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Thank
you Mr. Chairman and distinguished members of the House Energy and Commerce
Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations for inviting me here today to
discuss the administration’s proposal for creating the
Department of Homeland Security.
I am Don Cobb, Associate Director for Threat Reduction at Los Alamos
National Laboratory. At Los Alamos, I am responsible for all programs directed
at reducing threats associated with weapons of mass destruction. I personally
have more than 30 years experience working to reduce these threats.
Los
Alamos is operated by the University of California for the DOE/NNSA and is one
of three NNSA laboratories, along with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
and Sandia National Laboratories, responsible for maintaining the nation’s
nuclear stockpile. In addition to our stockpile responsibilities, the three NNSA
laboratories have been involved for decades in technology development and
problem solving in the realm of arms control and nonproliferation. Through our
work in these areas, Los Alamos has developed a skill and technology base that
enabled us to respond immediately following the September 11 attacks, to calls
for assistance in counter terrorism and homeland security. With the
President’s call for a new Department of Homeland Security, Los Alamos stands
ready to focus its capabilities in support of this new department.
Today,
I would like to discuss with you the broad set of capabilities that Los Alamos
brings to U.S. efforts to protect our homeland from future terrorist attacks.
While my testimony is Los Alamos centric, progress in science and
technology depends on collaboration among the national laboratories, government,
industry and academia.
Los
Alamos National Laboratory firmly supports the creation of a Department of
Homeland Security (DHS). Consolidation
of federal homeland security agencies has the potential to protect the nation
against terrorism.
The
President’s proposal would give the Department four divisions: Information
Analysis and Infrastructure Protection; Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and
Nuclear Countermeasures; Border and Transportation Security; and Emergency
Preparedness and Response. Each of
these mission areas will require focused research and development (R&D).
My statement will describe some of the key contributions Los Alamos and
the other national laboratories can make to homeland security in each of these
areas.
ENGAGING THE
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY (S&T) COMMUNITY
“The
government will need mechanisms to engage the technical capabilities of the
government and the nation’s scientific, engineering, and medical communities
in pursuit of homeland security goals,” says a new National Academies report.
Every division of the DHS will require research, development, testing,
and evaluation (RDT&E) to solve the technical challenges it will face.
At
Los Alamos, we have asked the question, “How can a newly formed DHS best
engage with the S&T community, including the national laboratories,
universities and industry?” I
believe that in order to succeed, DHS requires a single, focused S&T office
that serves as the central R&D organization for the Department. As suggested by the House and Senate bills, this office could
be placed under a separate Director of Science and Technology.
The best and brightest human resources, including federal staff augmented
by scientists and engineers assigned from national laboratories, industry and
academia, must staff this S&T office. Boundaries
with other organizations must be “permeable,” enabling people to move back
and forth easily.
The S&T office would be
responsible for the planning and oversight of focused RDT&E, including both
rapid technology acquisition and long-term, high-risk, high-payoff research.
Functional responsibilities for the agency would therefore include:
- Threat and vulnerability
assessment;
- Identification of needs
through interactions with other agencies, and with state and local
governments;
- Strategic planning and
prioritization for RDT&E investments;
- Program planning,
budgeting, funding and oversight;
- Systems architectures;
- Science and technology
acquisition from universities, industry and national laboratories;
- Technology integration;
- Evaluation of technologies
and systems effectiveness; and
- Close coordination with
end-users during initial system deployments.
The
office should be established quickly, in place and functioning concurrently with
the establishment of the DHS—we want to maintain, and even accelerate, the
momentum which has built since September 11.
I now will describe some of the key contributions Los Alamos is making to
homeland security.
INFORMATION
ANALYSIS AND INFRASTRUCTURE PROTECTION
National
Infrastructure Simulation and Analysis Center (NISAC). Los Alamos is
partnering with Sandia National Laboratories to establish NISAC.
NISAC is intended to provide improved technical planning, simulation, and
decision support for the analysis of critical infrastructures, their
interdependencies, and vulnerabilities for policy analysis and emergency
planning. This technology is based
on a decade long, $150M investment in basic research and software development,
supported by the world's largest secure, scientific computing environment. NISAC
will provide the type, scale, and comprehensive level of information that will
enable the nation’s senior leadership proactively to deny terrorist attack
options against potentially high-value targets, instead of simply reacting to
the latest threat scenarios. NISAC will provide essential analytic support for
discovering and overcoming gaps in our homeland security.
NISAC
was created as part of the U.S.A. Patriot Act of 2001 (P.L. 107-56).
The President’s proposal
calls for the transfer of NISAC to the DHS. Because NISAC has responsibility
across all infrastructure sectors, it is appropriate that NISAC should directly
support the agency charged with cross-infrastructure responsibilities.
NISAC is part of a broader portfolio of infrastructure modeling and
simulation work at the two laboratories. This is significant. The technical and
programmatic synergies that accrue to NISAC as a result of this association
allow for immediate application of the R&D efforts to real problems today.
From vulnerability assessments of actual infrastructures to “what if”
simulations of biological event scenarios, NISAC is providing insights and
information to senior decision makers now. As this capability matures, we will
do more.
National
Transportation Modeling and Analysis Program (NATMAP).
NATMAP, currently being developed for the Department of
Transportation, builds on Los Alamos’ transportation modeling technology
developed over the past decade. NATMAP simulates individual carriers—trucks,
trains, planes, and waterborne vessels—and the transportation infrastructures
used by these carriers to simulate freight commodity shipments of the U.S.
transportation network. It moves individual freight shipments from production
areas, through intermodal transfer facilities and distribution centers, to
points of consumption. The advantage of the NATMAP is that the nation’s system
can be represented at any level of detail – from trucks and goods moving among
counties and within regions, to national multi-modal traffic flows including
cross border trade with Mexico and Canada. This strength can be exploited for
transportation policy, security and infrastructure investment purposes.
Vulnerability/Threat
Assessments: Nuclear Facilities.
Over the last 20 years, Los Alamos and Sandia have analyzed physical
security and identified vulnerabilities at numerous nuclear facilities
throughout DOE, DoD, and U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) facilities.
These facilities include nuclear reactors, plutonium-handling facilities,
nuclear weapons storage facilities, commercial nuclear power plants, and spent
nuclear fuel facilities. We routinely train external agencies on developing
protection strategies for low-probability/high-consequence scenarios, such as
aircraft crash, sabotage, and fire. Fundamental
to these activities are the unique facilities and capabilities that Los Alamos
brings to these analyses. We are
the only site where highly radioactive materials can be studied experimentally
for their response to postulated threat scenarios.
Such an understanding is essential for analyzing threats and their
potential consequences.
Threat
Analysis and Warning. Following the
September 11 attacks, we established a multidisciplinary team of analysts
searching for evidence of terrorist activity. Such analysis requires the latest
information management technologies, advanced computational methods, and
automated pattern identification to search enormous amounts of electronic
information. This tremendous task
is complicated by the fact that the vast majority of data represents completely
innocent activity. Under the new
Department, a major effort will be needed to develop the tools that will provide
the ability to accurately synthesize information from intelligence, law
enforcement, and open sources. Using
our experience in solving related problems over the years, for example in
identifying activities indicating WMD proliferation, Los Alamos will continue to
provide analytic capability in this area.
Immigration
and Naturalization Service: Entry/Exit
System. The Immigration and
Naturalization Service Data Management Improvement Act (DMIA) of 2000 (P.L
106-215) created a Task Force to evaluate how the flow of traffic at United
States ports of entry can be improved while enhancing security and implementing
systems for data collection and data sharing. The Task Force is
advisory in nature, and as such, will develop recommendations regarding the
development and deployment of an integrated, automated entry/exit system.
A team of experts from Los Alamos is working with the Task Force to provide
advice and objective recommendations regarding the design and development of the
system.
GENetic
Imagery Exploitation (GENIE). Los
Alamos has developed a sophisticated image analysis technology called GENIE to
create high-resolution maps. Current
sensor platforms collect a flood of high-quality imagery.
Automatic feature extraction is key to enabling human analysts to keep up
with the flow. Machine
learning tools, such as the genetic algorithm-based GENIE, have been
successfully used in military and intelligence applications of broad area search
and object detection, evaluation of environmental disasters, space imaging, and
diagnosis from medical imagery. GENIE has been quickly deployed on a wide range
of processing systems across the nation, and was recently recognized with an
R&D 100 award.
Gigabit
Computer Network Traffic Monitoring. Los
Alamos has recently developed technology that can monitor computer network
traffic at gigabit/gigabyte rates, which could be applied to the problem of
terrorist activity detection. By being able to scan network traffic at gigabit
rates, both for trends as well as between specific sources and destinations, our
tools can be used to provide indicators or early warning of suspicious
communications. While many of these traffic analysis techniques are well known,
they have been limited until now by the inability to collect and process data at
gigabit rates.
Geographic
Information Systems (GIS). Los Alamos has high-end computer systems
capable of assembling, storing, manipulating, and displaying geographically
referenced information. Our GIS
make it possible to link, or integrate, information that is difficult to
associate through any other means. For
example, a GIS might allow emergency planners to easily calculate emergency
response times in the event of a disaster; we can predict water quality, air
quality, contaminant transport, wildfires and other natural hazards based on
defined threat scenarios. A
critical component of Los Alamos’ GIS is our 3D modeling and visualization
capability. We can produce wall
maps and other graphics, allowing the viewer to visualize and thereby understand
the results of analyses or simulations of potential events.
CHEMICAL,
BIOLOGICAL, RADIOLOGICAL, AND NUCLEAR COUNTERMEASURES
The
response to chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats necessarily
take very different approaches. The
dual-use nature of chemical and biological materials makes them easily
accessible. For instance, feritlizer can be used to help plants grow, but
the same chemicals can also be used in the construction of a bomb.
In addition, hazardous microorganisms can be grown from very small
starting samples. Given the prevalence of these materials, the primary focus in
countering chemical and biological threats is on early detection of attack,
early warning to authorities and first responders, and rapid characterization of
the agent to guide response. Radiological
and nuclear materials, on the other hand, have a much longer history of being
regulated and safeguarded at their source. Consequently, the best way to respond
to this variety of threat is to prevent terrorists from ever acquiring the
necessary materials, protecting them at their source.
Thus, we have an opportunity for a layered protection strategy to counter
nuclear terrorism.
Chemical
and Biological Countermeasures
Los
Alamos has a long history of working in the biological sciences, born out of
initial work done on the effects of radiation on humans. Over the years, this
has developed into a significant expertise, including leadership in the
international Human Genome Project and the development of now widely used
biomedical technologies, based on our expertise in lasers and isotope chemistry.
For example, Los Alamos created the field of flow cytometry, which allows
researchers to flow objects past a laser that can rapidly answer questions about
individual cells or molecules, like DNA. Thanks to this strong foundation in the
biosciences, Los Alamos was able to make contributions during the recent anthrax
attacks, as well as in the broader area of biothreat reduction, primarily
through our work for NNSA’s Chemical and Biological National Security Program
(CBNP).
Field
Detection and Early Identification of Pathogens
The
Biological Aerosol Sentry and Information System (BASIS), a joint Los
Alamos-Livermore project, provides early warning of airborne biological weapons
attacks for special events such as the Olympics. Planned for use in civilian
settings, BASIS can detect a biological attack within a few hours, early enough
to treat exposed victims and limit casualties significantly. It was deployed at
the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. The BASIS system incorporates
distributed sampling units (sensors), a re-locatable field laboratory, and an
operations center that employs a secure web-based communications system.
Advanced
BASIS technology is currently being integrated into the Biosurveillance Defense
Initiative. The Initiative, which is sponsored by the Defense Threat Reduction
Agency of the Department of Defense and the NNSA, is a joint Los Alamos,
Livermore, and Sandia program. The tri-lab effort will establish an urban test
bed for biosurveillance in a U.S. metropolitan area this fall. Technologies
developed by the three NNSA laboratories for early detection of biological
incidents, as well as Department of Defense systems, will be included in the
test bed.
Pathogen
Characterization for Forensics, Attribution and Response
Once
an attack has occurred, it is up to the biological science and medical
communities to respond to the aftermath. These communities, Los Alamos included,
responded to the challenge posed by the fall 2001 anthrax attacks. Los Alamos
assisted the federal response to the attacks from the beginning, providing DNA
forensics expertise to the investigation, determining what strain of anthrax was
used, as well as other characteristics important for response (e.g., antibiotic
resistance or genetic manipulation).
Los
Alamos was able to respond to the attacks as we did because we have been working
for the past ten years on analyzing the DNA of anthrax and building a
comprehensive database of strains from around the world. Beyond just anthrax,
the Laboratory is working on a variety of pathogen strain analysis approaches
for detection, characterization and attribution of threat pathogens. This work,
along with that of our colleagues at Livermore and Northern Arizona University,
has provided the assays being used in BASIS. Sophisticated analysis capability
resides at Los Alamos for more comprehensive pathogen characterization and,
importantly, for the identification of unknown microbes.
Los
Alamos works with a broad range of characterization and identification
technologies. For instance, Los Alamos has established a DNA
fingerprinting method for rapidly identifying the “genetic barcode” for each
threat agent species. We have established an archive of such “barcodes” so
that, when we conduct an analysis on a new sample, we can rapidly compare its
signature to all those in the database. Additionally, if a threat pathogen is
known, Los Alamos can use our DNA analysis methods to detect a broad range of
agent properties that are important for understanding the attack and guiding
prophylaxis and treatment; including evidence of genetic manipulation and
antibiotic resistance. We can also differentiate strains of the known threat
agents and can, for some species, determine their original geographic origin.
Biological
Demonstration and Application Program. The forensic technologies described
above, as well as routine analytical techniques, are being evaluated and
standardized in the Biological Demonstration and Application Program (BDAP).
BDAP is a collaborative NNSA-sponsored effort between Los Alamos, Livermore and
the Northern Arizona University. The BDAP will facilitate rapid transition of
NNSA-developed forensic technology into use by the public health, law
enforcement and intelligence communities.
Biological
Toxin Detection. We have developed a prototype of a simple, compact
sensor system for detection of biological toxins, viruses, and bacteria. The
prototype has been sent to a customer for use and evaluation. Our initial
efforts have been focused on the development of a single-channel, hand-held,
battery operated instrument for detection of cholera and ricin toxins within
environmental samples. This sensor approach offers high sensitivity and
specificity, simplicity of use, and rapid response time (5-10 minutes).
Chemical
Detection. Los Alamos has
also developed sensors for detecting chemical threats. For instance, the Swept
Frequency Acoustic Interferometer (SFAI) can be used to determine the
composition of suspected chemical weapons without opening up the weapon or
disturbing it. These devices are hand-carried and have been tested extensively.
The technology is so sensitive that it can easily distinguish between the
contents of cans of Coke® and Diet Coke®. Research is also moving forward
employing fuel cell technology for development of an inexpensive, small and
highly sensitive chemical agent vapor detector.
Nuclear
and Radiological Countermeasures
As
described earlier, the radiological and nuclear threat must be dealt with in
marked contrast to how the chemical and biological threat is managed. For
example, if you wait to detect the use of a radiological or nuclear device, in
most cases, it’s too late. Instead, what is critical in this area is making
every effort possible to secure materials at their source and ensure that
terrorists cannot access them.
Securing Materials
at their Source
The
DOE/NNSA Materials Protection, Control and Accounting (MPC&A) program is the
first line of defense against nuclear terrorism.
With the dissolution of the Soviet Union, NNSA/DOE estimates that Russia
inherited approximately 850 tons of highly enriched uranium (HEU) and plutonium.
Considering the International Atomic Energy Agency definition of
significant quantities, this is enough material to make more than 50,000 nuclear
explosive devices. MPC&A
security upgrades are complete for about 1/3 of the fissile material identified
as being at risk of theft or diversion in Russia.
Rapid progress is being made to increase the security of the remaining
materials, but completing the effort will take several more years of intensive
work.
Whereas
in the past nonproliferation efforts were focused on weapons-usable materials,
today there is a recognition that other radiological materials (used for
industrial, medical and research purposes) pose a threat in the form of
radiological dispersal devices (RDDs), or “dirty bombs.” Los Alamos is
actively working with DOE/NNSA and counterparts in Russia to develop strategies
to secure radiological sources that pose a threat in the form of a dirty bomb.
Thousands
of radiological sources are used in the U.S. for research, medical and
industrial applications. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission plans to
strengthen control of the sources it licenses for these uses. The DOE and
its predecessor agencies originally produced radiological sources for a
variety of defense and civilian applications. These so-called “orphan
sources” are being recovered by Los Alamos and repackaged as transuranic
waste. More than 3,000 sources have been recovered to date. The pace of
this recovery effort will likely increase to cover the more than 5,000 sources
remaining.
Second Line of
Defense
The
Second Line of Defense (SLD) program has the mission to detect and recover any
nuclear material that may slip through the first line of defense described
above. The program works to strengthen Russia's overall capability to prevent
the illegal transfer of nuclear materials, equipment, and technology to would-be
proliferators. The immediate goal of the program is to equip Russia's most
vulnerable border sites with nuclear detection equipment. A future goal is to
establish a sustainable counter-nuclear smuggling capability in Russia. SLD
provides training programs for front-line inspectors, and purchases detection
equipment that can “sniff” out nuclear materials.
Protecting U.S.
Borders, Bases and Cities
This
area, in effect the third line of defense, strives to detect radiological or
nuclear materials at U.S. ports of entry. For
several federal agencies, including the U.S. Coast Guard and the U.S. Customs
Service, we are providing information on handheld radiation detectors and
isotope identifiers. We are
providing advice on what instruments to buy, and instructing operators in their
use. Los Alamos is actively
involved in a maritime surveillance study that analyzes potential
vulnerabilities of commercial shipping.
Los
Alamos is also playing a role in helping to protect U.S. military bases. One
example of this is a joint NNSA and Defense Threat Reduction Agency effort. Its
goal is to improve the Department of Defense’s ability to detect, identify,
respond, and prevent unconventional nuclear attacks by national, sub-national,
or terrorist entities. The project combines technology and resources from both
agencies to develop, deploy, test and demonstrate nuclear protection systems and
networks at four different U.S. military installations. This effort is currently
underway and involves Los Alamos and several other NNSA and DOE laboratories.
If successful, the systems will be applicable to civilian urban areas.
Radiation Sensors
and Detection Systems
Handheld
Search Instruments. Handheld instruments are those that a police officer,
customs inspector, or similar official can use to search for radioactive
material on a person or in a suspicious package. They can identify the isotope
emitting the radiation—an enhancement that allows a user to distinguish
between benign radiation emitters such as radiopharmaceuticals or smoke alarms,
and the weapons-usable material that we want to interdict. Los Alamos has developed a new handheld instrument with a
Palm™ interface that enables users to distinguish between radiation sources
within seconds. The Palm™ unit can
provide data about the nature of the nuclear source at hand and the isotopes
present. Los Alamos is exploring commercial licensing and production for this
handheld search instrument. Earlier
versions, the so-called GN (gamma-neutron) series of handheld instruments have
already been commercialized.
Package
Monitor. The Laboratory has developed systems to detect nuclear materials,
particularly hard-to-detect ones such as uranium-235, which might be missed by
regular search instruments. An example of this is a newly developed package
monitor that detects nuclear material in parcels via neutron interrogation. A
prototype of the package monitor is currently being field-tested at a U.S. Customs facility.
Portal
Monitors. Portal monitors are specialized radiation sensors in physical
packages that are optimized for detecting radiation from nuclear materials as a
pedestrian or vehicle passes through a choke point. Los Alamos is the DOE
repository of portal-monitoring expertise and has helped developed the technical
standards for portal monitor performance. LANL has placed portal monitors around the world in support
of the nuclear Second Line of Defense program as well as domestic and
international safeguards programs. Currently,
LANL is involved in the technical evaluation of portal monitors from all U.S.
vendors against the technical standards.
Active
Interrogation of Cargo Containers. Los Alamos is working with Idaho
National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory and commercial partner ARACOR
to develop and test a system that actively interrogates large cargo containers
(air, sea, rail, and road) to determine if there is any nuclear material
present. The system, a large U-shaped structure with a linear accelerator
on one side and x-ray detectors on the other, can be driven over a cargo
container to produce an x-ray image. The
image shows neutron emissions, which are a signature of nuclear material.
Long-Range
Alpha Detector. The LRAD is potentially
valuable for sampling volumes of air or extensive surfaces where an alpha
emitter may have been dispersed, and thus might be used in response to
radiation-dispersal attacks. LRADs have been used for environmental monitoring
at places where dispersed uranium is a problem. An LRAD implementation for radon
monitoring has been commercialized by Eberline and could be rapidly adapted to
the contamination-monitoring role.
EMERGENCY
PREPAREDNESS AND RESPONSE
Los
Alamos plays an important role within the area of nuclear emergency response.
The largest and the most well-known team in this area is the DOE-managed NEST
team. NEST was created in 1975 in response to concerns over nuclear
terrorism activity. Its effectiveness is due to well-established interagency
relationships including significant Department of Defense and FBI collaboration.
NEST is focused on responding to a threatened act involving radiological or
nuclear materials or devices. Among the range of potential terrorist threats
involving weapons of mass destruction, the nuclear response infrastructure and
capabilities are the most mature and capable of addressing the threat. NEST
includes the capabilities to search for, diagnose, and disable an improvised
nuclear device.
NEST
depends on a team of highly dedicated individuals at the national laboratories
and facilities throughout the DOE-complex who volunteer their expertise to this
program. Los Alamos’ NEST and related activities are funded at approximately
$10 million in fiscal year 2002. More than 100 Los Alamos scientists and
engineers are involved in various aspects of the NEST program. Nearly all are
involved in other parts of the Laboratory’s research in nuclear weapons or
threat reduction. Many of the employees who work part-time on NEST are involved
with more than one team within the NEST program.
It
is important to note that NEST is more than a group of scientists who stand at
the ready with pagers on their belts, waiting to be contacted to respond to a
crisis. NEST team members at the DOE and NNSA laboratories, including Los
Alamos, are involved in a wide range of related activities including research
and development into diagnostic tools, disablement techniques, and computer
simulations and modeling; working with the intelligence and law enforcement
communities on the analysis of threats and the development of analytical tools;
training of employees from other government agencies in environments that allow
hands-on work with the actual nuclear materials that they might encounter in the
field; and providing subject-matter experts when required. Los Alamos has the
lead within NEST for development of nuclear diagnostic tools to help determine
the nature of the suspected threat device and for maintenance of what is called
the “home team,” a group of experts parallel to those that would be deployed
in the field who can provide analysis, advice and technical support.
Los
Alamos is involved to varying degrees in all aspects of the national NEST
program. The activities of the national team, and Los Alamos’ role, are as
follows.
Search
Activities. Los Alamos is
primarily involved in research and evaluation of detectors used for search.
Joint
Tactical Operations Team (JTOT). JTOT
is a partnering of DOE and DoD expertise that provides advice or direct
assistance to render safe a suspect malevolent employment of a nuclear device by
terrorists or others and to perform a nuclear safety assessment for the eventual
safe disposition of the device. Los Alamos plays a major role in the JTOT
mission and is involved in maintaining management oversight, render-safe
capability, diagnostics capability, emergency response home-team capability, a
watchbill (a group of experts who are on call 24 hours-a-day, seven days-a-week,
year-round), communications support and deployable equipment, and contingency
planning.
Real
Time Radiography. This system
uses a portable source of x-rays to look at a suspect object in real time,
without moving or disturbing the object. Using
this technique, we can identify electronic components within the object,
yielding important data for action decisions. Just as a dentist uses an x-ray to
locate a cavity, we can use this system to locate where to drill a suspect
object, disrupting its electronics and disabling other components. This system
was adapted from commercially available equipment and enhances what is available
to most emergency responder units.
Accident
Response Group (ARG). ARG is
responsible for dealing with incidents involving a U.S. weapon, commonly
referred to as a “Broken Arrow.” Los Alamos has experts on the ARG roster
that may be called upon if their particular set of knowledge is necessary to
deal with the given situation.
Disposition.
These assets support both the JTOT and the ARG team, making decisions
about the ultimate disassembly and disposition of a device after it has been
made safe to move and ship to a remote location.
Consequence
Management. Following an
incident, this team is involved in the immediate monitoring of any potential
radiological dispersal and in monitoring and forecasting that can advise
responders on issues of evacuation and treatment.
Attribution.
This area involves drawing upon capabilities from the U.S. weapons
testing program to analyze samples and draw forensic inferences about a threat
device. In the case of a nuclear detonation or seizure of a weapon (or precursor
material) it will be necessary to attribute quickly and accurately the
material/item/incident to the perpetrators through an understanding of the
materials used, type of device, yield produced or anticipated, the source of the
technology and the pathway(s) that lead to the event. This requires an
integrated national security program that draws on the broad based technical
expertise available in NNSA as well as key NNSA facilities and analytical
capabilities.
Radiological
Assistance Program (RAP). Related
to but separate from NEST, DOE and Los Alamos maintain response plans and
resources to provide radiological assistance to other federal agencies; state
local, and tribal governments; and private groups requesting such assistance in
the event of a real or potential radiological emergency. The Los Alamos RAP
organization provides trained personnel and equipment to evaluate, assess,
advise, and assist in the mitigation of actual or perceived radiological hazards
or risks to workers, the public, and the environment. This Los Alamos capability
supports associated activities throughout RAP Region Four: Kansas, Oklahoma,
Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico.
CONCLUSION
Los
Alamos is a national laboratory with a broad set of capabilities in the area of
homeland security and a long history of serving the nation in this area.
As President Bush stated in his June 6, 2002, address to the nation,
“In the war against terrorism, America’s vast science and technology base
provides us with a key advantage.” Our
capabilities will continue to be at the service of the nation.
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