Brookings Experts Report on Potential Future Terrorist Attacks - 2002-04-30

A group of foreign policy experts states that President Bush's administration lacks a comprehensive domestic policy to ensure national security against potential terrorist attacks on U.S. soil. Seven experts from the Brookings Institution, a prominent research organization in Washington, have provided a thorough analysis indicating that the measures taken to ensure domestic security in the U.S. have so far been very limited and primarily focused on preventing another terrorist attack similar to the September 11 attacks. The study warns that the possibility of terrorists introducing microbial agents into the ventilation systems of large buildings could pose a threat to thousands of people. These experts have recommended that the U.S. government allocate more budget to strengthen its intelligence network to combat terrorism. The Brookings experts claim that the number of casualties from a microbial attack on the United States could be more than ten times that of a nuclear attack, potentially resulting in the deaths of one million people. Today, the Brookings experts published their findings regarding the damages caused by weapons of mass destruction. The research report states that if a nuclear bomb were to hit one of America's major cities, one hundred thousand people would lose their lives, and the number of casualties in any attack on a nuclear power plant or a chemical weapons manufacturing facility would be ten thousand. According to this report, the greatest danger arises from the use of microbial weapons and the spread of deadly microbes and viruses such as smallpox, anthrax, and Ebola. The Brookings experts have advised President Bush to focus his efforts on strengthening domestic security against such catastrophic threats.