Combating Terrorism: Need to Eliminate Duplicate Federal Weapons of Mass Destruction Training

• NCJ Number: 189386
• Author(s): Normal J. Rabkin
• Date Published: March 2000
• Length: 44 pages
• Corporate Author: US Government Accountability Office
• Sale Source: US Government Accountability Office; NCJRS Photocopy Services
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Issue Overview
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Downloaded June 12, 2001

Annotation

This report summarizes characteristics of the Federal government's role in weapons of mass destruction training and ways it can be improved.

Abstract

The Departments of Defense and Justice and the Federal Emergency Management Agency are the principal Federal organizations that provide training to first responders of terrorists' use of weapons of mass destruction (WMD). The programs are not well coordinated, causing inefficiencies in the Federal efforts and concerns about duplication in the first responder communities. Both the Department of Defense and the Department of Justice plan to deliver their programs in the same 120 cities and have offered training in 16 common cities. Some local officials are concerned that the Federal government training offered to cities has bypassed States' emergency management and training structures. In addition the State police have not received training. These concerns are consistent with previous Department of Justice reports. Common themes include the need for a single focal point for information about Federal programs and the need to incorporate training related to incidents involving WMD into existing training delivery mechanisms for first responders. Federal agencies recognize problems exist in training first responders and initiatives are under way that could lead to improvements. The Nunn-Lugar-Domenici Act authorized the Department of Defense to transfer its Domestic Preparedness Program to the Department of Justice. The Department of Justice will complete domestic preparedness training in the 120 cities to honor the Department of Defense's commitments to these areas. It also plans to deliver its Metropolitan Firefighters Program to 255 cities. Some cities will receive similar training under both programs. GAO recommends that the Departments eliminate duplicative training in the same cities. If the Department of Justice provides training in more than the currently planned 120 cities, it should integrate the Domestic Preparedness Program with the firefighters program to capitalize on the strengths of each program and eliminate duplication. 2 tables, 6 appendices, and 3 figures