Acting Director of Homeland Security Elaine Duke testified in front of a Senate panel this week, and she revealed some startling truths about the country’s preparedness for some of the most destructive attacks on the horizon. According to Duke, DHS efforts to address chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear attacks facing Americans are “inadequate.”
“The Department’s current approach to addressing CBRN matters is inadequate,” Duke told lawmakers on Wednesday. “For nearly a decade, DHS has looked at reorganizing internally to better counter these dangers. I want to emphasize that we are overhauling homeland security to cope with changes in the threat landscape. As we continue this overhaul, it is clear that the authorities, structures, and accountability measures developed for DHS over 15 years ago are no longer sufficient.”
Duke was circumspect in what she could share in a public hearing, but she said that terrorist groups around the world were once again interested in using weapons of mass destruction to inflict harm on civilian populations.
“Our intelligence professionals have seen renewed terrorist interest in WMD and are aware of concerning developments on these issues, which can be discussed further in an appropriate setting. That is one reason why the Department is eager to establish a focal point for our work to protect Americans against chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) threats,” she said.
So, a few comments: One, the fact that the Department of Homeland Security has been tossing around the idea of reorganizing for TEN YEARS gives you a sense of how the federal government operates and why it’s so important for us to “drain the swamp.” The levels of bureaucratic inefficiency in our national security apparatus – it’s enough to boggle the mind. The Trump administration, in conjunction with Congress, needs to take drastic steps to reduce some of this incompetence and cut out the layers and layers of red tape that are now making our country less safe.
Two, Duke’s comments are yet another reason why Trump needs to follow through on his campaign promise to crack down on illegal immigration. We know that he’s facing enormous resistance – even within his own party – when it comes to the Wall and other immigration security measures, but that’s what we elected him to do. This cannot become like healthcare or some of these other things that are falling by the wayside. This is essential to the agenda. Illegal immigration is the pathway through which these terrorists come into our country and smuggle in weapons of mass destruction. We cannot afford to wait until one of these things goes off in New York City before we get serious.
