The White House will reportedly maintain current funding levels for the Cooperative Threat Reduction program, a U.S. effort to secure and dismantle former Soviet weapons of mass destruction. With funds from the program, Russia removed these propellers from long-range bombers (DOD Photo). U.S. Expected to Maintain CTR Funding, Officials Say The White House is expected to maintain the Defense Department’s budget for the Cooperative Threat Reduction program, overruling the Pentagon’s proposed cuts to the nonproliferation effort, the Boston Globe reported today (see GSN, Jan. 6). In the wake of spending increases related to the Iraq war, the Pentagon last month recommended cutting $46 million for fiscal 2005 from the program to secure unconventional weaponry from the former Soviet Union, according to the Globe...Full Story

ElBaradei Calls for Five-Year Halt to Construction of New Enrichment, Reprocessing Sites International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Mohamed ElBaradei has called for a five-year international freeze on the construction of uranium enrichment and nuclear reprocessing facilities, Agence France-Presse reported today (see GSN, Nov. 19, 2004)...Full Story

Chlorine Train Crash Kills Eight, Harms Hundreds Eight people were killed and hundreds injured yesterday when a train carrying chlorine gas crashed into a parked train in South Carolina, according to the Associated Press (see GSN, Nov. 23, 2004)...Full Story

	Friday, January 7, 2005

Senator Seeks Better Human Intelligence Capabilities By Mike Nartker Global Security Newswire WASHINGTON — Saying that a sweeping intelligence reform bill signed into law last month is only the “beginning” of improving U.S. intelligence, Senator Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) yesterday called for an increased emphasis on improving human intelligence capabilities (see GSN, Jan. 4). In remarks at the Heritage Foundation think tank, Chambliss said U.S. intelligence had “failed” over the past 10 years, in part due to its inability to penetrate al-Qaeda and the regime of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. If the CIA had accomplished the latter, he said, it might have helped verify what was later learned to be inaccurate information on alleged attempts by Iraq to develop weapons of mass destruction. Describing current U.S. human intelligence capabilities as “atrophied,” Chambliss said that increased priority must be given to increasing the number of intelligence operatives on the ground. One “small but important victory,” he said, was the repeal of a set of guidelines issued in the mid-1990s by then CIA Director John Deutsch, which prohibited U.S. intelligence from working with foreign informants who had been involved in human rights violations. “If you’re going to infiltrate organizations, it won’t be with Sunday school teachers,” said Chambliss, a member of the Senate intelligence panel. Chambliss also stressed the need to improve what he described as a “risk-adverse” culture at the CIA. Human intelligence “is a dirty business. It’s a dangerous profession,” he said. In addition, the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence needs to adopt a subcommittee structure, with one panel focusing on human intelligence, Chambliss said.    In November, President George W. Bush issued a memorandum calling for a 50-percent increase “as soon as feasible” in the staff of the CIA’s Directorate of Operations, which conducts human intelligence activities. The memorandum calls for the majority of the new officers to be “drawn from diverse backgrounds” to be more effective in gathering intelligence. The intelligence reform bill signed into law last month envisions an improved integration of the 15 agencies that make up the U.S. intelligence community through the creation of a national intelligence director. Such a director was one of the chief recommendations this summer from the Sept. 11 commission.  Bush is “moving quickly” to nominate a national intelligence director, Chambliss said, adding that he hoped to see an indication of the White House’s choice within the next few weeks. While not explicitly ruling out new CIA Director Porter Goss for the position, Chambliss said the national intelligence director would function more like the chief executive officer of a corporation in managing various agencies, and therefore did not need to be filled with someone who has an extensive intelligence background. “It’s going to be an enormous job, folks,” Chambliss said of the new director. To aid in the integration process, Chambliss yesterday proposed that the intelligence agencies that reside within the Defense Department report to a new combatant command, to be known as INTCOM, headed by a four-star officer. This new commander would then serve as a point of contact for the national intelligence director, reducing the number of intelligence agency chiefs the director would have to interact with directly by almost half. Chambliss unsuccessfully sought to add an amendment establishing the command to the intelligence reform bill, and he said yesterday that he would “shortly” seek to reintroduce the bill. Back to top       Internal Inquiry Criticizes Performance of High-Level CIA Officials Before Sept. 11 Attacks Former CIA Director George Tenet and other senior agency officials failed to allocate enough resources in the fight against terrorism prior to the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, the CIA inspector general’s office states in a report detailed today in the New York Times (see GSN, Oct. 18, 2004). Former Deputy Director of Operations James Pavitt is also sharply criticized in the classified report, according to current and former intelligence officials.  The report says that Pavitt and others failed to meet an acceptable level of performance and calls for Pavitt’s record to be reviewed by an internal board for possible disciplinary action, the officials said. They did not say, though, if the report had reached the same conclusion on Tenet’s performance. The report is nearly finished, and its conclusions could be changed based on responses from those criticized within, the officials said, adding that comments had been solicited from both Tenet and Pavitt. A final version is expected to be completed within six weeks, the Times reported. A spokesman for Tenet said only that “to criticize Mr. Tenet for devoting insufficient resources to counterterrorism would be absurd.” Pavitt said he believes “the findings are flawed.” While his office lacked resources before the Sept. 11 attacks, Pavitt said he “consistently fought for additional resources, commencing that effort in 1997 and stopping only in August 2004 when I retired” (Douglas Jehl, New York Times, Jan. 7). Back to top       New Jersey Calls for More Homeland Security Funds A delegation of New Jersey lawmakers met yesterday with Homeland Security Department officials in an attempt to gain increased homeland security funds for the state’s two largest cities — Jersey City and Newark, according to the Associated Press (see GSN, Dec. 22, 2004). The two cities are set to receive in fiscal 2005 a combined $19 million in homeland security funds, down from a previous combined total of $32 million, AP reported. The delegation also complained that the state is set to receive $37 million in homeland security funds in fiscal 2005, down from the $56 million it received the previous year. The New Jersey delegation noted the two cities’ proximity to New York City, which is set to receive $207 million in this fiscal year. “New Jersey and New York are joined at the hip as target of terrorism and as victims of terrorist acts, and to suggest that an attack on the Lincoln Tunnel, Holland Tunnel, George Washington Bridge or PATH train system doesn’t have an equal impact on New Jersey is incredible,” said Democratic Representative Robert Menendez of Hoboken.  In response, Homeland Security officials agreed to form a working group with the New Jersey governor, the state’s congressional delegation and state police to further consider the funding matter, AP reported (Donna de la Cruz, Associated Press/phillyBurbs.com, Jan. 6). Back to top

U.S. Expected to Maintain CTR Funding, Officials Say The White House is expected to maintain the Defense Department’s budget for the Cooperative Threat Reduction program, overruling the Pentagon’s proposed cuts to the nonproliferation effort, the Boston Globe reported today (see GSN, Jan. 6). In the wake of spending increases related to the Iraq war, the Pentagon last month recommended cutting $46 million for fiscal 2005 from the program to secure unconventional weaponry from the former Soviet Union, according to the Globe. Officials said yesterday, however, that the White House Office of Management and Budget has said that the roughly $400 million spending plan will not be reduced. “It has been rejected by the White House,” said a senior government official. “We have been assured by a number of people that it is not going to happen.” White House officials yesterday declined to comment. Some analysts said the proposed cut emphasizes some Defense Department officials’ doubts about international arms-control programs. “There is a general skepticism among the neoconservatives of the value of these programs,” said William Hoehn of the Russian American Nuclear Security Advisory Council. “Their emphasis is much more on killing terrorists than keeping weapons from the hands of terrorists.”  Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Deputy Secretary Paul Wolfowitz also believe Russia should bear more responsibility for securing the materials, according to the Globe. Russian President Vladimir Putin’s growing grip on power at the potential expense of democracy appears to be feeding Pentagon skepticism of the CTR program, said Jon Wolfsthal of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Top U.S. defense officials worry that the program may be helping “a potential enemy,” he said (Bryan Bender, Boston Globe, Jan. 7). Back to top       Bolton Set to Leave U.S. State Department U.S. Undersecretary of State for Arms Control and International Security John Bolton is expected to leave his position once the second Bush administration takes office this month, the New York Times reported today (see GSN, Nov. 17, 2004). Bolton is set to be replaced by Robert Joseph, who until recently served as assistant national security adviser for arms control, Bush administration officials said.  Bolton’s supporters had called for him to be made either deputy secretary of state or deputy national security adviser, but neither is likely, according to the Times. National security adviser Condoleezza Rice, who has been nominated to replace Colin Powell as secretary of state, has chosen Robert Zoellick, the administration’s top trade negotiator, as her deputy, the Times reported. There has been speculation that Bolton may work on Vice President Dick Cheney’s staff, according to some officials. Others, however, said that is not his intention (Steven Weisman, New York Times, Jan. 7).  Back to top       North Carolina Teenager Charged With WMD Possession in Connection With Toilet Cleaner Bomb North Carolina authorities have included a felony charge of possession of weapons of mass destruction among those leveled at five teenagers and one of their fathers for preparing and detonating small bombs, The Pilot newspaper reported today (see GSN, Dec. 13, 2004). The teenagers are suspected of setting off small chemical bombs known as “Works” bombs during a Christmas tree lighting ceremony in the town of Pinehurst, according to the Pilot. The bombs are made by placing toilet bowl cleaner and other chemicals into a plastic soda bottle. When detonated, the bombs produce a loud noise. “The chemicals could cause blindness, said Detective Sgt. Tim Davis of the Moore County, N.C., Sheriff’s Department. “It just depends on how close you are.” No one at the ceremony was injured, the Pilot reported (Matthew Moriarty, The Pilot, Jan. 7). Back to top

ElBaradei Calls for Five-Year Halt to Construction of New Enrichment, Reprocessing Sites International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Mohamed ElBaradei has called for a five-year international freeze on the construction of uranium enrichment and nuclear reprocessing facilities, Agence France-Presse reported today (see GSN, Nov. 19, 2004). In comments published today in a Japanese newspaper, ElBaradei said that a freeze could last for five years or “until we have completed our work on how we can have an international arrangement for the fuel cycle.” “We have enough capacity in the world for enrichment or reprocessing,” he said. “We should not forget the commitment by the weapons states to move toward nuclear disarmament.” The proposed freeze is set to be discussed during a conference on the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty scheduled to be held in May in New York, he said (Agence France-Presse/Hindustan Times, Jan. 7). Back to top       Chirac Warns Iran to Maintain Nuclear Suspension Sticking to its pledge to suspend nuclear activities would allow Iran to gain access to legitimate nuclear technology, French President Jacques Chirac said, Agence France-Presse reported yesterday (see GSN, Jan. 6). “In terms of the fight against the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, Iran’s case [shows] the path to take,” he said. “Countries which respect their international obligations in terms [of] nonproliferation and show proof of the peaceful nature of their activities should be able to benefit from technologies that are allowed under international rules,” he said. “But no weakness can be shown to those who renege on their commitments,” he added (Agence France-Presse/SpaceWar.com, Jan. 6). Back to top       North Korea Accuses U.S. of Plotting to Topple Kim As a U.S. congressional delegation prepared to visit North Korea next week, Pyongyang today accused the United States of planning to topple the North Korean regime, the Associated Press reported (see GSN, Jan. 6). Pyongyang said it was “seriously upset” by alleged U.S. dissemination of a theory of an imminent North Korean collapse, according to a commentary posted today on Uriminzokkiri.com, a North Korean government-run Web site. “The United States is hiding a dagger while talking about ‘six-party talks’ and ‘the dispatch of a congressional delegation.’ We cannot help boosting our vigilance at this flagrant, sinister, two-faced attitude,” the commentary said. “All conferences and talks are meaningless as long as the United States does not abandon its hostile policy,” it added. It remained unclear whether Pyongyang would bar the congressional delegation from the country, according to AP (Associated Press/Washington Times, Jan. 7). Meanwhile, Representative Tom Lantos (D-Calif.) is scheduled to travel to North Korea tomorrow in a separate visit, with discussions expected to center on Pyongyang’s nuclear program and human rights issues, South Korean officials said today. “It would be only a guess on our part to talk about the agenda but the nuclear issue and the North Korean human rights issue are expected to be the subject of his (Lantos’) discussions,” one South Korean official was quoted by Reuters as saying. The visits by Lantos and the congressional delegation are not part of the official effort to curb North Korea’s nuclear ambitions, another official said (Jack Kim, Reuters, Jan. 7). Back to top

U.S. Veterinary Colleges Offering More Coursework on Bioterrorism, Food Safety Veterinary colleges throughout the United States are increasing their course offerings on bioterrorism and food safety, the Chronicle of Higher Education reported today (see GSN, Dec. 22, 2004). In classes and clinical residencies, veterinary students are taught to diagnose diseases and to report unusual outbreaks that might have terrorist origins, according to the Chronicle. “Before 9/11, bioterrorism was something that only military vets really spoke about,” said George Saperstein, a professor of veterinary medicine who heads the department of environmental and population health at Tufts University in Massachusetts. About three-quarters of the diseases that can be weaponized are zoonotic, meaning that they can spread from animals to humans, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Humans could, for example, contract mad-cow disease by eating contaminated beef, avian influenza by coming into contact with tainted chickens, or West Nile virus from the bite of an infected mosquito. “Veterinarians are on the front lines of detection of biological weapons of mass destruction,” Surgeon General Richard Carmona told a recent gathering of veterinarians. When suspicious diseases crop up among animal populations, veterinarians are likely to be the first responders in determining whether a terrorist attack has occurred. “We need to look at these sentinels and ask, what are they telling us about changes in the world around us?” said Mark Pokras, an associate professor of veterinary medicine who directs Tufts’ Wildlife Clinic.  “When we see die-offs, are they due to an infectious agent that could be spreading?” he said (Katherine Mangan, Chronicle of Higher Education, Jan. 7). Back to top

Chlorine Train Crash Kills Eight, Harms Hundreds Eight people were killed and hundreds injured yesterday when a train carrying chlorine gas crashed into a parked train in South Carolina, according to the Associated Press (see GSN, Nov. 23, 2004). Seven of the deaths are believed to have been caused by inhalation of chlorine fumes; the engineer of the moving train died in the crash, according to state Senator Tommy Moore. More than 5,000 people within a mile of the accident were ordered to evacuate due to the chlorine leak, AP reported (Associated Press/Washington Post, Jan. 7). Work is continuing today to seal a ruptured chlorine tank car, Reuters reported (Reuters, Jan. 7). Back to top       Fire Stops Work at Anniston Depot Officials at the Anniston Chemical Agent Disposal Facility in Alabama halted weapon incineration activities yesterday after a small fire was detected in a concrete-and-steel reinforced processing room designed to contain an exploding weapon, the Associated Press reported (see GSN, Jan. 6). Empty bags used to collect waste caught fire and an alarm sounded in the control room early yesterday morning, according to a statement from incinerator contractor Westinghouse. Firefighters arrived around 3:24 a.m., but an automatic system had already extinguished the flames. There were no injuries or damage to equipment, according to a Westinghouse spokesman. State regulators will decide when weapons disposal can resume, the spokesman said. The cause of the fire remains under investigation, AP reported (Associated Press/WHNT19.com, Jan. 6). Back to top       U.S. Army Destroys Chemical Weapons Production Facilities at Pine Bluff Arsenal Two towers at the Pine Bluff Arsenal in Arkansas designed for use in chemical arms production were demolished Wednesday morning, the Pine Bluff Commercial reported (see GSN, Dec. 14, 2004). The towers were among the last remaining structures at the Integrated Binary Production Facilities complex, which once contained chemical production plants and three munition-filling buildings. The demolition project, which began in 2003, symbolizes the “end of an era,” said Col. Tom Woloszyn, arsenal commander. “I never thought I’d be at the end of it,” he said. Even though the weapons produced at the complex were never used in combat — most were never even finished — Woloszyn said the facilities had role in ending the Cold War. “It did its mission of bringing the Soviets to the bargaining table,” he said. The arsenal can dispose of most of the old equipment under the Chemical Weapons Convention, said Joe Daven, site manager of the Nonstockpile Chemical Materiel Program. Any equipment that has Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons tags on it, however, must remain on-site “until the treaty committee comes in and gives their approval,” he added. Daven said the arsenal films each step of the demolition process, which is subject to OPCW review, according to the Commercial. Construction of the complex at Pine Bluff began in 1982, but was halted in 1990 after the United States and the former Soviet Union agreed to end chemical weapons production, according to the Commercial. The Chemical Weapons Convention was ratified seven years later, with more than 160 nations pledging to eliminate chemical warfare material and production facilities within 10 years. Pine Bluff and the Newport Chemical Depot in Indiana are the last of seven former chemical weapons production facilities still standing (Amy Riggin, Pine Bluff Commercial, Jan. 6).   Back to top

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