Article Outline
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Other Agencies in the U. S. Counterterrorism Community
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Several other agencies or offices are also active in U.S. counterterrorism. The office of the president’s national security adviser provides guidance and helps resolve differences among agencies. The Department of State, through the office of Coordinator and Ambassador at Large for Counterterrorism, takes the lead in recommending counterterrorism policy abroad and deals with foreign governments. The Office of Diplomatic Security protects American embassies, and the Bureau of Intelligence and Research provides intelligence analysis. The Department of Defense has specialized counterterrorism military forces. The Defense Intelligence Agency also collects intelligence on terrorism abroad. The Department of Justice oversees the FBI and takes the lead in legal policy. And the Department of Energy provides expertise to deal with possible uses of nuclear weapons and materials by terrorists.
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Special Problems Faced by Counterterrorist Agencies
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Counterterrorism faces special perils that go beyond the type of destruction posed by typical terrorist bombings or even spectacular events like the September 11 hijackings. These special perils involve the possible use by terrorists of weapons of mass destruction, such as nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons, some of which are capable of killing tens to hundreds of thousands of people.
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Protection Against Weapons of Mass Destruction
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Nuclear and Radiological Terrorism
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In recent years terrorists have carried out increasingly large attacks that inflict mass casualties. United States officials are concerned that terrorists might obtain nuclear weapons from a hostile foreign government, or steal them. Such a scenario is unlikely, however, because these weapons are large, detectable, and hard to manufacture. There is a greater danger that terrorists might combine stolen radioactive material with conventional explosives, creating radiological weapons known as “dirty bombs” to kill and contaminate. Such a bomb could disseminate a cloud of radioactive dust and debris across a wide area.
Government officials who develop counterterrorism policy have debated how to prevent terrorists from obtaining nuclear or radiological weapons. Some U.S. officials advocate strengthening nonproliferation treaties with other countries. These treaties limit the production of nuclear weapons by existing nuclear states and provide for international safeguards for the handling of nuclear material so that such material cannot fall into the hands of terrorists. These treaties also mandate inspections of nuclear facilities where radiological material is produced and stored. Using the 1968 Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty as a basis, these policymakers hope to persuade states with nuclear weapons programs to end those programs. However, other U.S. officials favor military action against hostile states that have such weapons, or that have programs to develop them, and might share them with terrorists. As of 2004, this debate was not resolved. See also Nuclear Weapons Proliferation.
Chemical weapons, such as nerve gas and other chemical agents that kill or maim, were first used in World War I (1914-1918) but have since been largely outlawed by international treaties. However, some governments continue to possess chemical weapons. Aum Shinrikyo, a Japanese terrorist group, released chemical sarin gas in a Tokyo subway in 1995 in an unsuccessful attempt to kill thousands. This attack raised concerns that other terrorists might also use chemical weapons, which are relatively easy to make. However, chemical weapons are difficult to release over large areas and are less likely than nuclear or biological weapons to cause mass casualties.
Biological weapons, in the form of lethal or infectious toxins and bacteria, represent a potential terrorist weapon that could have catastrophic effects. Small amounts of such materials, which are difficult to detect and highly portable, could kill many thousands. Like chemical weapons, biological substances have been developed for military purposes, but they have almost never been used. Most governments have signed the 1972 Biological Weapons Convention that outlaws such weapons. Some governments, however, had or still have biological weapons programs, and the technologies for making biological substances such as anthrax and ricin are widely available. The U.S. counterterrorism community is working to detect, prevent, and minimize the medical consequences of terrorist attacks using chemical or biological weapons.
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