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Release Date: 04/27/04 00:00:00
Washington, DC
April 27, 2004
Remarks as Prepared
Good morning. And thank you for joining us as we announce this milestone for the Department of Homeland Security and for this Administration in its efforts to safeguard the American people as the nation and our allies pursue the war on terror. Secretary Tom Ridge sends his best wishes along with his regrets that he is unable to join us this morning.
It is with great pleasure that I announce that the Department of Homeland Security has selected Texas A&M University and the University of Minnesota to lead Homeland Security Centers of Excellence in the area of agricultural and food security. Our agricultural and food resources are part of the critical infrastructure that keep the nation's economy -- and our society as a whole -- operating efficiently. We need to ensure the safety, integrity and continued smooth operations of these key sectors that make it possible to feed a nation of 290 million people. These Centers of Excellence will focus resources and technical expertise on research and development and education solutions to safeguard our vital agricultural and food supply infrastructures. We are entering into grant negotiations with both universities to formalize arrangements.
We take this important step in response to the strong leadership shown by the President to protect our agricultural and food systems when he issued Homeland Security Presidential Directive 9 last January. In this Directive, the President established the framework for protecting our agricultural and food systems from terrorist attacks, major disasters and other emergencies and defined the roles of the Departments of Homeland Security, Agriculture, Health and Human Services and the Environmental Protection Agency in this important work. Among other things, this Presidential Directive calls upon the Department of Homeland Security to establish university-based Centers of Excellence in agriculture and food security in consultation with the Departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services.
I'm pleased that officials from two of our partner agencies -- Dr. Caird Rexroad of USDA and Margaret Glavin of the HHS Food and Drug Administration -- have joined us today for this announcement. You'll hear from them in a moment.
The Homeland Security Centers of Excellence program -- which is operated by DHS Science and Technology -- is establishing an integrated network of university-based centers that will conduct multi-disciplinary research and innovative educational programs for critical Homeland Security missions. Through this program, Homeland Security and partner universities bring together the nation's top experts and focus its most talented researchers on a variety of threats. These threat areas encompass agricultural, chemical, biological, nuclear, radiological, explosives and cyber terrorism. The Centers program also addresses the behavioral aspects of terrorism.
Texas A&M University, the University of Minnesota, and their partners are expected to receive total funding in the amount of $33 million over the next three years to establish research and development centers that will focus on solutions to ensure the safety and security of the nation's agricultural resources and food supply. Texas A&M's Homeland Security Center will receive $18 million to focus on R&D and education in the area of high-consequence foreign animal and zoonotic diseases. Partners joining Texas A&M in this effort include the University of Texas Medical Branch, University of California at Davis, and the University of Maryland.
The University of Minnesota's Homeland Security Center will receive $15 million to pursue R&D and education solutions to protect against and mitigate the effects of post-harvest food contamination. Their partners include major food companies and Michigan State University, the University of Wisconsin at Madison, North Dakota State University, the University of Tennessee, North Carolina State University, Georgia Tech, Rutgers, Harvard, Cornell and Purdue.
Both Texas A&M and the University of Minnesota will be working closely with another Center of Excellence at the University of Southern California. USC opened the first Homeland Security Center of Excellence last month to address risk and economic analysis associated with acts of terror.
A great deal of hard work by many people has brought us to this point today. We are delighted that in the very near future, the Texas A&M National Center for Foreign Animal and Zoonotic Disease Defense -- and the University of Minnesota Center for Post-Harvest Food Protection and Defense -- will be engaging leading scientists and researchers in an effort to propose viable R&D solutions to the challenge of securing the nation's agricultural and food resources.
Homeland Security will also coordinate with USDA and HHS to establish effective avenues for information sharing and analysis for agriculture and food. This will include promoting higher education programs for the protection of animals, plants and public health and the food supply -- as well as opportunities for professional development and specialized training. Efforts such as these will help lay the groundwork to ensure the agricultural security of this generation and the one that follows.
DHS Science and Technology is pleased to contribute to strengthening the systems that are in place to protect our agricultural resources and food supply. And we look forward to planning additional Homeland Security Centers of Excellence that will address other key areas in line with the Department's mission to protect the American people from threats and acts of terror. Thank you for you time. I will now turn the podium over to Dr. Caird Rexroad, Acting Associate Administrator of the USDA Agricultural Research Service.
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This page was last reviewed/modified on 04/27/04 00:00:00.