Chemical Terrorism Assessment of U.S. Strategies in the Era of Great Power Competition (2024) / Chapter Skim
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6 Adequacy of Strategies to Respond to Chemical Terrorism
6 Adequacy of Strategies to Respond to Chemical Terrorism
Pages 111-136
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has adequately addressed chemical terrorism categorically under the Emergency Support Function #10: Oil and Hazardous Materials Response. continued 111
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The number of potential venue targets is vast and response exercises simulating chemical attacks are being integrated into doctrine to provide experi ence and information to as many SLTT responders as possible. RECOMMENDATION 6-6: Considering the complexity of the chemical threat space and U.S.
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The DHS Chemical Defense Strategy 3. Chemical and Biological Defense Program (CBDP)
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strategy documents, the committee observed that several federal agencies could be involved with information flow to first responders before, during, and after a chemical event, either accidental or terrorist. These agencies include DHS/ Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA)
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The DHS 2019 Chemical Defense Strategy treats response to chemical terrorism and accidental release equivocally. The document states: The Nation faces a complex threat landscape, especially from the evolving nature of the chemical threat, whether from accidental release or terrorist attack.
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. Jack Rabbit III, in particular, focuses on modeling tools and detection technologies to better understand and monitor chemical threats such as a large-scale ammonia release via dispersion (plume size, dispersion rate, ammonia concentration)
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. The committee also recognizes that information from chemical release modeling, such as Jack Rabbit, and the subsequent information flow to first responders is agnostic to the motivation behind the chemical release: terror, sabotage, or accident.
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, and the consequences could involve significant loss of life in the first responder community. The initial recognition or identification of chemical weapons in a terrorist attack may be slower than desired as first responders may not be trained in recognizing symptoms of chemical agent exposure.
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6.1.5 First Responder Input A major component for creating a robust strategy is to ensure critical information is collected and included from the first responder community. The committee recognizes that some initiatives, like Jack Rabbit, have included first responder input in their study of safety risks of transporting ammonia -- an essential chemical as a fertilizer and in fertilizer production.
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centers, emergency management, law enforcement (LE) , emergency medical personnel, fire and rescue professionals, and other organizations that use emergency communications technology to ensure public safety.
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FINDING 6-3: The U.S. Global Deterrence Framework, and other strategies involv ing whole-of-government sharing, often include representatives from the first responder and export control communities.
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The linkages exist, but strategy ultimately comes from policy directions and prioritizations. Our risk assessments consistently show that even though nuclear and biological agent threats have the ability for catastrophic effects, the chemical threat has a much higher probability of occurring.
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While biological and nuclear/radiological incidents have dedicated NRF Incident Annexes, incidents involving the release of a toxic chemical would ostensibly be captured by some combination of ESF#10 "Oil and hazardous materials response" (coordinated by the EPA) , and the Terrorism Incident Law Enforcement and Investigation Annex (coordinated by the DOJ/FBI)
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Within this framework, shown in Figure 6-1-1, are the National Planning Frameworks, where the NRF is located. Two documents related specifically to responding to chemical incidents are included under the NRF: ESF#10 and the Oil/Chemical Incident Annex.
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Stafford Disas ter Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, is a United States federal law that was enacted in 1988. This statute provides the legal frame work for the response to, and recovery from, natural disasters, acts of terrorism, and other catastrophic events.
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The Chemical Security Analysis Center (CSAC) generates a wealth of information on chemical threats, however vertical communication downward to the first responders currently occurs on an ad hoc basis.
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NECP aims to maintain and improve emergency communications capabilities for emergency responders and serves as the nation's roadmap for ensuring emergency communications interoperability at all levels of government. This plan establishes a shared vision for emergency communications and assists those who plan for, coordinate, invest in, and use operable and interoperable communications for response and recovery operations.
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under NIH-NIAID established the Medical Chemical Countermeasures Against Chemical Threats (CounterACT) Program.
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emergencies, including chemical incidents. S&T conducts research and develops technologies to enhance the response and recovery from chemical terrorism incidents.
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FIGURE 6-4 BARDA's scheme for determining which chemical threats to prioritize for MCM development and production starts with an assessment by the IC of agent relevance followed by an evaluation of the potential for effective emergency treatment. The results of these assessments are used to identify and address gaps in current preparedness.
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NIAID is currently engaging with the broader academic research community to evaluate these priorities as a means to strengthen response based on identified toxidromes. The recommendations on the research priorities and the collaborations can be found in the 2003 NIAID Summary of the NIAID Expert Panel Review on Medical Chemical Defense Research (NIAID, 2003)
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The CounterACT-BARDA facilitates partnerships with the pharmaceutical industry, which is essential for providing an integrated, systematic approach to the development of the necessary vaccines, drugs, therapies, and diagnostic tools for public health medical emergencies including chemical accidents, incidents, and attacks. Thus far, BARDA has obtained FDA approval for Argentum's Silverlon for sulfur mustard burns, Meridian's Seizalam for status epilepticus, and Primary Response Incident Scene Management (PRISM)
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Therefore, the development of MCMs for next-generation chemical threats is needed (Casillas et al., 2021)
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Global Deterrence Framework. The committee found that the NRF adequately addressed chemical terrorism categorically under ESF #10 and Oil and Hazardous Materials Response.
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2003. Summary of the NIAID Expert Panel Review on Medical Chemical Defense Research.
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