Press Releases

Today, Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC), Chairman of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities, made the following remarks on the hearing titled "Department of Defense (DoD) Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction (CWMD) Policy and Programs for Fiscal Year 2017:"

"I am pleased to welcome everyone here today for this very important and timely hearing on the Department of Defense (DoD) Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction (CWMD) Policy and Programs for Fiscal Year 2017.

The proliferation and potential use of Weapons of Mass Destruction remains a grave and enduring threat. Adversaries of the United States continue to pursue weapons of mass destruction in an attempt to enhance their international influence and threaten the United States, both at home and abroad. Recent media reports of the use of these weapons are widespread. They include news of Daesh’s use of chemical weapons in Iraq and Syria, revolutionary advances in biotechnology, and the continued nuclear weapon development in North Korea. These reports highlight the diverse and continued threat posed by weapons of mass destruction to the United States and our allies.

The entire Department of Defense Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction enterprise is critical in preventing, protecting against, and responding to weapons of mass destruction threats. While the Department of Defense has made many important contributions to national security over the last year, there are challenges in the Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction enterprise that still must be addressed.

The inadvertent shipment of inactivated anthrax from Dugway Proving Ground to 194 laboratories in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, three territories and nine foreign countries has exposed scientific, institutional, and workforce problems that need to be addressed to prevent this from ever happening again. We also remain increasingly concerned about the proliferation of dual-use technologies that could potentially be used for WMD development activities. These dual-use technologies could make threats much more readily available to terrorist groups or even lone actors, domestically as well as abroad.

So today we look forward to discussing the priorities for the Department of Defense to counter these evolving Weapons of Mass Destruction threats for fiscal year 2017.

We have before us a panel of three distinguished witnesses:

• Dr. Arthur Hopkins

Performing the Duties of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear, Chemical, and Biological Defense Programs

• Mr. Kenneth Myers

Director, Defense Threat Reduction Agency and U.S. Strategic Command Center for Combating Weapons of Mass Destruction (SCC-WMD)

• Dr. Wendin Smith

Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction.

I’d like to take this opportunity to recognize the outstanding service of Director Ken Myers, who will be moving on from the Defense Threat Reduction Agency next month. During his leadership as the longest serving Director in the history of the organization, the Agency has expanded international operations, increased research and development cooperation, and transformed into a whole of government resource. Ken’s contributions have been critical in safeguarding our nation and our allies, and we wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors."