Wisconsin Guard members return from successful missions in Afghanistan

By 1st Sgt. Vaughn R. Larson

Wisconsin National Guard

Approximately 35 members of the Wisconsin National Guard's 82nd Agribusiness Development Team enjoyed a warm welcome in Hartford, Wis., Tuesday (Sept. 11), a little sooner and with different experiences than originally planned.

"I gotta tell ya, this crew is the best of the best that the Wisconsin National Guard, the United States Army and United States Air Force has to offer, bar none," a cheerful Col. Darrel Feucht, 82nd ADT commander, told families and friends during a homecoming ceremony at VFW Post 8834. "We had a mission, the mission changed and we had to go some other place. We stepped up to the plate and the Bucky Badger patch instantly became an icon in Kabul for everything we did there."

The 82nd ADT left Wisconsin in February and took over the agribusiness mission in Kunar Province, Afghanistan in April. In May the unit was remissioned, with the agribusiness specialists becoming part of the Provincial Reconstruction Team Kunar and the remainder of the 82nd ADT taking on new missions - principally security or quick-reaction force - in Kabul, Afghanistan.

"This team did fabulous," he said.

Feucht was involved in commanders' emergency relief projects such as schools, bridges and sports complexes in the Kabul area, which boasts a population of around 5 million.

1st Lt. Stephen Montgomery of the Wisconsin Air National Guard's 115th Fighter Wing deployed as the public affairs officer for the 82nd ADT, but after the unit was remissioned in May he became a deputy force protection officer in Kabul.

"It was phenomenal," he said of the new experience. "I couldn't imagine doing this in the Air Force in a million years. It was a lot of fun and broadened my professional experience."

Brig. Gen. Scott Legwold, Wisconsin National Guard Joint Staff director, thanked community and legislative leaders, as well as family members, for their support of deployed service members.

"Soldiers and Airmen of the 82nd ADT, thank you for what you did being flexible and accomplishing a very difficult mission in a very difficult place," Legwold said.

Gov. Scott Walker also thanked family members, acknowledging that welcome home ceremonies are always exciting. On the 11th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terror attacks, he said the ceremony was even more meaningful.

"Eleven years ago, probably a fair number of you right here today may very well have had your first thoughts about joining the United States armed forces in the aftermath of 9/11," Walker said. "Since that date 11 years ago more than 30,000 men and women have been deployed from Wisconsin. You've served us proud. Today we remember all those who served - particularly we remember the more than 160 we've lost - and we're thankful that you all came back safe and sound, in good mind and good spirit.

"We're proud of you," Walker continued. "We appreciate the service you provide for your community, your state and, most importantly, your country."

Mary Sovota of Franklin, Wis., was among a group waiting to greet Spc. Kimberly Flock, a combat medic with the 82nd ADT.

"I'm so excited she's coming home - she'll be here for her birthday," Sovota said. "She is as excited as we are. She's been looking forward to beer and chili tonight."

Rachel Treml of Luxemburg, Wis., was waiting to greet Sgt. Trevor Treml, a communications specialist who worked with computer and radio networks for the 82nd ADT.

"It feels good," she said of his pending arrival. "He's been contacting us every other week. He's excited."

Preferring to soak in the nearness of his family and friends, Sgt. Treml only said that he missed "everything" about Wisconsin during his deployment.

Laura Schweitzer of Manawa, Wis., quickly locked into a lengthy embrace with Staff Sgt. George Nagel, a pest control specialist with the Wisconsin Air National Guard's 128th Air Refueling Wing. Tuesday was their first meeting since their 12-year friendship developed into a more substantial relationship during the course of his six-month deployment, and the couple appeared oblivious to all else around them.

"Today is a big day," she said.

The 14 remaining 82nd ADT members still conducting the agribusiness mission in Kunar Province are expected back in Wisconsin early next year.

Community bids farewell to Wisconsin Soldiers bound for Afghanistan

By Tech. Sgt. Jon LaDue

Wisconsin National Guard

Nearly 150 Wisconsin Army National Guard Soldiers arrived at Fort Bliss, Texas, on Monday where they will conduct about 45 days of mobilization training in preparation for a deployment to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

Community members, family, friends and Wisconsin state and National Guard leaders participated in a formal sendoff ceremony for Soldiers of the 229th Engineer Company, from Prairie du Chien and Platteville, and the Tomah-based106th Quarry Detachment, at the Prairie du Chien High School Saturday (Aug. 25)

The 229th has prepared for the deployment since they were first notified of the mobilization in October of 2010.

"Over the last 21 months, these Soldiers here today have trained, sweat, sacrificed time and effort, for this day," Capt. Jesse Augustine, commander of the deploying unit, said at the sendoff. "I can absolutely say that I've never been more proud of a unit or organization that I've served with."

Upon completion of the mobilization training in Texas, the Soldiers will report to Afghanistan's Kandahar Province to conduct engineer construction missions.

"So once again this great nation has called upon the 229th Engineers in support of the global war on terror," said State Command Sgt. Maj. George Stopper. "And once again the 229th engineers have stepped forward, answered that call and are providing some of the most highly trained, highly qualified and highly motivated Soldiers in the Wisconsin National Guard to accomplish that mission.

"There are going to be countless thousands of lives, both coalition soldiers, Afghan nationals and U.S. Soldiers that you are going to affect because of the missions that you accomplish while you are in theater," said Brig. Gen. Mark Anderson, commander of the Wisconsin Army National Guard. "Keep your focus on the mission, do it well and you'll do great."

Anderson also expressed his thanks to family and friends of the deploying Soldiers.

"Please let me say thank you," Anderson said. "For the support you lend and for the love that you give. Because that allows these Soldiers that are sitting down in front of you, these great Americans, these elite of the population that we have here in the United States to be able to accomplish their mission."

Prairie du Chien Mayor Dave Hemmer said he was humbled to be among present-day heroes.

"I promise that we, as a community, will hold you close to our hearts, keep you in our prayers, while you are in harm's way and support those that you are saying goodbye to for now," Hemmer said.

Maj. Gen. Don Dunbar, adjutant general of Wisconsin, said no leader wants to deploy Soldiers to a combat zone.

"We have strategic interests in Afghanistan and the decision has been made," Dunbar said. "And if you're going to engage in combat, you send the best that you have and that's what sitting right here - the 229th!"

Community to bid farewell to deploying Wisconsin National Guard Soldiers

Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs Office

The Prairie du Chien community will join Wisconsin leaders, families and friends in honoring approximately 150 Afghanistan-bound Wisconsin National Guardsmen during a sendoff ceremony Saturday [Aug. 25], 1 p.m., at the Prairie Du Chien High School, 800 East Crawford Street, Prairie Du Chien, Wis.

Festivities will begin at approximately noon when local police, firefighters and members of the Patriot Guard will escort the Platteville and Prairie Du Chien-based 229th Engineer Company and Tomah-based 106th Quarry Detachment Soldiers from the Prairie Du Chien armory to the local high school for the formal send-off.

Following the brief ceremony the Soldiers will depart for Fort Bliss, Texas for approximately 45 days of mobilization training before deploying to the Kandahar Province where they will perform engineer construction missions.

The 229th is a subordinate unit of the 724th Engineer Battalion, 157th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade and most recently deployed in 2003. Approximately 165 soldiers spent 14 months at Camp Speicher, Iraq, where they provided engineer support to coalition forces and also helped rebuild Iraqi infrastructure, including runway construction, built traffic control points and forward operating bases, maintained main supply routes, and provided force protection and project oversight for Iraqi-contracted building projects.

The 106th Quarry Detachment, also a subordinate unit of the 724th Engineer Battalion, last mobilized in 2003. The then Ashland-based unit prepared to deploy overseas to operate their rock crushing machine at quarry sites where they would make gravel for road construction. Their mission however, changed while at mobilization station when the Army ordered them to Fort Lewis, Wash., where they supported the Army’s Reserve Officer Training Corps advanced camp, which is the final step before the Army’s ROTC cadets from around the country receive their commissions as second lieutenants.

Many of the deploying Guardsmen are among the more than 13,000 Wisconsin National Guard Soldiers and Airmen who have deployed in support of the global war on terrorism since September 11, 2001, many more than once.

EDITORS AND NEWS DIRECTORS: Media are invited to cover the send-off of the 229th Engineer Company on Saturday, Aug 25th at the Prairie du Chien High School, 800 East Crawford Street, Prairie du Chien.

Wisconsin Guard engineers welcomed home from Iraq Friday

By 1st Sgt. Vaughn R. Larson

Wisconsin National Guard

Commander in Chief Governor Scott Walker, military leaders, an Army band and nearly 1,000 friends and family braved cold temperatures Friday night (Feb. 18) to give a warm welcome to about 300 of Wisconsin’s newest combat veterans. "We could not be more proud," Walker said during a welcome home ceremony for the 724th Engineer Battalion in a packed hanger at Volk Field last night. "Thank you, and to the families we say thank you as well."

The 724th Engineer Battalion deployed to Iraq last April. Operating as Task Force Badger, the 724th became the only remaining engineering battalion in Iraq and directed a total of eight engineering companies - including Guard units from Pennsylvania and Puerto Rico, active Army units from Fort Lewis, Wash., and Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, and an Army Reserve unit from Fort Belvoir, Va.

"You are an amazing group of men and women," said unit Commander Lt. Col. Dave O'Donahue as he struggled to find the words that could sufficiently convey his pride in the unit that had completed a 10-month mission to Iraq. "You did a phenomenal job. It is the greatest honor of my military career to have served with you."

Task Force Badger's principal mission was to provide freedom of movement throughout Iraq. This included 200,000 kilometers of route clearance - searching for and removing roadside bombs. The battalion also removed five major military bridges, completed construction work for Iraqi forces at combined check points near Kirkuk and Mosul, trained Iraqi forces in bridging techniques and procedures, and moved more than $90 million of vehicles and equipment out of Iraq as part of the drawdown of forces. In addition, Task Force Badger assisted the State Department in the construction of Contingency Operating Station Erbil in northern Iraq.

O'Donahue accompanied his men on many missions, and saw what it took to get the job done in a country that still poses considerable danger.

"Night after night they put it on the line, keeping other people safe," he said. "So many of our missions were at night - not many people knew all that we did."

Brig. Gen. Mark Anderson, commander of the Wisconsin Army National Guard, praised the Men of the North, as the battalion is known.

"You can be extremely proud of what you accomplished in theater," he said. "You may never know all the people you helped, but they will remember you - they will remember the 724th."

Brig. Gen. Don Dunbar, the adjutant general of Wisconsin, agreed.

"Your accomplishment is now etched in the book of American history," he said.

O'Donahue said that in addition to the great sense of accomplishment, he felt a great sense of relief now that the 724th was back home in Wisconsin.

"We completed the mission," he said. "We did it the right way."

Wisconsin Guard Gets Order for Largest Deployment Since WWII

American Forces Press Service

Sept. 10, 2008 - The 32nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team of the Wisconsin Army National Guard will deploy as many as 3,500 soldiers for an active-duty mission in Iraq in what officials said will be the largest operational deployment of Wisconsin National Guard forces since World War Two. Notification to soldiers, who had been on alert since December, began Sept. 5. Augmentees from six other units will deploy with the brigade.

The mobilization is expected to last about a year. The Wisconsin Army Guard units will report for duty at their local armories in mid-February and then train at a U.S. Army installation in Texas for about two months before deploying overseas. The soldiers will then spend about 10 months of the year-long mobilization in Iraq.

With an authorized strength of about 3,450 soldiers, the 32nd Brigade has units in 36 Wisconsin communities. Although the combined authorized strength of units on the mobilization order is about 4,500 soldiers, no more than 3,500 will actually be mobilized to fill positions required for the unit's missions, officials said.

Most of the 32nd Brigade's subordinate units have been previously mobilized in the seven years since Sept. 11, 2001.

The 32nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team is descended from the 32nd "Red Arrow" Division, an infantry group formed of Wisconsin and Michigan Guardsmen serving in Texas in 1917. Called to active federal service again for World War I, the division earned its distinctive insignia -- a vertical red arrow through a horizontal red bar -- by piercing every enemy line it faced in four World War One campaigns: Alsace, Aisne-Marne, Oise-Aisne and Meuse-Argonne.

The Red Arrow Division was mobilized again in October 1940, more than a year before the U.S. entered World War Two. Most of the division's soldiers fought in the Southwest Pacific, where they played a key role in capturing the Papua New Guinea enemy stronghold at Buna which was, in early 1943, among the first U.S. ground forces victories in the Pacific Theater.

The division went on to fight in the Philippines and ended the war as part of the occupation force on the home islands of Japan. The 32nd Division logged a total of 654 days of continuous World War Two combat -- more than any other U.S. Army division in any war. Parts of the division also fought in North Africa and Europe.

In October 1961, President John F. Kennedy called the 32nd Division to federal service during the Berlin crisis; the unit served until August 1962 at Fort Lewis, Wash., before returning to Wisconsin.

In 1967, the 32nd Division -- by then made up entirely of Wisconsin units -- was deactivated and reorganized as the 32nd Separate Infantry Brigade. In 1986, the 32nd Infantry Brigade was the first brigade-sized National Guard unit in the nation to deploy all its personnel and equipment overseas for a major NATO exercise, which was conducted annually in West Germany during much of the Cold War.

Because the 32nd Brigade and other affected units had been alerted for the upcoming mobilization since December, commanders have been conducting intensive additional training for their units for the past eight months. The units completed a longer-than-normal, three-week annual training at Fort McCoy, Wis., in August, and another three-week annual training period is planned for January in Florida.

Completing rigorous training requirements before units arrive at their mobilization training sites allows for one-year mobilization durations -- significantly shorter than the 16-to-18-month Army Guard mobilizations – with some even longer -- that were common before new Defense Department policies were announced in January 2007.

With this upcoming mobilization, more than 10,000 soldiers and airmen from the Wisconsin Army and Air National Guard — more than 100 percent of the Guard's total force in the state — will have served on active duty since Sept. 11, 2001. This number exceeds 100 percent of the Guard's current number of personnel because of multiple mobilizations for many soldiers and airmen, officials explained.

In addition to the mobilization of the 32nd Brigade Combat Team and six other units in February, another Wisconsin Army National Guard unit will be mobilized in the coming year. The 951st Sapper Company of Tomahawk and Rhinelander, with an authorized strength of about 100 soldiers, will be ordered to active duty at the end of November for a security mission in Afghanistan.

Another unit, Tomah-based Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment of the 732nd Combat Support Sustainment Battalion, is on alert for a possible mobilization in the spring. The unit has an authorized strength of about 75 soldiers.

Even after mobilization of the 32nd Brigade Combat Team and other units identified for mobilization in the coming year, the Wisconsin National Guard will still have more than 60 percent of its forces available in Wisconsin for any state emergency response that may be required, officials said. Upcoming mobilizations do not involve either of the Guard's helicopter units or the state's 54th Civil Support Team.

Most of the Wisconsin National Guard's engineer units are also unaffected, and a 500-member rapid-reaction force remaining in Wisconsin maintains the Guard's capability to provide a speedy security response anywhere in the state, officials said.

(From a Wisconsin National Guard news release.)

CBR Weapons and WMD Terrorism News- July 11, 2008

SLU [Saint Louis University] Studies Experimental Smallpox Vaccine for Eczema Patients
“Researchers at the Saint Louis University School of Medicine are preparing to test a new, experimental smallpox vaccine on people with atopic dermatitis (eczema), whose skin disorder may put them at higher risk for vaccine related side effects. […] The new study in which SLU is taking part will involve more than 500 patients at up to 30 centers in the U.S. and Mexico.” (Saint Louis University; 07Jul08; Carrie Bebermeyer) http://www.slu.edu/x24035.xml

Anthrax case settlement costly and embarrassing [Opinion]
“The administration recently agreed to a lawsuit settlement that will pay germ warfare scientist Steven Hatfill $5.8 million. […] Attorney General John Ashcroft publicly declared Hatfill a ‘person of interest,’ despite Justice Department policy that very clearly states the necessity to keep under wraps the names of suspects. Hatfill lost his job, was publicly trailed by investigators and his home was searched twice.” (Denver Post;
09Jul08) http://www.denverpost.com/opinion/ci_9831825

Legislators, Emergency Directors to Review, Revise Wis[consin’s] Disaster Laws
“A new panel of state lawmakers, relief workers and emergency directors will start meeting this month to streamline Wisconsin's disaster statutes and clarify how the state legislature should work if a crisis forces it to meet outside Madison. Wisconsin's emergency statutes haven't undergone a comprehensive review since the late 1980s, said Randi Milsap, a state Department of Military Affairs attorney.” (Insurance Journal; 09Jul08; AP) http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/midwest/2008/07/09/91749.htm

Gary [Indiana] seeks emergency test volunteers
“The Gary Department of Health and Human Services is seeking 100 volunteers to help test the city’s emergency preparedness system. The exercise, a staged fictional bioterrorism/anthrax attack occurring in the city, is scheduled for 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Aug. 6 at the Genesis Convention Center’s Lake Room in downtown Gary.” (The Times North West Indiana; 09Jul08) http://www.thetimesonline.com/articles/2008/07/09/updates/breaking_news/doc4874f9ca4c990076920106.txt

As [Salmonella] Outbreak Affects 1,000, Experts See Flaws in Law
“More than 1,000 people in 41 states and the District of Columbia have now been sickened in the nation’s salmonella outbreak, in what officials said Wednesday was the largest food-borne outbreak in the last decade. And some food safety experts this week tied problems in tracing the source of the contamination to what they say are shortcomings in the Bioterrorism Act of 2002. […] The rule requires only that produce handlers keep track of food one step back and one step forward in the supply chain and does not apply to retailers or growers. Because the rule does not specify the format for records, investigators are sifting through a hodgepodge of paper trails to identify the source of the contaminated produce.” (New York Times; 10Jul08; Bina Venkataraman) http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/10/health/policy/10tomato.html?ref=us

Ventilation problems delay $4 million county lab opening [Allegheny County, Pennsylvania]
“Allegheny County's $4 million public health laboratory in Lawrenceville has been built for seven months. But disease samples are still being sent to an Oakland lab that hasn't been updated in a half-century. At Wednesday's county Board of Health meeting, Dr. Bruce Dixon, director of the Health Department, said issues with the ventilation system would delay the opening for another five weeks.” (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review; 10Jul08; Allison M. Heinrichs) http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/s_576813.html

Corgenix Announces Expansion of Hemorrhagic Fever Virus Product Development Program
“Corgenix Medical Corporation, a worldwide developer and marketer of diagnostic test kits, has announced an expansion of the collaborative effort for developing test kits for viral hemorrhagic fever (VHF) detection.” (Market Watch; 10Jul08) http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/corgenix-announces-expansion-hemorrhagic-fever/story.aspx?guid=%7BBD01F5B5-0947-41A6-A6AE-D8B9D8EA469C%7D&dist=hppr

Emergency personnel stay prepared [Tahlequah, Oklahoma]
“The entire month of July has been set aside as Bioterrorism and Disaster Education and Awareness Month. […] The county also has a written emergency operations plan that various entities have worked for months to refine. Dotson and Assistant EM Director Mike Underwood are the county’s only paid emergency management personnel. Several others work with the agency on a volunteer basis. Dotson said EM, in turn, works with law enforcement – the Cherokee County Health Department, emergency medical service personnel, school officials and others – so all can be ready to move into action when called. The purpose of the special month is to raise awareness for emergency preparedness in case a disaster was to occur.” (Tahlequah Daily Press; 10Jul08; Bob Gibbins) http://www.tahlequahdailypress.com/features/local_story_192100754.html?keyword=secondarystory

[University of] Calgary researcher wins $1.7M grant to study bioterrorism
“A scientist at the University of Calgary has been awarded $1.7 million to find vaccines for two diseases that have been used as biological weapons. Donald Woods is using the grant from the U.S. National Institutes of Health's Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for his research on preventing glanders and melioidosis, the university said Thursday.” (AOL News Canada; 10Jul08; CBC News) http://news.aol.ca/article/glanders-vaccine/280049/

Patch of Contaminated Soil Found at R.M. [Rocky Mountain] Arsenal
“Workers at Rocky Mountain Arsenal have found an area of contaminated soil in a section of the property once used to dispose of hazardous waste. […] The area is about a mile away from where another area of contaminated soil was discovered last fall. […] Scharmann said officials must decide whether to remove the soil or extend the cap to cover the area. The arsenal's two landfills are full so, if the soil is removed, it will have to be taken somewhere else.” (CBS 4 Denver; 09Jul08; AP) http://cbs4denver.com/green/Contaminated.Soil.Found.2.767547.html

Lawmakers fight chemical weapons plan [transport]
“Lawmakers from both parties are challenging a Pentagon plan to study whether to transport deadly chemical weapons across state lines to speed their destruction. […] Members of Congress and watchdog groups say the plan exposes the public to unnecessary risks and violates a 2005 law making it illegal for the Department of Defense to study the possibility of transporting chemical weapons across state lines.” (Daily Mail; 09Jul08; Matthew Daly) http://www.heraldextra.com/content/view/272651/

US weapons research is raising a stink
"XM1063 is the code name for the US army's new secret weapon which will 'suppress' people without harming them, as well as stopping vehicles in an area 100m square. But is it a violation of chemical weapons treaties, or a welcome move towards less destructive warfare using non-lethal weapons? Exactly how it works is classified, but we have established some details. The first part of the weapon is an artillery round - or as the army puts it, 'a non-lethal personal suppression projectile' - fired from a 155mm howitzer, with a range of 28km. […] Experts suggest three possible payloads: an existing riot-control agent, malodorants or a new chemical agent. Existing agents include CS gas and a form of pepper spray. But these seem unlikely choices, because their effects only last minutes, and could wear off before friendly forces arrive. They could also face a legal challenge: the 1997 Chemical Weapons Convention prohibits the use of riot control agents in warfare.” (The Guardian; 10Jul08; David Hambling) http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2008/jul/10/weaponstechnology.research

Wisconsin Researchers Use Proteomics to Hunt Biomarkers Tied to Radiation Damage
“Despite the ongoing risk of radioactive dirty bombs set off by terrorists, as well as run-of-the-mill nuclear disasters, there are currently no protein biomarkers that could help detect early signs of injury brought on by radiation exposure. With this in mind, researchers at the Medical College of Wisconsin have been studying changes in rat protein levels after radiation exposure, and in an article published in the June
18 online edition of Proteomics – Clinical Applications, they used proteomic technology to detect those changes in rat urine.” (Proteo Monitor; 10Jul08; Mukut Sharma) http://www.proteomonitor.com/issues/8_28/pioneer/148107-1.html

Firefighters seek 100 volunteers to strip [for decontamination]
“Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service is urging volunteers to swap their daywear for bikinis and swimshorts in a mock-up of a terrorist attack. They will then undergo the same decontamination procedure that would be used in the event of a suspected anthrax attack or a dirty bomb being dropped. Men and women will enter separate areas and shower with a mild, soapy liquid and dry using hot air driers before putting on a fresh suit. In reality people affected would be rushed to hospital for checks after being decontaminated. However, on this occasion volunteers will be allowed to get changed and collect their possessions before lunch. About 30 firefighters will be involved in the operation – the largest of its kind to be carried out in Hampshire. They hope to get everyone through the unit in an hour.” (The Portsmouth News; 09Jul08; Clare Semke) http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/news/Firefighters-seek-100-volunteers-to.4271825.jp

Penitentiary Scare Passes: Mystery Powder Non-Toxic
“A third test has determined that the substance found last Tuesday in the USP McCreary mailroom was not toxic. But what the white powdery paste actually was remains a mystery. Twelve employees of the federal penitentiary were decontaminated and observed for symptoms of poisoning, with two ultimately being transported to Lake Cumberland Regional Hospital Tuesday evening. Those individuals -- both guards at the prison according to Special Response Team Chief Doug Baker -- had experienced tightness in their chests and shortness of breath. Officials were quick to note that those symptoms could be due to heat or stress rather than the unknown substance. By Wednesday afternoon, the employees had been released from the hospital and were doing 'fine' according to Kentucky Division of Emergency Management public information officer Buddy Rogers.” (Red Orbit; 09Jul08; Source: McCreary County Record) http://www.redorbit.com/news/health/1470790/penitentiary_scare_passes_mystery_powder_nontoxic/

Little to separate deadly serious from the bizarre
“In Las Vegas, there was the FBI special agent who raided the home of Eid and Engle and, confronted with a possible find of ricin, the third deadliest poison, etc, in one of the world's most paranoid nations, she does not evacuate the area, have the coffee grinder analysed or advise the hapless Lisa Eid to get the hell out of there - she hands her camera to Lisa and asks her to take pictures for the Irish media. […] A similar imbalance is noted in Limerick Prison, where Army ordnance men get kitted out like spacemen in chemical warfare suits to take apart Eid's cell; they find a contact lens container with suspected ricin (which he'd been contentedly sleeping beside, apparently), and bear it gingerly to their commandant, whose own protection, sensationally, consists of - um - rubber gloves.” (The Irish Times; 10Jul08; Kathy Sheridan) http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2008/0710/1215537706109.html

China: 5 'Olympic terror groups' smashed
“China says it has destroyed five terrorist groups in a mainly Muslim autonomous region on suspicion of plotting to attack the Olympic Games, which start in less than a month. […] [Nicholas] Bequelin [a Human Rights Watch analyst] said those jihadist training camps described in Xinhua are most likely unsanctioned mosques. […] The terrorist leader planned to target hotels in Beijing and Shanghai that were frequented by foreigners, as well as government buildings and military bases, according to a statement from the Ministry of Public Security. The terrorist cell inside China, led by Aji Mai Mai Ti, carried out tests on poisonous meat, poisonous gas and remote explosive devices as part of their plans, the ministry said.” (CNN; 10Jul08) http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/07/10/china.terror/index.html

I-Team: Las Vegas [Nevada] Safety Derailed Part 1
“Tons of deadly cargo passes through Las Vegas every day aboard Union Pacific rail cars. Although rail is statistically the safest transport system in the country, accidents do happen […]. For one thing, they know that while railroads are statistically safe, accidents, collisions and derailments happen all the time. When they do, they are spectacular. Local leaders also have to worry that an accident might take them out first. The Union Pacific tracks run through the heart of the valley. In the downtown area, they pass within yards of the headquarters of nearly all of the key agencies […] Local agencies find out after the fact that a deadly shipment has passed through town. Why is it so hard for Union Pacific to give a heads up? It just is, a California spokesperson told us, ‘The reason it would be so difficult is because, again, it's logistically -- it would be very, very difficult because we go through so many different communities that notification would be, again, logistically,’ said Zoe Richmond with Union Pacific. ‘We don't know exactly what time it would be coming through.’ As bad as potential accidents might be, a greater threat might be terrorism. The I-Team infiltrated the rail yards and found security all but non-existent. Tuesday [15Jul08], we'll show you how real the terror threat might be.” (Las Vegas Now; 08Jul08; George Knapp)
http://www.lasvegasnow.com/Global/story.asp?S=8631836&nav=168XDWn7

CNS ChemBio-WMD Terrorism News is prepared by the Chemical and Biological Weapons Nonproliferation Program of the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Monterey Institute of International Studies in order to bring timely and focused information to researchers and policymakers interested in the fields of chemical, biological, and radiological weapons nonproliferation and WMD terrorism.