Within the USG, some have the responsibility for detection of nukes and chem/bio at home, others for away, still others for bits and pieces in the chain, and some bits of the chain not really covered whatsoever.

With all that, no one in our universe can really answer the question, "Okay, now that we found it, what do we do next?"

This is why Steve DeAngelis and I feel so strongly about our pilot effort on ResilienceNet in the port of Philadelphia. Until some entity forces the issue, the government, left to its own devices, will not adequately answer this crucial question.

And yes, today I'm at Oak Ridge, a national lab that worries about this sort of thing and seeks aggressively to work the issue. Bit of a "herding the cats" problem, but one that must be surmounted through public-private partnerships.

Why?

This country wasn't built by the government. It was built by American business. The government grew in response.