Senators slam Homeland Security for not coming to hearing on nuclear terrorism

Senate Homeland Security Committee leaders on Wednesday slammed the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for not attending a hearing on combating nuclear terrorism.

Exasperated senators said DHS did not appear because it lacks an adequate plan to deal with the threats posed by nuclear terrorism.

“It is surely significant that DHS is not represented here, and the reason that they’re not represented is because they are not prepared,” said the panel's ranking member, Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine).

Collins said the need for a strategic plan to develop a global nuclear detection architecture (GNDA) was first raised in October 2002 by the Government Accountability Office. Nearly eight years later, DHS has yet to produce such a plan.

“That is so troubling to me, given what is at stake,” Collins said.

Officials with DHS did not respond to a request for comment, but told the GAO that they began work on a plan earlier this year and expect to complete it by the fall.

Committee chairman Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) said the absence of a coordinated strategy for the GNDA was complicating efforts protect the country.

“This is a critical matter of national security, and bureaucratic turf protection, inertia, are getting in the way of getting this done,” Lieberman said.

According to the U.S. National Security Strategy released by the administration in May, “The American people face no greater or more urgent danger than a terrorist attack with a nuclear weapon.”

Lieberman said reports heard by the committee represent “a real alarm bell going off” in terms of the country’s preparedness to confront this threat.

“The threat of nuclear terrorism is growing faster than our ability to prevent an attack on our homeland,” he said.

Officials representing DHS are scheduled to appear before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on July 21.

Collins said that a strategic outline from DHS is essential to the United States’ ability to combat nuclear terrorism.

“We’re going to make clear to them that they must be prepared to come in here on July 21 and answer questions,” Collins said.

“When it comes to DHS the consequences for the security of our nation are enormous so we’ve got to get this right,” she added.