Remarks by Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) - Threat of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDS) and Terrorist Bombs
Statement
Remarks by Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) - Threat of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDS) and Terrorist Bombs
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SEN. COLLINS: (Fed in progress) -- Republican on the Senate Homeland Security Committee. I'm very pleased to be here this morning with Homeland Security Secretary Michael CHertoff and with members of the law enforcement community. We are here to announce an initiative to counter what I believe to be the most likely terrorist threat facing our country, and that is the detonation of a bomb or an improvised explosive device.
Terrorist bombings have a long and bloody history in this country and around the world. In 1920, for example, an anarchist bombing in front of the New York Stock Exchange killed 38 people and wounded hundreds more. More recently, the bombings of the World Trade Center in the 1990s, the federal building in Oklahoma City, and the more recent attacks in Indonesia, Spain, Great Britain and elsewhere remind us of this vicious and indiscriminate threat.
And we are all painfully aware IEDs are the cause of much death and destruction in Iraq.
As Secretary Chertoff has noted, bombs are the weapon of choice for terrorists. The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security tell us that the threat from these devices is not only real but growing. As the threat of bomb attacks by homegrown terrorists rises, as demonstrated by the recent plot to bomb JFK Airport in New York, we must be increasingly on guard and strengthen our defenses.
Furthermore, the National Intelligence Estimate has identified IEDs as significant homeland security threat. And that is why today, along with the committee's chairman, Senator Joe Lieberman, I will be introducing the bipartisan National Bombing Prevention Act of 2007. This legislation aims to strengthen our defenses against this deadly weapon.
Senator Lieberman unfortunately is presiding over a hearing this morning, so he is unable to be with us. But his advice and support have been immensely helpful as we drafted this bill.
I'm also very gratefully that Secretary Chertoff is here today with us -- thank you -- and that we're joined by the Maine State Police chief, Patrick Fleming; Chief Ron Gastia of the Bangor Police Department; and Deputy Chief Joe Loughlin of the Portland, Maine, Police Department.
I would also like to welcome representatives of the National Bomb Squad Commanders Advisory Board, the National Tactical Officers Association, and the International Association of Bomb Technicians and Investigators. We've worked very closely with all of these law enforcement groups in drafting this legislation.
The bill has three major elements. First, it would authorize $25 million in funding for the Office of Bombing Prevention within the Department of Homeland Security.
The office is currently funded at about $7 million. The Homeland Security appropriations bill that went through the Senate, as the result of an amendment that I offered, would increase that to 10 million.
But our analysis is to help counter this growing threat, we really need a budget of about $25 million. That would help provide better training for state and local governments and law enforcement. It would also help to support a program known as the TRIPwire program, which is a program that's been very popular with law enforcement in providing information about IEDs.
Another part of the bill would task the Office of Bombing Prevention with coordinating national and intergovernmental bombing prevention activities, and for providing the resources that are needed for training. Last week, for example, members of several Maine and Connecticut police departments received briefings and training from DHS here in Washington, as well as an update from the FBI and fresh information on improvised explosive devices. More of that training will be enabled by this bill.
Second, the bill directs the president to release the National Strategy for Bombing Prevention, which is being worked on even as we speak, and to update it every four years. That will help keep this issue at the top of the priority list.
And third and perhaps most important, the bill will promote more research and development of counterexplosive technologies, and facilitate the transfer of military technologies for domestic anti- terror use. We have spent literally billions of dollars in developing countermeasures to be used by the military.
That necessary spending can also assist our domestic law enforcement agencies and homeland security agencies.
This legislation is badly needed. We need to make sure that our bomb squads around the country have the latest and most accurate information on bombing threats. We need to help raise awareness and knowledge of signs of these threats, including the purchases of precursor materials and other suspicious activities. And we need to improve information sharing and coordination among all levels of government, as well as the private sector.
I'm now very pleased to turn to Secretary Chertoff, who has made addressing the threat of IEDs a priority in DHS. And I'm very pleased that he could join us the morning.
Mr. Secretary, thank you.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
SEN. COLLINS: Thank you. Thank you.
I'd be glad to answer any questions or the people who are with me would as well, if anyone has some.
Yes?
Q (Off mike.)
SEN. COLLINS: The question, in case everybody couldn't hear it, is: Is there a special program for the transfer of technology or is there additional funding? How are we going to accomplish that goal?
And the answer to that is we do specifically authorize a technology transfer program. Right now there is not a good system in place for ensuring that technology and countermeasures that are developed by the Department of Defense can reach our state and local law enforcement officials. So we want to institutionalize a program specifically aimed at technology transfer. In addition, the $25 million authorization that we're proposing for the office would help to support more of an R&D effort and the transfer of that technology.
Yes?
Q (Off mike.)
SEN. COLLINS: I'm going to repeat the question because it's quite noisy out here. The question was about Hezbollah, and the recent National Intelligence Estimate said that Hezbollah is a growing threat in the homeland.
And with the tension between Iran and the United States, do I think this may be even more of a threat than al Qaeda? I think that was basically your question.
There's no doubt in my mind that we face a growing threat, not only from Hezbollah but also from homegrown terrorist groups that may be inspired by al Qaeda but are not directly linked to al Qaeda and are not receiving operational direction from al Qaeda.
I did an investigation a few years ago into the growth of counterfeiting of consumer goods. And what we found was Hezbollah was behind some of the counterfeiting because it was a much easier way to produce revenue than getting into the sale of drugs, for example. And we found examples in California in particular, where counterfeiting rings were broken up -- and I'm talking about counterfeiting of consumer goods, like pocketbooks, for example -- and we found all sorts of indications of involvement by groups affiliated with Hezbollah or members of Hezbollah. So I do believe that is a growing threat in this country.
But what I see even more is the rise of homegrown terrorists, whether they're inspired by Hezbollah or al Qaeda or any kind of radical Islamic website, or whether they're radicalized while in prison, and that is very disturbing.
If you look at the Fort Dix case or the JFK case in New York, those were homegrown radical groups, and the best border security in the world is not going to deal with the threat of homegrown radicals.
Yes?
Q (Off mike.)
SEN. COLLINS: The question was: Why hasn't the strategy for dealing with this threat been released yet? It was mandated by Congress, and what is it's status?
The strategy is long overdue. I believe it was supposed to have been released in July, and I asked Secretary Chertoff again today for an update. And he assured me that it is in the final stages of review and will be released very soon. So I expect that the strategy -- that we will see the strategy very, very soon.
I think it has been difficult for the Department of Justice, the Department of Homeland Security, all of the components units to work together and agree on a strategy, and it is absolutely imperative that we have a well thought-out plan that clearly defines responsibilities. And that's one reason that I included in my bill a requirement that the strategy be regularly updated and making clearer that would then be Department of Homeland Security it is the Office of Bombing Prevention. That is the lead agency.
But I think there have been some conflicts among the various agencies involved on who should be the lead and what role should be performed by which agency. But I do expect it soon.
Yes?
Q (Off mike.)
SEN. COLLINS: The question is: Are there any specific lessons that can be learned from the experience with IEDs in Iraq or that's unique to this country?
I think there are a lot of lessons that can be used -- can be learned from the experience with IEDs in Iraq. For one thing, the methods of detonation of IEDs apply to the detonation of a bomb in the United States.
The use of countermeasures to identify IEDs that may be concealed are certainly relevant in this country. But what I don't see is enough sharing of that information.
I believe that we have spent something in the nature of $15 billion to try to counter IEDs. Now, that includes all sorts of research and development efforts. But we need a system for sharing that information with civilian agencies at the federal level like DHS, but also with state and local law enforcement, and that's one of the goals of this bill.
STAFF: One more question.
SEN. COLLINS Yes?
Q (Off mike.)
SEN. COLLINS: The question is, how much of a threat is an IED in this country compared, for example, to the threat to our nuclear plants? And you pointed out that the standards have not been met in that area.
One of the goals that I have had on the Homeland Security Committee is to look ahead at what the most likely next threat is. Often in this country we tend to look backwards and concentrate on defending against the previous threat, and that's why we're focusing on IEDs and bombs. Both the national intelligence experts, the National Intelligence Estimate, the FBI, virtually all of the experts that have looked at our threat, the vulnerabilities that we have and the likely tools used by terrorists identify bombs and IEDs as the single greatest and most likely to be used threat against our homeland.
Our previous analysis in this area led us to pass port security legislation and chemical plant security legislation. So what we're trying to do is to look ahead, get ahead of the curve and make sure that we have the defenses we need in place and that we're identifying the most likely threat. And I believe this is the most likely threat, and that's what the experts tell us.
Thank you very much. Thank you.
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