Group Sees Some Gains in U.S. Bioterror Response, Gaps in Drug Distribution, Chemical Testing

By Joe Fiorill
Global Security Newswire

WASHINGTON   — All but a few U.S. states are ill-prepared to distribute federally stockpiled drugs and to test human samples for chemical agents in the event of a terrorist attack, a public-health advocacy group said today in an annual readiness report (see GSN, Dec. 14, 2004).

After studying federal data, interviewing officials and surveying hospital personnel, the Trust for America’s Health said most states possessed no more than half of the benchmark preparedness capabilities that formed the basis for the study.

Twenty-nine states and the District of Columbia achieved 5 or fewer of the 10 benchmarks.

“While considerable progress has been achieved in improving America’s health-emergency preparedness, the nation is still not adequately prepared for the range of serious threats we face,” the organization said in the report.

On the positive side, seven criteria were more often achieved than not. They included sufficient laboratory capabilities for bioterrorism response, displayed by 37 states; enough laboratory scientists to conduct anthrax or plague tests in an outbreak, achieved by 41 states and the District of Columbia; adequate planning for vaccine- and antiviral-distribution priority-setting in a crisis, found present in 34 states and the District of Columbia; and sufficient medical-supply reserves, achieved by 29 states and the district.

Twenty-seven states were deemed to have adequate disease-tracking systems; 35 were called well-prepared for responding to patient surges by distributing some patients to non-health care facilities; and 35 states and the District of Columbia were found to have adequately quick access to expert infection-control consultation in an emergency.

Despite the relative success of these measures, the study found that three of the benchmarks were reached by only a small number of states. Just seven states had been certified to distribute Strategic National Stockpile drugs; 10 were found to have sufficient chemical terrorism-response capabilities, particularly as pertains to human-sample testing; and only two had sufficient plans for inducing health-care personnel to come to work in a crisis.

Places hit by the 2001 airplane attacks or anthrax mailings generally posted better-than-average scores. Virginia scored 8, and New York, New Jersey and Florida each scored 7. Pennsylvania scored a middling 5, however, and Washington, D.C., scored 4.

Joining Virginia with scores of 8, the highest score recorded, were Delaware and South Carolina. Scoring lowest, at 2, were Alabama, Alaska, Iowa and New Hampshire.

The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials today expressed appreciation for the study. The association emphasized preparedness progress made since 2001, saying federal funds will be crucial for continued gains.

“An increase in resources over the past four years has helped state public-health agencies begin to remedy the damage” from previous “decades of neglect,” said association President Leah Devlin said in a statement today, “but public-health preparedness — whether for a bioterrorism event, a pandemic or any other public-health emergency — requires a sustained federal commitment, coupled with continued work, funding, testing and oversight at state and local levels.”

The study also addressed federal readiness, surveying 20 experts in the field who gave the Bush administration an overall grade of D+ for “public-health and bioterrorism-preparedness performance.” The administration performed worst in the area of smallpox vaccination, receiving a grade of D-, and received its highest grade, a C, for its handling of last year’s influenza-vaccine shortage.

The Trust for America’s Health called for stronger central leadership and clearer accountability in public health, particularly at the Health and Human Services Department and its Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It said the government should also improve basic response capabilities, boost funding and work more with the public and press to prepare for public-health emergencies.

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Annan Calls for States to Work to Prevent Terrorists from Obtaining Biological Weapons

U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan said yesterday at the 2005 meeting of the states parties to the Biological Weapons Convention that countries must work to ensure that terrorists do not obtain armaments banned by the treaty, the U.N. News Center reported (see GSN, Nov. 3).

“It is increasingly understood that bolstering the biological security regime has become a matter of tremendous importance for global health and international peace and security,” Annan said in a message delivered at the Geneva session by Enrique Roman-Morey, deputy secretary general of the Conference on Disarmament.

“There has never been more urgent need for international commitment to the universal application and full compliance with the convention,” Annan said.

He also warned that scientific developments could create more dangerous biological agents and said talks on the scientific code of conduct could help bolster the weapons convention.

“Developments in the life sciences in the years ahead will no doubt bring remarkable benefits, but they may also carry with them, as an almost inevitable corollary, considerable dangers,” Annan said (U.N. News Center, Dec. 5).

Hu Xiaodi, leader of the Chinese delegation to the meeting, said yesterday that China is committed to the prohibition of biological weapons and to using biotechnology for peaceful purposes, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

“The rapid development and enormous potential of biotechnology and life science have greatly contributed to the fight against diseases and safeguard of health by mankind,” Hu said.

“However, they also have brought new challenges to the prevention of the bioterrorism threat and abuse of bioresearch for weapon purposes. In this new situation, scientists bear the special and important duty of implementing the BWC [Biological Weapons Convention] and eliminating the threat of biological weapons,” he added.

Hu said that discussing the scientific code of conduct, regulation of scientific behavior and helping scientists to better understand the treaty would promote the control of biological weapons (Xinhua News Agency, Dec. 5).

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California Gets New Bioagent Detection Lab

The Bush administration provided $1.6 million for a new laboratory in California that will be able to quickly detect biological agents, the Associated Press reported (see GSN, Nov. 15).

The Biosafety Level 2 laboratory is expected to be able to detect substances such as avian flu and tuberculosis with a quick DNA test. 

“We will be able to extract DNA from a swab, put it in a machine and have results in one or two hours,” said laboratory director David Yong.

Construction of the laboratory has been completed and equipment is now being installed. The facility should be ready for use by March, according to Leigh Hall, deputy public health director for Sonoma County.

“This is very high security and high safety, so we can work safely with microorganisms that are quite dangerous, like anthrax and avian influenza,” Yong said (Associated Press/KRON, Dec. 5).

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Maritime Treaty Amended to Address WMD Attacks

The U.N. International Maritime Organization in October amended the Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts Against the Safety of Maritime Navigation to ban nonmilitary ships from being used for the transport or launch of weapons of mass destruction, Arms Control Today reported yesterday.

A second protocol bans the use of weapons of mass destruction from or against oil rigs or other sea-based fixed platforms.

A vessel cannot routinely be stopped and boarded in international waters without the consent of the government whose flag the ship is flying. The new protocol on ships provides an expedited interdiction procedure, whereby a government may grant prior authority for searches if a boarding request is not answered within four hours.

The first protocol also outlaws transport of “any equipment, materials or software or related technology that significantly contributes to the design, manufacture or delivery of a (biological, chemical, or nuclear weapon), with the intention that it will be used for such purpose.”

Russia called this dual-use provision “excessively wide,” though it still pledged support for the protocol.   India and Pakistan criticized provisions mandating that only parties to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty could legally transport nuclear material, according to Arms Control Today.

Countries will have the opportunity to sign on to the changes beginning Feb. 14. The protocol pertaining to ships requires 12 signatures before it becomes law, while the platform protocol requires only three signatures, according to Arms Control Today. Protocols would enter into force 90 days after receiving the required number of signatures.

The U.S. State Department said the measures provide “the first international treaty framework for combating and prosecuting individuals who … transport by ship terrorists or cargo intended for use in connection with weapons of mass destruction programs” (Wade Boese, Arms Control Today, Dec. 5).

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UNMOVIC Office to Remain Open

The Cyprus office of the U.N. Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission will remain open for now, the Xinhua News Agency reported today (see GSN, June 9).

Government spokesman Kypros Chrysostomides was quoted by the Cyprus News Agency as saying the office open was kept open at the request of the United Nations. 

The U.N. agency was responsible for verifying Iraq’s WMD disarmament following the 1991 Gulf War. UNMOVIC personnel left Iraq before the March 2003 invasion and have not been allowed to return. The commission has continued to monitor sites sealed before the war, according to Xinhua.

The commission’s Cyprus office was opened in 2002 under an agreement between the United Nations, Cyprus and the International Atomic Energy Agency. It has a five-person staff.

The office is expected to remain open until the United Nations resolves the issue of weapons inspections in Iraq, Xinhua reported (Xinhua News Agency/People’s Daily Online, Dec. 6).

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North Korea Sets Demand for Resuming Nuclear Talks

North Korea today announced that it would not participate in six-nation talks on its nuclear weapons programs unless the United States ends sanctions against several of its firms suspected of illicit activities, including supporting WMD proliferation, the Associated Press reported yesterday (see GSN, Dec. 5).

“It is impossible to resume the six-party talks under such provocative sanctions applied by the U.S.,” the official Rodong Sinmun announced in a commentary.

“The U.S. should take substantial steps to lift financial sanctions on our country at an early date as agreed upon in the fifth round of talks if the U.S. wants the resumption of nuclear talks and their progress,” it said.

Meanwhile, Seoul’s top envoy to the talks, Deputy Foreign Minister Song Min-soon, said he would discuss a timetable for a new round of talks with the other participants this week and could attempt to mediate between Pyongyang and Washington. He added that Seoul’s “role is to make sure that the North-U.S. row won’t affect the six-party talks” (Kwang-Tae Kim, Associated Press/CNN.com, Dec. 5).

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Democrats Object to Nuclear Pre-Emption Doctrine

By David Ruppe
Global Security Newswire

WASHINGTON — Sixteen Democratic lawmakers yesterday criticized a draft U.S. military nuclear weapons doctrine describing nuclear pre-emption options against WMD targets as “unwise” and threatening to nuclear arms control (see GSN, Sept. 12).

The doctrine “threatens the very foundation of nuclear arms control,” they wrote in a letter sent to President George W. Bush, noting that the United States has issued limited promises that non-nuclear-weapon states would not be threatened with U.S. nuclear forces.

In that regard, “The draft doctrine contradicts clear statements and assurances of your administration,” the Democrats wrote.

They argued further that the costs of using nuclear arms against weapons of mass destruction would almost always outweigh the benefits.

“Striking a nuclear, chemical, or biological weapons cache would require perfect intelligence and is impossible to do without significant collateral damage,” they wrote.

The lawmakers included Senators Dianne Feinstein (Calif.), Daniel Akaka (Hawaii), Edward Kennedy (Mass.), Jack Reed (R.I.), Byron Dorgan (N.D.), John Kerry (Mass.), Frank Lautenberg (N.J.) and Representatives Ellen Tauscher (Calif.), Neil Abercrombie (Hawaii), Rob Andrews (N.J.), Marty Meehan (Mass.), Ed Markey (Mass.), Susan Davis (Calif.), Loretta Sanchez (Calif.), Adam Smith (Wash.) and Mark Udall (Colo.).

The draft document, titled “Doctrine for Joint Nuclear Operations” and prepared by the Office of the Joint Chiefs, was posted on a military Web site in the spring and then withdrawn, and its pre-emption provisions were not reported until September. 

The doctrine states that U.S. regional combatant commanders may request presidential approval for nuclear strikes to counter an enemy believed to be “intending” to use weapons of mass destruction; against a suspected “imminent attack” using biological weapons; or against enemy WMD facilities, such as deeply buried storage or command and control facilities.

The draft “removes the ambiguity of the previous [1995 version of the] doctrine, and now suggests that your administration will use nuclear weapons to respond to non-nuclear WMD threats and suggests that this use could include pre-emptive nuclear strikes thereby increasing reliance on nuclear weapons,” the Democrats wrote.

“We believe this effort to broaden the range of scenarios in which nuclear weapons might be contemplated is unwise and provocative,” they wrote.

If approved, “it could exacerbate the danger of nuclear proliferation by giving states of concern, such as North Korea and Iran, an excuse to maintain their nuclear weapons options and would send a green light to the world’s nuclear states that it is permissible to use these weapons offensively.”

The nuclear doctrines are understood to be articulations of the policies of top civilian government leaders. Military analyst and journalist William Arkin wrote that Bush three months before the invasion of Iraq signed a memo allowing for such nuclear strikes.

The Democrats urged Bush to “personally review” the draft doctrine “and consider its serious negative consequences for U.S. national and international security interests.” 

“It is one thing to threaten a devastating response to a biological or chemical weapons attack or the threat of a biological, chemical, or nuclear attack. It is quite another to say explicitly that the United States is prepared to counter non-nuclear weapons threats or attempt to pre-empt a suspected WMD attack by striking with nuclear weapons,” they wrote.

They noted the draft doctrine itself says that “the belligerent that initiates nuclear warfare may find itself the target of world condemnation.” The document continues, though, that “no customary or conventional international law prohibits nations from employing nuclear weapons in armed conflict.”

The White House at press time had not responded to a request for comment this morning on the Democrats’ letter.

The draft doctrine was said to be nearly complete in March, but has since been subject to an additional lengthy review that may continue through much of next year, officials have said (see GSN, Oct. 21).

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Iran Insists on Domestic Uranium Enrichment

Top Iranian nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani yesterday reaffirmed Tehran’s intention to maintain its uranium enrichment program within the country, Agence France-Presse reported (see GSN, Dec. 5).

Larijani added, however, that Iran still planned to meet with representatives from France, Germany and the United Kingdom to discuss ways to resolve the nuclear crisis. The three EU nations have backed a Russian compromise proposal to operate a jointly run enrichment facility on Russian soil.

“We don’t see the need for such a thing. What can be done in a few years we can do right now. It is not proper and not politically reasonable,” he said.

“Very certainly, enrichment will take place in Iran, but for confidence building we decided on negotiations,” Larijani said.

“We prefer to have a result on enrichment through negotiations, and then start it,” he added, noting that negotiations should be finished within “several months” (Agence France-Presse I/SpaceWar.com, Dec. 5).

French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said Iran’s insistence on enriching uranium amounted to a “unilateral” rejection of Moscow’s compromise proposal to transfer such work to Russia, the Christian Science Monitor reported today (Scott Peterson, Christian Science Monitor, Dec. 6).

Larijani also said Iran’s plan to construct two more nuclear reactors should not interfere with the EU negotiations, the London Independent reported today.

“We plan to construct two more nuclear power plants. We will do it through an international tender. It is part of meeting our electricity needs; it is not a secret issue,” Larijani said (Anne Penketh, The Independent, Dec. 6).

Larijani responded forcefully to former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s suggestion that Israel could attack Iran’s nuclear installations, AFP reported.

“The Islamic republic is a tough target and there would be heavy consequences,” he said (Agence France-Presse II/SpaceWar.com, Dec. 5).

Tehran is willing to risk a confrontation with the West over its nuclear work, according to a report released Saturday by the United States Institute of Peace.

“Iran’s leaders appear to have calculated that they can withstand the diplomatic pressure they are likely to face … and that even if sanctions are imposed, Iran has the will and financial resources to ride them out,” Reuters quoted the report as saying.

The outcome of the standoff will depend on the ability of Washington and its allies to remain united, the report says (Reuters I/Yahoo!News, Dec. 5).

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov yesterday rejected calls for punitive sanctions or military action against Iran, the Associated Press reported. He encouraged Tehran to cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency.

The crisis over Iran’s nuclear work does not “have a military solution” and “can’t be settled through sanctions,” Lavrov said in a statement. “Problems can be settled through engagement ... not the isolation of ‘problem’ nations.”

Lavrov said the U.N. nuclear watchdog should continue its “calm, apolitical work” in Iran (Associated Press/Jerusalem Post, Dec. 5).

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov yesterday defended Moscow’s decision to sell missile systems to Iran, IRNA reported.

“The agreement conforms to all international agreements and commitments legally binding on Moscow,” Ivanov said (IRNA/BBC Monitoring, Dec. 6).

The United States yesterday repeated its objections to the arms deal, Reuters reported.

“I think it’s important to remember and underscore that Iran is a state sponsor of terror, they have engaged in actions that we think are hostile and unhelpful, and that we view this proposed sale in that context,” said State Department deputy spokesman Adam Ereli.

Another senior U.S. official, however, admitted that the Bush administration could do little to contest the sale because it does not violate any international agreement. He added that it is understandable why cash-strapped Moscow would welcome such a deal with Iran.

Moscow should first have pushed Iran to accept its proposed nuclear deal, said Joseph Cirincione, nonproliferation director for the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

“Russia has just given away one of the possible negotiating chips,” Cirincione said (Reuters II/Yahoo!News, Dec. 5).

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Russia Extends Service Life of ICBMs

Russia has extended the service life of 80 percent of the ICBMs in its Strategic Missile Troops arsenal, Interfax-AVN reported last week (see GSN, Dec. 1).

“Though guaranteed service lives of 80 percent of missile systems have expired, the technical servicing and operational system that exists in the SMT, and the advanced professional skills of personnel ensure reliability and technical readiness of missile systems at a proper level,” said a report issued by the Strategic Missile Troops.

Most of Russia’s mobile missile force uses the Topol missile systems, which are designed to penetrate missile defense systems. They have a range of more than 6,000 miles, a 1-ton warhead and a 45-ton launch weight, and patrol areas of more than 77,000 square miles.

“As railway-based missile systems are being removed from combat duty and destroyed, the importance of the Topol missile force's contribution to the potential of the strategic nuclear forces' retaliation strike has grown considerably,” the report states.

Earlier reports indicate that the Strategic Missile Troops in early 2004 had 312 Topol systems, each containing a warhead with a 559-kiloton yield.

The service life of the Topol is 10 years, although it has been extended several times. From 1993 to 1996, nine regiments with 81 launchers were moved from Belarus to Russia, according to Interfax (Interfax-AVN/BBC Monitoring Dec. 5).

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Correction

In a news story Friday, Global Security Newswire misidentified the affiliation of nuclear weapons expert Hans Kristensen. He is director of the Nuclear Information Project at the Federation of American Scientists. We regret the error.

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CW Victim Testifies in Dutch Trial

An Iraqi man whose family was killed in a poison gas attack testified yesterday in the trial of a Dutch businessman accused of selling nerve gas components to deposed Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, the Associated Press reported (see GSN, Dec. 5).

Before Frans van Anraat can be convicted, a Dutch court must determine whether Hussein committed genocide against Kurds in Iraq and Iran. This is the first time someone has stood trial for these attacks, according to AP.

Fifteen victims of attacks on five villages testified yesterday, AP reported.

“We got into the car and tried to get away, me and my whole family. I lost them all: my mother, father and brothers and sisters. I am the only survivor,” witness Rebas Kadir said in an interview.   Kadir, 22, was 4 years old at the time of the incident.

A Red Cross worker found Kadir. The gas had burned the boy’s lungs, giving him only one-third of normal capacity. The injuries have prevented him from living a normal life, he said.

“It's torture getting up every morning,” he said. “It takes four to five hours to regain my breath, even though I haven't done more than move to my chair. It's almost not worth it.”

Kadir said the Dutch businessman “is responsible for delivering the chemicals and therefore is jointly guilty” with Hussein for the deaths.

“It is difficult to imagine that he bears such great responsibility for the deaths of so many people,” he said of van Anraat. “I am here for justice, not for money.”

Victims who testified yesterday are seeking $11,700 in damages, the maximum amount allowed under Dutch law. If the court rules favorably, each victim would receive $800, according to AP.

“None of the victims has ever been compensated. Of course, the true damage is far greater, and this is little more than a symbolic amount,” said Liesbeth Zegveld, the victims’ attorney (Anthony Deutsch, Associated Press/FindLaw.com, Dec. 5).

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U.S. Army Considers Handing Over Newport Chemical Depot to Home County in Indiana

The U.S. Army is considering turning over the Newport Chemical Depot in Indiana to its home Vermillion County once the facility is closed, the Indianapolis Star reported yesterday (see GSN, Dec. 1).

To facilitate the handover, the Army is testing the area to determine if any hazardous materials still exist at the site, besides the stocks of VX nerve agent that are being stored and eliminated. The Army does not anticipate finding any nerve agent but is being cautious because of Newport’s long history of weapons production, said Cathy Collins, chief engineer at the facility.

“We're being as cautious as we can be. We don't want to leave any stone unturned,” she said. 

The handover of the site would not occur for several years, the Star reported.

The Army has identified at least four burial sites at the depot. Buried at one location are decontaminated protective gear and scrap metal related to production of the nerve agent.

During VX production in the 1960s, nerve agent was drained from dud weapons, neutralized and then placed in a well one mile underground, said Tom Burch, a former civilian employee at Newport.

Citizen watchdog groups praised the Army’s investigation.

“Now is the time to take a look and see what else could be there,” said Elizabeth Crowe of the Chemical Weapons Working Group. “I don't think anyone in the community wants to find anything by accident when (the site) is being developed.”

A report by the Army in 1996 found that Newport and two other sites in Indiana — Camp Atterbury and the Crane Division of the Naval Surface Warfare Center — might contain buried chemical weapons-related waste.

There are no plans to convert the other two sites to nonfederal ownership. However, it is imperative to find any buried toxic waste at Newport, said Indiana Environmental Management Department official Tom Linson, “because we know the base is destined for closure. We know (the site) will become potential public property, and we can't say there haven't been surprises at Newport. As thorough a job as has been done, we've still found a few things that had been initially overlooked.”

Linson noted that Newport was also used for production of heavy water for early nuclear weapons, along with TNT and the plastic explosive RDX.

“Hopefully, the number of surprises in the future will be small, but we can't rule it out, so we proceed with caution,” he added (Tammy Webber, Indianapolis Star, Dec. 5).

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Japan, U.S. Scout Site for Missile Defense Radar

A site in northeastern Japan is being considered to house a joint Japanese-U.S. missile defense radar system, the Associated Press reported today (see GSN, Oct. 18).

U.S. military officials were expected to arrive at the Aomori Japanese air force base today and spend about two weeks there studying electromagnetic and geological conditions, according to the Japanese Defense Agency (Carl Freire, Associated Press/Yahoo!News, Dec. 6).

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Russian General Warns Poland Against Participation in U.S. Missile Defense Program

Russia’s top military official has warned Poland against joining the planned U.S. missile defense system, a Polish newspaper reported last week (see GSN, Nov. 28).

“Missiles from other countries will never fly west over Polish soil. Thus, incorporating Central (and) Eastern (European) countries into the U.S. missile defense system means strengthening it in case of a clash with Moscow,” Gen. Yuri Baluyevsky, chief of the Russian General Staff, told the Gazeta Wyborcza.

Warsaw and Washington have over the past year formally discussed placing a U.S. missile defense installation in Poland.

A top Polish lawmaker on Thursday dismissed claims from Russian officials that the program was intended to counter a threat from Moscow.

“The Russians know perfectly well that the shield is aimed against countries that support terrorism or against countries that publicly threaten to use nuclear weapons,” said Pawel Zalewski, who leads the foreign affairs committee in the lower house of Poland’s parliament.

While Baluyevsky said he had no reason to believe there would ever be a nuclear exchange between Russia and the West, he nonetheless warned Poland that missile defense cooperation with the United States would increase its vulnerability.

“What can we do? Go ahead and build that shield.  You have to think, though, what will fall on your heads afterwards,” he said (Gazeta Wyborcza/BBC Monitoring, Dec. 5)

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