GAO says DHS’s Countering WMD Office should be better coordinated

The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) has recommended that the Department of Homeland Security’s Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office develop a plan to help DHS coordinate chemical defense programs and activities.

The GAO’s study came about in response to concerns about recent chemical attacks abroad and the threats against the West by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

DHS manages several programs to protect against domestic attacks using chemical agents. Some of the various chemical defense programs were recently consolidated under the new Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction (CWMD) Office. However, several agency’s components, including Customs and Border Protection and the U.S. Coast Guard, still run their own programs.

GAO was asked to examine DHS programs and activities to prevent and protect against domestic chemical attacks and look at how it has coordinated all of its chemical defense programs and activities. It found that DHS has not fully integrated and coordinated its chemical defense programs and activities. As a result, DHS may miss an opportunity to leverage resources and share information that could lead to greater effectiveness addressing chemical threats, GAO said.

A strategy and implementation plan would help the CWMD Office mitigate the risk of fragmentation among DHS programs and activities as well as leverage resources and capabilities and provide a roadmap for addressing any gaps. DHS agreed with the recommendations and will address them.