Army Creates Team to View Lab Security (Ivins)

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Army Creates Team to View Lab Security
August 09, 2008
Associated Press

WASHINGTON - The Army has created a team of medical and other military experts to review security measures at the research laboratory where the scientist linked to the 2001 anthrax mailings that rattled America worked.

Army Secretary Pete Geren has asked at least a dozen military and civilian officials to scrutinize safety procedures, quality controls and other policies and practices at the biodefense lab at Fort Detrick, Maryland, Army spokesman Paul Boyce said Friday.

To date, the Army has offered no explanation for how its biosecurity system, which is set up to catch mentally troubled workers, failed to flag scientist Bruce Ivins for years. Ivins, the microbiologist accused of sending anthrax-laced letters in 2001 that killed five people, committed suicide last week as the FBI began closing in on him.

Boyce said Friday that Geren met with military officials on Thursday night, then traveled to the high-security Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, known as USAMRIID, at Fort Detrick on Friday morning to talk with leaders there.

Boyce said the team, which is only now being formed, is not targeting individuals but instead will be reviewing documents, procedures and other safety measures to ensure security at the military biodefense lab. He added that as yet there are no deadlines for reports from the team.


Rest of article at: http://www.military.com/news/article/army-creates-team-to-view-lab-security.html?col=1186032310810