In the wake of the untimely execution of an ill-coordinated
response at all levels to the Hurricane Katrina devastation and
destruction that rocked the Gulf Coast, it is important to examine
how the United States government is organized and resourced to
confront future catastrophic disasters. Hurricane Katrina, an
anticipated natural disaster, clearly demonstrates the enormous
complexity associated with the extensive coordination required to
synchronize the efforts of local, State, and Federal governmental
agencies faced with a significant crisis. In the event the crisis
is an unexpected terrorist attack employing a nuclear or
radiological weapon of mass destruction, the complexity of
synchronizing the response effort increases exponentially. Since
the September 11, 2001 terrorist's attacks, the threat that a
terrorist group might detonate a dirty bomb or radiological
dispersal device or improvised nuclear device in a major United
States metropolitan area has received increased attention. If a
radiological or improvised nuclear device attack is considered to
be an imminent threat to our populace, the federal government
should give increased priority to consequence management
preparedness efforts and make a concerted, sustained effort to
engage the public in response planning. The National Strategy to
Combat Weapons of Mass Destruction acknowledges that nuclear,
biological and chemical weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in the
possession of hostile states and terrorists represent one of the
greatest security challenges facing the United States. Although
extremist groups and terrorists have a wide variety of potential
agents and delivery means to choose from for a chemical,
biological, radiological or nuclear (CBRN) attack, this study
focuses specifically on response capability to a radiological or
nuclear WMD attack against the United States. This paper determined
we must adequately prepare to overcome the complex command, control
and management challenges associated with synchronizing the
requisite expertise provided by numerous diverse groups of
government, emergency response, law enforcement, military, medical,
disaster relief, public health, mental health, and public affairs
personnel. It also proposes recommendations to ensure we are
prepared to provide immediate, organized, and well synchronized
response to terrorist attack employing nuclear weapons of mass
destruction. The full range of counterproliferation,
nonproliferation, and consequence management measures must be
brought to bear against the WMD terrorist threat. Together the
recommendations presented in this work may enhance our level of
consequence management preparedness for dealing with the terrorist
employment of nuclear WMD. Since counterproliferation and
nonproliferation efforts are increasingly less effective, we must
convincingly demonstrate that we are ready to respond to an
improvised nuclear device or radiological dispersion device attack
and that such an attack will not achieve the adversarial objective
of terror. Therefore, we must prepare now; we have no other
alternative.
General
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