Chertoff cites biological weapons as his biggest worry
Homeland Security chief says focus is on early detection.
On the day before the seventh anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said his biggest worry was a biological outbreak.
"I don't think there is any doubt that we are safer today than we were seven years ago," Chertoff said during a speech on confronting threats to the country.
But he said he is most concerned about a weapon of mass destruction being used by terrorists in the United States, although he does not believe such a threat is imminent.
Specifically, he cited the threat from biological agents as his biggest worry.
A Homeland Security spokeswoman later clarified that Chertoff was talking about the threat of terrorists using a biological agent, such as anthrax, in an attack and the idea that somebody could be infected with an agent -- whether he or she knows it or not -- and come into contact with others.
Homeland Security came under criticism last summer for letting a man cross into the United States from Canada with what was then believed to be an extensively drug-resistant form of tuberculosis.
It was later determined the man had a more treatable form of tuberculosis.
Chertoff said the challenge for the government in dealing with biological agents is early detection.
He said his department has been focused on deploying new biological detection equipment in cities and finding more effective ways to distribute countermeasures in the event of an outbreak.
But the administration's efforts to counter a biological outbreak has also been criticized.
The Government Accountability Office reported in July on gaps with biological surveillance, particularly with making the new National Biosurveillance Integration Center fully operational by Sept. 30, as mandated by Congress.
The Homeland Security spokeswoman said DHS defines the center as being fully operational by having at least 10 out of 12 detailees assigned to it. She said the department is on track to meet that goal by Sept. 30.
She added that the center is operational now and is providing federal agencies with a biosurveillance common operating picture, daily general disease reports, and analysis after events.
The center most recently produced its first situational report with regard to the salmonella stereotype outbreak.
GAO said operational testing of detection technology for the nation's BioWatch program is planned to take place in April, about a year later than DHS initially planned.
The BioWatch program is intended to notify public health officials of the release of pathogens by using sensors in U.S. cities. By using advanced technology, Homeland Security hopes to reduce the time it takes to identify an airborne pathogen from more than 30 hours to about five hours.
Chertoff warned against the country becoming hysterical or complacent in dealing with homeland security challenges. And he said the United States must use a combination of military force and law enforcement strategies to counter threats.
"We have to use every tool in the national security and homeland security toolbox," he said. "All of these efforts together are the only way we can prevail in what I believe will be a long struggle."