Lessons Learned from WMD Proliferation and Terrorism Report Card

Reviewing the bipartisan Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism report card reveals lessons learned have not become lessons implemented.

The report card included an ‘F’ grade in Biological Risks due to the nation’s capabilities lacking to:

•  Coordinate and deploy rapid response to prevent biological attacks causing mass casualties

Under Government Reform, the report card included two more ‘F’ grades for:

• Reform congressional oversight to better address intelligence, homeland security, and crosscutting 21^st century national security missions
• Implement education and training programs to recruit and retain the next generation of national security experts

The two ‘F’ grades in Government Reform point out alarming disconnects and widening gaps that exist in oversight and awareness.  And Senator Talent commented:

“We are also enormously frustrated about the failure of Congress to reform homeland security oversight”.  The Department can’t do its job, if it is responding to more than 80 congressional committees and sub-committees.  This fragmentation guarantees that much of what Congress does is duplicative and disjointed.”

If terrorists acquire weapons of mass destruction, will your organization be prepared?  Is your organization prepared even if the government is not coordinated and ready to respond?