WASHINGTON – Governmental Affairs Committee Ranking Member Joe Lieberman, D-Conn., Monday called on the Department of Homeland Security to release an evaluation of the government’s response to a series of simulated terrorist attacks that took place six months ago. The exercise, called TOPOFF II, involved a simulated bioterror attack in Chicago and a radiological attack in Seattle. Thousands of local, state, and federal government officials and first responders took part in the exercise.
“It is disturbing, therefore, that the analysis of those strengths and weaknesses remains a secret document,” Lieberman wrote in a letter to Homeland Secretary Tom Ridge. “…The Department seems to be part of a troubling Administration pattern of slowing or withholding needed information from Congress and other informed parties.” Last week, The Wall Street Journal reported that an internal analysis found “craters,” rather than gaps, in the response of federal officials. The newspaper said problems include confusion over the federal chain of command and poor intelligence sharing. “In the immediate aftermath, you gave a relatively upbeat assessment of the drill,” Lieberman wrote. “You also acknowledged, correctly in my view, that identifying strengths and weaknesses in our national preparedness is an essential step toward improving our response capabilities… full and candid assessment of the TOPOFF II exercise is a critical tool towards that goal, and I call on you to release this vital information.” Following is a copy of the letter: November 3, 2003 The Honorable Tom Ridge Secretary Department of Homeland Security Washington, DC 20528 Dear Secretary Ridge: I am writing to call for the immediate release of the report on the TOPOFF II exercises last spring. This $16 million national simulation was designed to test the ability of government officials and first responders to deal with a severe terrorist attack involving weapons of mass destruction. Yet the vital lessons from this exercise remain locked within the Department of Homeland Security – with the exception of some disturbing conclusions that surfaced recently in The Wall Street Journal. Congress and other decisionmakers have a right to, and a need for, that information, and I insist that the report be made available immediately. The TOPOFF II exercise was conducted last May, and involved a simulated bioterror attack in Chicago and radiological attack in Seattle. This elaborate exercise – which was mandated by Congress – involved thousands of governmental officials and first responders, including high ranking Federal officials. In the immediate aftermath, you gave a relatively upbeat assessment of the drill. You also acknowledged, correctly in my view, that identifying strengths and weaknesses in our national preparedness is an essential step toward improving our response capabilities. It is disturbing, therefore, that the analysis of those strengths and weaknesses remains a secret document. It is my understanding that a report on the TOPOFF II exercise, conducted by a federal contractor, was delivered to you in late September. We have waited more than a month since then – and half a year since the simulation itself – to learn what TOPOFF II revealed about our preparedness. What word we do have comes from a worrisome October 31, 2003 story in the The Wall Street Journal. According to that story, the analysis of the TOPOFF II exercise documents not just gaps, but “craters” in our domestic preparedness. Those problems reportedly include confusion over the federal chain of command and stumbling blocks to critical intelligence sharing. These are matters of direct and pressing concern to the Governmental Affairs Committee and others involved in creating and overseeing homeland security policy. The Department of Homeland Security needs to expedite the dissemination of such analysis to key participants and Congressional oversight committees. Instead, in this instance, the Department seems to be part of a troubling Administration pattern of slowing or withholding needed information from Congress and other informed parties. As you well know, terrorism remains a clear and present threat and we cannot afford to waste any time in strengthening our homeland security. A full and candid assessment of the TOPOFF II exercise is a critical tool towards that goal, and I call on you to release this vital information. Sincerely, Joseph I. Lieberman Ranking Member