U.S. Response I: Officials Mulling Intelligence Hub

By Greg Seigle

Global Security Newswire

White House and congressional officials are considering creating an intelligence hub that culls classified information from 32 federal agencies so that top decision makers, including U.S. President George W. Bush, do not have to painstakingly piece together findings from the various organizations, high-level sources told Global Security Newswire.

During a half-hour meeting yesterday between Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge and congressmen Curt Weldon (R-Pa.) and Dan Burton (R-Ind.), the officials determined that the White House would consider backing a sweeping computerized system that would mine intelligence databases.  Information collected by one agency would then be available to all other agencies and to key executives and policymakers.

According to one staffer who attended the meeting, Ridge agreed that there is a need for such a comprehensive system and said he would look into it soon.

“One of the biggest shortcomings today is that we don’t have the capability to do massive data mining,” Weldon told GSN before he met with Ridge to discuss the National Operations and Analysis Hub (NOAH), a data-sharing proposal that would supercede Counterintelligence 21, an information sharing system currently being used by the CIA, FBI and other agencies.

“It’s a turf battle,” Weldon continued. “The bottom line is, without any doubt and hesitation on my part, the intelligence community doesn’t want to give up its jurisdiction. And in this case, with the kind of threats we see emerging, you may get tips in the drug interdiction base that you won’t get through our normal FBI base. Or you may get it through Customs. You have to have those systems merged together.”

Officials from the CIA, FBI and other agencies could not respond to queries before press time, but according to Weldon these agencies are balking at sharing information with each other, even after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and subsequent anthrax incidents.

Apparently, proposals to share raw data have encountered stiff resistance because the agencies are determined to protect their sources, influence and funding.

Currently all 32 intelligence agencies within the federal government that have classified operations operate on their own, despite recent attempts to consolidate their knowledge bases.

Even though each agency has had representatives working in a centralized office since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, they still are not connected to each other’s databases, Weldon said. When the agencies do share information, they do not offer raw data—they offer only their interpretations of such information, he said.

The data-mining center proposed by Weldon would employ massive high-speed computers endowed with cutting edge software to monitor various threats to the United States.  The hub would track and profile the capabilities and contacts of terrorist networks such as al-Qaeda and the movement of weapons of mass destruction from Russia, China and others to countries such as Iran, Iraq, Syria, Libya and North Korea.

A comprehensive system such as NOAH—prototypes already exist within the U.S. Army and the U.S. Special Operations Command—would enable the United States to combine its vast intelligence resources to identify and root out terrorist groups or countries engaged in the transfer of nuclear, biological, chemical and radiological materials, Weldon said.

A system similar to NOAH at Ft. Belvoir in Virginia already has access to raw data from various intelligence agencies, although the access may not be official and the Army has little authority to distribute any of the information it obtains.

A system such as NOAH would benefit everyone, including all the intelligence organizations, Weldon said.  For example, in 1997 he was scheduled to fly to Vienna to meet with Russian and Yugoslav officials to discuss ending the war in the Balkans. He learned he would be meeting with a man with close ties to former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic.

When Weldon asked CIA Director George Tenet for information on this individual he was told the agency did not know much about him. So the congressman went to the information center at Ft. Belvoir.

“They were able to unofficially get access to those sets. I asked them to run a profile for me of [this individual]. Before I left they gave me eight pages,” he said.

“They told me that the guy and his three brothers were the owners of the largest bank in Yugoslavia, that their wives were best of friends with Milosevic’s wife, that they had financed Milosevic’s election, that the house Milosevic lived in was owned by the [man’s] family, that they employ 60,000 people both in Russia and Yugoslavia, that their bank financed the sale of an SA-10 [surface-to-air missile battery], that their bank was involved in a $4 billion German bonds scam,” he continued.

“They gave me tons of information,” Weldon said.  “The point is that the CIA nor the FBI even knew that existed.”

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U.S. Response II:  Bush Threatens to Veto Defense Bill

U.S. President George W. Bush threatened yesterday to veto a defense appropriations bill scheduled for debate today in the Senate.  The Senate Appropriations Committee exceeded Bush’s requested spending limits by $15 billion for counterterrorism efforts such as developing vaccines, strengthening airport security and providing more relief to areas directly affected by the Sept. 11 attacks (see GSN, Dec. 5).  Bush had asked legislators to wait until next year to allocate additional funding.

Meanwhile, 39 Republican senators signed a letter promising to support the president if he vetoed the bill, which would make it impossible for the Senate to override the veto.  Republicans lack enough votes in the Senate to erase the extra $15 billion from the legislation, but they could stall the entire bill, which would force Democrats and Republicans to formulate a compromise.

“The president made it as plain as day that if the Senate were to send the president a bill that complicates our nation’s defense needs, he will veto it … So why on earth would the Senate go through this exercise when it clearly won’t go anywhere, other than to delay America’s national defense needs?” said White House spokesman Ari Fleischer.

“Terrorists don’t run on a fiscal year basis.  Terrorists are operating all year long,” said Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) in defense of the Democrats’ request (Alan Fram, Associated Press/Yahoo.com, Dec. 6).

States Will Need $4 Billion

Meanwhile, the National Governors’ Association said yesterday that states would need up to $4 billion this year in counterterrorism efforts.  States needed $1 billion to protect airports, bridges, power plants and other infrastructure and $3 billion to boost public health and law enforcement.  Governors asked Congress for at least $3 billion (Associated Press/Miami Herald, Dec. 6).

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European Response:  EU and U.S. Will Share Data

U.S. and European Union officials are expected to sign an agreement today to share information on terrorism and other crimes, according to the New York Times.  The new agreement comes as several European countries have proposed new laws to crack down on terrorism.

U.S Secretary of State Colin Powell is expected to attend today’s signing ceremony in Paris to highlight its significance, the Times reported.  The agreement allows the sharing of “technical information” on crime patterns, smuggling and serious crimes, such as threats, between U.S. investigators and the pan-European police agency Europol.

The agreement, however, does not allow Europol to share “personal information” such as names, photographs and addresses of suspects, criminal records, and names of witnesses, among others, according to the Times.

Talks on a second agreement to allow sharing of personal information are planned to begin right away, the Times reported.  “That will be, not difficult, but a careful exercise because our data-protection standards are higher than those of individual countries,” said Europol Deputy Director Willy Bruggeman (Donald McNeil, New York Times, Dec. 6).

New European Anti-Terrorism Laws

In the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks, several European nations have proposed tougher anti-terrorism laws that have come under criticism.  The new laws are often tougher than laws passed in response to domestic terrorism, according to the New York Times. 

“Collective security is not the enemy of individual freedom,” said French Interior Minister Daniel Valliant.  “The scale of the attacks on the U.S. and the way they were carried out has made us aware that no one is safe from such terrorist attacks.”

France has proposed new legislation that would improve security in public places and allow police to search cars without warrants (see GSN, Nov. 1).  Under previous laws, cars were labeled as “private places” and the police did not have the right to search them without a warrant, according to the Times. 

“My reaction [to the new legislation] is very critical,” said French human rights lawyer Dominique Tricaud.  “Sept. 11 has done nothing to change the French strategy for fighting terrorism,” Tricaud said.  “It was already in place because of the terror bombs in the 1980s and 1990s.  There was no need for fresh measures.”

Spain

Spain has moved against the Basque independence movement ETA, which has been responsible for the deaths of more than 800 people over 30 years, the Times reported.  This has included a legislative campaign against the political wing of the ETA.

New restrictions against the ETA have come under little public dissent in Spain, according to the Times.  One of the few critics is Xabier Arzalluz, of the Basque Nationalist Party.  “One should not outlaw a political party,” Arzalluz said.  “That is like outlawing ideals.”

Great Britain

Great Britain is seen to have proposed some of the strictest new anti-terrorism legislation, the Times reported.  Included in the proposal are measures that give authorities the right to detain foreigners suspected of terrorism indefinitely and without trial (see GSN, Nov. 20).

The provision led the United Kingdom to invoke an article of the European Convention on Human Rights and opt out of its restrictions on detention.  The remainder of the EU does not allow detentiont without being charged with a crime.

British Home Secretary David Blunkett said that public opinion for the new legislation was on his side and he would only make limited concessions, such as requiring the detention provision to be renewed after five years.  Blunkett said he hoped the Parliament would pass the legislation by Christmas (Warren Hodge, New York Times, Dec. 6).

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Pakistan:  Scientists Petition for Release

The Lahore High Court in Pakistan put off two petitions Monday for the release of seven Pakistani scientists detained for questioning concerning suspected links with Afghanistan (see GSN, Nov. 29).  Pakistani lawyer Ismail Qureshi appealed for the release of one of the scientists, Sultan Bashiru-Din Mehmood, on behalf of Mehmood’s mother.  Qureshi said authorities violated Pakistani law when they failed to apprise Mehmood of the charges against him and did not grant him access to a lawyer.  The judge hearing the case rejected Qureshi’s argument. 

The court also considered a petition for the release of other scientists detained with Mehmood (Pakistan News International, Dec. 4).

According to earlier reports, authorities have questioned Mehmood and several other scientists about possible links between their activities in Afghanistan and al-Qaeda’s alleged efforts to produce biological, radiological and nuclear weapons (see GSN, Nov. 26).

According to the Pakistani newspaper DAWN, M.D. Tahir, another lawyer who was also representing a petition for the release of the scientists, told the court that the petition has been pending for nearly a month (see GSN, Nov. 12).  Tahir said that Mehmood had not been informed of the grounds of his detention nor had he been allowed to communicate with anyone, including his mother, Fazilat Bibi (DAWN, Dec. 4).

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U.S.-Latvia:  Latvia Supports Nonproliferation Pact

Latvia stated its support Tuesday for a draft agreement with the United States to increase cooperation on combating the spread of weapons of mass destruction, according to the Latvian government press office.  Under the agreement, the United States would provide equipment and training to help Latvian law enforcement, fire fighting and revenue service agents to combat weapons proliferation.  In exchange, Latvia would simplify procedures for U.S. officials to enter and leave the country (Tallinn Baltic News Agency, Dec. 4 in FBIS-SOV, Dec. 5).

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U.S.-India:  Countries Join Against Counterproliferation

The U.S.-India Defense Policy Group agreed this week to cooperate to combat the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, international terrorism and other security threats.  Defense officials for the United States and India issued a joint statement after meetings on Dec. 3 and 4 (see GSN, Dec. 4).  The two countries also discussed how missile defenses could “enhance strategic stability” and “discourage the proliferation of ballistic missiles with weapons of mass destruction.”

The U.S. State and Defense departments have approved several applications for export licenses to India and would notify Congress since the United States waived sanctions against India (see GSN, Oct. 17), the statement said.  “The U.S. also agreed to expeditious review of India’s acquisition priorities, including engine and systems for Light Combat Aircraft, radars, multi-mission maritime aircraft, components for jet trainer and high performance jet engines,” the statement said (U.S. State Department release, Dec. 5).

The two countries have also agreed to conduct joint military exercises and increase U.S. military sales to India (see GSN, Nov. 6), which were minor in recent years due to U.S. nuclear nonproliferation concerns (Celia Dugger, New York Times, Dec. 6).

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United States:  DOE Seeks New Site for Plutonium

The U.S. Energy Department is looking for an alternate site for storing plutonium from the former Rocky Flats nuclear weapons plant in Colorado, the Rocky Mountain News reported Tuesday.

Sending the plutonium as planned to the Energy Department’s Savannah River site in South Carolina is an important step in closing Rocky Flats by the target date of Dec. 15, 2006, according to the News.  South Carolina Governor Jim Hodges, however, will only allow the plutonium to be stored temporarily, the News reported.  Hodges has threatened to lie down in front of trucks heading to the DOE site if that condition is not met.

Discussions for an alternate site have been ongoing for the past three months, but no new site has yet been chosen, Energy Department officials said.  Some diluted plutonium could go to a burial site near Carlsbad, N.M., where other waste from the Rocky Flats plant is to be shipped (see GSN, Dec. 5), said spokesman Joe Davis.

Senator Wayne Allard (R-Colo.) does not care where the plutonium is shipped to as long as Rocky Flats is closed on schedule, said Allard spokesman Sean Conway (Berny Morson, Rocky Mountain News/Nuclear Control Institute, Dec. 4).

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Pakistan:  Italian Physicists Investigate Nuclear Security

Two Italian physicists from the Italian Arms Control Center are in Pakistan to report to the Italian government on the security of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons, the Pakistani newspaper DAWN reported today.  Paolo Cotta-Ramusino and Maurizio Martellini have discussed several security issues with officials and think-tank experts throughout a five-day visit that ends tomorrow.

The physicists are investigating a variety of nuclear security issues, including the percentage of nuclear weapons that are assembled in Pakistan, the safety of the weapons (see GSN, Nov. 29) and how the conflict in Afghanistan has affected Pakistani nuclear policy.  They are also researching possible links between Pakistani nuclear scientists and the Taliban (see related GSN story, today).

The physicists also are investigating the risk of proliferation of Pakistan’s nuclear technology or materials to terrorists and rogue states and the effectiveness of Pakistan’s control on materials that could be used for chemical and biological weapons.

Pakistan is a very important country to world security, and its stability is especially crucial in light of the Afghan conflict and the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States, the physicists said.  “The situation has raised serious concerns about the possibility that terrorist groups have acquired weapons of mass destruction or may be striving to acquire such weapons,” they said (DAWN, Dec. 6).

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Anthrax:  Hoax Suspect Captured

A man suspected of sending anthrax hoax letters to abortion providers last month was captured by the U.S. Marshals service yesterday.  Also yesterday, investigators examined the tainted letter sent to Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.).

Clayton Lee Waagner was arrested yesterday at a Kinko’s copy store outside Cincinnati, Ohio, according to the Los Angeles Times.  Federal marshals had sent wanted posters with Waagner’s face on them to Kinko’s stores across the country on the suspicion that Waagner was checking his e-mail there, the Times reported.

“Clayton Lee Waagner’s run from justice is over,” said U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft.  “We can write across the face of that [wanted] poster: ‘Apprehended’” (Simon/Jackson, Los Angeles Times, Dec. 6).

Waagner is suspected of sending the anthrax hoaxes while being on the run following an escape from a Clinton, Ill., jail in February, according to the Associated Press (see GSN, Nov. 30).  He had been convicted in 1999 on federal firearms and auto theft charges.  Waagner said during his 1999 trial that he had monitored abortion clinics for months and stockpiled guns after God asked him to “be my warrior” and kill abortion providers, the AP reported (Larry Margasak, Associated Press/Yahoo.com, Dec. 5).

FBI Profile Disputed

The former head of U.N biological weapons inspectors in Iraq yesterday disputed the FBI’s profile of a lone person being responsible for the anthrax incidents (see GSN, Dec. 4), according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

The idea that one person with scientific knowledge is responsible is “a lot of hokum,” said Richard Spertzel, who led U.N. biological weapons inspection teams in Iraq following the Gulf War.  “I don’t believe that the material was made by some nut,” Spertzel said.  “It’s not the kind of thing you mess with in a university laboratory … The level of knowledge, expertise and experience required … to make such a quality product takes time and experimentation to develop.”

During his testimony yesterday before the House Committee on International Relations, Spertzel said the anthrax was probably made by some group with ties to a state-run biological weapons program, such as Iraq.  “Iraq has the equipment, facilities, material and expertise to have an active biological weapons program,” Spertzel said.

The FBI supports its profile, said FBI spokesman Bill Carter.  Based on “the analysis of the letters, done in consultation with the investigators, this is the ongoing belief of who the person might be,” Carter said (Eunice Moscoso, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Dec. 6).

Leahy Letter Opened

After weeks of careful planning (see GSN, Nov. 27), investigators yesterday opened the anthrax-tainted letter sent to Senator Leahy, the New York Times reported. 

Scientists at the U.S. Army’s biomedical research laboratory at Fort Detrick, Md., carefully slit open the letter using a scalpel and began removing what is suspected to be anthrax, the Times reported.  Specialized equipment was set up to help neutralize the tendency of the spores to float in the air, according to the Times.

After decontamination, the letter and envelope will be searched for possible clues such as DNA or fingerprints (Miller/Johnston, New York Times, Dec. 6).

Congressional Mail Will Be Double-Checked

Mail sent to the U.S. Congress will be both irradiated and visually checked for evidence of contamination, congressional aides said yesterday.  Mail will first be sent to private companies in Ohio and New Jersey for irradiation.  Afterwards, the firm Pitney Bowes will check for suspicious powders, aides said.  Any letters containing suspicious powder will be turned over to police.

The process of irradiating the mail takes two days, and the new inspections will add an additional three-day delay to delivery, according to aides (Ellen Nakashima, Washington Post, Dec. 6). 

New Alert Issued on Handling Mail

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is expected to issue an alert today on steps people can take to reduce the risk of contracting anthrax from potentially cross-contaminated mail, according to the Washington Post.  The new recommendations will likely be similar to ones issued in the past, which included being alert for suspicious packages and washing hands after opening mail.

Last month, CDC Director Jeffrey Koplan said it was “highly unlikely to virtually impossible” for someone to contract inhalational anthrax from a piece of cross-contaminated mail, according to the Post.  While the CDC still has no proof that cross-contamianted mail poses a health hazard, officials have become concerned that it may indeed pose such a risk, the Post reported.

Findings in the investigations into the deaths of Kathy Nguyen and Ottilie Lundgren (see GSN, Dec. 4) “have raised concerns that the two unsolved cases of inhalational anthrax may be due to contact with cross-contaminated mail,” said CDC spokesman Tom Skinner.  “This could make some people feel nervous about opening their mail,” Skinner said.  “We’re saying people who think they may have gotten a cross-contaminated letter and are concerned about opening the mail may take the following steps to help reduce the already low risk” (Connolly/Nakashima, Washington Post, Dec. 6).

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Smallpox I:  Lawmakers Advocate Dead-Virus Vaccine

Four members of the U.S. House of Representatives have signed a letter asking Congress and health officials to pursue a safer form of smallpox vaccine.  The four representatives are expected to hold a briefing on the subject today.

Representative Curt Weldon (R-Pa.) called for the briefing after meeting with representatives of the Maryland-based biotech firm Novavax, which has been working to develop a smallpox vaccine using a dead virus, rather than a weakened live one that previous and current vaccines use.  The letter, signed by Weldon, Joseph Hoeffel (D-Pa.), Connie Morella (R-Md.) and Roscoe Bartlett (R-Md.), followed a decision by the U.S. Health and Human Services Department last week to award a second contract to the British firm Acambis to produce more smallpox vaccine using the live virus (see GSN, Nov. 29).

The Acambis vaccine could have serious side effects for some people, and 20 percent of the U.S. population could not receive the vaccine safely, said the letter from the representatives.  People at high risk for negative side effects would include young children, the elderly, people with eczema, pregnant women and anyone with weakened immune systems, such as those with HIV (see GSN, Nov. 21).

Health officials have said that due to negative side effects, they have no plans to mass-vaccinate Americans against smallpox (see GSN, Nov. 30).  They currently plan to vaccinate only people who are directly at risk when an outbreak occurs.

The United States needs a vaccine that could be administered to the population before a smallpox outbreak occurs, so a safer vaccine is necessary, the representatives said.  Novavax said its dead virus vaccine might fill that need, but some experts question the vaccine’s effectiveness.  Novavax said it planned to begin producing the vaccine early next year but would need months or years to test it.  The firm has asked for U.S. funding assistance.

“If they need a billion dollars to do this [develop a safer vaccine], add $4 to everyone’s tax bill … If we had a good, safe vaccine, we would revaccinate the U.S.,” said Roger Pomerantz of the Center for Human Virology at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia (Julie Appleby, USA Today, Dec. 6).

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Smallpox II:  Could We Choose to Vaccinate?

U.S. health officials should provide Americans with the choice to vaccinate themselves if they wish, CATO Institute health policy analyst Veronique de Rugy said today.

Rugy criticized a report by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that included draft legislation to prevent the spread of smallpox and other contagious diseases by granting U.S. states the power to enforce quarantine and other measures (see GSN, Nov. 8).  Rugy said the report indicated that the CDC and the U.S. Health and Human Services Department had not planned appropriately for the future and would not provide Americans with the choice to receive smallpox vaccination.

“We need to recognize that in a case of an outbreak, these unfortunate measures might be necessary to stop the disease from spreading because our population is not vaccinated at all.  However, it seems that the mere existence of this report is a sign that CDC, HHS and others did not … prepare the U.S. population for bioterrorist attacks,” Rugy said.

The report assumed that the U.S. population would not receive the smallpox vaccine and that HHS would maintain full control over the availability of the vaccine, she said.  “The report does not consider the possibility of making the vaccine available to the American public … The right thing to do is to make the smallpox vaccine immediately available to the public.  Americans should be allowed to individually decide for themselves whether they consider vaccination to be a good thing,” Rugy said (CATO release, Dec. 5).

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Food Safety:  Industry Fights New Regulations

The U.S. food industry has fought to prevent or weaken new food safety measures, even though officials have warned that the U.S. food supply could be a terrorist target, the Washington Post reported today.

A mass biological warfare attack on the U.S. food supply, such as widespread poisoning of food processing plants, would be nearly impossible, according to bioterrorism experts.  Terrorists could cause panic, however, by infecting even a small amount of food shipments or U.S. livestock and crops, the Post reported.

“While you would certainly inflict some casualties, what you’re really doing with agriculture bioterrorism really is attacking our economy,” said Jerry Jaax, a bioterrorism expert at Kansas State University.  “It’s an assault on our way of life.”

The U.S. food industry, led by the National Food Processors Association, the National Growers Association and the American Frozen Food Institute, however, has argued that existing food safety standards are enough to combat any terrorist threat, according to the Post. 

Instead of new regulations, what are needed are more inspectors and more funding for them, industry officials said. “I think we’ve already got the system in place to deal with terrorism, said Kelly Johnston, chief lobbyist for the food processors.  “We just need more information from the government to make sure we can address any potential threat.”

The food industry opposes new security measures because they add to operating costs, force companies to give inspectors access to their financial records and could result in shipping delays, the Post reported. 

Industry officials have blocked or weakened several Congressional proposals in the past, including plans to consolidate all federal food inspection agencies for better coordination (see GSN, Nov. 26), continuation of new limits for salmonella in meat and poultry and plans to give the U.S. Food and Drug Administration greater authority over domestic and international food processors, according to the Post. 

“What this says is, Congress is willing to protect us but only to the extent that the new law doesn’t offend the food industry, change existing federal bureaucracy or cost much money,” said Carol Tucker Foreman, of the Consumer Federation of America.  “In the end, Congress will do a lot of talking and flapping and then bring forth a very small egg” (Eric Pianin, Washington Post, Dec. 6).

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Bulgaria:  Missiles to be Scrapped

Bulgaria plans to scrap its Cold War-era arsenal of SS-23 and Scud ballistic missiles, Bulgarian officials said yesterday. 

The plan is seen as a way for Bulgaria to improve its chances for acceptance into NATO, according to the Washington Times.  Since 1997, Bulgaria has worked to be invited into NATO, emphasizing its key geographic location and improving economy, the Times reported.  NATO is expected to extend new invitations at a summit next year (Nicholas Kralev, Washington Times, Dec. 6).

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