22 May 1998: Link to Presidential Decision Directive 63
22 May 1998
Thanks to DN for AP
May 22, 1998 Clinton Backs Cyber-Terror Warnings Filed at 1:31 p.m. EDT By The Associated Press ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) -- Nuclear warheads were the stuff of Cold War stockpiles and beachheads the battlefields of times gone by. To counter today's threats, President Clinton told a new class of Naval officers, the United States must amass germ-warfare vaccines and battle terrorists in cyberspace. "If our children are to grow up safe and free, we must approach these new 21st century threats with the same rigor and determination we applied to the toughest security challenges of this century," the president said today in a commencement speech at the U.S. Naval Academy. For the 769 graduating midshipmen and 139 midshipwomen whose dress uniforms shone blindingly white in the sun, Clinton painted a near-apocalyptic picture of the enemies who threatened their mission beyond the academy. "As we approach the 21st century, our foes have extended the fields of battle from physical space to cyberspace, from the world's vast bodies of water to the complex workings of our own human body. Rather than invading our beaches or launching bombers, these adversaries may attempt cyber attacks against our critical military systems and our economic base," Clinton said. He ordered the development and unprecedented stockpiling of vaccines and antibiotics for civilians, and directed that public health and medical surveillance systems be upgraded to detect and sound the alarm on any release of bacteria or viruses. Clinton also called for an interconnected "cyber-system" that would warn and minimize damage of attacks on computers that control the stock market, banking, utilities, air traffic and other so-called "critical infrastructure." In a reminder that the Cold War-era worry over nuclear weapons is still a concern, Clinton again urged Pakistan to refrain from responding to India's recent nuclear tests with tests of its own. Before leaving Annapolis, Clinton stopped at a boathouse to call Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to again plead for restraint. "The president is urging efforts to be made to avoid increasing tensions on the sub-continent," deputy White House press secretary Amy Weiss Tobe said. She said she did not know why Clinton felt compelled to call before making the short flight back to the White House. Private companies including IBM, Dell Computers, Bell South and GTE have already agreed to participate in the "cyber-system," which Clinton wants to be fully operational by 2003, administration officials said. "If we fail to take strong action, then terrorists, criminals and hostile regimes could invade and paralyze these vital systems, disrupting commerce, threatening health, weakening our capacity to function in a crisis," Clinton said. He appointed National Security Council adviser Richard Clarke, who specializes in such issues as drug trafficking and terrorism, to head a new office on infrastructure protection and counter-terrorism. Former Sen. Sam Nunn and Jamie Gorelick, formerly the Justice Department's No. 2 official and now Fannie Mae's vice chairwoman, will lead a private industry advisory group. On protecting civilians from biological attack, Clinton did not specify how stockpiles would be maintained or prioritized. One administration official said in advance of the speech that there is scant support for vaccinating all civilians as a precautionary measure. Coincident to Clinton's announcement, the Defense Department today expanded its vaccination program against the lethal anthrax bacteria to include not just troops in the Persian Gulf region, but all active and reserve personnel. Also, the Pentagon designated ten states -- Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Illinois, Texas, Missouri, Colorado, California and Washington -- where National Guard units will be specially trained for responding to weapons of mass destruction. Clinton acknowledged that any civilian vaccine program requires further scientific innovation and he took a poke at Congress for resisting his budget requests on biomedical research. "We must not cede the cutting edge of biotechnology to those who would do us harm," he said. Anthrax is the only potential germ weapon for which a vaccine has been proven safe and approved by the Food and Drug Administration. At least two recent White House briefings with experts in chemical and biological weapons convinced Clinton of the urgency of these initiatives, presidential spokesman Mike McCurry said Thursday. Headlines during Clinton's presidency -- the nerve-gas attack on Tokyo's subway system in 1995, the 1993 World Trade Center bombing -- also have underscored the changing nature of national security. Establishing vaccine stockpiles for the U.S. cities considered most vulnerable could cost billions of dollars and take years to achieve. The Defense Department announced last year that it was stockpiling -- at an estimated five-year cost of $320 million -- vaccines for anthrax, smallpox and other diseases for the 2.4 million people in the active and reserve military. Any civilian stockpile would require far more. One group of specialists advising the White House on this issue listed five agents posing the most immediate threat: anthrax, smallpox, plague, tuleremia and botulinum toxin.
Source:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/WH/Work/052298.html
THE WHITE HOUSE AT WORK
Friday, May 22, 1998
PRESIDENT CLINTON:
MEETING THE TERRORIST THREATS OF THE 21ST CENTURY
"If our children are to grow up safe and free, we must approach these 21st Century threats with the same rigor and determination we applied to the toughest security challenges of this century."
- President Bill Clinton
May 22, 1998Today, in a commencement speech to the graduates of the United States Naval Academy, President Clinton will announce a comprehensive strategy to strengthen America's defenses against the terrorist attacks of the 21st Century, including attacks on our infrastructure, computer networks, and through the use of biological weapons.
Securing America's Safety In The 21st Century. America stands as an unrivaled military power. However, as we move into the 21st Century, the United States is a potential and powerful target for those who commit terrorist atrocities and would undermine our national security. President Clinton recognizes these potential threats and will announce a three part strategy to combat them. The President will: 1) implement a comprehensive strategy to deter, detect, and defend against terrorist attacks; 2) adopt policies to protect the vital elements of our infrastructure; and 3) work to limit the development of dangerous biological weapons and better defend our citizens against them.
A Coordinated Strategy To Meet 21st Century Threats. To ensure our ability to deter and prevent terrorist attacks, the President will issue a directive which will result in a more systematic approach to fighting terrorism. This directive:
- establishes the Office of National Coordinator for Security, Infrastructure Protection, and Counter-Terrorism, which will oversee a broad range of policies, including counter-terrorism, protection of critical infrastructure, and preparedness and consequence management for weapons of mass destruction;
- clarifies and codifies the role U.S. agencies play in combating terrorism, apprehending and prosecuting terrorists, increasing airport security, enhancing response capabilities and protecting our computer-based infrastructure; and
- reinforces the role these agencies play in fighting terrorism.
Protecting Our Infrastructure In The 21st Century. As our society becomes more reliant on technology, the critical parts of our infrastructure -- our power systems, water supply, emergency medical, police, and fire services, air traffic control, and financial services -- have become linked through massive computer networks. The risk of a "cyber-attack" on these networks increases as our society becomes more automated. To help combat these risks, the President announces his intent to:
- create a partnership between the government and private sector to find and reduce the areas of vulnerability we have to such attacks;
- develop warning systems, including a national center to alert us to such attacks;
- increase cooperation with friendly nations; and
- develop the means to minimize damage and recover quickly in the eventuality of an attack.
Fighting the Dangers of Biological Weapons. The President recognizes the significant threat biological weapons pose as we enter the 21st Century. In an effort to prevent their spread, and to protect our citizens, the President announces that he will pursue policies to:
- strengthen the International Biological Weapons Convention through stronger inspection systems to detect and prevent cheating;
- inoculate our entire armed service, active and reserve, against the anthrax bacteria;
- upgrade our public health systems for detection and warnings against biological weapons;
- train and equip local authorities on how to handle emergencies involving weapons of mass destruction;
- stockpile medicine and vaccines that can be used against biological attacks.
Source: http://library.whitehouse.gov/PressReleases-plain.cgi?date=0&briefing=1
May 22, 1998
REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT AT THE UNITED STATES NAVAL ACADEMY
COMMENCEMENT
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
______________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release May 22, 1998
REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT
AT THE UNITED STATES NAVAL ACADEMY COMMENCEMENT
United States Naval Academy
Annapolis, Maryland
10:22 A.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much. (Applause.) Thank
you. Thank you very much. Secretary Dalton, thank you for your
generous introduction and your dedicated service. Admiral Larson,
thank you. Admiral Johnson, General Krulak, Admiral Ryan --
Visitor's Chair Byron; to the faculty and staff of the Academy;
distinguished guests; to proud parents and family members, and
especially to the Brigade of Midshipmen: I am honored to be here
today. And pursuant to longstanding tradition, I bring with me a
small gift. I hereby free all midshipmen who are on restriction for
minor conduct offenses. (Applause.)
There was so much enthusiasm, I wonder if you heard the
word, "minor" offenses. (Laughter.)
You know, the President has the signal honor of
addressing all of our service academies serially -- one after the
other in appropriate order. This is the second time I have had the
great honor of being here at the Naval Academy. But I began to worry
about my sense of timing. I mean, what can you say to graduating
midshipmen in a year when the most famous ship on Earth is again the
Titanic? (Laughter.) But then I learned this is a totally, almost
blindly, confident bunch. After all, over in King Hall you eat
cannonballs. (Laughter.) Now, for those of you who don't know what
they are, they're not the ones Francis Scott Key saw flying over Fort
McHenry, they're just huge apple dumplings. Nonetheless, they
require a lot of confidence. (Laughter.)
I will try to be relatively brief today. I was given
only one instruction -- I should not take as long as your class took
to scale Herndon Monument. (Applause.) Now, at four hours and five
minutes -- (applause) -- the slowest time in recorded history --
(applause) -- I have a lot of leeway. (Laughter.)
But you have more than made up for it. You have done
great things -- succeeding in a rigorous academic environment,
trained to be superb officers. You have done extraordinary volunteer
work, for which I am personally very grateful. In basketball, you
made it to the NCAAs for the second time in a row. (Applause.) You
defeated Army in football last fall. (Applause.) In fact, you were
26-6 against teams from Army this year. And while I remain neutral
in these things -- (laughter) -- I salute your accomplishments.
(Laughter.)
Let me also join the remarks that Secretary Dalton in
congratulating your Superintendent. Admiral Larson has performed
remarkable service as an aviator, submarine commander, Commander-in-
Chief in the Pacific, twice at the helm of the Academy. I got to
know him well when he was our Commander-in-Chief in the Pacific. I
came to appreciate more than I otherwise ever could have his unique
blend of intelligence and insight and character, and passionate
devotion to duty.
In view of the incident on the Indian subcontinent in
the last few days, I think it's important for the historical record
to note that the first senior official of the United States who told
me that there was a serious potential problem there and we had better
get ready for it was Admiral Chuck Larson, several years ago.
(Applause.)
When I asked him to return to the Academy, I thought it
was almost too much, and then I realized it might have been too
little, for he loves this Academy so much this is hardly tough duty.
He met all its challenges. He taught you midshipmen to strive for
excellence without arrogance, to maintain the highest ethical
standards.
Admiral, on behalf of the American people, I thank you
for your service here, your 40 years in the Navy, your devotion to
the United States. We are all very grateful to you. (Applause.)
I also have every confidence that Admiral Ryan is a
worthy successor, and I wish him well.
As I speak to you and other graduates this spring, I
want to ask you to think about the challenges we face as a nation in
the century that is just upon us, and how our mission must be to
adapt to the changes of changing times while holding fast to our
enduring ideals. In the coming weeks, I will talk about how the
information revolution can widen the circle of opportunity or deepen
inequality; about how immigration and our nation's growing diversity
can strengthen and unite America, or weaken and divide it.
But nothing I will have the chance to talk about this
spring is more important than the mission I charge you with today --
the timeless mission of our men and women in uniform: protecting our
nation and upholding our values in the face of the changing threats
that are as new as the new century.
Members of the Class of 1998, you leave the Yard at the
dawn of a new millennium, in a time of great hope. Around the world
people are embracing peace, freedom, free markets. More and more
nations are committed to educating all their children and stopping
the destruction of our environment. The information revolution is
sparking economic growth and spreading the ideas of freedom around
the world. Technology is moving so fast today that the
top-of-the-line, high-speed computers you received as Plebes today
are virtually museum pieces. (Laughter.)
In this world, our country is blessed with peace,
prosperity, declining social ills. But today's possibilities are not
tomorrow's guarantees.
Just last week, India conducted a series of nuclear
explosive tests, reminding us that technology is not always a force
for good. India's action threatens the stability of Asia and
challenges the firm international consensus to stop all nuclear
testing. So again I ask India to halt its nuclear weapons program
and join the 149 other nations that have already signed the
Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. And I ask Pakistan to exercise
restraint, to avoid a perilous nuclear arms race.
This specter of a dangerous rivalry in South Asia is but
one of the many signs that we must remain strong and vigilant against
the kinds of threats we have seen already throughout the 20th century
-- regional aggression and competition, bloody civil wars, efforts to
overthrow democracies.
But also, our security is challenged increasingly by
non-traditional threats, from adversaries both old and new -- not
only hostile regimes, but also terrorists and international
criminals, who cannot defeat us in traditional theaters of battle,
but search instead for new ways to attack, by exploiting new
technologies and the world's increasing openness.
As we approach the 21st century, our foes have extended
the fields of battle -- from physical space to cyberspace; from the
world's vast bodies of water to the complex workings of our own human
bodies. Rather than invading our beaches or launching bombers, these
adversaries may attempt cyberattacks against our critical military
systems and our economic base. Or they may deploy compact and
relatively cheap weapons of mass destruction -- not just nuclear, but
also chemical or biological, to use disease as a weapon of war.
Sometimes the terrorists and criminals act alone. But increasingly,
they are interconnected, and sometimes supported by hostile
countries.
If our children are to grow up safe and free, we must
approach these new 21st century threats with the same rigor and
determination we applied to the toughest security challenges of this
century. We are taking strong steps against these threats today.
We've improved antiterrorism cooperation with other countries;
tightened security for our troops, our diplomats, our air travelers;
strengthened sanctions on nations that support terrorists; given our
law enforcement agencies new tools. We broke up terrorist rings
before they could attack New York's Holland Tunnel, the United
Nations, and our airlines. We have captured and brought to justice
many of the offenders.
But we must do more. Last week, I announced America's
first comprehensive strategy to control international crime and bring
criminals, terrorists and money launderers to justice. Today, I come
before you to announce three new initiatives -- the first broadly
directed at combatting terrorism; the other two addressing two
potential threats from terrorists and hostile nations, attacks on our
computer networks and other critical systems upon which our society
depends, and attacks using biological weapons. On all of these
efforts, we will need the help of the Navy and the Marines. Your
service will be critical in combatting these new challenges.
To make these three initiatives work we must have the
concerted efforts of a whole range of federal agencies -- from the
Armed Forces to law enforcement to intelligence to public health. I
am appointing a National Coordinator for Security, Infrastructure
Protection, and Counterterrorism, to bring the full force of all our
resources to bear swiftly and effectively.
First, we will use our new integrated approach to
intensify the fight against all forms of terrorism -- to capture
terrorists, no matter where they hide; to work with other nations to
eliminate terrorist sanctuaries overseas; to respond rapidly and
effectively to protect Americans from terrorism at home and abroad.
Second, we will launch a comprehensive plan to detect,
deter, and defend against attacks on our critical infrastructures
--our power systems, water supplies, police, fire, and medical
services, air traffic control, financial services, telephone systems,
and computer networks.
Just 15 years ago, these infrastructures -- some within
government, some in the private sector -- were separate and distinct.
Now, they are linked together over vast computer-electronic networks,
greatly increasing our productivity, but also making us much more
vulnerable to disruption. Three days ago, we saw the enormous impact
of a single failed electronic link when a satellite malfunction
disabled pagers, ATMs, credit card systems, and TV and radio networks
all around the world. Beyond such accidents, intentional attacks
against our critical systems already are underway. Hackers break
into government and business computers. They can raid banks, run up
credit card charges, extort money by threats to unleash computer
viruses.
If we fail to take strong action, then terrorists,
criminals and hostile regimes could invade and paralyze these vital
systems, disrupting commerce, threatening health, weakening our
capacity to function in a crisis. In response to these concerns, I
established a commission chaired by Retired General Tom Marsh, to
assist the vulnerability of our critical infrastructures. They
returned with a pointed conclusion: our vulnerability, particularly
to cyberattacks, is real and growing. And they made important
recommendations that we will now implement to put us ahead of the
danger curve.
We have the best trained, best equipped best prepared
Armed Forces in history. But, as ever, we must be ready to fight the
next war, not the last one. And our military, as strong as it is,
cannot meet these challenges alone. Because so many key components
of our society are operated by the private sector, we must create a
genuine public-private partnership to protect America in the 21st
century. Together, we can find and reduce the vulnerabilities to
attack in all critical sectors, develop warning systems including a
national center to alert us to attacks, increase our cooperation with
friendly nations, and create the means to minimize damage and rapidly
recover in the event attacks occur. We can -- and we must -- make
these critical systems more secure, so that we can be more secure.
Third, we will undertake a concerted effort to prevent
the spread and use of biological weapons, and to protect our people
in the event these terrible weapons are ever unleashed by a rogue
state, a terrorist group or an international criminal organization.
Conventional military force will continue to be crucial to curbing
weapons of mass destruction. In the confrontation against Iraq,
deployment of our Navy and Marine forces has played a key role in
helping to convince Saddam Hussein to accept United Nations
inspections of his weapons facilities.
But we must pursue the fight against biological weapons
on many fronts. We must strengthen the international Biological
Weapons Convention with a strong system of inspections to detect and
prevent cheating. This is a major priority. It was part of my State
of the Union address earlier this year, and we are working with other
nations and our industries to make it happen.
Because our troops serve on the front line of freedom,
we must take special care to protect them. So we have been working
on vaccinating them against biological threats, and now we will
inoculate all our Armed Forces, active duty and reserves, against
deadly anthrax bacteria.
Finally, we must do more to protect our civilian
population from biological weapons. The Defense Department has been
teaching state and local officials to respond if the weapons are
brandished or used. Today it is announcing plans to train National
Guard and reserve elements in every region to address this challenge.
But, again, we must do more to protect our people. We must be able
to recognize a biological attack quickly in order to stop its spread.
We will work to upgrade our public health systems for
detection and warning, to aid our preparedness against terrorism, and
to help us cope with infectious diseases that arise in nature. We
will train and equip local authorities throughout the nation to deal
with an emergency involving weapons of mass destruction, creating
stockpiles of medicines and vaccines to protect our civilian
population against the kind of biological agents our adversaries are
most likely to obtain or develop. And we will pursue research and
development to create the next generation of vaccines, medicines and
diagnostic tools. The Human Genome Project will be very, very
important in this regard. And again, it will aid us also in fighting
infectious diseases.
We must not cede the cutting edge of biotechnology to
those who would do us harm. Working with the Congress, America must
maintain its leadership in research and development. It is critical
to our national security.
In our efforts to battle terrorism and cyberattacks and
biological weapons, all of us must be extremely aggressive. But we
must also be careful to uphold privacy rights and other
constitutional protections. We do not ever undermine freedom in the
name of freedom.
To the men and women of this class of 1998, over four
years you have become part of an institution -- the Navy -- that has
repeatedly risen to the challenges of battle and of changing
technology. In the Spanish-American War, 100 years ago, our Navy won
the key confrontations at Manila Bay and off Cuba. In the years
between the world wars, the Navy made tremendous innovations with
respect to aircraft carriers and amphibious operations. In the
decisive battle in the Pacific in World War II at Midway, our
communications experts and code breakers obtained, and Admiral Nimitz
seized on, crucial information about the enemy fleet that secured
victory against overwhelming odds.
In the Cold War, nuclear propulsion revolutionized our
carrier and submarine operations. And today, our Navy and Marine
Corps are fundamental to our strategy of global engagement, aiding
our friends and warning foes that they cannot undermine our efforts
to build a just, peaceful, free future.
President Theodore Roosevelt put it succinctly a long
time ago. "A good Navy," he said, "is the surest guaranty of peace."
We will have that good Navy, because of you. Your readiness,
strength, your knowledge of science and technology, your ability to
promptly find and use essential information, and above all, your
strength of spirit and your core values -- honor, courage and
commitment. I ask you to remember, though, that with these new
challenges especially, we must all, as Americans, be united in
purpose and spirit.
Our defense has always drawn on the best of our entire
nation. The Armed Forces have defended our freedom, and in turn,
freedom has allowed our people to thrive. Our security innovations
have often been sparked and supported over and over by the brilliance
and drive of people in non-military sectors -- our businesses and
universities, our scientists and technologists. Now, more than ever,
we need the broad support and participation of our citizens as your
partners in meeting the security challenges of the 21st century.
Members of the Class of 1998, you are just moments away
from becoming ensigns and second lieutenants -- and I have not taken
as much time as you did to climb the Monument. (Laughter.) I thank
you for giving me a few moments of your attention to talk to you and
our nation about the work you will be doing for them for the rest of
your careers. You will be our guardians and champions of freedom.
Let me say just one thing in closing on a more personal
note. We must protect our people from danger and keep America safe
and free. But I hope you will never lose sight of why we are doing
it. We are doing it so that all of your countrymen and women can
live meaningful lives, according to their own lights. So work hard,
but don't forget to pursue also what fulfills you as people -- the
beauty of the natural world, literature, the arts, sports, volunteer
service. Most of all, don't forget to take time for your personal
lives, to show your love to your friends and, most of all, to your
families -- the parents and grandparents who made the sacrifices to
get you here; in the future, your wives, your husbands, and your
children.
In a free society, the purpose of public service, in or
out of uniform, is to provide all citizens with the freedom and
opportunity to live their own dreams. So when you return from an
exhausting deployment, or just a terrible day, never forget to
cherish your loved ones, and always be grateful that you have been
given the opportunity to serve, to protect for yourselves and for
your loved ones and for your fellow Americans the precious things
that make life worth living, and freedom worth defending.
I know your families are very proud of you today. Now
go and make America proud. Good luck and God bless you. (Applause.)
END 10:48 A.M. EDT
__________________________________________________________________________
May 22, 1998
FACT SHEET
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
(Annapolis, Maryland)
___________________________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release
May 22, 1998
FACT SHEET
SUMMARY OF PRESIDENTIAL DECISION DIRECTIVES 62 AND 63
President Clinton today ordered the strengthening of the nation's defenses
against emerging unconventional threats to the United States: terrorist
acts, weapons of mass destruction, assaults on our critical infrastructures
and cyber-attacks.
The Combating Terrorism directive (PDD-62) highlights the growing threat of
unconventional attacks against the United States. It details a new and
more systematic approach to fighting terrorism by bringing a program
management approach to U.S. counter-terrorism efforts.
The directive also establishes the office of the National Coordinator for
Security, Infrastructure Protection and Counter-Terrorism which will
oversee a broad variety of relevant policies and programs including areas
such as counter-terrorism, protection of critical infrastructure,
preparedness and consequence management for weapons of mass destruction.
The Critical Infrastructure Protection directive (PDD-63)
calls for a national effort to assure the security of the increasingly
vulnerable and interconnected infrastructures of the United States. Such
infrastructures include telecommunications, banking and finance, energy,
transportation, and essential government services. The directive requires
immediate federal government action including risk assessment and planning
to reduce exposure to attack. It stresses the critical importance of
cooperation between the government and the private sector by linking
designated agencies with private sector representatives.
For more detailed information on this Presidential Decision Directive,
contact the Critical Infrastructure Assurance Office (703) 696-9395 for
copies of the White Paper on Critical Infrastructure Protection.
# # #
__________________________________________________________________________
May 22, 1998
FACT SHEET
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
(Annapolis, Maryland)
___________________________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release
May 22, 1998
FACT SHEET
COMBATING TERRORISM: PRESIDENTIAL DECISION DIRECTIVE 62
Since he took office, President Clinton has made the fight against
terrorism a top national security objective. The President has worked to
deepen our cooperation with our friends and allies abroad, strengthened law
enforcement's counterterrorism tools and improved security on airplanes
and at airports. These efforts have paid off as major terrorist attacks
have been foiled and more terrorists have been apprehended, tried and given
severe prison terms.
Yet America's unrivaled military superiority means that potential enemies --
whether nations or terrorist groups -- that choose to attack us will be more
likely to resort to terror instead of conventional military assault.
Moreover, easier access to sophisticated technology means that the
destructive power available to terrorists is greater than ever.
Adversaries may thus be tempted to use unconventional tools, such as
weapons of mass destruction, to target our cities and disrupt the
operations of our government. They may try to attack our economy and
critical infrastructure using advanced computer technology.
President Clinton is determined that in the coming century, we will be
capable of deterring and preventing such terrorist attacks. The President
is convinced that we must also have the ability to limit the damage and
manage the consequences should such an attack occur.
To meet these challenges, President Clinton signed Presidential Decision
Directive 62. This Directive creates a new and more systematic approach to
fighting the terrorist threat of the next century. It reinforces the
mission of the many U.S. agencies charged with roles in defeating
terrorism; it also codifies and clarifies their activities in the wide
range of U.S. counter-terrorism programs, from apprehension and prosecution
of terrorists to increasing transportation security, enhancing response
capabilities and protecting the computer-based systems that lie at the
heart of America's economy. The Directive will help achieve the
President's goal of ensuring that we meet the threat of terrorism in the
21st century with the same rigor that we have met military threats in this
century.
The National Coordinator
To achieve this new level of integration in the fight against terror,
PDD-62 establishes the Office of the National Coordinator for Security,
Infrastructure Protection and Counter-Terrorism. The National Coordinator
will oversee the broad variety of relevant polices and programs including
such areas as counter-terrorism, protection of critical infrastructure,
preparedness and consequence management for weapons of mass destruction.
The National Coordinator will work within the National Security Council,
report to the President through the Assistant to the President for National
Security Affairs and produce for him an annual Security Preparedness
Report. The National Coordinator will also provide advice regarding
budgets for counter-terror programs and lead in the development of
guidelines that might be needed for crisis management.
# # #
_________________________________________________________________________
May 22, 1998
FACT SHEET
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
(Annapolis, Maryland)
___________________________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release
May 22, 1998
FACT SHEET
PROTECTING AMERICA'S CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURES: PDD 63
This Presidential Directive builds on the recommendations of the
President's Commission on Critical Infrastructure Protection. In October
1997, the Commission issued its report calling for a national effort to
assure the security of the United States' increasingly vulnerable and
interconnected infrastructures, such as telecommunications, banking and
finance, energy, transportation, and essential government services.
Presidential Decision Directive 63 is the culmination of an intense,
interagency effort to evaluate those recommendations and produce a workable
and innovative framework for critical infrastructure protection. The
President's policy:
Sets a goal of a reliable, interconnected, and secure information system
infrastructure by the year 2003, and significantly increased security to
government systems by the year 2000, by:
Immediately establishing a national center to warn of and respond
to attacks.
Ensuring the capability to protect critical infrastructures from
intentional acts by 2003.
Addresses the cyber and physical infrastructure vulnerabilities of the
Federal government by requiring each department and agency to work to
reduce its exposure to new threats;
Requires the Federal government to serve as a model to the rest of the
country for how infrastructure protection is to be attained;
Seeks the voluntary participation of private industry to meet common goals
for protecting our critical systems through public-private partnerships;
Protects privacy rights and seeks to utilize market forces. It is meant to
strengthen and protect the nation's economic power, not to stifle it.
Seeks full participation and input from the Congress.
PDD-63 sets up a new structure to deal with this important challenge:
a National Coordinator whose scope will include not only critical
infrastructure but also foreign terrorism and threats of domestic
mass destruction (including biological weapons) because attacks on
the US may not come labeled in neat jurisdictional boxes;
The National Infrastructure Protection Center (NIPC) at the FBI which
will fuse representatives from FBI, DOD, USSS, Energy,
Transportation, the Intelligence Community, and the private sector
in an unprecedented attempt at information sharing among agencies
in collaboration with the private sector. The NIPC will also
provide the principal means of facilitating and coordinating the
Federal Government's response to an incident, mitigating attacks,
investigating threats and monitoring reconstitution efforts;
Information Sharing and Analysis Centers (ISACs) are encouraged to be
set up by the private sector in cooperation with the Federal
government and modeled on the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention;
A National Infrastructure Assurance Council drawn from private sector
leaders and state/local officials to provide guidance to the policy
formulation of a National Plan;
The Critical Infrastructure Assurance Office will provide support to
the National Coordinator's work with government agencies and the
private sector in developing a national plan. The office will also
help coordinate a national education and awareness program, and
legislative and public affairs.
For more detailed information on this Presidential Decision Directive,
contact the Critical Infrastructure Assurance Office (703) 696-9395 for
copies of the White Paper on Critical Infrastructure Protection.
# # #
____________________________________________________________________________________
May 22, 1998
FACT SHEET
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
(Annapolis, Maryland)
___________________________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release
May 22, 1998
FACT SHEET
PREPAREDNESS FOR A BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS ATTACK
President Clinton recognizes that the availability of biological agents and
advances in biotechnology mean that the United States must be prepared for
an attack involving biological weapons against our armed forces or
civilians.
Already, the U.S. military is working hard to defend against this danger.
The possibility that during the recent crisis in the Persian Gulf region
our forces might be confronted with biological weapons produced by Saddam
Hussein's secret program demonstrates the urgency of this effort. Under
President Clinton's leadership, the Department of Defense has made real
strides to protect American troops:
An additional $1 billion for chemical and biological defense were added to
the Five-Year Defense Plan.
Starting today, the Defense Department's vaccination program against the
lethal anthrax bacteria is being expanded to include not just troops in
the Gulf region but all active and reserve American armed forces
personnel.
America's military is also playing an important role in domestic
preparedness.
Under the Nunn-Lugar-Domenici Program, military experts are participating
in the training of emergency personnel in our 120 largest cities for
response to a terrorist attack involving weapons of mass destruction.
Today, the Department of Defense is announcing the selection of ten states
in which National Guard units will be specially trained to assist state
and local authorities to manage the consequences of a WMD attack. The
states are: Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Illinois,
Texas, Missouri, Colorado, California and Washington.
President Clinton believes we must do more to protect our civilian
population from the scourge of biological weapons. In his commencement
speech at Annapolis, he announced that the government would develop a
comprehensive strategy to address this threat. There are four critical
areas of focus:
First, if terrorists release bacteria or viruses to harm Americans, we must
be able to identify the pathogens with speed and certainty. The
President's plan will seek to improve our public health and medical
surveillance systems so the alarm can be sounded fast. These
improvements will benefit not only our preparedness for a biological
weapons attack -- they will pay off in an enhanced ability to respond
quickly and effectively to outbreaks of emerging infectious diseases.
Second, our emergency response personnel must have the training and
equipment to do their jobs right. Building on current programs,
President Clinton's plan will ensure that federal, state and local
authorities have the resources and the knowledge they need to deal with
a crisis.
Third, we must have the medicines and vaccines needed to treat those who
fall sick or prevent those at risk from falling ill because of a
biological weapons attack. President Clinton will propose the creation
of an unprecedented civilian medical stockpile. The choice of medicines
and vaccines to be stockpiled will be made on the basis of the pathogens
that are most likely to be in the hands of terrorists or hostile powers.
Fourth, the revolution in biotechnology offers enormous possibilities for
combating biological weapons. President Clinton's plan will set out a
coordinated research and development effort to use the advances in
genetic engineering and biotechnology to create the next generation of
medicines, vaccines and diagnostic tools for use against these weapons.
# # #
Date: Fri, 22 May 1998 14:15:03 -0400
From: dlnews_sender@DTIC.MIL
Subject: DoD News Releases
To: DODNEWS-L@DTIC.MIL
= N E W S R E L E A S E
=
= OFFICE OF THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF DEFENSE
= (PUBLIC AFFAIRS)
= WASHINGTON, D.C. 20301
=
= PLEASE NOTE DATE
====================================================
No. 255-98
(703)695-0192(media)
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 22, 1998
(703)697-5737(public/industry)
TOTAL FORCE ANTHRAX VACCINATION DECISION ANNOUNCED
Secretary of Defense William S. Cohen has directed the military
to proceed with the previously publicized plan to vaccinate all
active duty personnel and Selected Reserves with the FDA-licensed
Anthrax vaccine. Total Force vaccinations for about 2.4 million
military Service members are expected to begin this summer.
Cohen explained that, "I have approved implementation of the
Anthrax Vaccination Program for the total force. This is an
efficient, effective and safe way to protect our forces against
an emerging threat.
"On December 15, 1997, I made implementation of the program
contingent on the successful completion of four conditions:
supplemental testing of the vaccine; assured tracking of
immunizations; approved operational and communications plans;
and review of the health and medical aspects of the program by
an independent expert," Cohen said. "All conditions for
implementing the anthrax vaccination program for the total
force have now been met. Vaccinations of the active components
and Selected Reserve shall proceed consistent with all
specifications of the Food and Drug Administration approved
product labeling."
Today, during his commencement address at the U.S. Naval Academy,
President Clinton emphasized the importance of this initiative.
Clinton said, "Because our troops serve on the frontline of
freedom we must take special care to protect them. So we have
been working on vaccinating them against biological threats and
now we will inoculate all our armed forces, active duty and
reserves against deadly anthrax bacteria."
The Secretary of the Army will be the Executive Agent for the
Department's Anthrax Vaccination Program. The Army, on behalf of
the Executive Agent, will manage and administer the overall
program and monitor the Services' progress of their respective
implementation plans.
After a three-year review, Cohen concluded that the vaccination
is the safest way to protect highly mobile U.S. military forces
against a potential threat that is 99 percent lethal to unprotected
individuals. "This is a force protection issue that was
recommended by the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff," Cohen
said. "To be effective, force health protection must be
comprehensive, well-documented and consistent. I have instructed
the military to put such a program in place." Cohen and Gen.
Henry H. Shelton, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, have both
started taking the anthrax vaccinations.
Immunization for our troops is a prudent action. The immunization
program will consist of a series of six inoculations per Service
member over an 18-month period, followed by an annual booster.
Although protection levels increase as shots in the primary series
are given; the entire six-shot series is required for full
protection, as determined by the FDA.
The total force anthrax vaccination plans were first announced in
December 1997. In March 1998, the vaccination program was
accelerated for troops assigned or deploying to Southwest Asia
after all four conditions for implementation had been successfully
met in theater. The estimated cost to vaccinate the total force
over a six to seven-year period is approximately $130 million.
This includes associated costs for transportation, storage, and
administration of the program.
The phased vaccination program will take six to seven years to
complete. Next in priority after those in Southwest Asia and
Northeast Asia are early deploying forces. The remainder of the
force, including the reserves and National Guard, and new recruits
will follow. Annual booster vaccinations for all Service members
will become a routine part of force health protection.
More information about the Defense Department's anthrax vaccination
program is available on the World Wide Web at:
http://www.defenselink.mil/other_info/protection.html
-END-