Lieberman Vows to Beef Up National Guard

A key U.S. Senate leader yesterday vowed to strengthen National Guard capabilities to respond to terrorist WMD attacks, following a scathing assessment of the Guard by an independent commission earlier this month (see GSN, Feb. 1).

That review by the Commission on the National Guard and Reserves found “an appalling gap that places the nation and its citizens at greater risk” of WMD attacks.

U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.) led off a hearing on the Guard yesterday by promising to beef up its response capabilities.

“The challenges of response to a nuclear or biological attack where only the Department of Defense has the medical assets, the logistical capability, and the sheer manpower needed to respond would be immense,” he said.  “The key players — the National Guard Bureau, Northern Command, the Department of Homeland Security, other federal agencies, and the States and localities — must be integrated seamlessly in order to be ready to respond effectively.”

“Are we as ready as we should be?  The Commission says no, and I find its answer to be convincing,” Lieberman added.  “That gives us the responsibility together to fix that” (Committee release, Feb. 13).

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