Homeland security issues

Stephenson, John B., Homeland Security Federal and Industry Efforts are Addressing Security Issues at Chemical Facilities, but Additional Action is Needed, April 27, 2005, GAO-05-631T. 

Environmental and security issues are multifaceted and complex, in cultural, political and scientific sense, hi a fundamental way, the environment must be viewed as a strategic factor to be weighed in with many other variables affecting a global or homeland security. 

Vaccine liability issues were also covered in Section 304 of the Homeland Security Act (HSA) of 2002as amended in April 2003, in which Congress enacted liability protection for manufacturers of smallpox vaccines. Vaccine liability can be handled in four different ways the government can substitute itself as the defendant, it can decide nobody need be liable and provide no-fault compensation, it can indemnify manufacturers after they have been sued and lost, or it can alter the normal rules of litigation. In the HSA, the government substitutes itself as the defendant if the HHS Secretary declares an actual or potential bioterrorist incident or other actual or potential public health emergency makes advisable the administration of a covered countermeasure," such as a vaccine. Secretary Tommy Thompson issued the first such declaration on January 24, 2003. 

I am puzzled by the failure of the Department of Defense and/or the Secretary of Homeland Security to issue more realistic guidance concerning the actual likelihood (or lack thereof) of Americans becoming victims of a "nerve gas" attack. Perhaps the Times can have some beneficial influence in this regard. 

Commission and the Institute of Medicine have recommended a COCO, or its equivalent, relative to national vaccine needs for national and homeland security. These broader organizational issues are important however, they are beyond the scope of this report. 

The Department of Homeland Security has revised the structure of the NIMS and has required its use for all public safety agencies that request federal grant funds. Developed by communications and disaster experts, the system provides an excellent template to enable and to foster communication and coordination and should provide a foundation for disaster preparedness. All planners must be familiar with NIMS and consider the issues discussed and solutions proposed in this document (Department of Homeland Security, 2006). 

In essence, this book is a landmark publication in the field of toxicology of CWAs/CWMD, as it provides comprehensive coverage of these chemicals and emphasizes current and novel issues that have not previously been addressed. It is hoped that this book will aid not only academicians but lay persons in community preparedness at local, state, and federal levels to protect civilians, military personnel, animals, wildlife, and the environment from chemical attacks by terrorists, dictators, and other adversaries. This book will be an invaluable source of information for homeland security, the Department of Defense, the Department of Veteran Affairs, the Department of Defense Research Estabhshment, diagnostic labs, poison control centers, federal, state and local authorities, forensic scientists, pharmacologists, toxicologists, chemists, biologists, environmentalists, teachers, students, and libraries. 

The Office of the Secretary provides leadership for the entire DHHS. It is responsible for advising the President on issues relating to health and welfare. The most recent expansion in the OS is the formation of the Office of Public Health Preparedness (OPHP) in late 2001. This office was created in response to the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. The OPHP directs the DHHS activities aimed at protecting the population from acts of bioterrorism and other public health emergencies. Working with the Office of Homeland Security, OPHP s efforts are aimed at coordinating the preparation for and recovery from such events. 

The Homeland Security Office has issued a warning of suspected biological warfare using the Francisella tularensis (tularemia) bacteria. Which sign and symptoms would support the initial diagnosis of tularemia ... 

Supply reduction is an admittedly complex issue because it involves U.S. foreign relations policies, international treaties, the fight against terrorism, drug cartels, money laundering, and protection of our borders with Mexico and Canada. While all of these issues are important, concerns with foreign policy or homeland security must be separated from the focus here, which is the relationship between the... 

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