Retired Four-Star General Barry McCaffrey Gives Keynote Address on Combating Weapons of Mass Destruction to U.S. Senior Joint Military Leaders at Fort Leonard Wood, MO Today

WASHINGTON, April 16 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Four-Star General Barry McCaffrey (Ret.), on the heels of the President's nuclear security summit, detailed the breadth of weapons of mass destruction and offered a strategy to combat what he called "Weapons of Mass Pandemonium" to the Joint Staff Senior Leaders today at Fort Leonard Wood, MO.

In a presentation to the Department of Defense Joint Senior Leaders' course, McCaffrey's comprehensive presentation included 13 slides (SEE link: www.mccaffreyassociates.com/pages/documents/CWMD.pdf ).

McCaffrey is now Adjunct professor of International Affairs at West Point and an expert in the media on national security issues.  Among his findings:

• "Weapons of Mass Pandemonium" include "nukes at one extreme and WW1 vintage mustard at the other extreme."
• Global stocks exceed 250 tons of civil plutonium -- enough for tens of thousands of nuclear weapons.
• The total world Nuclear Inventory is approximately 22,300 weapons, and McCaffrey breaks out the nine countries possessing them.
• "If you can make good beer, you can make low stability, poorly weaponized nerve agent or mustard agent."
• To maintain "credible United States WMD deterrence" we must have "verifiable treaties with strong international support, monitoring, and reporting" as well as "strong international law enforcement and intelligence cooperation."
• There must also be "a robust, modernized US strategic and tactical nuclear strike capability accompanied by the political will to employ a retaliatory response."
• We need a reinforced US National Guard capability to respond to WMD attack.

MCCAFFREY PREDICTS:

• "The US will be attacked by a non-state actor employing radiological devices or biological agents in the coming decade."
• "There is a small probability (5%) of employment of a low-yield nuclear device against an American city in the coming 50 years."
• "There is a modest probability (20%) of employment of nuclear weapons by state actors in the coming 50 years."

Contact: Bob Weiner/Rebecca Vander Linde, 301-283-0821 or 202-306-1200

SOURCE Robert Weiner Associates and BR McCaffrey Associates