15 July 1998
Source: http://www.usia.gov/current/news/latest/98071504.plt.html?/products/washfile/newsitem.shtml

USIS Washington File
_________________________________

15 July 1998

### TEXT: DEFENSE SECRETARY COHEN ON WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION

    (From USIA electronic journal "U.S. Foreign Policy Agenda") (1200)

    (There is "no single response" to the threat of weapons of mass
    destruction, says Secretary of Defense William Cohen. "Instead," he
    warns, "we've got to prevent the spread" of such weapons; "we have to
    protect ourselves by deterring their use, and we have to prepare for
    the possibility that they could be used right in the United States."
    The following article by Cohen was written for the July 1998 issue of
    the USIA electronic journal "U.S. Foreign Policy Agenda," which deals
    with "U.S. Security Policy in a Changing World.")

    We are living in a world in which more powerful weapons are in the
    hands of more reckless people who are more likely to use them.
    Countering the threat of weapons of mass destruction, in fact, may
    represent the most important security challenge of the next decade.

    Iraq is one of at least 25 countries that already have or are in the
    process of developing nuclear, biological, or chemical weapons and the
    means to deliver them. Of these, many have ties to terrorists, to
    religious zealots, or organized crime groups that are also seeking to
    use these weapons. Chemical and biological weapons, we know, are the
    poor man's atomic bomb -- cheaper to buy, easier to build, and
    extremely deadly.

    Our American military superiority presents a paradox. Because our
    potential adversaries know they can't win in a conventional challenge
    to U.S. forces, they're more likely to try unconventional or
    asymmetrical methods such as biological or chemical weapons. But we
    can't afford to allow this vulnerability of ours to turn into an
    Achilles' heel.

    That's the reason that I have called for the creation of a new agency,
    the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA), to begin operation in
    October. It will consolidate the existing On-Site Inspection Agency,
    the Defense Special Weapons Agency, and the Defense Technology
    Security Administration, and absorb some of the program functions that
    have been the responsibility of the assistant to the secretary of
    defense for nuclear, chemical, and biological defense programs.

    The DTRA will serve as the department's focal point for our technical
    work and our intellectual analysis that are required to confront this
    threat, recognizing that these weapons may be used -- and used early
    -- on future battlefields, and that's now a key element of our war
    planning. We also recognize there's no silver bullet. There's no
    single response to this threat. Instead, we've got to prevent the
    spread of weapons of mass destruction. We have to protect ourselves by
    deterring their use, and we have to prepare for the possibility that
    they could be used right in the United States.

    Prevention has to be the first and foremost line of defense. Through
    our Cooperative Threat Reduction program, also known as Nunn-Lugar, we
    are helping to destroy and to dismantle nuclear and chemical weapons
    in the former Soviet Union. We are also actively participating in a
    range of arms control and non-proliferation regimes to reduce the
    chance that rogue regimes are going to acquire these weapons of mass
    destruction.

    But I also have to recognize that despite all of these efforts,
    proliferation is likely to occur. So the second line of defense must
    be to protect ourselves through deterrence and through defense. We've
    made it very clear to Iraq and to the rest of the world that if any
    terrorist or nation should ever even contemplate using weapons of mass
    destruction -- chemical, biological, any other type -- against our
    forces, we will deliver a response that's overwhelming and
    devastating.

    But we also deter adversaries by making sure that our forces are ready
    to fight and win on any battlefield, even one that has been
    contaminated. So in December, I directed that we add another billion
    dollars to our current budget for defense mechanisms and methods. We
    added a billion dollars over a five-year period to the about $3.4
    billion or $3.5 billion that we already have in our budget for this
    purpose. The purpose of this is to improve the ability of our forces
    to find and destroy these weapons before they're used against our
    troops; to arm our forces with the most advanced detection and
    decontamination equipment; and to give them new, lighter-weight
    protective suits.

    We began vaccinating our military forces in the Persian Gulf this year
    against the deadly anthrax virus, and we will continue until all of
    our troops around the world are immunized during the next five to
    seven years. We go to these lengths because defense itself is a
    deterrent. The more our forces are prepared, the less likely that
    we'll see an attack upon them and the more likely it is that these
    potential adversaries will be discouraged from even thinking about it.

    But I am reminded that the front lines are no longer just overseas;
    they're also in the continental United States. Five years ago, six
    people were killed and hundreds were injured in the World Trade Center
    blast. Three years ago, the Sarin gas attack in the Tokyo subway
    killed dozens of people and injured many others. Some believe that
    this kind of a deadly chemical or biological attack or catastrophe is
    inevitable in the United States. Nothing is inevitable until it
    happens, but we have to prepare for this potential.

    So we're building a third line of defense that's grounded in domestic
    preparation. The Department of Defense is leading a federal effort to
    train the first responders in 120 American cities. The police, the
    firefighters, and the medical technicians who are going to be first on
    the scene of an attack -- we are now in the process of helping to
    prepare these first responders.

    We have also created the military's first-ever domestic rapid
    assessment teams to ensure that the Department of Defense is even more
    prepared with 10 separate and special National Guard teams that will
    be dedicated solely to assisting local civilian authorities in the
    event of a chemical or biological attack. These teams, to be located
    in California, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts, Missouri,
    New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Washington, are designed to move in
    quickly, assess the situation, and then help local officials identify
    the types of federal military assets that might be needed to combat an
    attack or respond to an incident.

    Reserve units already trained to respond to such attacks abroad are
    going to be given more training and equipment and opportunities to
    assist domestically. Moving from a limited response capability in
    fiscal year 1999, the plan is to have fully developed, mission-ready
    Guard and Reserve elements in place after Fiscal Year 2000.

    The 10 National Guard rapid assessment teams will be complemented and
    supported by 127 decontamination and 54 reconnaissance units, drawn
    from the existing Reserve Component force structure, which will be
    provided with additional special training and equipment to enable them
    to perform a response and support mission.

    This initiative will be the cornerstone of our strategy for preparing
    America's defense against a possible use of weapons of mass
    destruction.