DHS Has Several Chemical Defense Programs and Activities Intended to Prevent and Protect Against Chemical Attacks

DHS manages several programs and activities designed to prevent and  protect against domestic chemical attacks. Appendix I discusses in greater detail DHS’s  programs and activities that focus on chemical defense, and appendix II  discusses DHS components that have chemical defense responsibilities  as part of an all-hazards approach. A Chemical Strategy and Implementation Plan Would Enhance DHS Efforts to Integrate and Coordinate Its Chemical Defense Programs and Activities

DHS’s chemical defense programs and activities have been fragmented  and not well coordinated, but DHS recently created the CWMD Office to,  among other things, promote better integration and coordination among  these programs and activities. While it is too early to tell the extent to  which this new office will enhance this integration and coordination,  developing a chemical defense strategy and related implementation plan  would further assist DHS’s efforts. We also found  examples of components conducting similar but separate chemical  defense activities without DHS-wide direction and coordination. OHA and S&T—two components with specific chemical defense  programs—both conducted similar but separate projects to assist  local jurisdictions with preparedness. Officials from OHA, S&T, and the CWMD Office acknowledged that  chemical defense activities had been fragmented and not well- coordinated. These officials also stated that they intend to address  fragmentation by coordinating with and supporting DHS components that  have chemical defense responsibilities as part of their missions under an  all-hazards approach, such as the Federal Protective Service, CBP, TSA,  the Coast Guard, and the Secret Service. Now that DHS has established the CWMD Office as the focal point for  chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear programs and activities,  DHS has an opportunity to develop a chemical defense strategy and  related implementation plan to better integrate and coordinate the  department’s programs and activities to prevent, protect against, mitigate,  respond to, and recover from a chemical attack. Officials from the CWMD Office agreed that the establishment of the new  office was intended to provide leadership to and help guide, support,  integrate, and coordinate DHS’s chemical defense efforts and that a  strategy and implementation plan could help DHS better integrate and  coordinate its fragmented chemical defense programs and activities. Conclusions

Recent chemical attacks abroad and the threat of ISIS to use chemical  weapons against the West have sparked concerns about the potential for  chemical attacks occurring in the United States. Recommendation for Executive Action

The Assistant Secretary for Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction  should develop a strategy and implementation plan to help the  Department of Homeland Security, among other things, guide, support,  integrate and coordinate its chemical defense programs and activities;  leverage resources and capabilities; and provide a roadmap for  addressing any identified gaps. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) - CBP interdicts  hazardous chemicals at U.S. borders and ports of entry as part of its  overall mission to protect the United States from threats entering the  country. Such threat information is compiled and disseminated to  relevant DHS components and federal agencies.
Why GAO Did This Study

Recent chemical attacks abroad and the threat of using chemical weapons against the West by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) have raised concerns about the potential for chemical attacks occurring in the United States. DHS's chemical defense responsibilities include, among others, managing and coordinating federal efforts to prevent and protect against domestic chemical attacks.
GAO was asked to examine DHS's chemical defense programs and activities. This report examines (1) DHS programs and activities to prevent and protect against domestic chemical attacks and (2) the extent to which DHS has integrated and coordinated all of its chemical defense programs and activities. GAO reviewed documentation and interviewed officials from relevant DHS offices and components and reviewed DHS strategy and planning documents and federal laws and directives related to chemical defense.

What GAO Found

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) manages several programs and activities designed to prevent and protect against domestic attacks using chemical agents (see figure). Some DHS components have programs that focus on chemical defense, such as the Science and Technology Directorate's (S&T) chemical hazard characterization. Others have chemical defense responsibilities as part of their broader missions, such as U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), which interdicts chemical agents at the border. DHS recently consolidated some chemical defense programs and activities into a new Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction (CWMD) Office.
However, GAO found and DHS officials acknowledged that DHS has not fully integrated and coordinated its chemical defense programs and activities. Several components—including CBP, U.S. Coast Guard, the Office of Health Affairs, and S&T—have conducted similar activities, such as acquiring chemical detectors or assisting local jurisdictions with preparedness, separately, without DHS-wide direction and coordination. As components carry out chemical defense activities to meet mission needs, there is a risk that DHS may miss an opportunity to leverage resources and share information that could lead to greater effectiveness addressing chemical threats. It is too early to tell the extent to which the new CWMD Office will enhance the integration of DHS's chemical defense programs and activities. Given the breadth of DHS's chemical defense responsibilities, a strategy and implementation plan would help the CWMD Office (1) mitigate the risk of fragmentation among DHS programs and activities, and (2) establish goals and identify resources to achieve these goals, consistent with the Government Performance and Results Modernization Act of 2010. This would also be consistent with a 2012 DHS effort, since abandoned, to develop a strategy and implementation plan for all chemical defense activities, from prevention to recovery. DHS officials stated the 2012 effort was not completed because of leadership changes and competing priorities.

What GAO Recommends

GAO recommends that the Assistant Secretary for the CWMD Office develop a strategy and implementation plan to help DHS guide, support, integrate, and coordinate chemical defense programs and activities. DHS concurred with the recommendation and identified actions to address it.