. Homeland Security Department’s first head doctor appeared before Congress for the first time yesterday, telling lawmakers that budget constraints would limit his office to a transitional status this year (see GSN, Sept. 27). Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff created the post of chief medical officer in July and immediately appointed former National Highway Traffic Safety Administrator Jeffrey Runge to fill the position. Runge began work last month, too late to participate in a budget process in which about $2 million was directed to the new office. Runge said he anticipates having about a 10-person “transition team” in fiscal 2006. “We will be able to accomplish a lot” in the office’s inaugural year, Runge told the House of Representatives Homeland Security Management, Integration and Oversight Subcommittee, but “we will not achieve the vision completely for the office.” Runge’s office is part of Homeland Security’s new Preparedness Directorate, but the chief medical officer also reports directly to the secretary. Runge is responsible for coordinating Homeland Security work on the Project Bioshield WMD-countermeasure program, advising the secretary on medical aspects of the department’s mission and overseeing medical coordination with state, local and other federal agencies. “I have the obligation to provide sound medical advice and policy counsel to help define and mitigate risk,” he told the subcommittee yesterday. “My team will not replicate the deep knowledge base and operational role of other federal departments, but I will help the secretary and his team access timely and complete medical data to help drive core incident-management decisions.” Runge said he planned to appoint a deputy chief medical officer and four associate chief medical officers, each with a specific area of responsibility: a “science and policy” specialist to generate “data-driven, science-based” policy guidance; a “medical preparedness” leader to ensure readiness for bioterrorism and medical catastrophes generally, including through review of all of Homeland Security’s “medically related” grants to state and local governments; an “operations and response” head to prepare the department to carry out medical aspects of the National Response Plan; and a “mission support” chief to oversee health care for the department’s employees. The subcommittee’s senior Democrat, Kendrick Meek (Fla.), pressed Runge on whether he had clear and sufficient authority to carry out his mission. Homeland Security officials such as the chief information officer have found it difficult to get things done because of unclear lines of authority in the department, Meek said. Asked by Meek whether legislation granting specific authority to the chief medical officer could be needed, Runge indicated it probably would not. “Already, there have been a couple occasions when the secretary has told me, ‘You’re the guy on this, and I want you to address this issue,’” Runge said. He added that he has been making frequent “house calls” to other federal agencies in a bid to create relationships that will help him do his job. Runge said there was a clear need for his office but that its eventual shape would not be determined for some time. “This is a brand-new vision,” he said. “We are in our formulative stages.” Back to top

Nigeria Approves Chemical Weapons Bill The Nigerian Cabinet on Wednesday supported legislation ratifying the Chemical Weapons Convention, the Angola Press reported (see GSN, Oct. 20). Information and National Orientation Minister Frank Nweke Jr. said the bill would now be forwarded to parliament for consideration. He added that while Nigeria does not have any chemical armaments, it would like assistance if attacked with such a weapon (Angola Press, Oct. 27). Back to top

Padilla Case Goes to U.S. Supreme Court U.S. “dirty bomb” suspect Jose Padilla is taking the challenge against his continued imprisonment to the U.S. Supreme Court, the Los Angeles Times reported today (see GSN, Sept. 12). Padilla has been held for more than three years as an “enemy combatant” without facing charges. Authorities said after Padilla’s arrest in 2002 that he had planned to detonate a radiological weapon within the United States. However, the focus now is on allegations that he fought against the U.S. military in Afghanistan and is a dangerous enemy combatant, according to the Times. Padilla’s lawyers argued yesterday in a brief to the Supreme Court that holding a U.S. citizen without filing charges violates the Constitution. They are seeking a ruling that the Bush administration exceeded its powers by imprisoning “without charge an American citizen arrested on American soil” during a war on terrorism of “indeterminate” term and span. The Bush administration has countered that wartime powers allow the president to keep enemy combatants in custody for an indefinite period, the Times reported. Padilla could be freed if his case goes to trial, and he could then use force to oppose the United States, according to prosecutors (Richard Serrano, Los Angeles Times, Oct. 28).   Back to top

About Newswire  |  Contact National Journal  |  Re-Use Guidelines

© Copyright 2008 by National Journal Group, Inc. The material in this section is produced independently for NTI by National Journal Group, Inc. Any reproduction or retransmission, in whole or in part, is a violation of federal law and is strictly prohibited without the consent of the National Journal Group, Inc. All rights reserved.