July 8, 1999
Web posted at: 2:51 p.m. EDT (1851 GMT)
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The United States is not prepared to combat the "grave"
threat of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons spreading around the
world, the head of a high-level government commission told CNN Thursday.
The panel headed by John Deutch, former director of the CIA, studied potential
disasters and how various agencies would respond. "The commission finds
that the U.S. government is not effectively organized to combat proliferation,"
the panel said in a summary of the 140-page report expected to be released
next week.
Scenarios studied included a disgruntled Russian scientist selling nuclear-weapons
fuel to Iran, or anthrax being released in a crowded subway. "These events
have not taken place. But they could," the panel warned.
Report recommends more focus on threat
Deutch told CNN that the report recommends President Clinton appoint a
senior official -- at the level of deputy national security adviser --
to devote full time to "orchestrating and improving" government efforts
to combat threats ranging from bio-terrorism on U.S. soil, to efforts by
rogue states to obtain nuclear weapons.
He said "excellent work" is being done by various officials in the Defense
Department, the intelligence community, the State Department, the Energy
Department and others, but that it lacks focus and should be given a higher
priority. "The government is not prepared," he said.
Particularly alarming are threats from economic problems in Russia. Seven
times since 1992, weapons-grade nuclear materials have been stolen and
the Russian government doesn't know how much material it has.
Other dangers are posed by China's export of missiles, North Korea's ability
to manufacture weapons, instability in the Middle East and Asia and terrorist
efforts to obtain weapons. Congress created the panel 18 months ago to
assess how the government is dealing with the threats and to offer recommendations.
Correspondent David Ensor contributed to this report
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