National Research Council Study Backs CAGW Members' Declaration; Updating Government Computers Requires Modern-Day Manhattan Project

6/28/2002

From: Sean Rushton or Mark Carpenter, 202-467-5300, both of Citizens Against Government Waste http://www.cagw.org

WASHINGTON, June 28 -- Since May, more than 12,000 members of Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) have signed a "Citizen's Declaration" calling for upgrading the government's outdated computer systems to help prevent future attacks on the United States. These demands echo a report issued this week by the National Research Council that calls for an immediate overhaul of government technology to aid in the war on terrorism. The report, "Making the Nation Safer: The Role of Science and Technology in Countering Terrorism," outlines specific steps to improve the nation's security, including intelligence and surveillance, prevention, protection, interdiction, response, and recovery.

"Since its creation following the Grace Commission's report in 1984, CAGW has issued repeated warnings about the government's obsolete and incompatible technology," CAGW President Tom Schatz said. "One of the biggest dangers facing America today is the utter failure of many of the government's computers to communicate among law enforcement agencies and help apprehend suspected criminals and terrorists. The need to act quickly to rectify this crisis was made even more clear by yesterday's Washington Post report that al Qaeda may be targeting critical infrastructure for cyber attacks, a threat that was specifically addressed by the National Research Council's report."

"June 30 marks the twentieth anniversary of the Grace Commission. Unfortunately, many of the commission's recommendations to upgrade computers and make them compatible have yet to be acted upon. Not only would these proposals save money, they could also save lives. It's time for Congress to stop investing in pork-barrel projects and start protecting the American people," Schatz said.

Prior to Sept. 11, one of the terrorists was stopped for speeding by a Maryland state trooper. If the state's computer system had been linked to federal databanks indicating that the individual was a possible threat, he might have been apprehended. In a similar incident, the "Railway Killer," Rafael Resendes-Ramirez, was on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted List, but after being captured nine times, the INS deported him back to Mexico. With a compatible system in place, the INS would have held him, rather than letting him return and kill more Americans.

CAGW's Citizen's Declaration calls for the federal government to embark on an emergency effort to update its computer systems, especially those of law enforcement agencies, in order to better track international criminals and terrorists and prevent additional attacks on America. The declaration asks that the government devote the type of energy and resources to this effort as it did to the Manhattan Project during World War II, when scientists worked 24 hours a day in an effort to build an atomic bomb before the Germans or Japanese.

"The technology that our government is relying on is greatly outdated," Schatz concluded. "Our leaders need to respond swiftly to the Research Council's report, as well as CAGW's call for action, to prevent future attacks. It is imperative that all federal agencies have the most technologically advanced systems in order to maintain security. We urge Congress and the President to review this report and act on its recommendations before it's too late."

Citizens Against Government Waste is the nation's largest nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in government.