It’s a serious concern: chemical, biological,
and radiological/nuclear materials—what we call weapons of mass destruction or WMD—being
used to attack the U.S.
The threat is real. The anthrax attacks of 2001 killed five Americans and
terrorized the nation. And al Qaeda has openly pursued WMD and would likely
use any weapons they build or buy against our nation.
So what are we doing to make sure this doesn’t happen? Plenty,
because of our role in investigating violations
of weapons of mass destruction laws and detecting and disrupting the
acquisition
and use
of WMD on our homeland by terrorists and other adversaries, including nation
states. We use the full array of our intelligence and investigative capabilities—all
the tools we use to combat terrorists, spies, and criminals—to counter
the threat.
Our work falls into four main areas:
1. National coordination. In July 2006, we consolidated
all of our WMD operations into a new WMD Directorate (WMDD) within our National
Security Branch.
It’s led by Dr. Vahid Majidi,
who previously headed the Chemistry Division and related national security
issues at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico. Specifically,
the WMD Directorate
Works to identify and disrupt WMD operations and threats through the following:
- Countermeasures and Preparedness. Integrates WMD preparedness
programs and initiatives; uses a proactive and multi-layered strategy;
works with
FBI Headquarters and field components, other government agencies, industry,
academia, and strategic foreign partners.
- Investigative and Operations: Directs the U.S.
government WMD Threat Credibility Assessment process; manages all WMD investigations;
coordinates
with the
FBI’s Counterterrorism, Counterintelligence, Criminal Investigative,
and Laboratory Divisions.
- Intelligence Analysis: Assists the FBI, the
U.S. Intelligence Community, national security, and law enforcement
entities in countering threats
posed by the acquisition, development, and use of WMD by foreign
and domestic actors
hostile to the U.S. and its allies; manages all WMD-related intelligence
functions.
2. Local response. Each of our 56 field offices nationwide has a highly
trained WMD Coordinator who manages the assessment of and response to incidents
involving the use or threatened use of WMD. Each coordinator has established
relationships with regional, state, and local emergency response, health,
and law enforcement personnel to assist notification and response to WMD
incidents.
3. Outreach and Information Sharing. Our WMD components routinely reach
out to key areas of the private sector, such as the chemical and agricultural
industries, to increase awareness and sensitivities to potential threats
and to facilitate reporting of information with potential intelligence value.
This includes establishing a two-way dialogue and methods to report suspicious
activity. We’ve established two WMD-specific InfraGard portals to provide unclassified information and intelligence products to
vetted academia and industry members.
4. Preparedness. We regularly join with
first responders, law enforcement, and health agencies in
cities and communities across the nation to stage various
mock exercises to test our ability to investigate and respond
to the use of WMD. One of the most significant drills is Operation
TOPOFF.
Also see the following stories for more information on specific WMD issues:
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