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CNN Live Today

National Security Strategy Unveiled

Aired July 16, 2002 - 12:07   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: In the war on terrorism, a broad new offensive is unveiled. President Bush did the honors this morning, releasing a 100-page national security strategy.

Here to tell us what's in those pages, White House correspondent Kelly Wallace.

What do they tell us -- Kelly.

KELLY WALLACE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, here it is. This is it, the new National Homeland Security Strategy. It includes a list of things the federal government, state and local governments need to do to really counter terrorists. This administration says try to choose their targets by going around the country to find where the vulnerabilities are.

So the president brought together a bipartisan group of members of Congress in the Rose Garden. He was hailing, really, the centerpiece of this strategy, what he unveiled last month, creating a new mega federal agency; merging the work of 22 different federal departments to deal with homeland security.

That plan has been criticized a bit on Capitol Hill, some lawmakers saying it's unwieldy, bureaucratic. Today the president appealing to Congress to get behind his proposal.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Our unity is a great weapon in this fight. And by acting together to create a new and single Department of Homeland Security, we'll be sending this world a signal that the Congress and the administration will work together to protect the American people and to win this war on terror.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALLACE: And some of the new proposals include improving the detection of chemical, biological and nuclear weapons by building better sensors. Also, possibly giving the federal government more authority to deploy the National Guard to deal with domestic terrorism, and increasing the stockpile of vaccines. Other ideas include setting minimum standards for state driver's licenses. And then also calling for so-called red teams of intelligence experts who would really almost act like terrorists, going around the country to find the vulnerabilities.

Kyra, this will not be cheap. The president wants to spend at least $38 billion alone next year. State and local governments are going to be asked to pay more. And in a time where most of the country is seeing deficits as opposed to surpluses, finding that extra money won't be easy -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Kelly, we see the big book, we hear about all the plans, but when will we actually see parts of that book put into action, implemented?

WALLACE: Well you've heard members of Congress, some Democrats, in particular, who say that we should try and see passage of this entire plan by September 11, the one year, of course, anniversary of the September 11 attack. So we will see.

Lawmakers are working on it again. There are some disagreements over this agency. Some lawmakers think it should not include the Coast Guard or the Secret Service or the Federal Emergency Management Agency, so some disagreements to work out. The hope is some time in the fall it will be improved to get the department up and running by January 1 -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Kelly Wallace live from the White House, thanks, Kelly.

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