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Report
The executive summary of this report by the Commission on the Prevention of WMD Proliferation and Terrorism states,
"“Unless the world community acts decisively and with great urgency,
it is more likely than not that a weapon of mass destruction will be used in a
terrorist attack somewhere in the world by the end of 2013.”
—World at Risk
This was the somber conclusion of the bipartisan, congressionally mandated Commission on the
Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism in its report, World at
Risk, released in December 2008. On December 2, 2008, the Director of National Intelligence
publicly agreed with this assessment. Today, 323 days since the release of that report, the clock
continues ticking and we are now closer to a possible attack. The U.S. government has taken
some of the decisive and urgent actions needed, but these actions have not kept pace with the
increasing capabilities and agility of those who would do harm to the United States and the
world community.
...Progress has been made, but the clock is ticking. As international leaders prepare to meet to
discuss the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in 2010, the Biological and Toxin Weapons
Convention in 2011, and several other efforts along the way, the U.S. government must lead the world in acting more quickly to prevent WMD proliferation and terrorism. The current trajectory of risk does not favor the United States, but the nation has the opportunity to change that trajectory with effective action. It is the purpose of this interim report and a full report card in January 2010 to alert the public and its representatives as to what the American government can and is doing to accomplish just that.
In January 2010, the Commission will be releasing a report card grading the Administration and Congress on their progress in implementing the recommendations of the Commission. This interim report highlights the areas that we are assessing and identifies both the successes and items that are in most urgent need of attention. Those areas are (1) Biological Weapons Proliferation and Terrorism; (2) Nuclear Weapons Proliferation and Terrorism; (3) Government Organization and Culture; and (4) The Role of the Citizen. Successes, needed improvements, and concerns for each of the four substantive areas are detailed in the sections below."
