8.2 DHS Counter-WMD

WHO? The DHS Counter WMD Office.

WHAT? Monitors and tracks potential radiological, nuclear, and biological threats to the US.

WHEN? The need to monitor and track radiological, nuclear, and biological agents in the hands of non-state actors has been a priority from the start of DHS.

WHERE? Monitors are located at major ports of entry and key sites inside and outside the US.

WHY? To safeguard the nation from domestic catastrophic attack.

As we learned in the previous topic, the nation’s strategy for countering WMD is to Deny, Detect, Degrade, Deter, Globalize, Defend, Prepare, and Avoid. As with other strategies, Counter WMD strategy entails actions across a number of different Federal agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security. In December 2017, DHS consolidated all programs related to countering weapons of mass destruction into a single office, not surprisingly called the DHS Counter WMD Office. DHS Counter WMD manages two specific programs: Radiation Portal Monitoring, and BioWatch. Let us begin with Radiation Portal Monitoring. This is one of a number of programs managed by the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office within the DHS Counter WMD Office. DNDO is responsible for detecting and tracking the movement of radioactive and nuclear agents around the world. It is their job to design, develop, and deploy the means for detecting and tracking these agents. Since 9/11, DHS has deployed thousands of radiation detectors, large and small, to screen both passengers and cargo bound for, entering, or crossing the US. Over 12,000 hand-held radiation detectors were issued to Customs and Border agents to screen passengers at airports, seaports, and border crossings. The detectors are also deployed for use in Federal buildings and during special events. Some people undergoing medical procedures using radioisotopes can set off the detectors. Nearly 60,000 people a day undergo treatment or tests that leave tiny amounts of radioactive material in their bodies, according to the Society of Nuclear Medicine. It is not enough to hurt them or anyone else, but it is enough to trigger radiation alarms for up to three months. In 2007, at the Rockefeller Center annual Christmas tree-lighting ceremony, New York City Police pulled six people out of the crowd who triggered the sensors. All six had be treated with radioisotopes. Most patients now receive cards with phone numbers the police can call to verify their treatment. Over 1400 radiation detectors capable of scanning cargo pallets and trucks are installed at US border crossings and locations around the world. A key problem are “False Positives”; in other words, “The boy who cried ‘Wolf!’”. DHS has spent millions of dollars on promising technology that couldn’t meet its stringent criteria. Still, imperfect as it is, the technology has proven useful. Since 1993 there have been 2,734 confirmed interceptions of stolen or lost radioactive material destined for criminal purposes. Now let’s take a look at BioWatch. BioWatch was conceived as a result of the anthrax attacks that killed 5 shortly following 9/11. It was designed as a network of monitoring stations to detect a slate of deadly pathogens potentially released into the air to infect a major city. From 1949 to 1969 the US Army conducted 239 open-air tests for deploying biological agents. The secret experiments released agents outside Washington DC, New York City, San Francisco, Key West, and Panama City to prove they could be simply and effectively distributed on the wind. I was living in DC when they conducted those tests! Anyway, in 2003, 31 monitors were deployed outside 31 cities at a cost of $60 million. There was one major problem with the monitors: they took 36 hours to process results. DHS spent the next 11 years and $200 million trying to build a faster monitor. It didn’t work, and the program was cancelled in 2014. But once again, a flawed system is considered better than no system at all.