PREFACE

For many years, the United States has been concerned about domestic acts of terrorism using conventional weapons and explosives. More recently, these concerns have grown to include other weapons of mass destruction (WMD), particularly use by terrorists of chemical and biological weapons. Recent independent assessments have concluded that as a nation we are ill-prepared to deal with such events. This Symposium, focused on the Los Angeles area, was held to help remedy that situation by seeking to identify the elements of an integrated homeland defense against Bioterrorism, identifying critical gaps in current federal, state, and local government policies, programs, and capabilities, and offering suggestions on how a relatively cost-effective homeland defense program might be achieved.

This Symposium was organized and hosted by RAND with assistance from the staff of the many sponsoring organizations, and particularly by the Los Angeles County Terrorism Early Warning Group (TEW).

Speakers included experts from all levels of government and the private sector. Nobel Laureate Dr. Joshua Lederberg of Rockefeller University, and Mr. Brian Michael Jenkins, noted RAND expert on terrorism, gave invited luncheon talks. Mr. Jenkins also gave a wrap up talk at the Symposium's end. Ms. Cindy Conlon of RAND and ASIS (American Society for Industrial Security) was the Symposium Moderator. Opening remarks for this Symposium were given by Dr. Jeffrey Isaacson, Vice President, RAND, Mr. Dallas Jones, Director of California State Emergency Services, and Dr. James Wilburn, Dean, School of Public Policy, Pepperdine University.

This document is comprised of highly condensed summaries of each of the talks presented at the Symposium held on February 8, 9, and 10, 2000 at the Four Points Hotel in Santa Monica, California. The entire Proceedings of the Symposium, as well as the names and associations of participants, can be found on this new web site.