Bush Administration Lacks Comprehensive Domestic Policy for National Security Against Potential Terrorist Attacks on U.S. Soil - April 30, 2002

A group of foreign policy experts states that the Bush administration lacks a comprehensive domestic policy for national security against potential terrorist attacks on U.S. soil. Seven experts from the Brookings Institution, a prominent research institute in Washington, have indicated in a comprehensive study 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 danger to thousands. These experts have recommended that the U.S. government allocate more budget to strengthen its intelligence network to combat terrorists. The Brookings experts suggest 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 Institution released the results of its research on the damages caused by weapons of mass destruction. The research report states that if a nuclear bomb were to hit one of the major cities in the U.S., one hundred thousand people would die, and the number of casualties in any attack on a nuclear power plant or a chemical weapons factory would be ten thousand. According to this report, the greatest danger arises from the use of microbial weapons and the dissemination of deadly microbes and viruses such as smallpox, anthrax, and Ebola. The Brookings experts have advised President Bush to focus his efforts to enhance domestic security on neutralizing such catastrophic threats.