Today the DHS Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Security
(CFATS) web site was updated to include links to a pre-publication copy
of the report of the National Academies report on possible modes of regulating improvised
explosive device (IED) precursor chemicals. This study was commissioned
by DHS in August 2016 as part of their efforts to craft effective regulations
for the prevention of the use of ammonium nitrate in IEDs.
A quick review of the 191-page document would indicate that
the study committee has taken a very nuanced look at the issue of controlling precursor
chemicals to prevent their use in the construction and use of IEDs by
terrorists. There is no quick fix proposed by the study. Instead they have
produced six broad recommendations:
Federal, state, local, and private
sector entities attempting to reduce the threat of IED attacks by restricting
access to precursor chemicals should focus on both person-borne and
vehicle-borne IEDs.
Federal, state, local, and private
sector entities attempting to reduce the threats from person-borne and
vehicle-borne IEDs should consider multi-chemical, rather than single-chemical,
strategies.
Federal, state, local, and
private-sector entities attempting to reduce the threats from person-borne and
vehicle-borne IEDs should focus on retail-level transactions of precursor
chemicals, especially e-commerce.
Federal, state, local, and private-sector
entities should explore strategies for harmonizing oversight of the sale and
use of commercially available kits that contain precursor chemicals that are
specifically designed to be combined to produce homemade explosives.
US DHS should engage in a more
comprehensive, detailed, and rigorous analysis of specific provisions for
proposed mandatory and voluntary policy mechanisms to restrict access to
precursor chemicals by malicious actors.
The federal government should
provide additional support for voluntary measures, activities, and programs
that can contribute to restricting access by malicious actorsto precursor
chemicals used to manufacture IEDs.
I will be taking more detailed reviews of various portions
of the study in future blog posts.
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