CARDIN TO CHAIR WMD RESPONSE HEARING

Hearing Will Examine Recent Inspector General Report Saying DOJ Largely Unprepared for WMD Attack

Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Benjamin L. Cardin (D-MD), Chairman of the Judiciary Terrorism and Homeland Security Subcommittee, will chair a hearing on Wednesday, August 4, at 10:00 AM ET entitled “Government Preparedness and Response to a Terrorist Attack Using Weapons of Mass Destruction.” The hearing will examine the May 2010 report of the Justice Department Inspector General that concludes that “the Department of Justice as a whole…has not implemented adequate WMD response plans. As a result, the Department is not fully prepared to provide a coordinated response to a WMD incident.” The report also examines the readiness of the National Capital Region (NCR) – which includes Prince George’s and Montgomery Counties – to respond to a WMD incident. According to the report, the NCR is a “potential target for terrorists” in a WMD attack.


WHAT: Senate Judiciary, Terrorism and Homeland Security Subcommittee Hearing on “Government Preparedness and Response to a Terrorist Attack Using Weapons of Mass Destruction”

WHEN: Wednesday, August 4, at 10:00 AM ET

WHERE: 226 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC

WITNESSES: (subject to change)

Panel I

The Honorable Glenn Fine
Inspector General
U.S. Department of Justice

James Baker
Associate Deputy Attorney General
U.S. Department of Justice

Steward Beckham
Director, Office of National Capital Region Coordination
Federal Emergency Management Agency
U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Panel II

Colonel Randall Larsen, USAF (Retired)
Executive Director
Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism

Dr. Michael J. Frankel
Executive Director
Commission to Assess the Threat to the U.S. from Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) Attack

LIVE WEBCAST OF THE HEARING WILL BE AVAILABLE AT
http://judiciary.senate.gov/hearings/hearing.cfm?id=4748