Disaster response, whether man-made or natural, is essentially a State and local responsibility. Within this context, the role of the Federal government in any WMD terrorist incident will be one of support to States and their citizens. In a speech by the Department of Defense to Congress, the Department’s efforts to support State and local authorities in responding to WMD incidents are updated. The Presidential Decision Directive 62 (PDD-62) brings a program management approach to the national counterrorisim effort; it details a new and more systematic method of working together to fight terrorism. One effective means of channeling Federal support to first responders will come through the National Guard and Reserve. The Guard will usually be the first military asset on the scene. The Domestic Preparedness Program (DPP) is an interagency effort to provide resources, training and technical assistance to State and local emergency management personnel who would respond to a WMD terrorist incident. An interagency plan was developed which included visits to selected cities, a week of training for local first responder trainers including hazardous material, firefighters, law enforcement, and emergency medical service personnel. To date, 51 cities have participated in the training with approximately 14,800 first responder trainers having been trained. Also established was the Improved Response Program (IRP), to systematically review and enhance the response to chemical and biological terrorist incidents. Other programs are outlined and discussed.