The United States firmly believes the threat from these weapons of mass destruction and terrorism is very real and is increasing. Hamre's warning about unconventional weapons came the same day international news sources reported the United Nations had confirmed Iraq put VX nerve agent on missile warheads prior to the Gulf War in 1991. Army laboratory officials at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., detected the deadly agent on Iraqi missile fragments collected by U.N. officials. The United States is taking steps to counter such nontraditional threats, Hamre said. In an effort to consolidate treaty and threat reduction efforts, Pentagon officials created a new defense threat reduction agency, combining more than a dozen treaty and threat reduction programs into a single agency.
Emphasis is on developing remote detection systems and diagnostic techniques.
To protect individual American service members, Pentagon leaders have started giving the entire U.S. military mandatory vaccinations against anthrax. In his speech, Hamre predicted that eventually, the United States will offer voluntary vaccinations for all Americans. National Guard teams are being trained to identify, diagnose and contain chemical and biological weapon attacks, Hamre said. Just as U.S. leaders are acknowledging and planning for unconventional attacks, Hamre said, NATO, too, must begin to plan for such possibilities. Although the alliance has taken some important first steps, more needs to be done, he said.