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Runge Stresses Threat of Anthrax Attack |
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by Mickey McCarter
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Wednesday, 23 July 2008 |
Chief medical officer calls for greater awareness
Al Qaeda continues to plot terror attacks that would include biological agents, and the terror group has focused specifically on the use of anthrax as a weapon, the chief medical officer at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) told a congressional panel during a field hearing in Rhode Island Tuesday.
"Given the challenges we face in assessing current terrorist capabilities and identifying plots, it is unlikely that we will receive actionable or specific warning of an imminent biological attack. Furthermore, many of these deadly biological agents, including anthrax, are readily available in nature, relatively easy to procure, culture, and weaponize," Jeffrey Runge, assistant secretary of Homeland Security for Health Affairs, told the House Committee on Homeland Security Subcommittee on Emerging Threats, Cybersecurity, and Science and Technology.
Runge, who reminded congressmen he would step down from his post in early August, said many legitimate research programs around the globe use anthrax, making it difficult for the United States to gain intelligence on where terror threats using the biological agent may emerge.
Al Qaeda was known to have at least one biological weapons facility for the production of anthrax itself in Afghanistan, but US armed forces eventually destroyed it, according to sources. In 2002, Al Qaeda announced it intended to kill up to 10 million Americans using weapons of mass destruction, such as biological agents.
"A coordinated attack on multiple targets would come much closer in magnitude to our enemy's goal. Because of this, we see the threat of an aerosolized anthrax attack as our number one bioterrorism concern, and it is that threat which we vigorously plan, invest and intend to defeat," Runge stated.
A biological attack also would be extremely difficult to detect initially, the chief medical officer remarked, noting it could be days before US authorities recognize the full extent of an attack and ensuing infections.
To boost the chances of detecting an attack, DHS has been advocating for the inclusion of health capabilities in state and local information fusion centers. DHS also continues to refine the technology in its BioWatch program, which uses pathogen detectors to warn of the presence of airborne contaminants in urban areas. The DHS Science and Technology (S&T) Directorate is working on the next generation of the detectors, Runge said.
Meanwhile, DHS is setting up the National Biosurveillance Integration Center to serve as a clearinghouse of data on biological threats from other federal agencies and various organizations around the nation.
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Mickey McCarter |
| About the author: |
| eNewsletter Editor/Senior Washington Correspondent,
is a journalist with more than a decade of experience in reporting
on
military affairs and information technology.
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