The Coast Guard and National Guard troops under the control of state governors are excluded from the Reconstruction-era law, known as the Posse Comitatus Act.
By Mimi Hall, USA TODAY
By Larry Downing, Reuters
President Bush, with Vice President Cheney, discusses homeland security strategy Tuesday.
WASHINGTON — President Bush's national strategy for homeland security offers a chilling reminder of the dangers the nation faces at the hands of terrorists and a dizzying list of high-tech solutions that could cost the government and industry billions of dollars.
From futuristic systems that would detect a person's "hostile intent" to consideration of military enforcement of quarantines, the strategy is a blueprint for how the government and private sector should prepare for another terrorist attack.
"This comprehensive plan lays out clear lines of authority and clear responsibilities ... for federal employees and for governors and mayors and community and business leaders and the American citizens," Bush said upon releasing the 71-page report. "With a better picture of those responsibilities, all of us can direct money and manpower to meet them."
White House officials acknowledged that implementing the plan would take years and billions of dollars. Much of it would require action by Congress, cash-strapped state and local governments, businesses and foreign governments.
Bush's strategy calls for a national effort that also would include developing new vaccines to fight bioterrorism, creating high-tech chemical detection systems and expanding extradition authority.
"Our society presents an almost infinite array of potential targets that can be attacked through a variety of methods," the strategy says. "We must be prepared to adapt as our enemies in the war on terrorism alter their means of attack."
Much of what is in the plan is already underway, such as increasing security at U.S. borders with Canada and Mexico and stockpiling vaccines against anthrax and smallpox. Congress also is on its way to creating a 170,000-employee department of homeland security.
Homeland security experts praised the strategy as a solid outline of the ongoing terrorist threat, the nation's vulnerabilities and what needs to be done. To that end, the plan says the government should:
Create "red teams" of federal agents who would run mock-terrorism drills to try to find weaknesses in preparedness. Use the military for civilian defense, including enforcing quarantines in case of an attack using a contagious virus. Review state quarantine laws, some of which are more than 100 years old.
Increase the availability of terrorism insurance. Develop a scientific system to detect a person's hostile intent, so security officials could find possible terrorists.
Review public disclosure laws that might discourage some companies, such as those that have dangerous chemical plants, from sharing proprietary information with the government.
Randall Larsen, director of the ANSER Institute for Homeland Security, called the report "a great step forward."
Others questioned whether the strategy is fiscally realistic. The federal government and the states have spent more than $50 billion on homeland security; the strategy says the private sector, which spent $55 billion a year on security before Sept. 11, might need to double that.
In Congress, which is on a fast track to approve a new department, lawmakers welcomed the strategy, but Democrats questioned some elements.
Rep. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., expressed concern that the Bush administration will try to amend the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878, which forbids the military from engaging in civilian law enforcement. Menendez also said he worried that a recommended national standard for driver's licenses could infringe on Americans' civil liberties.
Former acting CIA director Jack Devine said the focus should remain on hunting down terrorists abroad. "This is more of an offensive game than a defensive game," he said. "Homeland security improves our position somewhat, but it doesn't get you to the point where you can sleep at night."