Founded just north of us here in tulsa, in berlin bartlesville oklahoma. It became the headquarters of phillips 66. And you still see the phillips 66 shield today. It has become esther lee are too many people out here as a coke bottle it has become as familiar to many people out here as a coke bottle. He was part of that flamboyant loyal fraternity that came out of the late 19th century into the 20th century and flourished. These were men, a very macho industry, who had solidly goes. They were very sure of themselves. That was very important. But he was human. That is all part of the story the good, the bad, and the ugly. He was many things, but always first and foremost, an auto man. Watched all of our events from tulsa today at noon eastern on cspan two on cspan2s book tv. Collects the blueribbon study panel on bio defense held meeting this week on biological and chemical threat preparedness. The cap the panel is considering changes to u. S. Policy and laws that would strengthen Nations Defense against biological and chemical threats. They are expected to issue a report later this spring. The group heard from former michigan representative mike rogers, who served as chair of the House Intelligence Committee while in congress. This is 45 minutes. Tom ridge good morning, 80s and gentlemen, and on behalf of the blueribbon study, we welcome you to our collaboration with the Hudson Institute. It is very important for us to institute for us to express our deep appreciation for the sponsorship of this panel. And frankly, the resources they provided to us to take on what we consider to be a very Critical Mission as we take a look at our ability to identify and respond to one of them are the more sinister threat that has been thrown out there at us whether by Mother Nature or isis or whatever actors there may be. Again, we are deeply grateful and there will be some priding private meetings here as we develop a series of recommendations to submit to the congress of the United States for both shortterm and longterm activities, recommendations about the ability of this country to identify those kinds of threats. Today, we confront a troubling world and it becomes more challenging every week. Biological and chemical threats are among the most sinister. Al qaeda isil and other terrorist groups have voiced their desires to obtain biological and chemical weapons. And loan actors, crude terrorist attempts, and agents like license are reported like ricin are reported regularly. There are significant gaps in the u. S. Public health and medical preparedness. Last years Chemical Attacks in syria from did serious consideration of our own ability to respond to domestic chemical terrorism and an influenza pandemic continues to lurk. It is clear it is necessary i am privileged to cochair this panel with one of my friends, senator joseph lieberman, who unfortunately will not be with him today. He is a little bit under the weather. Others will be involved as we develop a set of recommendations to set sent to the hill. Just for the benefit of the audience and we are grateful that man thinks enough of it to be covering it today, i would like to outline what we will try to do in dividing our efforts along 3, 4 four specific panels issues that relate to our effort. The first panel we held several months ago was on threat awareness. We took a look at the potential risk associated with biological and chemical threats that can inflict catastrophic consequences, and we discussed the risks posed by nationstates. The first panel was just about threat awareness. The second panel was prevention and protection. We asked a series of panelists to give us an overview on everything from biological arms control and cooperation with bilateral and multilateral agreements, to First Responder protection, and agricultural defense. And we took a look and assessed our ebola and influenza response capabilities and are our capabilities with pathogen. The third panel was about surveillance and section and the understanding of the biosensor he requirements biosensory requirements in this regard. We looked at Early Detection and early diagnosis. We took a very interesting look at the human and animal interface as it relates to our charge on this blueribbon panel. Today, we got a very lengthy group, a Significant Group of subject Matter Experts talk about recovery and response capabilities. We think we have cover the waterfront front threat awareness from threat awareness and response to everything in between. Jim greenwood will join us later. And we will submit a series of recommendations to the congress of the United States and, hopefully we will be advocating for these recommendations on a personal basis as well. As we have done with every panel and every meeting, we normally begin with a unique perspective. To this extent, we have mike rogers, former congressman, and a fellow with the Hudson Institute itself. And given the work he has done in the world of the international community, terrorism and the like, we think for him to commence this panel will be very helpful. Congressman mike rogers, thank you for joining us. The floor is yours. Thank you governor, secretary. That is a lot to get on a card. Really, it is. Its a little different being on the side. [laughter] i discover that as secretary mike. Thank you very much. [laughter] exactly and i do appreciate the opportunity here and i appreciate the work of the panel. I have been with hudson for a couple of months and the intellectual firepower there is both inspiring and i have learned a tremendous you think you coming fairly well schooled and you realize youve got a long way to go when you hang out with my colleagues at the Hudson Institute. They are doing really powerful work. I would like to tell you about our journey on how we got to issues we saw coming up that we did not believe are going to be addressed. Its really hard to get people to understand something you cannot see or touch necessarily, but you know has consequences. There are many nights that you dont you do not sleep, as you know. The threat matrix, terror attacks, and our ability to respond in a way that would be appropriate. We started in 2006 after a series of investigative was too strong, but at least inquiries as to the status of terrorists, at least attempting in their interest to obtain by weapons. And what we found was there was a high degree of interest in obtaining weapons, but we were in the middle of a conflict in iraq. And obviously in the middle of a conflict in afghanistan at that point and focus was not where it needed to be. Looking back at the white house collectively we agreed we needed to have a special fund, or effort to try to produce countermeasures in a market where there was no marketplace for it. That was the biggest problem. There is only one single customer in reality for these countermeasures. I dont care if it is radiological exposure. I dont care if it is smallpox on a large scale, bubonic plague, which we have seen strong interest in terror organizations trying to weaponize the bubonic plague and find Delivery Systems for them. We realized we needed to have something on a larger magnitude and then push it out to where our First Responders could gain access. That is really how this started. With all of the other challenges we face in the United States, it was hard to get attention on this. I credit your efforts and the white house for saying, yes, we will have to do with the level of threat that we see, even with all the other things we have. The one challenge we had subsequent to its passage was trying to get full funding for it. We got plenty of authorization money set aside for these countermeasures. It was very, very tempting, as you know, governor ridge. That money was too tempting to be moved somewhere else for what they would perceive bigger priorities. And again because that enemy was not knocking on our door with the bubonic plague or smallpox or fill in the blank. We know they were interested. We know they had aspirations to use it and to put it together. But we did not have enough to say within 30 days or 60 days or 180 days something that is going to happen with these biological weapons. It always became a backseat issue. We have had some successes along the way, however. With medical countermeasures and hhs just signed a contract with emergent for the new and improved anthrax countermeasure. A lot of attention paid to it, but there was reason there was a lot of attention paid to it. We watched the terrorists pay a lot of attention to it. We wanted to make sure we had stockpiles of countermeasures around the country to address a problem if it happened. Survivability rate in those cases would be astronomical. That money would also be used to test the prophylactic capability of anthrax countermeasures. We think that there can both be a prophylactic treatment, which you see now, and a response treatment to anthrax. In other words, if somebody get exposed gets exposed, there is an opportunity to have an have a vaccine to say that persons life. All of that has been a slog. Its been a work in progress, but i think weve made some progress. And susan brooks, a republican from indiana signed a letter to the chairman recently requesting i think, some 400 something Million Dollars in additional money. If they can get anywhere near it , that would be a success story. We are going to have to continue to do this to try to stay ahead of the threat. Last thing we want to do is have a successful biological attack in the u. S. Or with our allies and not be in a position to respond. With all the panic across europe, across the United States, really across asia, the middle east, africa about ebola. This is something we knew had the possibility to happen, but were not willing to stand up and try to prepare ourselves for the eventuality that might happen. There was a lot of chasing our tail in the beginning if you watch the way the government reacted. They reacted, which is great. The problem is, there was a lot of catching up to do in a way that we should not have had to do if both pieces of legislation have been fully funded and operational. This is a bipartisan problem on full funding. It started in the bush administration. That money got yanked away, and it has continued to this administration. Again, it is hard to get peoples attention on something that sounds really bad but really bad when they cannot see it. With that, mr. Chairman, i would be happy to take questions, with the advice of counsel of course. Tom ridge surrounded by lawyers. My client has a full my lawyer has a fool for a client the way the saying goes. Tom ridge as chairman of the House Intelligence Committee you obviously were far more familiar with the intent, the aspirations, and the capabilities of the terrorist organizations, just because of your role. And im sure, multiple briefings that you requested. You learned a great deal from each briefing. And i guess the challenges, in a democracy, we talked about this, this morning, and we are much more reactive than preemptive. Its a challenge and we understand, but since its not immediate and visual, rallying congressional support around an issue or an organization that is critical to this bio bio defense countermeasures and chemical countermeasures is very difficult. Do you have any recommendations in that regard as to how this panel may take our recommendations and approach the congress of the United States to elevate not only their interests , but their ability and willingness to take some of these recommendations, because they are bipartisan, very political recommendations, and take those and steve we can change relationships between endings entities, between certain funding streams. Anytime you affect the aspirational interests of terrace, that is a good day for getting ahead of the curve. I think report will be important to that end, and i would use this as an opportunity to get senior staffers, to get members of congress clued into the aspirational nature of the terror attempt. In some cases, it has gone beyond terror attempts. We have seen the use of chemical weapons and know that people are using them. We have seen the procurement or misys individuals in the east, we believe, of obtaining at least chemical weapons, if not hanging research on what may have been done by biological weapons. That is a very dangerous combination. In addition, any really illogical material that they may have, you know, a lot of people are afraid of the nuclear bomb and we should be. But a dirty bomb is much more to give ability of a terrorist organization than a nuclear bomb , sternly at this point. That is concerning. If members including, and senior staff get clued in as to what the threat level really is committed easier to start making these decisions. There will be a lot of priorities commit especially on defense. We have been robbing Maintenance Programs on terror groups and aircraft and heavy machinery tanks. To pay for other things in the military. The pressure will be on on the defense side. We have to make this a Public Health issue, i think, here in america, and get it out of the defense stream as best we can. An activity of that magnitude, even small think of the radiological bomb that have the impact of a square blocks. A small amount of material that produces an outcome they desire. Most of the impact of that is fear and chaos. Its not actually damage. This is the problem we confront. Can we sustain psychologically in the u. S. , or economically an attack even of that small magnitude . Or a small biological attack of smallpox . We know they have interest in bubonic plague, trying to weaponize. It is difficult to do, but not impossible. They have engineers and capability to be able to pursue that, and now they have a little open space to pursue that. That would keep me up at night. The hound of conversation that kind of conversation about security would be really viable. You are worried about agriculture. You are worried about commerce. We have to draw them into the notion of this is an american Public Health problem that we will have to deal with. Congressman, if i remember correctly, we met first when you were a state senator in michigan. Mike rogers you have a great memory, madam secretary. I think i had a mustache, too. I hope you dont member that. Donna shalala if the governors and leaders recognize that i may demand on their own congressional delegations, it seems to me that would help. But weve been talking about the into structure that is needed, and its not just federal infrastructure. Could you give me insight on how you think we could mobilize the states to also see themselves as part of this overall infrastructure that we need . Mike rogers thank you, maam secretary. And again, great memory. Im sure look exactly the same. I know you do. Donna shalala we were working on an education issue that i was interested in. Mike rogers we were. Most states have gone to some counterterrorism position in their state government. They realize they had issues they were going to have to address if they were going to be coordinating an effort with First Responders, coordinating and effort with their hospital systems, ad infinitum. It was even down into michigan at the county level. County government was having these folks committed and set in this room to deal with the problem. Firefighters, that is a great place to start. They will be the first to show up. Those of the ones you want engage with the state legislatures, and the government can be engaged with members of congress. It really is a joint effort and the state cannot be expected to bear this cost by themselves. If it is successful, it would likely be an act of terror on a broader scale, which is exactly why you need to bring to bear federal resources to help in the preparation. The only way you are going to get that message told by the state legislature is having them engaged in it. And again, the state they all have different titles, but the counterterrorism positions should be engaged in these conversations. And actively talking to their congressional delegation, to their senior staff about what their needs are. It cannot just be i need another fire truck. It has to be, we need to be prepared when emts or firefighters show up to a scene where there may have been some kind of biological weapons discharge. That i think, is a different conversation, and a conversation that has to be had with individuals that are going to take the burden of that first response. Donna shalala our recommendations ought to include a role for the state. Mike rogers absolutely. Gosh lela it different when you Donna Shalala it is different when you start adding the government to it. Mike rogers they can be great advocates for allowing those countermeasures to be deployed. One of the things we found after 9 11 is that everybody wanted everything all at the time and its not possible. You have to put a threat matrix together that says the upper portion of Upper Peninsula of michigan may not be important to me but it does need to get trenches of money maybe important to me, but it does need to get tranches of money for event. What i really meant to say was upper wisconsin. I would like to correct the record if i may. [laughter] this is the challenge that the legislators have, making sure yes, if there is a good idea candidly, if we are not doing new york city and los angeles and places that we know are on the immediate hit list, then shame on us. They should not get it all, but they should also be pretty high on priority list because we know they are targets for care activity that is engage the state legislators, but all of them to have this conversation. Tom ridge from time to time, we need to remind people inside the beltway and all of us have had substantial careers to be here. You cannot secure the company the country from inside the beltway. You cannot do it with the issues we are talking about. You need to develop those relationships and there are no more important relationships and im speaking as a former governor, but you cannot secure the country from inside the beltway. How we reach out to engage the governors and the bigcity mayors and the adjutant generals and counterterrorism chiefs is critical across the board for all the threats we face,