A 1-800 number was established soliciting residents to contact the clinic if they experienced certain symptoms, within a certain time frame. Former Secretary of Defense Les Aspin launched the Defense Counter-proliferation Initiative in December 1993, which calls for the development of capabilities needed to deter and defend against the use of biochemical weapons. Aspin described the Initiative as ensuring that U.S. forces are equipped and trained to prevail in future major theater wars that may involve biochemical threats. We are preparing for the possibility of a chemical or biological attack on American soil because we must. There is not a moment to lose.
Preparation is itself a deterrent.
As part of a federal interagency effort launched last year by President Clinton and led by the National Security Council, the Defense Department is doing its part to prepare the nation for the catastrophic consequences of an attack that unleashes these horrific weapons. Fears about the military's role in domestic affairs are unfounded, as evidenced by a long history of reasonable and successful military support to communities ravaged by natural disasters, such as fire and flood. Both legal and practical considerations demand it. But despite Cohen's assurances, he asserts that the nation's military is conducting military tests concerning the nation's defense against biochemical warfare, while providing no details as to how. What has been confirmed thus far is that U.S. and South Korean military aircraft are intentionally spraying at least something in the wake of their path.