AST 'CHAMPIONS' Edition December 2017 Digital-Dec2 | Page 79

Volume 18
December 2017 Edition
Evolution of Our WMD Program
On September 23, 1996, Congress passed the
Defense against Weapons of Mass Destruction
Act, which included the FBI as one of the key
federal agencies to work in partnership with oth-
er key agencies to better protect the nation from
a WMD attack.
If you receive a suspicious letter or package - What should
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By improving WMD security on a global level, the
Directorate protects U.S. interests abroad and
keeps WMD threats outside our borders.
At the field office level—and at select legal atta-
ché offices overseas—the WMD Directorate con-
ducts prevention and outreach efforts through
Bureau agents who serve as WMD coordinators.
This involved preparing the nation’s first respond-
ers to take action if one were to occur.
Following the attacks of 9/11 and the anthrax at-
tacks a month later, the FBI continued to evolve
to meet the threat posed by WMD.
The FBI determined the need for a program that
not only met the current threat, but also prepared
a workforce and organization to counter future
threats and respond to incidents involving those
threats.
These coordinators regularly meet with represen-
tatives from industry and academic institutions,
public health officials, local law enforcement, and
first responders to raise awareness about threats
to our national security.
These efforts are known as setting tripwires,
and the intent is to establish an early-warn-
ing network where those who are aware of an
emerging situation know the potential risks and
are prepared to inform the FBI when suspicions
are raised.
(John Perren, assistant director of the FBI’s Weapons of
Mass Destruction Directorate, describes the National Impro-
vised Explosives Familiarization (NIEF) course, one of sev-
eral countermeasures programs within the Directorate. Cour-
tesy of the FBI and YouTube. Posted on Jul 25, 2016)
In 2005, then-Director Robert Mueller requested
that the newly-formed National Security Branch
design an organizational element to meet the
WMD threat.
By July 2006, the FBI had established the WMD
Directorate.
(The Chemical Countermeasures Unit of the FBI’s Weapons
of Mass Destruction Directorate presents a video focused on
retail security awareness. Courtesy of the FBI and YouTube)
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