Category: Commentary

A Long Litany of Difficult Questions – But No Short and Easy Answers

DPJ’s editor in chief comments on several important homeland-defense and national-security issues now in the news, and asks some relevant questions not usually addressed by the national media – and either evaded or ignored by the members of Congress.

Colonel Patrick Sharon, USA, Deputy Director, Joint Requirements Office for CBRN Defense

Sharon discusses current CBRN projects, his office’s support for the WMD-CSTs, the JRO role in technology experimentation, TIC/TIM threats, and the Joint Biological-Agent Detection System.

Homeland Security Begins at Home

The House Majority Leader contrasts the President’s failure to focus on homeland security in his State of the Union speech with the swift passage of House Resolution One & the Democratic Party’s plans for a full package of implementing legislation later.

Pandemic Preparedness: The Driver for Most Suppliers

Question: Is the United States prepared to deal with a biological-warfare attack? Answer: Not yet – but the nation’s private-sector biotech labs are working closely with state, local, and federal governments to detect, prevent, and/or deal with an attack.

Realities of the Conflict Between Islam and Unbelief, by Shaykh Ayman al-Zawahiri

A manfesto. Reprinted as a reminder of the seriousness of the threat. Well worth the time to read.

Admiral John O. Agwunobi, MD, MBA, MPH, Assistant Secretary for Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Pandemic preparedness activities, the department’s Katrina/Rita response efforts, the need for an “all-hazards” planning and operational mindset, and the planning assistance now available to local health planners are among the numerous topics covered.

The Highest Priority on the National-Security Agenda

The early and well-publicized House approval of homeland-security “implementing” legislation is an encouraging sign that the new Democratic majority has its priorities right. Many political and financial obstacles must still be overcome, though.

Scott J. Becker, Executive Director, Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL)

Podcast DomesticPreparedness met Scott J. Becker, Executive Director, Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL). The APHL executive director discusses the role of public health laboratories in major health emergencies and […]

Michael Fraser, PhD, Deputy Executive Director, National Association of County and City HealthOfficials (NACCHO)

An overview of NACCHO’s work in bioterrorism, the plans being developed for a pandemic flu outbreak, and the need for communications upgrades across the board.

Dr. Michael G. Kurilla, Director of the Office of BioDefense Research Affairs and Associate Director for BioDefense Product Development, NIAID

Podcast DomesticPreparedness met with Dr. Michael G. Kurilla, Director of the Office of BioDefense Research Affairs and Associate Director for BioDefense Product Development, NIAID. The NIH director for biodefense research […]