. They are trained so that they can quickly identify the symptoms of chemical or biological attack and work to neutralize it (through quarantine of the infected or disabling a device).The United States government has also taken the step of stockpiling antidotes and vaccines to chemical and biological agents in the hopes of inoculating as many people as possible in the event of an attack on the U.S. There are many biological (and chemical) agents, such as pneumonic plague, that the U.S. government knows terrorist groups have acquired and hope to use. Therefore, the government is somewhat cognizant of which antidotes to stockpile. When there is an attack, local and state government can become quickly overwhelmed by the magnitude of the attack. Therefore, at this stage, the lower level governments may call upon the federal government for assistance. The way this system is presently set-up appears efficient but problems persist. The lead federal agency in a domestic terrorist attack is usually the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) or the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). If these organizations determine more help is needed from the federal government, the Department of Defense may be asked to assist. The Defense Department provides help by activating the National Guard and Reserves as its lead agency of assistance. The National Guard is of great help because they presently have response teams known as Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) Civil Support Teams. These teams determine the nature of the attack, provide medical and technical advice, and help to support further federal and state investigations. The WMD Civil Support Teams operate under federal mandate but are commanded by the governors of the states in which they are deployed. Essentially, they have the full support (financial and otherwise) and the vast resources of the federal government but are commanded by the state governments. Although the aforementio...
