Good afternoon. I am pleased to open our joint hearing today between the Judiciary Subcommittee on Technology, Terrorism and Government Information and the Select Committee on Intelligence, chaired by my colleague Senator Shelby. Today’s hearing continues our joint examination of chemical and biological weapons issues that began on March 4, when we took up the issue of bio-terrorism.

Yesterday, our Committees received a classified intelligence briefing on the subject of chemical and biological weapons -- or “CBW” -- threats to the United States. That briefing painted a sobering picture of growing proliferation networks, aggressive national CBW development programs, and increasing levels of violence and lethality associated with terrorism.

Three years ago, we received a terrible wake-up call when the Aum Shinrikyo cult released sarin gas in a crowded Tokyo subway. A theoretical possibility had become real, searing forever in our consciousness the vulnerability of our open societies to CBW terrorist attack. In February, we held a hearing on foreign terrorist operations in the U.S., where we learned that terrorist groups have shown both the capability and possibly the intent to commit similar acts here. In particular, investigations into the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center revealed Ramzi Yousef’s interest in using chemical weapons in that attack -- which he abandoned only for lack of time and money.

Terrorists are not are our only concern. Rogue states -- such as Iraq, Libya and North Korea -- are aggressively pursuing CBW. These governments have learned many lessons from Desert Storm. One lesson is the futility of challenging the overwhelming military force of the United States and the West by conventional means. But a related lesson they have learned is that attacking our vulnerabilities, rather than our strengths, might prove more effective. In this light, we cannot discount the prospective threat or strategic use of weapons of mass destruction against the territory or population of the United States.

The potential for CBW attack against the United States represents one of the principal national security threats to our country in the 21st century. We must ensure that we marshal the full range of national assets -- especially intelligence, military, medical and investigative capabilities -- and integrate them into an effective national crisis management system. A well organized national response system, properly equipped, trained and exercised, will help deter CBW attack against the United States. It will also ensure that we are prepared to respond to any CBW crisis and to mitigate the consequences of CBW attack should it occur.

The purpose of our hearing today is to examine our current national policies and capabilities for dealing with CBW attacks against the United States. Presidential Decision Directive (PDD) 39 set forth revised federal roles and missions for counterterrorism activities in the wake of the Tokyo subway attack, the World Trade Center bombing and the Oklahoma City bombing. PDD 39 is nearly three years old; and press accounts indicate that the Administration is reviewing and updating that directive. Clearly it is an appropriate time to step back and assess whether we are in a better position today than in 1995 for dealing with CBW threats. We will want to consider several questions:

First, has the current PDD led to the development of an effective national system for planning and responding to CBW attack in the United States?

Second, do national plans and capabilities adequately reflect the scope and size of the CBW threat? At what point would our capabilities be overwhelmed in the face of CBW attack?

And finally, will the current inter-agency structure and allocation of responsibilities permit the continued improvement of our national response system, or should alternative approaches be considered?

We have invited Attorney General Janet Reno and FBI Director Louis Freeh to describe how the U.S. government is currently organizing and planning for the federal response to potential CBW incidents in the United States. The FBI has been given the lead agency role in responding to CBW crises in the United States. We are particularly interested in learning how the capabilities of other federal agencies, and especially those of the Defense Department, are integrated into the national effort. The recent report of the National Defense Panel suggests that “homeland defense” against CBW attack should be a top priority for DoD; we’ll want to get a understanding, as best we can at this unclassified hearing, of how DoD capabilities can be brought to bear in a domestic CBW incident.

After Attorney General Reno and Director Freeh, we’ll then turn to two distinguished experts who can comment on the state of our overall preparedness for responding to CBW attacks against the United States. Jim Woolsey, former Director of Central Intelligence, led the “Livermore Study Group,” which examined this very issue and made several recommendations for improving our national capabilities. Don Latham, our second witness, was a lead participant in the 1997 Defense Science Board study that examined the role of the military in responding to CBW threats to the territory of the United States. Let me emphasize again that we are focusing on national level policies and capabilities, and do not intend to examine in detail today the domestic preparedness training program for first responders. While state and local preparedness for responding to CBW incidents is a critical issue, I would point to the excellent work of our colleagues on the Armed Services Committee who took up this issue in late March.

Finally, we’ve also put together a rather unusual panel to highlight certain aspects of the CBW threat facing the United States. Richard Preston, a best-selling author and recognized expert on biological weapons, will discuss the highly sophisticated offensive BW program of the former Soviet Union, which may still continue today in Russia. We’ve also invited Dr. Christine Gosden from the University of Liverpool, who recently visited Iraq to conduct research into the long-term health problems affecting the survivors of Saddam Hussein’s 1988 poison gas attack on the Kurdish population in Halabja, in northern Iraq. And finally, Commander Ken Campbell, who is here as a private citizen today, will discuss the changing nature of terrorism, and why the potential for weapons of mass destruction terrorism is on the rise. This panel, along with the information received in our closed door hearing, will allow us to examine how well our national capabilities are calibrated to the CBW threats we are likely to face in the next century.

Let me now give the floor to Senator Shelby for his opening statement, and then to Senators Feinstein, Kerrey, and my other colleagues in the order of their arrival. Senator Shelby.