Paul G Marksteiner

Weapons of Mass Destruction Pose a Serious Threat to U.S. Cities: How Prepared Are We? Paul G Marksteiner

In light of the 20 March 1995 nerve gas attack on the Tokyo subway system, the United States reexamined its capabilities to respond to an incident involving the criminal/terrorist use of a WMD in one of our nation's cities. When domestic capabilities were found to be sorely lacking in this regard, congress enacted legislation, Title XIV of PL 104-201, "Defense Against Weapons of Mass Destruction," (Nunn-Lugar II) to enhance national preparedness. Subtitle-A of this legislation, "Domestic Preparedness," tasks the Department of Defense with a significant role in developing and deploying domestic countermeasures against nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons of mass destruction. Proposed research will identify current vulnerabilities and examine the military's role under Subtitle-A. Central to this effort will be a critical analysis of DOD's responsibilities, from both a policy as well as operational perspective. Research objectives are twofold. First, critique the adequacy of the "Subtitle-A" response to this threat. Second, determine what the implications are of the role assigned to the military.