* WMD Commission says U.S. preparedness for a bioterrorism attack is inadequate … perhaps if we knew what actually happened in the 2001 anthrax attacks we would have a better chance of preventing similar attacks in the future

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Congress established the bipartisan Commission for the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism to address the grave threat that the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction poses to the United States.

In December 2008, the Commission published its report, World at Risk, which recognized that the US government has yet to fully adapt to the current circumstance of terrorism and weapons of mass destruction …

World at Risk (December 2008) – Executive Summary

• “Unless the world community acts decisively and with great urgency, it is more likely than not that a weapon of mass destruction will be used in a terrorist attack somewhere in the world by the end of 2013.”

Interim Commission Report (10/21/09) – Assesses Progress in Preventing WMD Proliferation and Terrorism

• The United States is failing to address its most urgent threat—biological proliferation and terrorism
• The Commission cited a range of missteps on biosecurity that lead to its conclusion:
  • No senior-level advocate for biosecurity in the Administration
  • attempted funding “raids” on two critical biopreparedness programs
  • lack of appropriate disease surveillance.
• One recent study from the intelligence community projected that a one- to two-kilogram release of anthrax spores from a crop duster plane could kill more Americans than died in World War II.
• Clean-up and other economic costs could exceed $1.8 trillion.
• Yet the nation’s level of preparedness for dealing with the threat of bioterrorism remains far lower than that of the nuclear threat.
  • The near-term biodefense goal of the United States should be to limit the consequences of a bioweapons attack.
  • The long-term goal should be to improve post-attack capabilities for rapid recognition, response, and recovery to a level that bioterrorism would no longer be considered a weapon of mass destruction.
• These goals cannot be achieved without the proper investment today.

Report card to be issued in January 2010

In January 2010, the Commission will be releasing a report card grading the Administration and Congress on their progress in implementing the recommendations of the Commission.

read the entire article at … http://www.preventwmd.gov/the_clock_is_ticking_a_progress_report_on_americas_preparedness/

LMW COMMENT …

… to which I would add that the current lack of knowledge as to who carried out the 2001 anthrax attacks and how they did it is a serious impediment to mobilizing the resources we need to minimize our future risks from bio-terrorist attacks.