Countering the threat of chemical and biological weapons brings together a combination of complex and complicated factors, ranging from insufficiently understood proliferation dynamics to political repugnance to science and technology. Because of the complexity, the high stakes involved often fail to be recognized. The country in general and the political process in particular continue to fail to appreciate adequately that responding effectively to chemical and biological threats entails not just a multifaceted response but combining the pieces of that response together in a strategic fashion.