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WASHINGTON, July 16: US President George W. Bush on Tuesday proposed a strategy to protect America from terrorism that includes using the US military to enforce quarantines during a biological attack and “red teams” of agents thinking like terrorists to pinpoint weaknesses.
The strategy includes an element that evokes futuristic Hollywood thrillers in its plan for teams to develop ways to detect behavior indicating the “hostile intent” of a potential terrorist.
“Protecting Americans from attack is our most urgent national priority and we must act on the priority,” Bush said in his long-awaited roll-out of the national homeland security strategy he ordered in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States.
Bush announced his initiative in the White House Rose Garden after he met key members of Congress with a role in homeland security legislation.
The plan calls for new extradition and secrecy laws, new vaccines, tighter border inspections and a major effort to protect infrastructure such as power plants and pipelines.
It also calls for high-tech methods to identify people and for nationwide standards on state drivers’ licenses. But it stops short of urging a national identity card that some have called for but others have resisted, citing fears of government intrusion.
The 71-page plan is detailed in a booklet illustrated with pictures of a freeway interchange, a nuclear power plant, a Washington subway station — presumably potential targets.
BRAINSTORMING ‘RED TEAMS’: In another Hollywood-style scenario outlined in the strategy, “red teams” of federal agents would think like terrorists brainstorming ways to attack US targets, in order to devise better methods of protecting them.
The plan envisions a greater role for the US military in domestic security. Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge, who developed the overall strategy, said this may include using troops to enforce a quarantine in the event of a biological attack.
He told CNN television the “rules of engagement” for such a circumstance should be worked out ahead of time.
Other proposals would overhaul the Coast Guard with new ships and anti-terror gear, improve the ability of government computer systems to talk to each other, and work internationally to make passports harder to forge.
The plan calls on state and local governments and the private sector to bear a significant share of the costs. It estimated the costs of private security for businesses could double from the $55 billion spent before Sept. 11.
Bush’s plan is centered around his proposed new Cabinet Department of Homeland Security, which was outlined earlier.
“This comprehensive plan lays out clear lines of authority and clear responsibilities — responsibilities for federal employees and for governors and mayors and community and business leaders and the American citizens. With a better picture of those responsibilities, all of us can direct money and manpower to meet them,” Bush said.
Bush urged lawmakers to complete work on establishing the Homeland Security Department.
House of Representatives Speaker Dennis Hastert said after the Bush speech that he would like to complete action by Sept. 11, the first anniversary of the hijacked plane attacks that killed about 3,000 people.
“We’d like have it done by September 11, however we’re not going to let haste get in the way of getting a good piece of legislation,” said Hastert, an Illinois Republican.—Reuters
