Recruits Mark 9/11 Anniversary Entering Military Service

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

Sept. 11, 2008 - Several dozen young men and women spent the seventh anniversary of the 9/11 attacks at the Baltimore Military Entrance Processing Station here, preparing to enter a Military that is fighting the war those attacks launched. Except for a flag at half staff in front of the building and a large-screen television in the waiting room beaming newscasts filled with images of the 9/11 attacks, an air of normalcy filled the station.

Recruits from Maryland, the District of Columbia and parts of Delaware, Virginia and West Virginia arrived at the station before 5:30 a.m. to begin a flurry of tests to ensure they're fit for duty and meet the Military's aptitude standards.

By the day's end, all would leave as new members of the armed forces who had signed their Military contracts and taken the oath of enlistment. About 50 of them would ship directly to basic training or boot camp – a relatively slow day at one of the country's busiest MEPS facilities.

The significance of processing into the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard on the 9/11 anniversary wasn't lost on the applicants. Most were middle-school or high-school students when the Twin Towers crumbled, the Pentagon belched ugly black smoke and a reclaimed minefield in western Pennsylvania turned into a killing field.

Eighteen-year-old Jesse Holbrook remembered sitting in a 7th grade English class in Hartford County, Md., not understanding why frantic parents poured into the school to retrieve their children. Only when he got home did his parents explain that the United States had come under attack. Seven years later to the day, Holbrook was shipping off to boot camp at Naval Training Center, Great Lakes, Ill.

"This is something I am going to be proud to do," he said. "I remember seeing a sign, 'Freedom Doesn't Come Free,' and I guess that's really true."

Patrick Downs, 24, remembered his teacher flicking on the TV on Sept. 11, 2001, so the students could watch news of the attacks. He was a high school senior at the time, headed to college at Maryland's Salisbury University to play footfall.

The attacks, and the global war on terror that followed, deepened a sense of patriotism Downs said he always felt, but later felt compelled to act on by joining the Army. "[The attacks] made it all more real. It made it personal," he said. "You don't think something like this is going to happen to your generation until it happens."

With his acceptance to Army Officer Candidate School already in hand, Downs processed through the Baltimore MEPS today to head off to basic training. His goal is to go infantry, perhaps even to Ranger School. "That's what I really want," he said. "It's something I've thought a lot about, and I'm ready for it."

Anthony Larson, 21, recalled being escorted out of high school freshman English class after the 9/11 attacks. He had no idea at the time that he'd be getting sworn into the Army seven years later before starting basic training at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo. In fact, it wasn't until just a couple of months ago, when he got rear-ended in a parking lot, that Larson decided to enlist. The vehicle that backed into him had a bumper sticker that read, "I Don't Support Our Troops."

"Can you believe that? Thousands and thousands of people have died to give him the right to put that bumper sticker on his car," Larson said of the driver. The more Larson thought about the bumper sticker and his outrage over it, the more resolved he became to join the Army.

"I guess I basically believe that everyone should fight for their country," he said. "You are supposed to earn what you have, and I think too many people don't take that responsibility seriously. And the bottom line is, this is our war. Our parents can't step in and do this for us. It hits you so quick: It's grown-up time."

Station Commander Army Lt. Col. Robert Larsen was assigned to the MEPS in Atlanta on 9/11, and he watched the recruiting rush that followed as young people flocked to join the Military in response. But seven years later, he said, he's concerned that many Americans have forgotten the threat that still remains, and he said the country still needs committed young people to defend against that threat.

Everyone has heard the old sayings, "Remember the Maine" and "Remember the Alamo," and it's hard to find someone who can't recount the story of the Pearl Harbor attack, he said.

"But it seems so soon that too much of the population is not saying, 'Remember the Pentagon.' 'Remember the World Trade Center.' 'Remember Pennsylvania.' 'Remember 9/11,'" he said. "It's a mindset, and I'm afraid that a lot of the American population has lost that mindset."

Larson said the Military makes no secret of the fact that many of the young people it recruits could find themselves in combat, and praised those who step up to serve when the country needs them most.

"As a U.S. citizen, you have to ask, 'If not them, then who?" he said. "And if not them, then the next question is, 'When will the next attack occur? When will we face another 3,000 casualties to wake us up from the slumber we've fallen into?"

CBR Weapons and WMD Terrorism News- July 23, 2008

Georgia reports two cases of anthrax
“Two cases of anthrax have been registered in western Georgia's Imereti Region, the national disease control center said on Wednesday. Two villagers from the region's Zestaponi District became infected after contact with a sick cow. ‘After putting the cow down, they discovered signs of the disease and buried the animal,’ the center's chief, Paata Imnadze, said. ‘Several days after, they were admitted to hospital with anthrax.’ Both patients are currently in a stable condition.” (RIA Novosti; 23July08) http://en.rian.ru/world/20080723/114765125.html

Bioterrorism Threat Is Disputed
“William R. Clark, the chair emeritus of immunology at the University of California, doesn't think that bioterrorism is a serious threat, right now. He just wrote a book on the politics of bioterrorism called Bracing for Armegeddon? In an interview with Matt Palmquist in May, Professor Clark explained how he really feels about reports of a bioterrorism threat […].” (About.com; 23July08; Amy Zalman, Ph.D.) http://terrorism.about.com/b/2008/07/23/bioterror-threat-is-hotly-debated.htm

FDA [Food & Drug Administration] Finds Salmonella Strain on Jalapeno Pepper
“More than 1,200 Americans have gotten sick and two people have died after eating produce contaminated with Salmonella Saintpaul. With an investigation spanning many weeks, food safety regulators have had a challenging time trying to track suspected tomatoes and peppers up or down the supply chain, hampered by paper records and repacking practices that effectively hide the identity of produce in the distribution chain. Today FDA announced an important breakthrough in the case: A Jalapeno pepper from a Mexican farm -- repacked at a Texas distribution facility -- has been found with the identical strain fingerprint of Salmonella as the human victims.” (CSPI Newsroom; 21July08) http://cspinet.org/new/200807213.html

Testimony of Jeffrey W. Runge, MD before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Homeland Security Subcommittee on Emerging Threats, Cybersecurity, and Science and Technology
“Good morning Mr. Chairman. Thank you for the opportunity to testify before the Subcommittee on this important and timely issue. My colleagues and I have testified before your Subcommittee on several occasions on this topic, and I appreciate your continued interest in ensuring that an outbreak of a disease, intentional or natural in origin, does not threaten our Homeland Security, economic stability, and our Nation's critical infrastructures and key resources. I am thus pleased to have the opportunity to share our views with you and your constituents through this hearing in Providence, RI.” (Homeland Security; 22July08) http://www.dhs.gov/xnews/testimony/testimony_1216677175660.shtm

Dr. Jeffrey W.] Runge [of the Department of Homeland Security] Stresses Threat of Anthrax Attack
“Al Qaeda continues to plot terror attacks that would include biological agents, and the terror group has focused specifically on the use of anthrax as a weapon, the chief medical officer at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) told a congressional panel during a field hearing in Rhode Island Tuesday.” (HS Today; 23July08; Mickey McCarter) http://hstoday.us/content/view/4375/128/

Pentagon Slices and Dices DARPA [Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency] Budget
“The Pentagon's storied research and development arm turned 50 years old this year, and its birthday present appears to be another $100 million in budget cuts, according to a Defense Department document provided to DANGER ROOM [Wired Magazine Blog Network]. Cognitive computing systems, which has previously been hit by congressional cuts, will lose another $13 million, while Network Centric Technology is sliced by $19 million. Another $18 million is being diced from biological warfare defense, and a big cut is taken out of DARPA's Electronics Technology program, which loses $26 million.” (Wired; 22July08; Sharon Weinberger) http://blog.wired.com/defense/2008/07/pentagon-slices.html

Foreign-born TB [Tuberculosis] cases need better control, US says
“Tuberculosis cases continue to fall in the United States, but some immigrants have disturbingly high rates of the disease, according to a study released Tuesday that called for more aggressive action. TB rates were highest among residents from lower Africa and parts of Southeast Asia. Most drug-resistant TB cases also were from foreign-born residents, the study noted. The researchers called for wider testing, including efforts to seek out latent cases of TB from long-term immigrant residents in certain populations.” (FindLaw; 23July08; Lindsey Tanner) http://news.lp.findlaw.com/ap/o/1500/07-23-2008/20080723002006_17.html

Biofilms use chemical weapons
“Scientists at the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research in Braunschweig have now identified one of the fundamental mechanisms used by the bacteria in biofilms to protect themselves against the attacking phagocytes. The scientists are now publishing their findings in the renowned specialist publication PLoS ONE, together with colleagues from Australia, Great Britain and the USA – the discovery being that biofilm bacteria use chemical weapons to defend themselves.” (Nanowerk News; 23July08) http://www.nanowerk.com/news/newsid=6491.php

EMA [Emergency Management Agency] official loses $8,300 weapons detector
“A Delaware County Emergency Management official lost a chemical weapon detector worth $8,300 last month, reporting that it fell out his truck. Delaware County sheriff's investigators reported no leads recently in the case where Jeff Evans, EMA deputy director, reported the device lost while be was driving home to Anderson. […] The device detects chemical agents such as weaponized Sarin and VX nerve gases, and also has civilian uses to detect chemical spills.” (The Star Press; 22July08)
http://www.thestarpress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080722/NEWS01/807220318/1002

Court rejects appeal by bomb plotters
“Five men jailed last year for plotting an Al-Qaeda-linked bombing campaign lost an appeal against their convictions Wednesday.Omar Khyam, Waheed Mahmood, Jawad Akbar, Anthony Garcia and Salahuddin Amin were found guilty last April and jailed for a minimum of between 35 and 40 years for plotting to cause ‘indiscriminate death and suffering.’ […] One of the five also discussed trying to buy a radioactive ‘dirty bomb’ from the Russian mafia to be ‘bigger than 9/11’, but nothing appeared to have come from his enquiries, the trial was told.” (AFP; 23July2008) http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5g9D5Cxun1qXFG-qyVcoAOKWFaCNw

Is Bioterrorism Threat Credible?
“Even terrorists play pranks on WMD use these days! Late May 2008 a purported terrorist video caught media attention and some serious coverage. As per the reports, the Al Qaeda video message urged Islamic jihadists to use ‘biological, chemical and nuclear weapons to attack the West.’ Experts suspecting the authenticity of the video message dismissed the threat as a prank and not ‘Qaedaesque’ enough to get scared. The big question is whether the threat of biological weapon use is real or a product of fearful future thinking? As far as terrorist groups are concerned, they not only wish to survive, but endeavor to thrive with continuous innovation and improvisation. The paucity of empirical data on terrorist use of biological weapons does not limit their future planning concerning biological weapon.” (Counterterrorism Blog; 22July08; Animesh
Roul)
http://counterterrorismblog.org/2008/07/is_bioterrorism_threat_credibl.php

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.

Air Force Crews, Army Riggers Set Afghanistan Airdrop Record

By Capt. Toni Tones, USAF
Special to American Forces Press Service

March 21, 2008 - With support from the Army's 11th Quartermaster Rigger Detachment and Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force riggers here, C-130 crews of the Air Force's 74th Air Expeditionary Squadron set an airdrop record last month. The joint team delivered about 1 million pounds of supplies to forward deployed forces in Afghanistan and humanitarian aid for Afghan villages in February. This was a 40 percent increase from January operations and breaks the previous record set in September, officials said.

"This winter has been very harsh and cold. ... Bad weather and impassable roads were the primary reasons for the increase (of air drop operations)," said Air Force Lt. Col. Scott Morris, former 774th EAS director of operations. "We had to deliver the cargo to the villagers and the troops -- airdrop was the best means to get it there."

The squadron's C-130 Hercules transports offer advantages over helicopters, Army Chief Warrant Officer Joe DeCosta, airdrop system technician and detachment commander, said.

"Rotary wing aircraft can also be used to deliver supplies, just not as much and it's not as safe as the higher flying cargo aircraft," he explained.

Two types of aerial delivery are used in Operation Enduring Freedom, DeCosta said: low-cost, low-altitude delivery, known as LCLA, with Casa 212s and container delivery system, or CDS, delivery using Air Force C-130s and C-17s.

"LCLA is very effective for small groups," DeCosta said, "but it will never replace the amount of supplies that can be delivered by CDS."

The CDS is the Army's system for building and rigging bundles using parachutes, plywood skid boards and honeycomb-structured energy-dissipating materials. The bundles can range from 500 to 2,200 pounds.

The 21-person detachment is set up to rig 50 CDS bundles with more than 100,000 pounds of supplies a day for a 12-day sustainment period, but could probably double that if needed, DeCosta said. For February, the detachment created more than 480 CDS bundles totaling 650,000 pounds for coalition forces throughout Afghanistan.

Nearly 35 percent of the record cargo delivered in February was humanitarian assistance such as blankets, rice, beans, coal, oil and stoves to Afghan villagers hit hard by the extreme winter weather. More than 300 people died from the severe conditions, according to Afghan government reports.

The other 600,000-plus pounds were supplies to coalition troops at forward deployed locations who are defeating insurgents and bringing peace and stability to Afghanistan.

"We keep approximately 150 contingency bundles ready at all times to support any type of emergency or humanitarian mission that could arise," DeCosta said. In addition to normal supplies for forward units, he added, the riggers try to drop anything the units request. "We've created bundles of Gatorade, ice cream, fruits, vegetables and even some of the frozen food served in the dining facilities," he said.

A rigger checks the bundles for quality, then stages them the night prior for transport to the aircraft. Once they're loaded onto the aircraft, the loadmaster and joint airdrop inspector inspect the load with a different rigger to ensure everything is secure and ready to drop.

"The only way for this to work is when the Army and Air Force work together," said Air Force Master Sgt. Mike Pierson, 774th EAS joint airdrop inspector, deployed from the Delaware Air National Guard's 142nd Airlift Squadron. "Operating here in a combat environment is where it all pays off."

(Air Force Capt. Toni Tones serves with 455th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs.)

CBR Weapons and WMD Terrorism News- February 15, 2008

Wastewater Could Help Fight U.S. Drought—and Anthrax
“[…] The first time anyone proved you could wipe out microorganisms using photocatalysis—activating a chemical agent with light—was in 1985. The chemical was titanium dioxide (TiO2) and the light was ultraviolet. But this combination has shortcomings: Interspersed in water, the TiO2 powder is hard to recapture, and ultraviolet light is expensive. Now, by adding nitrogen and a co-doping agent to TiO2, the waterCAMPWS researchers have created TiON, which reacts to light across the spectrum, including sunlight and white lamplight. And they've figured out better ways to apply it, either by imbedding it in filter fibers, turning it into a foam or integrating it into solid surfaces using chemical vapor deposition (the same process semiconductor companies use to make thin films). When light hits TiON, its electrons activate, meaning they jump to a higher orbit. Exposed to water, these energetic electrons oxidize—and neutralize—pathogens quickly and thoroughly. ‘We are going to have an alternative that will be effective in controlling pathogens without adding chemicals to the water,’ says University of Illinois environmental engineering professor Benito Mariñas, co-leader of the WaterCAMPWS Disinfection Team. TiON could treat naturally occurring microorganisms as well as bioterrorism agents, such as anthrax. Mariñas and his colleagues envision applications in both large municipal water treatment facilities and at the point of use in home filters.” (Popular Mechanics, 14Feb08, Logan Ward) http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/earth/4249330.html

Proposed Bush budget cuts would hit hospitals
“As they often do this time of year, things are looking bad for hospitals. The federal government is proposing cuts to the Medicare and Medicaid programs, a huge source of hospital revenue. So hospital organizations are engaging in their annual lobbying ritual - spewing out numbers, warning of cutbacks, and collaring legislators. It all feels familiar, but hospital leaders say things are worse than usual this year. […] [Delaware Valley Healthcare Council] estimates that hospitals in Philadelphia and the Pennsylvania suburbs would lose $230 million in the next year. Of that, he said $170 million would be hard cuts. He said the reductions would affect the ability of hospitals here to improve quality and invest in new equipment, training and bio terrorism preparedness.” (The Philadelphia Inquirer, 13Feb08) http://www.philly.com/inquirer/breaking/business_breaking/20080213_Proposed_Bush_budget_cuts_would_hit_hospitals.html

Scientist gets light sentence for mailing bacteria
“Nearly four years after it started, a legal drama for a genetics researcher at the University of Pittsburg that at one time involved allegations of bio terrorism has finally ended -- with the minimum fine and unsupervised probation. Dr. Robert E. Ferrell, of Edgewood, was ordered yesterday by a federal judge in New York to pay $500 and serve 12 months of unsupervised probation for helping an art professor friend obtain biological materials for an exhibit.” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 12Feb08, Paula Reed Ward) http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08043/856735-115.stm

Scientists not prepared for biosecurity threat
“Scientists around the world do not know enough about the threat posed by bio terrorism to be fully prepared for it, a bio security expert says. Professor Malcolm Dando told the audience at a public lecture in Canberra last night that scientists are unprepared for the bio technology revolution. ‘We’ve got a revolution going on at the moment with life sciences and the question is ‘can we stop that being used for hostile purposes,’ he said. […] Professor Dando said more needed to be done to educate scientists about the risks.” (IBD News, 13Feb08) http://ibnnews.org/localnews/scientists_not_prepared_for_biosecurity_threat_13208_87087805_0000.html

Southwest Research Institute lands $15.6M contract
“Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) has been awarded a one-year contract by Parsons Infrastructure & Technology Inc. to perform laboratory operations for the destruction of the U.S. Army chemical stockpile stored at the Newport Chemical Depot in Newport, Ind[iana]. The contract is valued at approximately $15.6 million.” (BizJournals.com, 13Feb08, San Antonio Business Journal) http://www.bizjournals.com/sanantonio/stories/2008/02/11/daily21.html

Chlorine poses potentially deadly threat, critical weakness exposed by NYPD [New York City Police Department]
“Representative Edward J. Markey (D-MA), a senior member of the House Homeland Security Committee, reacted today to news that New York Police Department investigators were able to easily and anonymously purchase toxic chlorine via the Internet. Rep. Markey has repeatedly expressed concern over potential use of chemicals like chlorine by terrorists and authored a provision, which is part of the 9/11 Commission Recommendation law signed by the president last August (PL 110-53), to require mandatory re-routing of security-sensitive materials such as chlorine to the safest and most secure rail route. In addition he has been a chief proponent of requiring chemical facilities to shift to safer chemicals or processes when feasible.” (Congressman Ed Markey, 13Feb08)
http://markey.house.gov/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=3270&Itemid=125

IAEA [International Atomic Energy Agency] Helps Recover Stray Radioactive Sources in Nigeria
“At the request of the Nigerian government, the IAEA deployed a team of nuclear safety experts to secure and transport several potentially hazardous radioactive sources in the country. Staff from the Agency´s Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology department (NEFW) traveled to several different locations within Nigeria to safely recover the radiological sources and ship them in transport containers for return to Canada or processing at a Nigerian waste facility. With widespread application in a variety of medical, industrial, and research applications, keeping people safe from any potential risk from neglected neutron sources is a high priority.” (IAEA, 14Feb08) http://www.iaea.or.at/NewsCenter/News/2008/sources_nigeria.html

[U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza] Rice defends her integrity over Iraq
“US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice vehemently defended her integrity when asked about an independent report that found she made 56 false statements on the threat posed by Saddam Hussein's Iraq. At a congressional hearing, Representative Robert Wexler, a Florida Democrat, questioned Rice about a report from the non-partisan Centre for Public Integrity. The report accuses Bush administration officials of making 935 false statements about Iraq, which the United States invaded in March 2003. […] Rice, who was national security adviser at the time of the invasion, squarely blamed the US intelligence community for its erroneous conclusions that Iraq had biological and chemical weapons and was seeking to rebuild a nuclear weapons program.” (The Sydney Morning Herald, 14Feb08, Reuters) http://news.smh.com.au/rice-defends-her-integrity-over-iraq/20080214-1s72.html

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.

CBR Weapons and WMD Terrorism News- January 18, 2008

NTI [Nuclear Threat Initiative]’s Global Health and Security Program Receives Major Grant from Google Foundation
“The Google Foundation today announced a $2.5 million grant to NTI’s Global Health and Security Initiative (GHSI) to greatly enhance its work to rapidly detect, identify and respond to infectious disease outbreaks in Southeast Asia. This funding will strengthen GHSI’s global public health agenda, which includes efforts already underway in Southeast Asia and the Middle East. The Global Health and Security Initiative, which develops and implements the biological programs of the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI), is working around the world to prevent, detect and respond to biological threats. […] NTI’s Global Health and Security Initiative works through innovative partnerships worldwide to address the threat of natural pandemics, accidental outbreaks from laboratories and use of biological agents as a weapon.” (NTI, 17Jan08) http://www.nti.org/c_press/Google_grant_toGHSI_011708.pdf

Tracking Outbreaks [in Texas]
“Five major laboratories gather and provide electronic laboratory results from health-care providers across Texas, and each submits as many as 7,800 records a year to the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS). The state then submits the data to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as part of the National Electronic Disease Surveillance System (NEDSS). The slow and costly process of manually entering data sent in by labs is now becoming a thing of the past in Texas as the state pioneers a data conversion tool that will automatically convert lab results to the appropriate data format regardless of the format in which it was submitted. […] A key goal of the NEDSS, developed in part with the Texas DSHS, is to facilitate the development of integrated, registry-based public health surveillance systems through the exchange of data based on a single set of criteria. The data travels securely via the Internet to the CDC's Public Health Information Network Messaging System. The system can identify people in a region who are developing common symptoms, such as a flulike illness or even bioterrorism.” (Government Technology, 17Jan08, Chandler Harris)
http://www.govtech.com/gt/216914?topic=117677

Electronic health record network launched statewide [in Maine]
“Beginning today, Martin's Point Health Care and health-care providers statewide will participate in a pilot project to create an electronic health record network that will allow health-care providers to share patient information statewide. Organizers hope it also will lead to improved and more efficient patient care. Proponents say the new network will allow caregivers to more quickly and efficiently access key clinical information needed to provide the best care for patients, and may help reduce medical errors. Over time, the Maine Centers for Disease Control and HealthInfoNet, a statewide nonprofit organization, expect to link these two systems to allow public health officials to more quickly identify and respond to disease outbreaks, potential epidemics and bioterrorism threats.” (The Times Record, 16Jan08, Beth Brogan) http://www.timesrecord.com/website/main.nsf/news.nsf/0/E9D25A51447B54D4052573D2006DC0ED?Opendocument

Delaware Court Denies Motion by SIGA Technologies Seeking to Dismiss PharmAthene's Legal Action in Breach of Contract Lawsuit Against SIGA
“PharmAthene, Inc., a biodefense company developing medical countermeasures against biological and chemical threats, announced that the Delaware Chancery Court today issued a ruling denying a motion by SIGA Technologies to dismiss PharmAthene's complaint, which alleges that it has a right to an exclusive license to develop and market SIGA's drug candidate, SIGA-246. SIGA's request to dismiss the claim by PharmAthene was denied in all respects by the Delaware Court. […] SIGA-246 is a small molecule orally-active antiviral drug candidate for the treatment of smallpox.” (PharmaLive.com, 16Jan08, PR Newsire)
http://www.pharmalive.com/News/index.cfm?articleid=506543&categoryid=27

76 percent of Newport [Chemical Depot]'s VX agent neutralized
“About 76 percent of the chemical agent VX stored at Newport Chemical Depot [Indiana] has been chemically neutralized, and VX destruction could be completed as early as this summer, officials say. So far, 1,934,186 pounds of VX have been neutralized, or 229,176 gallons. Neutralization began May 5, 2005. ‘We anticipate completion of neutralization of the Newport stockpile during the summer of 2008,’ said Jeff Brubaker, site project manager for the Newport Chemical Agent Disposal Facility, located north of Terre Haute in Vermillion County.” (Terre Haute tribune-Star, 17Jan08, Sue Loughlin) http://www.tribstar.com/news/local_story_017235148.html?keyword=topstory

Chinese war time victims demand compensation
“Two Chinese victims injured by chemical weapons left over in China by Japanese aggressor troops during World War II on Thursday filed a lawsuit to the Tokyo District Court, demanding compensation from the Japanese government. Four Japanese lawyers, representing two Chinese teenage victims, filed the charges to the court in the morning. The Japanese government has deployed and abandoned chemical weapons in China against international law, resulting in the injury to two Chinese children, the lawsuit said. The Japanese government acknowledged the fact that the two children were injured by left-over chemical weapons by Japan but failed to make proper compensation, the plaintiffs said, demanding compensation totaling 66 million yen (around 617,000 U.S. dollars).” (China Daily, 17Jan08, Xinhua) http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2008-01/17/content_6402295.htm

[Hillary] Clinton declares Yucca Mountain [Nevada] 'will be off the table forever'
“Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton put a national spotlight on Nevada's signature issue Wednesday, holding a discussion on Yucca Mountain before a full contingent of national media. ‘When I am president, Yucca Mountain will be off the table forever,’ Clinton said. […] Las Vegas-based transportation consultant Fred Dilger called Nevada just ‘the point of the spear.’ The waste would arrive in 10,000 shipments, many of them going through major cities like Chicago and Atlanta, Dilger said. […] Railway accidents could have tragic consequences, or terrorists could target the shipments, Dilger said. ‘We will have solved the terrorists' problem for them if we implement this.’ Clinton agreed, saying terrorists who want to detonate a ‘dirty bomb’ in America no longer would have to find radioactive material and smuggle it into the country, as it would already be here and difficult to protect.” (Las Vegas Review-Journal, 17Jan08, Molly Ball) http://www.lvrj.com/news/13860977.html

Napping Guards Reported at Weapons Plant
“Seven guards have been caught sleeping at the Y-12 nuclear weapons plant in Oak Ridge [Tennessee] since 2000, a federal spokesman said Wednesday. Three were fired and the rest were disciplined, said Steven Wyatt, spokesman for the National Nuclear Security Administration, a Department of Energy unit that oversees the Y-12 complex. The administration reported Monday only two guards had fallen asleep at their posts in four years at the high-security plant, about 20 miles west of Knoxville. […] Y-12, a potential terrorist target containing the key ingredients for a ‘dirty bomb,’ makes uranium parts for every warhead in the U.S. nuclear arsenal. It also dismantles old weapons and is the nation's primary storehouse for bomb-grade uranium.” (Houston Chronicle; 16Jan08; Duncan Mansfield, AP) http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/fn/5461127.html

Kyrgyzstan: IAEA [International Atomic Energy Agency] investigates radioactive seizure
“The UN's International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has lodged a formal request with the Kyrgyz government to provide more detailed data on the troubling incident that unfolded in the last days of 2007. But an IAEA official has told RFE/RL [Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty] that the Vienna-based nuclear watchdog is still awaiting an official reply from Kyrgyz officials -- a week after they announced that dangerous levels of the radioactive substance cesium-137 had been discovered aboard a freight train bound for Iran. The IAEA official added that Bishkek so far had not asked the agency for any assistance or support on the matter.” (Spero News, 17Jan08, Jeffrey Donovan)
http://www.speroforum.com/site/article.asp?idarticle=13699

'Pac Man' compound could gobble-up nuclear waste
“An atomic scale version of the Pac-Man could help gobble up nuclear waste. The new work could lay the groundwork for ways to remove trace radioactivity from water, reuse dissolved uranium waste during reprocessing, perhaps even help clean up the mess left by a ‘dirty bomb’. A charged oxide is one of uranium's most prevalent forms, and is a tricky radioactive contaminant to deal with because it is readily soluble in water and inert, so it does not react with many other chemicals, and so is difficult to lock up. Now scientists at the University of Edinburgh report in Nature how they have taken this common form of uranium and enclosed it in a specially designed molecular scaffold to make it much more reactive and easier to handle. The newly discovered uranium compound has a shape which resembles a Pac Man, with a uranium atom in its jaws, which consist of organic molecules.” (Telegraph.co.uk, 16Jan08, Roger Highfield) http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&grid=&xml=/earth/2008/01/16/scipacman116.xml

Porton Down guinea-pigs get apology
“An apology and thousands of pounds in compensation are to be offered to hundreds of former Service personnel who acted as guinea-pigs in chemical and biological research tests at Porton Down [U.K.] in the 1950s and 1960s. Lawyers for the Ministry of Defence are in the final stages of negotiations for an out-of-court settlement, which is expected to award £8,300 to each of the 360 Porton Down volunteers who have put in claims – a total bill for the MoD of nearly £3 million. Although the details of the deal were still being worked on yesterday, some Porton Down servicemen said that they were dissatisfied with the compensation being offered.”
(Times Online, 18Jan08, Michael Evans)
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article3206993.ece

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.

U.S. Soldiers Train Future Iraqi Police

By Sgt. Kevin Stabinsky, USA
Special to American Forces Press Service

Nov. 26, 2007 - In a dramatic transformation, a courtyard that a year ago was home to insurgent weapons caches designed to inflict destruction and chaos in the Arab Jabour region has become a training ground for a group of potential Iraqi police officers who want to help rebuild and bring order to their community. On Nov. 13, Delaware National Guard soldiers of the 153rd Military Police Company, currently attached to 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, gave 25 Arab Jabour citizens training to help them on their way.

The Guardsmen, most of whom are police officers in their communities back home, instructed the Iraqis in tactics and techniques that police find useful on the job.

The training included how to search vehicles and people, check identification, establish checkpoints, administer first aid, react to violence in the community and fight in hand-to-hand combat.

First Lt. Daniel DeFlavis, a Delaware state trooper, said his soldiers were able to bring a large amount of police knowledge to the classroom.

"We have a lot of police officers in our unit: Wilmington officers, New Castle County officers, probation and patrol and customs control," DeFlavis said. "We have a wide variety of different police and policing style. That's what we bring to the table."

The soldiers attempted to impart less tangible lessons to the citizens in addition to the training.

"We want to impart on the trainees to take pride in their uniform and service to their community," said Staff Sgt. John French, a Wilmington, Del., probation and parole officer.

Such pride and sense of responsibility is important in creating a respected police force in an area which has never had its own internal police force, DeFlavis said.

One stigma left over from Saddam Hussein's rule was corruption in the police force, DeFlavis said. By getting future police officers from citizens within the community who have proven their dedication to its security, DeFlavis said, he hopes to create a model police force in the area.

"I think it is a great honor to start this mission from the ground up," French said.

Although not all the individuals who went through the training may go on to become Iraqi police, the MPs said they hope their training will help give those who do a push toward success.

Sheikh Tomah al-Juburi, a prominent local area sheikh who has taken an active role in rebuilding the infrastructure of Arab Jabour, said involvement and partnership with the central government by integrating local security would add even more pride to the community.

"They fought the terrorists and are proud of it; no more insurgents come and shoot at their families and animals," he said through an interpreter. "They feel proud of their community and want the officials of Iraq to come and help build up the country."

Because of the importance of a police force in helping unify the local and central government, DeFlavis said, he and his soldiers were dedicated to giving the recruits the best training they could.

"You guys are a priority," DeFlavis said to the potential recruits. "We are very motivated and dedicated to training you. Use these classes to establish what works for you."

Although some of the training mirrored lessons already taught during other training for concerned local citizens groups, the recruits were glad for the refresher course.

"I want to be trained more and more," said Sabah Salem. "I need to build myself up to protect myself and my country. Thank you for this opportunity."

Salem, who said he hopes to become a police officer, will have an opportunity to apply for that position in the future when a recruitment drive is conducted in the area.

Although a date has yet to be determined for the initial recruitment drive, the day's event did help generate an interest. In addition to the trainees, other men from around the outlying communities heard of the event and came to the training area, expressing interest in joining concerned local citizens groups. Thirty-seven new people had their background information taken by the MPs.

"Today was a big success," DeFlavis said.

(Army Sgt. Kevin Stabinsky serves with the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Public Affairs Office.)