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98162. Cohen Unveils Program to Combat Domestic Terrorism

By Paul Stone
American Forces Press Service
	WASHINGTON -- Saying the "front lines are no longer 
overseas," Defense Secretary William S. Cohen announced a 
new DoD program March 17 to respond to domestic attacks with 
weapons of mass destruction.
	Cohen made the announcement here during a speech to the 
National Press Club. Under his new initiative, National 
Guard and Reserve forces will receive training to help 
states and local governments respond in case of attack.
	Ten Rapid Assessment and Initial Detection elements 
will be trained and equipped beginning in fiscal 1999. Each 
RAID element will have 22 trained, full-time National Guard 
soldiers and airmen capable of deploying to an incident 
scene within four hours. The teams will be supported by 
National Guard and Reserve reconnaissance and 
decontamination teams drawn from the existing force 
structure.
	Cohen said the initiative is the "cornerstone of our 
strategy for preparing America's defense against the 
possible use of weapons of mass destruction."
	"The larger meaning of this moment is that we live in a 
world where more powerful weapons are in the hands of more 
reckless people who are more likely to use them," he said.
	Calling biological and chemical weapons the "poor man's 
atomic bomb," Cohen said at least 25 countries already have 
or are developing them and the means to deliver them. He 
added that many of the countries have ties to "terrorists, 
religious zealots or organized crime groups who also seek 
these weapons." 
	Cohen's announcement coincidentally follows a March 12 
terrorist bomb threat against the Pentagon and a March 10 
international meeting of scientists who warned the United 
States is unprepared for attacks by biological agents.
	The new initiative also establishes the Consequence 
Management Program Integration Office. The office will 
integrate Guard and Reserve forces into the defense effort 
against weapons of mass destruction.
	In addition to bringing the RAID elements on line, the 
office will coordinate all training and exercises and will 
purchase equipment for the units. It will also work closely 
with the departments of Health and Human Services and 
Veterans Affairs, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, 
and other federal agencies responsible for responding to 
domestic emergencies.
	During a Pentagon briefing following Cohen's 
announcement, Acting Secretary of the Army Michael Walker 
and Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs 
Deborah Lee echoed Cohen's warning that the threat of an 
attack on U.S. soil is real.
	"The experts tell us it's not if, but when," Walker 
said. Lee said the breakup of the Soviet Union and an 
increasingly global economy make it easier for terrorists to 
acquire powerful weapons.
	As the new plan is implemented, the 10 RAID elements 
will augment state and federal agencies across the country, 
according to Brig. Gen. Roger Schultz, deputy director of 
military support. Schultz is a key player in the new 
program. He is responsible for coordinating support to state 
and local governments during disasters.
	Indeed, the RAID units being brought on-line will 
respond in much the same way National Guard and Reserve 
forces currently respond during floods, hurricanes and other 
disasters. Units will support local, state and federal 
authorities as requested, with FEMA maintaining its lead 
agency role.
	At the briefing, Schultz said DoD requested about $49 
million for fiscal 1999 to pay for the program, to include 
training, equipment, personnel and exercises with federal, 
state and local authorities.
	"It's not just establishing a program where we go off 
to train the military. It's establishing a program where we 
exercise with state and local responders and the federal 
government. The office we're announcing today begins to 
coordinate those activities overall," Schultz said.
	He said National Guard and Reserve integration in the 
new program makes sense because of their long history of 
helping states respond to disasters. Additionally, the Army 
Reserve contains nearly 60 percent of the total Army's 
chemical defense and medical assets, as well as the only 
biological integrated detection system in the reserve 
components.
	Although it is not known yet where the first 10 teams 
will be located, Schultz said they will be aligned with the 
10 FEMA regions in the country. He said this organizational 
structure will complement the Army Reserve regional support 
commands, which have already realigned along FEMA region 
boundaries. It's hoped all states will eventually have 
individual RAID elements, he remarked.
	"This is the first step of a journey that begins here 
and capitalizes on the Guard and Reserve," Schultz said.


##END##

Deborah Lee, assistant secretary of defense for reserve affairs, says the reserve components are uniquely position to handle response to attacks with weapons of mass destruction. Paul Stone

Army Brig. Gen. Roger Schultz serves as the deputy director of military support in the Pentagon. Schultz, a National Guard officer, is an architect of the reserve component program for response to attacks by weapons of mass destruction. Paul Stone

Acting Secretary of the Army Michael Walker explains the threat confronting America from weapons of mass destruction. Walker's office is DoD's lead agency in coordinating military assets for disaster assistance. (Paul Stone)

Army Brig Gen. Roger Schultz and Air Force Lt. Col. Jay Steinmetz answer reporters' questions on DoD's response to attacks from weapons of mass destruction. Schultz is the deputy director of military support, and Steinmetz is the director of consequence management program integration office. Both work in the Pentagon. Paul Stone