LEAD FOCUS

WASHINGTON (EmergencyNet News) - An FBI official said on Friday that the number of credible domestic threats involving weapons of mass destruction has increased significantly in 1998 and the danger posed by international terrorism will continue for the foreseeable future. According to Robert Blitzer, the FBI's chief of domestic terrorism and counterterrorism planning, in the first nine months of this year, the FBI opened more than 86 investigations into the threatened use of chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear materials.

Blitzer told a hearing of the House Government Reform and Oversight subcommittee on national security, international affairs and criminal justice, that there were 68 similar investigations opened in 1997.

Also at the hearing, the U.S. Justice Department said it has reached an agreement in principle with the Pentagon, the National Security Council and the Federal Emergency Management Agency to act as the lead agency for the domestic preparedness program. The program has come under criticism for lack of coordination among the agencies involved, duplication in training and the lack of valid threat and risk assessment.

Testimony that was given by experts showed the Pentagon's effort to train first responders in U.S. cities for potential terrorist attacks with weapons of mass destruction has failed to live up to expectations.

Frederick Nesbitt, a senior official with the International Association of Fire Fighters, said, "On the whole, the program has been surprisingly ineffective." He called the instruction "inadequate in both content and time," saying it consisted of too much classroom lecture, not enough operational training and virtually no opportunity for refresher courses.

Michael Dalich, chief of staff of the department's Office of Justice Programs told the hearing the Justice Department will establish a National Domestic Preparedness Office in the FBI to act as a coordinating agency. He said, "We believe that this action ... will help resolve many of the problems of potential overlap and lack of coordination."

Illinois Representative Dennis Hastert, the subcommittee's chairman, said, "Experts disagree on the severity of the terrorist threat in the United States, and some believe it is remote. However ... a terrorist attack involving a weapon of mass destruction has the potential to be so devastating that we must be fully prepared to respond."

According to Blitzer, although many of the threats prove not to be legitimate, investigative, emergency and medical personnel respond seriously to each one. Blitzer said the perpetrators fall into two categories: "lone offenders" and "extremist elements of right wing groups."

He said the lone offenders fit into one or more category:

-- Those seeking revenge for individual grievances or vendettas against other citizens.

Blitzer divided major threats from foreign or external sources into three groups: state-sponsored terrorism, terrorist organizations and loosely affiliated extremists who, he said, pose the most urgent threat.

The FBI official said: "The FBI believes that the threat posed by international terrorists in each of these categories will continue for the foreseeable future. It is imperative that we maintain our abilities to counter the broad range of threats that confront us."

 TERRORISM/POLITICAL VIOLENCE

UNITED STATES

WASHINGTON (EmergencyNet News) - The U.S. Army has chosen the ten communities that will serve as home bases for specially trained and equipped National Guard Rapid Assessment and Initial Response teams. The 22-member teams will respond to incidents involving the use of chemical, biological or nuclear weapons on U.S. soil.

The new RAID teams will be headquartered in:

Los Alamitos, California;
Aurora, Colorado;
Marietta, Georgia;
Peoria, Illinois;
Natick, Massachusetts;
Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri;
Scotia, New York;
Fort Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania;
Austin, Texas, and
Tacoma, Washington.

The National Guard troops will be on duty full time. Their job will be to provide support to local, state and federal civil authorities in the event a weapon of mass destruction is used against a U.S. target. The Army said that the sites were selected with an eye toward making maximum use of existing facilities that are near large metropolitan areas.

(C) Copyright, EmergencyNet NEWS Service, 1998. All Rights Reserved. Further redistribution without permission is prohibited by law.

The ERRI DAILY INTELLIGENCE REPORT is a subscription publication of the EmergencyNet NEWS Service, which is a part of the Chicago-based Emergency Response and Research Institute. This publication specializes in Security/Terrorism/Intelligence/Military/Corporate and National Security issues.

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