Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
The White House's National Security Council Weapons of Mass Destruction
(WMD) preparedness group, formed by Presidential Decision Directive 62 (PDD-
62) in 1998, included agriculture, especially in terms of combating terrorism. Many
observers note that, as a latecomer to the national security table, USDA has been
invariably overshadowed by other agencies.
Homeland Security Presidential Directive 7
In terms of protecting critical infrastructure, agriculture was added to the list
in December 2003 by Homeland Security Presidential Directive 7 (HSPD-7),
“Critical Infrastructure Identification, Prioritization, and Protection.” This direc-
tive replaces the 1998 Presidential Decision Directive 63 (PDD-63) that omitted
agriculture and food. Both of these critical infrastructure directives designate the
physical systems that are vulnerable to terrorist attack and are essential for the
minimal operation of the economy and the government.
These directives instruct agencies to develop plans to prepare for and counter
the terrorist threat. HSPD-7 mentions the following industries: agriculture and
food; banking and finance; transportation (air, sea, and land, including mass tran-
sit, rail, and pipelines); energy (electricity, oil, and gas); telecommunications; public
health; emergency services; drinking water; and water treatment.
Homeland Security Presidential Directive 9
More significant recognition came on January 30, 2004, when the White House
released Homeland Security Presidential Directive 9 (HSPD-9), “Defense of United
States Agriculture and Food.” This directive establishes a national policy to protect
against terrorist attacks on agriculture and food systems.
HSPD-9 generally instructs the Secretaries of Homeland Security (DHS),
Agriculture (USDA), and HHS, the Administrator of the Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA), the Attorney General, and the Director of Central Intelligence to
coordinate their efforts to prepare for, protect against, respond to, and recover
from an agroterrorist attack. In some cases, one department is assigned primary
responsibility, particularly when the intelligence community is involved. In other
cases, only USDA, HHS, and/or EPA are involved regarding industry or scientific
expertise.
The directive instructs agencies to develop awareness and warning systems to
monitor plant and animal diseases, food quality, and public health through an inte-
grated diagnostic system. Animal and commodity tracking systems are included,
as is gathering and analyzing international intelligence. Vulnerability assessments
throughout the sector help prioritize mitigation strategies at critical stages of pro-
duction or processing, including inspection of imported agricultural products.
Response and recovery plans are to be coordinated across the federal, state,
and local levels. A National Veterinary Stockpiles (NVS) of vaccine, antiviral, and
