Letter to Chairman Levin and Ranking Member McCain, of the Senate Armed Services Committee

Letter

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today urged the Senate Armed Services committee to fully authorize the National Guard's Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Teams (WMD-CST) that would preserve the Fort Hamilton team based in Brooklyn, NY. WMD-CST's provide rapid support to civil authorities and local incident commanders by determining the nature and extent of a WMD attack as well as providing technical advice and recommendations for follow-on response forces. Even though New York City remains the world's #1 terror target, however, the Defense Department has proposed eliminating the Fort Hamilton Unit, which could leave New York City more vulnerable to terrorist attacks. Schumer today urged leaders on the Senate Armed Services Committee to reject these proposed cuts to preserve this crucial WMD team at Fort Hamilton. Schumer also announced that he would co-sponsor legislation, introduced by Senator Gillibrand, that would have the same effect in preserving the Fort Hamilton Unit.

"With New York City still the number one terror target in the US, cutting a crucial support team that would provide rapid response in the case of a WMD attack makes no sense," said Schumer. "While we haven't suffered a terrorist attack since that fateful day over 10 years ago, we must remain vigilant and preserve our support teams that can respond to future attacks. Preserving this crucial WMD team at Fort Hamilton should be a no-brainer, and I urge my colleagues on the Armed Services committee to reject these short-signed, unnecessary cuts."

WMD-CST teams serve as our nation's and New York's experts for WMD response and are the cornerstone of our chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) enterprise. They respond to numerous crisis situations while maintaining effective reinforcing capability to mitigate other emerging threats. Stationing of WMD-CSTs like that based at Fort Hamilton is based on proximity to cities and events of national interest, related response time, existing facilities, and the ability to minimize potential overlap with other supporting agencies. The training and certification timeline of a single team typically exceeds one year.

New York State is home to two WMD-CST teams. One, located at Stratton Air National Guard Base in Scotia, NY, is not on the chopping block under proposed Defense Department cuts. But the other, located at Fort Hamilton, Brooklyn, NY, could be cut if the President's FY 2013 budget is enacted, leaving New York City without a WMD-CST team.

Senator Schumer today urged Senators Levin and McCain, the Chairman and Ranking Members of the Senate Armed Services committee, respectively, to fully authorize the National Guard's Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Teams (WMD-CST) to preserve the unit at Fort Hamilton. Schumer noted that New York is a top target for terrorist organizations and that the WMD-CST team based at Fort Hamilton serves a vital national interest in helping respond to WMD attacks in New York City. Schumer also announced that he would co-sponsor legislation, S.3188, a bill to increase the authorized number of Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Teams, introduced by Senator Gillibrand, that would have the same effect in preserving the Fort Hamilton Unit.

A copy of Schumer's letter is below.

Dear Chairman Levin and Ranking Member McCain:

As you develop the Fiscal Year (FY) 2013 National Defense Authorization Act, I request your assistance in achieving a full authorized funding for the National Guard's Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Teams (WMD-CST). New York State is home to the 2nd WMD-CST is located at Stratton Air National Guard Base in Scotia, NY and the 24th WMD-CST is at Fort Hamilton, Brooklyn, NY.

As you are aware, WMD-CST's provide rapid support to civil authorities and local incident commanders by determining the nature and extent of a WMD attack as well as providing technical advice and recommendations for follow-on response forces. Stationing of WMD-CSTs is based on proximity to cities and events of national interest, related response time, existing facilities, and the ability to minimize potential overlap with other supporting agencies. The training and certification timeline of a single team typically exceeds one year. They serve as our nation's and New York's subject matter experts for WMD response and the cornerstone of our chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) enterprise. They responded to numerous crisis situations while maintaining effective reinforcing capability to mitigate other emerging threats.

New York and our nation knows all too well that our country is a top target for terrorist organizations. With this shared understating and the vital national interest WMD-CST serve I urge the committee to provide full authorized funding for the National Guard's Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Teams.

Thank you for your consideration of this request.

Sincerely,

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer

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