House Hearing Focuses on Weapons of Mass Destruction by David Vergun
Experts in the Defense Department’s strategy, policy and programs for countering weapons of mass destruction testified at a hearing of the House Armed Services Committee’s subcommittee on intelligence and emerging threats and capabilities on Thursday.Weapons of mass destruction are nuclear, radiological, chemical, biological or any other weapon that can kill significant numbers of people and cause great damage to infrastructure and/or the planet.
DOD is tasked with protecting Americans from all types of WMDs. It shares this mission with the Department of Homeland Security, the CIA, the Energy Department and other government agencies.
America depends on allies and partners throughout the world to assist in this mission. Here are some examples:
- NATO shares intelligence and coordination in defending from WMDs.
- The North American Aerospace Defense Command is a combined U.S.-Canadian organization that provides aerospace warnings of enemy aircraft and missiles.
- The U.S. also has a number of bilateral treaties, such as agreements with Japan and South Korea, that work to prevent WMD attacks.