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WASHINGTON, US - THE Pentagon is not prepared to respond to a catastrophic chemical, biological or nuclear attack within the United States, placing Americans at risk, an independent panel reported to Congress.
While the Defense Department conducts exhaustive planning for operations overseas, its planning for possible action inside the United States in response to attacks is inadequate, said the Commission on the National Guard and Reserves on Thursday.
'We looked at their plans. They're totally unacceptable,' said commission chairman Arnold Punaro, a retired Marine Corps major general.
'You couldn't move a Girl Scout unit with the kind of planning they're doing,' Mr Punaro said of plans drafted by US Northern Command, the part of the military responsible for homeland defence.
While other federal agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security, are responsible for pieces of the government's response to an attack, the Defense Department is the only agency with the resources and capabilities to manage the overall response, the commission argued.
The National Guard and Reserve should be ordered to lead the Defense Department's activities in that arena because those part-time troops live throughout the United States and often have skills needed in an emergency, the panel said.
But the military has not dedicated sufficient time or resources to prepare for such a role, despite the creation of Northern Command after the Sept 11, 2001, attacks, according to the commission, created by Congress to study the best use of reserve forces.
That is partly because of historical tension between the federal government and states, the commission said. Defence officials also say the military sees its role in domestic emergencies in large part as supporting civilian agencies.
Officials at Northern Command would not discuss the commission's report, saying the Pentagon would first review the panel's nearly 100 recommendations. -- REUTERS
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