Deterrence, Protection, and Preparation The New Transportation Security Imperative -- Special Report 270 (2002) / Chapter Skim
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Appendix - Making the Nation Safer
Appendix - Making the Nation Safer
Pages 48-77
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From page 48... ...
The vulnerability of societies to terrorist attacks results in part from the proliferation of chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons of mass destruction, but it also is a consequence of the highly efficient and intercon nected systems that we rely on for key services such as transportation, infor mation, energy, and health care. The efficient functioning of these systems reflects great technological achievements of the past century, but intercon nectedness within and across systems also means that infrastructures are vul nerable to local disruptions, which could lead to widespread or catastrophic failures.
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From page 49... ...
This report describes many ways in which science and engineering can contribute to making the nation safer against the threat of catastrophic ter rorism. The report identifies key actions that can be undertaken now, based on knowledge and technologies in hand, and, equally importantly describes key opportunities for reducing current and future risks even further through longer-term research and development activities.
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From page 50... ...
The areas are nuclear and radiological threats, human and agricultural health systems, toxic chemicals and explosive materials, information technology, energy systems, transportation systems, cities and fixed infrastructure, the response of people to terrorism, and complex and interdependent systems. The chapters on these nine areas each contain a number of recommenda tions, all describing what the committee believes are critical ways to make the nation safer from terrorism.
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From page 51... ...
8/28/02 9:13 AM Page 51 51 MAKING THE NATION SAFER: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY BOX ES-1 FOURTEEN OF THE MOST IMPORTANT TECHNICAL INITIATIVES IMMEDIATE APPLICATIONS OF EXISTING TECHNOLOGIES 1. Develop and utilize robust systems for protection, control, and accounting of nuclear weapons and special nuclear materials at their sources.
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From page 52... ...
3. Advance the practical utility of data fusion and data mining for intel ligence analysis, and enhance information security against cyberat tacks.
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From page 53... ...
NUCLEAR AND RADIOLOGICAL THREATS Science and technology are essential ingredients of a multilayered systems approach for defending the United States against terrorist attacks involving stolen nuclear weapons, improvised nuclear devices, and radiological dispersion devices. The first line of homeland defense is robust systems for the protection, control, and accounting of nuclear weapons and special nuclear material at their
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From page 54... ...
A focused and coordinated near term effort should be made to evaluate and improve the efficacy of special nuclear material detection systems that could be deployed at strategic choke points for homeland defense. R&D support also should be provided for improving the technological capabilities of special nuclear material detection systems, especially for detecting highly enriched uranium.
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From page 55... ...
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and states with agreements with this agency should tighten regulations for obtaining and possessing radiological sources that could be used in terrorist attacks, as well as requirements for securing and tracking these sources.
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The deciphering of the human genome sequence and the complete eluci dation of numerous pathogen genomes, rapidly increasing understanding of the molecular mechanisms of pathogenesis and of immune responses, and new strategies for designing drugs and vaccines all offer unprecedented opportuni ties to use science to counter bioterrorist threats. But these same develop ments also allow science to be misused to create new agents of mass destruc tion.
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From page 57... ...
To be able to respond to current and future biological threats, we will need to greatly expand research programs aimed at increasing our knowledge of the pathogenesis of and immune responses to biological infectious agents. The recent anthrax attacks revealed how little is known about many potential bio logical threats in terms of dose, mechanisms of disease production, drug tar gets, and requirements for immunity.
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From page 58... ...
Preparedness for bioterrorist attacks should be improved by creating a pub lic-health reserve system and by developing surge capacity to deal effectively with such terrorist attacks as well as with natural catastrophes. Additionally, new strategies must be developed and implemented for assuring the security, usability, and accurate documentation of existing stocks of supplies at research facilities, hospitals, veterinarian facilities, and other host sites.
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From page 59... ...
A new program should be created to focus and coordinate research and development related to sensors and sensor networks, with an emphasis on the development of fielded systems. This program should build on relevant sensor research under way at agencies throughout the federal government.
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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY The three counterterrorism-related areas of highest priority in information technology (IT) are information and network security, information technolo gies for emergency response, and information fusion and management.
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Attacks on information technology can amplify the impact of physical attacks and diminish the effectiveness of emergency responses. Reducing such vulnerabilities will require major advances in computer security, with the objec tive of consequently improving information and network security.
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From page 62... ...
, NSF, NIST, and the DOE national laborato ries, all play important roles in funding and performing telecommunications and computing research, and many other agencies are major users of IT. A strategic long-term research and development agenda should be established to address three primary counterterrorism-related areas in IT: information and network security, the IT needs of emergency responders, and information fusion.
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From page 63... ...
To reduce near-term vulnerability to such a loss, those parties responsible for critical components of the electric-power grid should be urged to install phys ical barriers, where they do not already exist, to protect these components. In the longer term, the Department of Energy, through its national laboratories and supported by other government agencies and significant industry partici pation, should take the lead in developing, testing, and implementing an intel ligent, adaptive electric-power grid.
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From page 64... ...
Telecommuni cations, information technology, and the Internet, as well as food and water supplies, homes, and worksites, are dependent on electricity; numerous com mercial and transportation facilities are also dependent on natural gas and refined oil products. These and many other interdependencies need to be bet ter understood in order to determine which nodes of the various energy sys tems should be given the highest priority for increased security against terror ism.
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From page 65... ...
Many of the areas recommended for R&D in this report -- such as improved sensors, the ability to mine data more effectively, and especially a capability for unconventional, broad-based thinking on terrorist threats and responses- will also be of great value in boosting security for transportation and distribu tion. However, the most critical need in the transportation sector is a sys tematic approach to security.
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From page 66... ...
By working constructively with the Department of Transporta-tion's modal agencies (such as the Federal Aviation Administration and the Federal Highway Administration) , other federal entities, state and local government, and the private sector, this recommended office can serve as a focal point for research, planning, and collaboration.
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From page 67... ...
Human factors expertise is necessary for crafting layered security systems that, as a whole, increase the perceived risk of getting caught and maximize the ability of security personnel to recognize unusual and suspicious patterns of activity and behavior. Recognition of human factors is important for ensuring that the role of people in providing security is not determined by default on the basis of what technology prom ises, but rather as a result of systematic evaluations of human strengths and weaknesses that technology can both complement and supplement.
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From page 68... ...
Major buildings are also vulnerable to infectious or toxic materials being circulated by heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems after their release into the air.
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From page 69... ...
The behavioral and social sciences can thus make important contributions to understanding group responses to crises. A program of research should be established to understand how differences based on cultural background, experience with previous disasters, and other factors should be taken into account when sys tems are designed for preparedness, warning, and response to terrorist attacks and other disaster situations.
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From page 70... ...
The research agenda should be broad-based, includ ing topics such as decision making that affects the use of detection and pre vention technologies; the ways in which deployment of technologies can complement or conflict with the values of privacy and civil liberty; and fac tors that influence the trustworthiness of individuals in a position to compro mise or thwart security. All the agencies creating technological systems for the support of first responders and other decision makers should base their sys tem designs and user interfaces on the most up-to-date research on human behavior, especially with respect to issues critical to the effectiveness of coun terterrorism technologies and systems.
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From page 71... ...
Computational or physical-analog models of infrastructure for use in simulating various counterterrorism activities can help with identifying patterns of anomalous behavior, finding weak points in the infrastructure, training personnel, and learning how to maintain continuity of operations following terrorist attacks. Existing modeling and analysis capabilities, as well as new methods, could allow the use of inte grated models to determine linkages and interdependencies between major infrastructure systems.
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From page 72... ...
. Modeling and simulation also have great value for training first responders and supporting research on preparing for, and responding to, biological, chemical, and other terrorist attacks.
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Chapter 13 describes the important roles of the federal government's partners in homeland security efforts: state and local governments, industry, universi ties, not-for-profit laboratories and organizations, and other institutions.
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From page 74... ...
The committee believes that to function most efficiently, this institute should be located in a dedicated, not-for-profit, contractor-operated organization. In the current structure, the primary customer for this Homeland Security Institute would be the Office of Homeland Security, which is currently responsible for producing a national homeland security strategy.
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From page 75... ...
In addition, the Office of Homeland Security will need to work closely with the Office of Science and Technology Policy, perhaps through the National Science and Technology Council, on coordinating multiagency projects and their linkages to related programs devoted primarily to other high-priority national objectives. ESSENTIAL PARTNERS IN A NATIONAL STRATEGY: STATES AND CITIES, INDUSTRY, AND UNIVERSITIES The federal government must take the lead in the national counterterrorism effort, but effective use of existing technologies, research and development activities, and deployment of new approaches to mitigating the nation's vul
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From page 76... ...
Sustaining a long-term national effort against terrorism will require mini mizing the costs of security efforts and avoiding as much as possible placing extra burdens on accustomed conveniences or constraints on civil liberties. Most of the recommendations in this report, if acted on, will not only make the nation safer from terrorist attacks but can also make it safer from natural disasters, infectious diseases, hackers disrupting the Internet, failures in elec tric power distribution and other complex public services, and human error causing failures in such systems.
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From page 77... ...
actions, it is critical to emphasize that many other nations are vulnerable to the same terrorist threats, and they have valuable technical skills to contribute to the mitigation of vul nerabilities. The world will become safer, faster, if the scientific and engineer ing contributions to counterterrorism are based on cooperative international efforts.
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