Bio-Terror by 2013

"The assessment is not a good one, particularly in the area of biological threats. While the government has made progress on preventing such attacks, it is simply not paying consistent and urgent attention to the means of responding quickly and effectively so that they no longer constitute a threat of mass destruction. The failures did not begin with the current group of leaders. Each of the last three Administrations has been slow to recognize and respond to the bio-threat. The difference is that the danger has grown to the point that we no longer have the luxury of a slow learning curve. The clock is ticking, and time is running out."

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05/22/2010 10:22 PM CST

(STARpod.org) -- Psychic reports, a Presidential Executive Order, and now, a grim report from The Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism have converged towards a warning of near-future use of biological weapons of mass destruction by terrorists.

A previous report issued by the commission in December 2008 concluded that "Unless the world community acts decisively and with great urgency, it is more likely than not that a weapon of mass destruction (WMD) will be used in a terrorist attack somewhere in the world by the end of 2013. That weapon is more likely to be biological than nuclear."

A new report issued today gives the government an "F" grade: total failure to address the above mentioned biological terror threat.

The original report looked at "four factors" supporting the reality of the use of weapons of mass destruction, including the "direct evidence that terrorists are trying to acquire weapons of mass destruction," "acquiring WMD fits the tactical profile of terrorists," "terrorists have demonstrated global reach and the organizational sophisticated to obtain and use WMD," and "the opportunity to acquire and use such weapons is growing exponentially because of the global proliferation of nuclear material and biological technologies."

The new report notes that "Almost fourteen months have passed ... That means nearly a quarter of the five-year margin of shrinking safety has passed."

"The assessment is not a good one, particularly in the area of biological threats. While the government has made progress on preventing such attacks, it is simply not paying consistent and urgent attention to the means of responding quickly and effectively so that they no longer constitute a threat of mass destruction. The failures did not begin with the current group of leaders. Each of the last three Administrations has been slow to recognize and respond to the bio-threat. The difference is that the danger has grown to the point that we no longer have the luxury of a slow learning curve. The clock is ticking, and time is running out."

The report also cites the failure of the government to provide an immediate and effective response to the threat from the H1N1 virus, which arrived with months of advanced warning. In the the event of a surprise biological terror attack, there would likely be no warning at all. (The possibility of early warning from psychic sources using "anomalous mental phenomena," similar to the STAR GATE program run by the Defense Intelligence Agency in the 1990s, offers little comfort, beyond raising the threat level in advance.)

ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW

The recent failure of the Intelligence Community to prevent an al Qaeda terrorist to board and attempt to blow up an airplane as it approached Detroit is seen by many, including President Obama, as an example of the "systemic failure" of the  massive and highly funded Intelligence Community.

The report examined many different kinds of threats, grading each on a letter scale of A through F, plus I for "incomplete."

The category of "Biological Risks" received an "F" grade, meaning that the most likely first use of WMDs by terrorists had received "no attention or action taken" by the government.

Calling this "the most significant failure identified in the report card," the report warned that "there is no national plan to coordinate federal, state, and local efforts following a bio-terror attack, and the United States lacks the technical and operational capabilities required for an adequate response."

The lack of response preparedness increases the likelihood of an attack given that "deterrence of bio-terrorism rests upon the ability of the nation to mitigate the effects of an attack."

The report cites numerous deficiencies in the system, including inability to rapidly detect and diagnose an attack; a means to provide actionable information to federal, state, local authorities, and the public; a lack of medical countermeasures, and the ability to distribute them; inadequate means to treat and care for the sick and injured; a failure to address preventive countermeasures; and environmental cleanup following an attack.

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