Face of Defense: Father, Son Reunite in Iraq

By Army Spc. Kandi Huggins

U.S. Division North

VICTORY BASE COMPLEX, Iraq, July 19, 2011 – Despite the strains military life can cause for families, being soldiers has proven to be a common denominator that has improved the relationship of a father and son serving in Iraq.

“We had the typical father-and-son relationship,” said Army 1st Sgt. Patrick Thomas. “But in advanced individual training, he started questioning if he could do this, and I would talk to him and work with him, and from that we started getting closer and closer.”

“It was different growing up,” said Army Pfc. Tyler Thomas. “We didn’t have much of a family life, because he was probably deployed every year and a half. Looking back, it seems like he was gone more than he was home, on either a deployment or just being at work before I woke up.”

Now, Patrick, senior noncommissioned officer in charge of the 1st Infantry Division’s Company A, 1st Special Troops Battalion, 1st Advise and Assist Task Force, and Tyler, a multi-channel transmissions systems operator with 50th Expeditionary Signal Battalion, 35th Signal Brigade, have reunited and become closer as NCO and soldier, and as father and son, while they serve in support of Operation New Dawn.

The son of a retired command sergeant major, Patrick enlisted as an infantryman, and, after completing basic and advanced individual training, attended airborne school. His first assignment was at Fort Bragg, N.C., with the 82nd Airborne Division’s 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, and he deployed in support of Operation Desert Shield.

The Mobile, Ala., native said he credits his father for being the soldier he has become and hopes to influence Tyler in the same way.

“When I was younger, if I was doing something wrong or messed up, as my dad, he would talk to me. If it came to me getting hemmed up and my sergeant major called him, my dad would say he didn’t care, because the standards are the standards,” Patrick said. “And I treat Tyler the same way. You have to teach him to be a soldier, and that’s something my dad did for me growing up in the army.”

Tyler agreed. “There’s a level of professionalism we keep,” he said. “Just like any other NCO, he’s not my dad when I’m wearing my rank and he’s wearing his.”

That is how Tyler learns, his father said, and that is how he will build himself to be a better leader.

“[Being a soldier] has definitely helped my relationship with my dad,” Tyler said. “I wasn’t making the best decisions, and I probably didn’t live up to his expectations, but I can say after I graduated basic training, it’s continued getting better.”

Tyler also began his service at Fort Bragg and deployed to Iraq within six months, following the same path his father set out on 20 years earlier. Patrick said he shares a series of interesting and unique experiences with Tyler.

“In October 1990, I deployed for the first time in support of Desert Shield/Desert Storm,” he said. “I remember that Christmas Eve, I came off guard duty and the phones were open to call home. So I called my wife, and her dad said she was in the hospital having my son.

“I told Tyler on his 20th birthday last December, that it’s crazy because he will turn 21 here,” he continued. “I was here all those years ago when he was born. Now he’s here, helping to close out what I started.”

Although Patrick makes it clear to Tyler that he is bound to fulfill his duties as a soldier, he said he has not taken for granted the moments the two have shared so far.

“I went to his basic training graduation from Fort Gordon [in Georgia],” he said. “It brought a tear to my eye, especially seeing him as a father. You think, ‘Is he going to do good? Did we do everything we could as parents?’”

Patrick added that seeing Tyler on the parade field in his uniform and beret during graduation made him proud as a father.

“I can’t measure how proud I am of Tyler,” he said. “I’m ecstatic he’s done something with himself. Will he ever know how proud I am? Oh yeah, he gets tired of me telling him.”

And Tyler continues to try to earn and reciprocate his father’s pride.

“If there’s one thing I’ve learned from my dad, it’s that it takes years to build a reputation and a day to mess it up,” he said. “There’s a continuous proud moment of knowing how much he has accomplished, how hard he’s worked, and how many crazy things he’s done that no one but his little group will ever know about.”

West Virginia Guard member looks back at Desert Storm

By Army Sgt. Debra Richardson

201st Field Artillery

CAMP BUEHRING, Kuwait (4/6/11) - Army Sgt. 1st Class John Oliverio is one of 20 soldiers currently deployed with West Virginia Army National Guard’s 201st Field Artillery, who served with the same unit during Operation Desert Shield and Storm about 20 years ago.

The 201st was one of only five National Guard units that deployed in support of Operation Desert Shield.

“We received our activation notice Dec. 4, 1990 and by Dec. 9, we were completely packed and enroute to Fort Campbell, Ky.,” said Oliverio, who was a supply sergeant at the time.

“We traded in our old Vietnam-era jeeps for new Humvees. We loaded up our assigned M109 howitzers on ships to send overseas.”

Following the new assignment, the unit’s green camouflage equipment had to be painted, desert tan.

“Because we were National Guard, we weren’t issued desert uniforms,” Oliverio said. “We wore our green BDUs up until we were preparing to return home.”

“This was a true integration of National Guard, Reserve and active Army,” he said. “This experience really portrayed the citizen-soldier as truly competent and capable soldiers.”

A 15-hour flight through Europe brought the 201st to Dhahran, Saudi Arabia on Feb. 2. After a few weeks, the battalion traveled 510 miles north to Rafha, Saudi Arabia to stage as part of the ground force.

“We were part of General Schwarzkopf’s famous ‘student body left’ or ‘Hail Mary’ move,” Oliverio said. “We were the western most located U.S. unit in Rafha. There were only two other units to our left: the French 6th Light Division and French Foreign Legion. To our right was the 82nd Airborne Division.”

The 201st was attached to the 18th Airborne Corps out of North Carolina.

“On Feb. 17, which was the 256th birthday of the 201st, we fired a few hundred rounds of preparatory fire into Iraq,” he said.

“A full week before the ground war began, we were targeting an escarpment, or cliff, where Iraqis were located,” Oliverio said. “We had to secure that route for the French and ourselves for future movement.”

A week later, the 201st was moving north with the French Legion in leap-frog fashion to reach As Salman, Iraq. It took two days.

Oliverio rode in a 2.5 ton truck, known as a deuce and a half, behind the howitzers as the 201st unit pressed north. There was little time for sleep, showers, or hot meals.

“I discovered you could only be so dirty until you started making everything else around you dirty,” he said. “We used baby wipes to maintain hygiene and we conserved as much water as possible.”

While traveling, the unit stopped at various supply points set up along the route. The points provided fuel, water, and food rations.

After obtaining its objective in Iraq, the 201st turned east toward Kuwait.

“Upon arriving in Kuwait, the cease-fire was announced,” Oliverio said. “We were all hopeful that the cease-fire meant we were going home.”

As active duty Army units began flying home, the 201st was instructed to return to Iraq to diffuse riots in Basrah.

“Throughout the campaign, we were told not to take prisoners,” Oliverio said.

“We were instructed to give them [Iraqi soldiers] water and an MRE, and instruct them to sling their rifles over their shoulders with the barrel pointing down,” he said.  “We confiscated their ammo and pointed them south, toward Saudi Arabia.”

After things calmed down, the 201st moved back into Saudi Arabia to the King Khalid Military City or KKMC.

“At KKMC, we finally received hot meals, showers and toilets,” Oliverio said. “I moved from primitive living to modern wooden latrines and showers. We had to burn the waste but it was still a step up and much appreciated.”

After many delays, the 201st arrived back at W.Va. mid May, 1991. The state heroes received individual welcome home receptions at all the local airports followed by a huge parade a few months later. The soldiers marched from east to west Fairmont as thousands of people cheered along the parade route.

“The parade was the highlight of coming home,” he said.

“The streets were filled with people and when we turned into the stadium, I was overwhelmed by sheer number of people filling the stands.” Oliverio said. “I was helping the first sergeant call cadence but the crowd was so deafening, the soldier beside me couldn’t even hear me. It’s a memory that will last a lifetime.”

“The cheers from the crowd were more deafening than the cannon fire during the campaign,” he said.

During the campaign, the 201st fired a total of 447 high explosive rounds. The unit traveled 1,850 miles, from start to finish and  is recorded as having traveled farther than any other unit during the ground war, for a total of 362 miles.

“While I am very proud of all our accomplishments in what became Desert Storm, I am most proud that throughout numerous enemy engagements, we didn’t suffer a single casualty,” Oliverio said. “All my West Virginia boys came back home, and in the end, that’s what really mattered.”

Oliverio, a human resource specialist is currently deployed in support of Operation New Dawn. This marks his third deployment, having also served in 2004-05 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Face of Defense: Career Spans Two Services, Two Wars

By Trisha Gallaway

Joint Base Charleston

JOINT BASE CHARLESTON, S.C., April 1, 2011 – On Feb. 23, 1991, Army Pfc. Roy Bentley was in Saudi Arabia serving with the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment as an armored crewman when the ground war began during Operation Desert Storm.

Exactly 20 years later, on Feb. 23, 2011, Air Force Maj. Roy Bentley landed in Kuwait with the 17th Airlift Squadron en route to his deployment with the 817th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron -- this time as a C-17 pilot supporting operations Enduring Freedom and New Dawn.

"The 2nd Cavalry was the spearhead for the 7th Corps movement into Iraq" during Desert Storm, Bentley said. "We were the lead unit for the right hook. The cavalry is the eyes and ears of the corps."

Bentley remained on active duty with the Army until July 1992, when he then joined the Army National Guard and used his GI Bill benefits to go to college. In 1998, he was accepted into the Air Force's Officer Training School, and he began pilot training in 1999.

Today, Bentley is a C-17 instructor pilot assigned to the 17th Airlift Squadron here. He is deployed to Manas Air Base, Kyrgyzstan, one of three locations where the squadron is based during this deployment rotation.

The air mobility mission has played a key role in operations Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom and New Dawn. While deployed, the squadron is providing airlift for troops and passengers, military equipment, cargo and aeromedical airlift. It also conducts missions involving the airland or airdrop of troops, equipment and supplies to warfighters in austere locations.

As someone who has been on both sides of the coin, Bentley said, he knows how important the air mobility mission is and what it can mean to the warfighter on the ground.

"At the end of the ground war in 1991, the supply line was stretched, and we were without our normal rations for three weeks," he said. "We did have Chef Boyardee Beefaroni as a meal supplement to our normal meals ready to eat. When the MREs ran out, it was Beefaroni for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I haven't eaten it since."

While the mission is certainly different this time around for Bentley, he has a true appreciation for the service members who are on the ground.

"I can relate to the men and women I am dropping off and picking up in theater," he said. "I understand that all the supplies we deliver are sorely needed by the people on the ground. I take great pride in moving the troops around theater, taking the time to talk with them and encouraging them during their deployment."

Looking back on his deployment during the Gulf War, Bentley said his time in a tank was much different from time in a C-17.

"Life in a tank was better than life on the ground," he said. "We had a place to eat, sleep and stay protected. There wasn't too much to worry about in a tank, except another tank.”

So how is time spent in a C-17 different?

"Life on the C-17 is nice. We have a working toilet onboard, and at every stop you can find a place to shower," he said. "Not taking a shower for six months is not an experience I want to repeat. I always tell the guys that I have had my Air Force appreciation tour. No matter how bad you think you have it, there is always someone out there who has it worse."

During this current deployment, Bentley is the Detachment 2 commander for the squadron at Manas and has been flying with two of the squadron's newest pilots.

"Being able to pass on my know-how and developing the skills of those younger airmen has been rewarding," Bentley said.

Just as it was by chance that Bentley landed in Kuwait 20 years to the day of the start of the ground war in Operation Desert Storm, he's also leaving in the same fashion.

"I was redeployed to Germany in May 1991, and I'm slated to return to Charleston in May 2011," he said.

Bentley’s fellow airmen at Manas couldn't let this milestone pass without a few good-natured jabs.

"I was the young guy during the first Gulf War," he said. "The young guys [here] keep reminding me that I am the old man this time around."

Once again overseas, Guardmember a veteran of three campaigns

By Army Sgt. Debra Richardson

201st Field Artillery

CAMP BUEHRING, Kuwait – From afar, Army Staff Sgt. Timothy Liptrap blends into the Army scene; his small stature and respectful stance denoting nothing out of the ordinary. But unlike many Soldiers currently deployed, Liptrap is a veteran of three campaigns and currently serves in the country he helped to liberate 20 years ago.

Two decades ago, he was on his way to the Saudi Arabia as a cannon crewmember with A Battery, 4th Battalion, 41st Field Artillery of the 197th Infantry Brigade. His unit was en route after only a few weeks notification and training.

“We spent the first couple of weeks in tent city,” said Liptrap, then 18. “Most of us were feeling anxiety and excitement about the challenges ahead. Not to mention dysentery.”

For months, then Army Spc. Liptrap and members of his brigade spent countless hours creating and maintaining their base perimeter and training.

“We trained on field artillery tasks daily to maintain proficiency on the M109 self propelled Howitzer,” Liptrap said.

The Soldiers had to rough it by today’s standards. They didn’t have access to a Post Exchange or local market to buy essential cleaning items such as shampoo and soap. There was also a shortage of tobacco products.

“After about the first month, a mobile PX came by once a week with various goods,” recalled Liptrap. “Some goods were much needed hygiene supplies – the stuff deployed Soldiers today receive in care packages that aren’t easily accessible in the Middle East.”

The showers weren’t hot or plentiful, but two or three times a week was better than nothing, he said.

“We had to discard our own waste as well, by mixing it with diesel fuel and burning it,” said Liptrap. “The burn pits produced a nasty stench and you had to make sure you were upwind when stirring to keep from inhaling the fumes.”

When the air war started on Jan. 17, Liptrap began sleeping under ground in dug out sleeping areas. U.S. planes attacked Iraqi forces in Kuwait and Baghdad, and by Jan. 30, U.S. forces in the Gulf exceeded 500,000 troops.

“Once the ground war began, we rolled for days, trying to reach our objectives to fire at our assigned targets,” said Liptrap. “We had to be available and ready to lay down suppressive fire when called upon as well.”

Once leaving Saudi Arabia and moving into the northern part of Iraq, the big struggle was obtaining fuel, Liptrap said. Fuel points were scarce along their route, and the lines were long.

“I recall one unit making it to their destination with only one of six guns to lay suppressive fire because they didn’t stop for fuel,” said Liptrap.

After nearly a year overseas and two campaign names later, Liptrap and his fellow comrades returned to U.S. soil March 29, 1991.

“I remember it well,” Liptrap said. “There were severe thunder storms as we approached Fort Benning and we had to circle the airfield for 30 minutes before landing. The air crew kept playing music by Motley Crue, ‘Home Sweet Home.’”

They stepped off the plane to a hero’s welcome, with music, photographers, handshakes, and hugs.

Liptrap has returned to the now liberated country of Kuwait as a staff sergeant assigned to 1/201st Field Artillery, West Virginia Army Guard. Although the 201st is supporting a non-artillery mission, Liptrap has served as an artilleryman for 23 years.

Liptrap also served in Iraqi Freedom and now Operation New Dawn.

Mullen Launches Middle East Trip in Saudi Arabia

By Donna Miles

American Forces Press Service

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Feb. 20, 2011 – Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, arrived here today for the first leg of a sweep through the Middle East to reassure friends of the U.S. commitment to regional stability, acknowledging he’s been “stunned” by the pace of the upheaval here.

“The speed with which this has happened has really taken me aback,” Mullen said of unrest that has moved through the region, domino-like, in recent weeks. “And I think this speed is going to continue.”

Mullen left Washington yesterday to confer with international and U.S. officials during stops in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Djibouti and Kuwait. Although the trip has been in the planning stages for some time, he said, its nature has changed dramatically based on the current tumult.

Talks are expected to address uprisings that have toppled the presidents of both Tunisia and Egypt and continue to ripple through the region. As during his trip last week to Israel and Jordan, Mullen said, he plans to “reassure our friends and just listen to what’s on their minds” about the situation and to get their views firsthand, particularly concerning Egypt.

Mullen said he comes to the region bringing no message to any particular group, but rather to reiterate the U.S. interest in seeing differences resolved peacefully. “We would certainly like to see what happens happen in a nonviolent way,” he told reporters traveling with him.

Emphasizing the importance of the Gulf region, the chairman said its stability is in everyone’s best interest.

Mullen has office calls scheduled here with Prince Mohammed bin Niyif, Saudi Arabia’s assistant interior minister for security affairs; Prince Miteb bin Abdullah, commander of the Saudi Arabian national guard; Prince Khalid bin Sultan bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud, assistant defense and aviation minister for military affairs; and Lt. Gen. Qubail, deputy chief of the general staff.

He also will meet with U.S. Ambassador James Smith.

The United States and Saudi Arabia have had strong military-to-military relations since World War II. U.S. advisors continue to help in training the Saudi military and national guard. The U.S. military training mission to Saudi Arabia and a U.S. program managers’ office for the Saudi Arabian national guard work to help in increasing Saudi military capabilities.

Saudi Arabia is one of the largest customers for U.S. defense goods.

The trip is expected to wrap up next weekend in Kuwait City, where a month-long commemoration is observing the 50th anniversary of Kuwait’s liberation and the 20th anniversary of Operation Desert Storm. Coalition forces liberated Kuwait from Iraqi occupation forces on Feb. 26, 1991, at the end of Operation Desert Storm. Iraqi forces invaded Kuwait Aug. 2, 1990.

The chairman’s last extended visit to the region was in February 2010, when he made stops in Egypt, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates.

CBR Weapons and WMD Terrorism News- December 17, 2008

F.D.A. Commissioner and other top health officials plan to step down
“The Food and Drug Administration commissioner, Dr. Andrew C. von Eschenbach, said Tuesday that he would resign on Inauguration Day, Jan. 20, part of a parade of expected departures at the nation’s crucial public health agencies. Leaders of these agencies have sometimes straddled administrations, but the Obama administration is expected to make a clean sweep in part because of repeated assertions that the Bush administration allowed politics to play an unusually forceful role in science policy […] Dr. Elias Zerhouni has already left his post as director of the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Julie Gerberding, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, wrote in a November e-mail message to her staff that she expects to leave ‘after the administration changes.’ And Dr. John E. Niederhuber, director of the National Cancer Institute, is expected to surrender his leadership job, although he may remain at the institute.” (New York Times; 16Dec08; Gardiner Harris) http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/17/health/17FDA.html?ref=us

[Indian] Gov't to set up six more bird flu testing labs
“As part of measures to check bird flu, the Centre will set up six more laboratories in different parts of the country to detect the avian influenza virus, agriculture minister Sharad Pawar said on Tuesday. […] While bird flu outbreak was often being reported from various parts of the country, there is only one laboratory located at Bhopal for detecting the virus in samples. […] The Prevention and Control of Infectious and Contagious Diseases in Animals Bill, 2005 passed by the House, is aimed at providing a uniform legislation throughout the country to monitor and control infectious animal diseases.” (Times of India; 16Dec08) http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Govt_to_set_up_six_more_bird_flu_testing_labs_/articleshow/3847564.cms

Veolia [Environmental Services in Port Arthur, Texas] wraps it up
[VX byproduct hydrolosate incineration] “A year and a half ago, the first shipments of deactivated VX nerve agent, known as hydrolosate, arrived at Veolia Environmental Services to be incinerated in compliance with international treaties mandating the destruction of the nation’s chemical weapons arsenal. This past week, the final shipment — 2 million gallons or so — was destroyed. The program was part of a $49 million contract entered into between Port Arthur’s Veolia and the U.S. Army’s Chemical Materials Agency.” (Texas Examiner; 15Dec08; Jerry Jordan)
http://www.theexaminer.com/npps/story.cfm?ID=2798

Years later, Gulf [War, 1991] ills linger
“For more than a decade, federal officials have denied that sick veterans of the Gulf War share a distinct illness. But a 452-page federal report by an independent committee of scientists and veterans, released last month by the Boston University School of Public Health, found that at least 174,000 veterans, or 1 in 4 people deployed by the US military to the Persian Gulf in 1990 and 1991, have Gulf War illness, manifesting in a range of symptoms, probably caused by pesticide exposure and an experimental drug that hundreds of thousands were ordered to take as a precaution against chemical attack. The drug, pyridostigmine bromide, and certain pesticides […] affect the central nervous system, the report found, and are associated with memory and focus problems, persistent headaches, respiratory and digestion problems, and ‘widespread pain.’ The report concludes that there are no effective treatments […].” (Boston Globe; 15Dec08; Bina Venkataraman) http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2008/12/15/years_later_gulf_ills_linger/

Rule OK’s chemical tankers through cities
“Federal security officials have long considered railroad tankers full of such chemicals as chlorine or anhydrous ammonia to be potential weapons of mass destruction. If attacked by a terrorist or disturbed individual in the middle of a city they could cause thousands of deaths. The finalization of the rail routing rule is one of the latest ‘midnight rule changes’ pushed through by the outgoing administration […] the regulation leaves the decision of which route to take with deadly chemicals primarily in the hands of the railroads. Critics contend that this leaves too many communities vulnerable to a serious security threat and that state, local, and federal officials should have more input to ensure the chemicals are transported along the shortest, safest, and most secure routes.” (Christian Science Monitor; 15Dec08; Alexandra Marks) http://features.csmonitor.com/politics/2008/12/15/rule-ok’s-chemical-tankers-through-cities/

US-Jordan agreement seeks to prevent smuggling of nuclear, radioactive material
“The United States and Jordan on Tuesday agreed to begin a cooperative effort to detect, deter and interdict illicit smuggling of nuclear and other radioactive material. […] The agreement provides a foundation for the US Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) to cooperate with the JNRC and other government agencies, in order to install radiation detection equipment and associated infrastructure at the Port of Aqaba and selected land border crossings. In addition, the NNSA will train Jordanian officials on the use of such equipment and provide maintenance services for a specified period, the statement said.” (Mid-East North Africa Financial Network; 17Dec08)
http://www.menafn.com/qn_news_story_s.asp?StoryId=1093224872

Quarantined employee ‘livid’ after Friday's anthrax scare [Carson City, Nevada]
“The 15 employees quarantined in Friday's anthrax scare in Carson City are now questioning the response of the officials to the incident and why they were left in the dark following final test results. […] Not long after her arrival, the News 4 reporter was taken into custody when officials told her she wandered to [sic] close to the contaminated area. It was an area that she says, gave no indication of a threat. […] An anonymous mailroom employee says she was never notified when officials received word that the powder that had her isolated in the cold for more than seven hours was actually cooking flour. […] Another anthrax scare that left a business in Carson City on edge Monday morning turned out to be a hoax after onsite testing revealed the suspicious substance was actually crushed aspirin.”
(News 4, Carson City; 15Dec08; Sami Davies)
http://www.krnv.com/Global/story.asp?S=9528180&nav=menu113_1_3

Washington latest state to get suspicious powder
“A suspicious white powder that was sent in a letter to Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire […] has been declared harmless. State Patrol Sgt. Ted DeHart says the powder was tested Monday. […] Two people were decontaminated as a precaution. Mailings with powders found to be harmless have been received at governors' offices in 39 states and two U.S. territories since last week.” (Associated Press; 16Dec08) http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5giqzbHkY5aUtwYUxwihgAvCtsZLwD953G4SG0

Harmless white powder mailed to US embassies [throughout Europe]
“Eight U.S. embassies in Europe have received suspicious letters of white powder, the FBI said Tuesday in what the agency called a hoax. […] which also contain an unspecified note, FBI spokesman Rich Kolko said. […] ‘The FBI has contacted the governors' offices and State Department to be on the lookout for additional letters,’ Kolko said.” (Associated Press; 16Dec08) http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hRXPAI74ls3KjW2x2uc_l-UtBfhwD9543OVG0

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- December 3, 2008

Government recommends Kansas for biodefense lab
“The federal government has recommended a site in Kansas for a new $450 million laboratory to study biological threats like anthrax and foot-and-mouth disease, congressional lawmakers and staff said today. The Department of Homeland Security’s choice of Manhattan, Kan., beat out intense competition from other sites in Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina and Texas. […] Besides foot-and-mouth disease, researchers also would study African swine fever, Japanese encephalitis, Rift Valley fever and the Hendra and Nipah viruses. Other finalist sites were Flora, Miss.; Athens, Ga.; Butner, N.C.; and San Antonio.” (Boston Herald; 03Dec08; Source: Associated Press)
http://news.Bostonherald.com/news/national/central/view/2008_12_03_Government_recommends_Kansas_for_biodefense_lab/srvc=home&position=recent

7 revolutions for global sustainability
“By the year 2050, the world population, estimated to top 9 billion, will require twice as much food as today, and water demand will double […]. Sustainability will rely on […] seven ‘revolutions,’ driving forces that will dictate global change […]. The seven revolutions include: population and demographics, resource management, Technology, information, economic integration, conflict and the challenge of governance. […] He [Erik Peterson, senior vice president, Center for Strategic and International Studies] said conflict, the sixth revolution, will be less between countries than within countries. He also said the lesson of 9/11 is that even ‘the most powerful military power in the world can be vulnerable. Terrorist groups have no return address.’ He said bioterrorism could be a significant danger.” (Delta Farm Press; 03Dec08; Ron Smith) http://deltafarmpress.com/news/global-sustainability-1203/

Biological weapons convention members meet
“Member nations to the Biological Weapons Convention are meeting this week in Geneva, the United Nations announced. The annual states parties session began yesterday and is scheduled to end Friday; it follows discussions that took place at an experts meeting in August. Participants will seek to develop a report that promotes movement in two particular areas: ‘National, regional and international measures to improve biosafety and biosecurity, including laboratory safety and security of pathogens and toxins’; and ‘Oversight, education, awareness raising and adoption and/or development of codes of conduct with the aim of preventing misuse in the context of advances in bioscience and biotechnology research with the potential of use for purposes prohibited by the convention.’” (Global Security Newswire; 02Dec08; Source: UN press releases) http://www.globalsecuritynewswire.org/gsn/nw_20081202_1754.php

Iran blasts production of biological weapons by convention members
“Iranian ambassador to the UN Office in Geneva Alireza Moayyeri criticized cooperation on biological weapons among some members of the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BWC) with other countries. Speaking at the (BWC) member states annual meeting, Moayyeri emphasized on the necessity of international acceptance of the convention and called for curbing such relations which could lead to proliferation of biological weapons. […] According to the Iranian students’ news agency, he also pointed to the current process for implementation of the convention and said such a trend could not be employed instead of multilateral talks for organizing a legal binding document to strengthen the convention. The Iranian official also called for those countries which prevent such talks to obey the international community's demand for arrangement of the accord. The US is the major opponent against the negotiations.” (Fars News Agency; 03Dec08)
http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.php?nn=8709131101

Chemical Ali’ [Hassan al-Majid] sentenced to hang
“Saddam Hussein's notorious cousin ‘Chemical Ali’ Hassan al-Majid received a second death sentence Tuesday, this time for crushing a Shiite uprising after Iraq's defeat in the 1991 Gulf War. Al-Majid, once among the most feared members of Saddam's regime, muttered ‘thanks be to God’ as chief judge Mohammed Oreibi al-Khalifa declared him guilty and imposed the sentence. The trial began in August 2007. Al-Majid already faces the gallows after being convicted last year for his role in the killing of tens of thousands of Kurds in the late 1980s — in which chemical weapons were used against civilians.” (Houston Chronicle; 02Dec08; Source: Associated Press)
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/world/6143903.html

Sarin leak found at Madison [KY] depot
“Army officials detected a GB vapor leak Monday from an M55 rocket stored at the Blue Grass Army Depot in Madison County [KY]. Inspectors discovered the leak during routine monitoring. The leak did not pose a threat, according to a news release from Blue Grass Chemical Activity, the agency that oversees chemical weapons storage at the depot.” (Lexington Herald Leader; 02Dec08) http://www.kentucky.com/178/story/612584.html

[UN Secretary-General] Ban calls for continued efforts to eliminate scourge of chemical weapons
“Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today appealed for continued action to press ahead with disarmament efforts regarding chemical weapons, noting the positive steps that have already been taken towards eliminating the scourge. Addressing the 13th session of the Conference of the States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention at The Hague, Netherlands, he said it was ‘encouraging’ that nearly half of the stockpiles of chemical agents declared by the six possessor States have been verifiably destroyed. ‘I call upon all possessor States to complete their destruction according to the required deadlines,’ he said in a message delivered by Sergei Ordzhonikidze, Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva.” (United Nations; 02Dec08) http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=29166&Cr=disarmament&Cr1=chemical+weapon

China urges chemical weapons owners to destroy stockpiles by 2012 deadline
“Countries which possess chemical weapons should do their utmost to comply with the 2012 deadline for the destruction of their chemical weapons, Chinese ambassador Zhang Jun said Tuesday at an annual meeting of the states parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) in The Hague. Zhang, China's ambassador to the Netherlands and permanent representative to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), said that the speedy and complete destruction of chemical weapons within the time frame stipulated by the CWC is the fundamental objective of the convention.” (ISRIA; 03Dec08) http://www.isria.info/RESTRICTED/D/2008/DECEMBER_4/diplo_03december2008_62.htm

New leadership planned to fight WMD terrorism [U.S.]
“President-elect Barack Obama plans to appoint a new White House official to coordinate efforts to prevent terrorists from obtaining nuclear or biological weapons, advisers say, giving the highest priority to thwarting a catastrophic attack that a bipartisan panel warns could come in the next five years. Naming a top deputy whose sole mission is to oversee the government's wide-ranging programs to stop such an attack would mark a significant break with the Bush administration, which in resisting such a post has maintained that US efforts to reduce nuclear stockpiles and safeguard deadly pathogens are adequate.” (Boston Globe; 03Dec08; Brian Bender)
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/12/03/new_leadership_planned_to_fight_wmd_terrorism/

Mumbai attack swift, precise
“Like the Sept. 11 attacks in America, the Mumbai terrorist assault last week began with a hijacking. Islamic militants seized a private fishing boat at sea rather than commercial jetliners, according to U.S. counterterrorism officials. […] Could it happen here? U.S. officials say the answer, unfortunately, is yes. […] DHS [Department of Homeland Security] announced a ‘small-vessel security strategy’ last April to focus on ports and coastal waterways, and it has held four regional small-vessel ‘security summits’ this year. […] Technology is improving for detecting radiological devices that might arrive at seaports. But defense is thin against bioterrorism, and almost nonexistent against seaborne gunmen of the sort that terrorized Mumbai.” (Denver Post; 02Dec08; David Ignatius)
http://www.denverpost.com/headlines/ci_11122305

Saudi Arabia: The Kingdom supports disarmament of weapons of mass-destruction
“Saudi ambassador to [the] Netherlands and permanent representative at the organization of banning chemical weapons Waleed al-Khureiji has reiterated the Kingdom's inalienable stand as regards disarmament of weapons of mass-destruction […]. […] He called on the international community to put pressure on Israel until it approves the agreement of banning chemical weapons and signs the treaty of non-proliferation of nuclear weapons. He noted that Israel is the sole country in the Middle East which has failed to sign the treaty […].” (ISRIA; 03Dec08) http://www.isria.info/RESTRICTED/D/2008/DECEMBER_4/diplo_03december2008_11.htm

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- December 1, 2008

Bioterrorism: global depression warning
“A lack of transnational cooperation on biosecurity and pandemic disease control could tip the world into the largest economic crisis of the last 100 years, a report said on Thursday. The commission on national security from the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) said bioterrorism or a serious disease outbreak could send the global economy from a ‘serious recession into a global depression.’ The IPPR security commission, chaired by Lord George Robertson former defence secretary and secretary general of NATO, and Lord Paddy Ashdown, former leader of the Liberal Democrats and high representative to Bosnia, said global arrangements to prepare, detect and respond to bioterrorism or disease outbreaks are inadequate.” (In The News; 27Nov08; Source: Institute for Public Policy Research) http://www.inthenews.co.uk/news/autocodes/countries/bosnia-and-herzegovina/bioterrorism-global-depression-warning-$1251616.htm

Depot chemical weapons disposal delayed [KY]
“An Army official overseeing the disposal of chemical weapons in Kentucky says the project is again running behind schedule and now may not even begin until 2021, four years after a deadline Congress set for completion. […] Kevin Flamm, manager of the Defense Department's Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives program, said Tuesday that another delay is necessary partly because of increased construction costs and a redesign of a building at Blue Grass Army Depot near Richmond where the deadly Cold War-era munitions are to be neutralized and destroyed. […] The Richmond stockpile is more complicated […] because it contains VX, GB and mustard agent. An emergency operation is under way to destroy three steel containers, one of which leaked sarin last year. Flamm said that effort had nothing to do with the delays at the larger stockpile.” (Associated Press; 27Nov08; Jeffrey McMurray)
http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20081127/NEWS01/811270648/1008/NEWS01

Russian chemical plant completes destruction of [VX] nerve agent
“A Russian chemical weapons disposal facility has completed the destruction of VX nerve agent, a regional government official said on Monday. VX nerve agent is one of the most toxic substances ever developed. A tiny amount of VX is fatal, and death usually occurs within an hour of exposure. Mikhail Manin, a department head in the Kirov region government, said that as of December 1, more than 4,500 tons of toxic agents (a total of 23,473 chemical weapons) were destroyed at the Maradykovsky chemical plant. However, he did not say what proportion the nerve agent constituted of the total amount. […] The country is to destroy all its declared arsenal of 40,000 metric tons of chemical weapons by 2012.” (RIA Novosti; 01Dec08) http://en.rian.ru/russia/20081201/118632753.html

Some vindication for sick [Gulf War] vets, but little relief
“A high-profile advisory panel to Veterans Affairs Secretary James Peake earlier this month affirmed research showing that a collection of symptoms commonly known as Gulf War illnesses are real and require treatment. The country has a national obligation to help them, the panel concluded. The report, however, also noted a sad reality: Of the $340 million in government funds spent to research the topic, little has focused on finding treatments. And, researchers said, the estimated 175,000-210,000 Gulf veterans who are sick aren't getting any better. […] Compounding the problem was the complexity of the symptoms and uncertainty over the causes. Were they caused by combat stress? Was it vaccinations? Was it pills given to protect soldiers from nerve agents? Was it exposure to oil well fires or chemical weapons? Or a combination of factors?” (USA Today; 01Dec08; Steve Jahnke; Source: Associated Press) http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2008-12-01-gulf-war-syndrome_N.htm

Lebanon signs up to treaty banning chemical weapons
“Lebanon on Friday signed legal documents which will see it become the 185th signatory to the 1997 Chemical Weapons Convention within 30 days. […] OPCW Director-General Rogelio Pfirter said the convention's founding goal of a universal ban on chemical weapons was coming closer, adding: ‘We call upon those 10 remaining states that have not yet adhered to the CWC to do so without delay.’ Pfirter said in April he had high hopes of Lebanon and Iraq signing up to the treaty in the near future. Three other states in the Middle East -- Israel, Egypt and Syria -- have also still to engage, as has North Korea. Later deadlines for the destruction of stockpiles have been accorded to major producers such as the United States and Russia (2012) or Libya (2011). The OPCW has conducted over 3,000 inspections in 80 member states since its formation.” (AFP; 28Nov08) http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iNSj-Hx68bU1EPcDzCXPEQs3aHDQ

His [Astrophysicist Jim Ryan’s] bomb detector is out of this world [MA]
“[Astrophysicist Jim] Ryan, 61, was invited to a National Guard exercise on Cape Cod to watch a mock cleanup of a terrorist site filled with the material for dirty bombs […]. As Guardsmen combed the booby-trapped house with hand-held sensors, a light bulb went off in Ryan's head. ‘We detect radioactive aluminum from across the galaxy,’ he said, so ‘I knew we should be able to detect it from across the street.’ […] As he stood on Cape Cod at the dirty bomb drill, watching the National Guard play a game of warmer/colder with their hand-held instruments, he realized that some of the spare parts from the Compton [Gamma Ray] Observatory could be used to pinpoint the location of the dirty bomb material with much greater accuracy than traditional Geiger counters and spectrometers, and from a safer distance.” (Boston Globe; 01Dec08; Billy Baker) http://www.boston.com/news/science/articles/2008/12/01/his_bomb_detector_is_out_of_this_world/

Customs, ports screen for bomb in a box
“Just as fears of a ‘dirty bomb’ coming through the Port of Los Angeles or the Port of Long Beach have increased since the 9/11 attacks on the U.S., so has the available technology that can detect those bombs, said Capt. John Schrinner, Security Chief for McAllister Tug and one of three panelists at the ‘Bomb in a Box’ panel at the recent Maritime Security Expo in Long Beach. As of December 2006, 100 percent of all containers entering the San Pedro ports have been screened for radiation with some of that new technology, a process that was put into motion in response to 9/11. Of the 2,000 to 3,000 containerized shipments screened daily at the San Pedro Bay ports, anywhere from 300 to 600 shipments set off radiation alarms - most of which are triggered by things that are supposed to give off a certain amount of radiation, such as TV sets, porcelain and tile. Nonetheless, each alarm has to be checked out and adjudicated, according to Kevin Weeks of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency.” (The Cunnigham Report; 30Nov08)
http://www.cunninghamreport.com/news_item.php?id=618

Nuclear waste piles up in state [PA]
“The Beaver Valley Power Station in Shippingport [PA] could run out of space for its low-level radioactive waste in two to five years. […] Pennsylvania does not have a disposal site or plans to build one […] because generators could send the waste out of state. Yet, […] facilities in Pennsylvania and neighboring West Virginia, Maryland and Delaware […] could start to run out of storage space by 2013 […]. With the waste scattered at sites across the United States rather than in one central depository, some critics fear it is more vulnerable to terrorism and could be used to build a ‘dirty’ bomb, an explosive device that spreads radioactive material. Security experts and regulators said that's not likely because even small amounts of radioactive material are highly controlled and tracked.” (Pittsburgh Live; 28Nov08; Andrew Conte; Source: Tribune Review)
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/mostread/s_600513.html

Claflin [University] [SC] research seeks easy way to detect [biochem] threats
“Claflin University researchers will soon begin developing a thin strip of paper that can detect the presence of biological outbreaks and chemical weapons. ‘The project has enormous implications for national security,’ Claflin biology professor Dr. Omar Bagasra said. The paper strip will act much like a pregnancy test. The idea is the paper strip will turn a specific color to signal a particular hazard. For example, if Sarin gas is released in an area, the paper would turn green. […] [Claflin chemistry professor Dr. Muthukrishna] Raja said the project’s primary goal is to train students and give them a segue into a career in national security. Select students, between five and 10 per year, will work with the facsimiles to perfect the detection strip and hopefully create the framework for antidotes.” (Times & Democrat; 01Dec08; Lee Tant) http://www.thetandd.com/articles/2008/12/01/news/doc493375986b350239173536.txt

Panel [Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and terrorism] fears use of unconventional weapon
“An independent commission has concluded that terrorists will most likely carry out an attack with biological, nuclear or other unconventional weapons somewhere in the world in the next five years unless the United States and its allies act urgently to prevent that. […] ‘Were one to map terrorism and weapons of mass destruction today, all roads would intersect in Pakistan,’ the report states […]. The report is the result of a six-month study by the Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and terrorism, which Congress created last spring in keeping with one of the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission. […] The panel’s 13 recommendations focus on fighting the threat of bioterrorism, including improved bioforensic capabilities, and strengthening international organizations, like the International Atomic Energy Agency, to address the nuclear threat. It also calls for a comprehensive approach for dealing with Pakistan.” (The New York Times; 01Dec08; Eric Schmitt) http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/01/washington/01bioterror.html?ref=world

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- November 17, 2008

Judge orders [exonerated anthrax suspect Stephen] Hatfill search warrant made public
“A federal judge on Monday ordered the Justice Department to release the information it used to persuade the courts to let it search the home of a former Army scientist who was exonerated in the 2001 anthrax attacks. U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth said the government's search warrants and supporting documents relating to former Army scientist Stephen Hatfill and his then-girlfriend Peck Chegne should be made public. […] ‘The anthrax investigation was one of the most complex, time-consuming and expensive investigations in recent history,’ Lamberth said. ‘As a result, the American citizens have a legitimate interest in observing and understanding how and why the investigation progressed in the way that it did.’” (Associated Press; 18Nov08; Jesse J. Holland) http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ggnSVGuQvX23iSN9fCYgtmUMsaBAD94GR0IG0

Death comes in small packages
“From beehives to maggot bombs, bugs have provided some of our deadliest weapons. […] And long before either swords or explosives existed, scholars believe, Paleolithic warriors were hurling ‘bee bombs’—nests of stinging insects—into enemy caves. That was 100,000 years ago, notes Jeffrey Lockwood, entomologist and author of Six-Legged Soldiers (Oxford UP), and it marked, of course, only the beginning. By the end of the Second World War, the Nazis had 30 million Colorado potato beetles ready to unleash on British crops, and Japan’s Unit 731 had killed more people in China with infected fleas and flies than atomic bombs had killed in Japan. Less well known than bacteriological warfare, with which it is intimately linked—nothing delivers epidemic disease like an insect host—war by bug has left its mark on the historical record. […] In all, Japanese biological warfare killed 580,000 Chinese, most by insect.” (Macleans; 17Nov08; Brian Bethune) http://blog.macleans.ca/2008/11/17/death-comes-in-small-packages/

Lab sought to counter bioterrorism in Oklahoma
“State Health Department officials said they want to build a $40 million lab separate from the department’s headquarters to better protect the public from bioterrorism testing. […] The lab recently tested letters for possible anthrax and also tested E. coli samples […]. The lab has been approved to test other agents like smallpox or plague that could be used as weapons, but it lacks the needed biocontainment level. ‘We don’t want to take specimens that could be agents of bioterrorism and walk through our public areas,’said Julie Cox-Kain, department deputy commissioner of disease prevention services. She said the lab was built in the early 1970s and has outgrown its current space.” (Oklahoma News; 14Nov08; Susan Simpson)
http://newsok.com/lab-sought-to-counter-bioterrorism/article/3321835

Hospital flooded in storm to cut its staff by a third [TX]
“Still struggling to recover from Hurricane Ike, the battered economy of Galveston Island has suffered another severe blow with the decision by the University of Texas to lay off 3,800 people next week from the medical center, the largest employer on the island. […] The goal is to staunch losses of almost $40 million a month since the hurricane flooded the school’s buildings […]. The complex is centered on Texas’s oldest medical school and a new national laboratory devoted to finding defenses against biological weapons. […] Only the maternity ward is open; the rest of the hospital remains eerily empty.” (New York Times; 14Nov08; James C. McKinley Jr.) http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/15/us/15hospital.html?ref=health

Sentencing set for man [Bergendorff] in Las Vegas ricin scare
“Sentencing is set for Monday for a man who pleaded guilty to possessing the lethal biological agent ricin at a Las Vegas motel. Roger Bergendorff is expected to get 3 years and 1 month in federal prison. Bergendorff has said he distilled deadly ricin powder from the beans of a backyard castor plant while he lived in San Diego in 1998, and carried it with him for a decade while living in Reno, near Salt Lake City, and in Las Vegas.
Authorities have characterized the 57-year-old as a troubled man, but no terrorist.” (Las Vegas Now; 17Nov08; Source: Associated Press)
http://www.lasvegasnow.com/Global/story.asp?S=9363029

Russia finishes VX ammo destruction at Maradykovsky
“Russia has finished destroying ammunition loaded with VX nerve agent at its Maradykovsky facility, Interfax reported Friday. ‘A total of 23,473 ammunition items, which contain 4,546.741 [metric tons] of VX-type gases, have been disposed of,’ a Kirov Region spokesman said Friday, adding that work has begun on the disposal site's second branch. ‘The second sector -- a unit that will dispose of sarin and soman [nerve agents] -- is being repaired. We plan to begin installing equipment and to start experimental operations. We plan to launch disposal efforts in the first quarter of 2009,’ he said. The Maradykovsky facility is slated to complete its chemical-weapon destruction work in 2012.” (Global Security Newswire; 17Nov08; Source: Interfax) http://www.globalsecuritynewswire.org/gsn/nw_20081117_3574.php

Gulf war illness is real, new federal report says
“An extensive federal report released Monday concludes that roughly one in four of the 697,000 U.S. veterans of the 1990-91 Gulf war suffer from Gulf war illness. That illness is a condition now identified as the likely consequence of exposure to toxic chemicals, including pesticides and a drug administered to protect troops against nerve gas. […] The report, titled ‘Gulf War Illness and the Health of Gulf war Veterans,’ was officially presented Monday to Secretary of Veterans Affairs James Peak. […] The report identifies two Gulf War ‘neurotoxic’ exposures that ‘are causally associated with Gulf war illness.’ The first is the ingestion of pyridostigmine bromide (PB) pills, given to protect troops from effects of nerve agents. The second is exposure to dangerous pesticides used during the conflict.” (CNN; 17Nov08; Alan Silverlieb) http://edition.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/11/17/gulf.war.illness.study/

South Korea to conduct ‘dirty bomb’ drill
“South Korean emergency personnel are expected to respond to a simulated radiological attack on the island of Jeju tomorrow, Asia Pulse reported. The scenario for South Korea's first ‘dirty bomb’ response drill would involve retaking a boat seized by terrorists. The terrorists would detonate a mock dirty bomb, forcing crews to cordon off the area, evacuate bystanders and begin to decontaminate the site, according to the South Korean Education, Science and Technology Ministry. The exercise is expected to involve more than 200 local and national government officials, the South Korean coast guard, the Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety, fire crews and nearby schools and hospitals.” (Global Security Newswire; 17Nov08; Source: Asia Pulse) http://www.globalsecuritynewswire.org/gsn/nw_20081117_2718.php

India worried by unstable nuclear-armed states
“‘Fragile and unstable governments’ in nuclear-armed nations create a potential opening for extremist groups to acquire a devastating weapon, an Indian official said Wednesday. M. M. Pallam Raju, a junior defense minister, did not single out Pakistan, India's troubled nuclear rival, in his remarks to the National Defense College in New Delhi, the Press Trust of India reported […] ‘The concern is real and consequential given the enormous destructive potential; if these weapons were to fall in the hands of rogue elements and nonstate armed groups,’ he added. It is reasonable to worry about the potential spread of nuclear weapons and Technology, along with biological and chemical weapons, according to Raju. ‘Experts fear the growth and proliferation of technologies, particularly information Technology, biotechnology, nanotechnology and genetic engineering may create a permissive environment for nuclear proliferation,’ he said. India must maintain a sufficient nuclear deterrent and a capability to respond to attacks, Raju said.” (Global Security Newswire; 14Nov08; Source: Press Trust of India) http://www.globalsecuritynewswire.org/gsn/nw_20081114_8237.php

Fake anthrax warning mailer [Keyser] indicted in Sacramento [CA]
“A federal grand jury indicted Thursday a 66-year-old retired teacher from Sacramento who sent 120 letters with fake anthrax nationwide last month to alert the public on the threat of bioterrorism. Marc M. Keyser faces 10 counts of hoax mailings and three counts of mailing threatening communications. Both crimes are punishable by up to 70 years imprisonment. Keyser, who is out on a $25,000 bail, has said he was not sorry for sending the letters with compact discs and packets of sugar labeled as anthrax to media and government offices as well as restaurants because he was just trying to prompt the government to be vigilant in preventing a repeat of the anthrax mail attack in 2001 that killed five people and sickened 17 others.” (Gant Daily, 13Nov08; Source: AHN) http://www.gantdaily.com/news/35/ARTICLE/36511/2008-11-13.html

Kiwi [New Zealand] scanner promises to end anthrax hoax chaos
“A Christchurch [New Zealand] company’s invention of a hand-held scanner [that] quickly and accurately identifies the presence of potentially lethal spores in powder samples promises to end the chaos of anthrax scares. The Scout, developed by Veritide and based on optical detection Technology developed at the University of Canterbury, accurately identifies the presence of potentially lethal spores in powder samples within minutes. Existing technologies and products take between 30 minutes and three days to do the same job. The testing is non-invasive using ultraviolet light and detection algorithms to identify bacterial spores and does not consume or destroy the sample being tested.” (Electronics News; 18Nov08; Source: Reed Business Information) http://www.electronicsnews.com.au/Article/Kiwi-scanner-promises-to-end-anthrax-hoax-chaos/430405.aspx

Mormons under [anthrax hoax] siege in Salt Lake City
“A suspicious package containing white powder had been opened by a clerk in the Church Administration Office, prompting FBI agents wearing chemical warfare suits to swiftly evacuate the building. […] In addition to the ‘anthrax’ scares that saw Temple Square, together with a Mormon temple in Los Angeles, evacuated on Thursday (tests later showed that the white powder was not toxic), attacks on other Mormon properties have raised a chilling spectre of religious hatred.” (New Zealand Herald; 17Nov08; Guy
Adams)
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/relationships/news/article.cfm?c_id=41&objectid=10543460

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.

Colonel Debunks Individual Ready Reserve Mobilization Myths

By Navy Lt. Jennifer Cragg
Special to American Forces Press Service

Sept. 30, 2008 - Though they may serve only two to four years on active duty, soldiers who enlist in the Army takes on an eight-year commitment. When they leave active duty, they can serve the remainder of their obligation in the National Guard or Army Reserve, but they also can fulfill the commitment in the Individual Ready Reserve. IRR members must meet minimal annual requirements -- such as keeping personal contact information current, attending musters, updating readiness screening questionnaires and responding to official correspondence – and are subject to being mobilized, or called back to the Army.

Col. Wanda Good, commander of the St. Louis branch of the U.S. Army Human Resources Command, discussed the process for mobilizing soldiers under the IRR program during a teleconference with bloggers and online journalists yesterday.

"Their knowledge and skill make them an invaluable asset to our nation, and we're tremendously proud of our IRR soldiers and their contribution to the total Army," she said.

"IRR soldiers have been making a contribution for a long time," the colonel said. "Beginning with the Berlin crisis in 1961, we had 38,827 IRR soldiers mobilized by the Army, and this was the largest mobilization of the IRR to date."

Good added that in the late 1960s during the Vietnam era, 1,692 IRR soldiers were called up into 42 mobilized reserve units. During the Gulf War in the ealy 1990s, 20,277 IRR soldiers were mobilized, and 14,470 of them were deployed.

"This is not the first time we've tapped the expertise of the IRR soldiers," Good noted.

Good said a common myth surrounding the IRR today is the impression that a massive mobilization is under way.

"There are 65,000 IRR soldiers. Since 9/11, seven years ago, we've published about 20,000 mobilization orders. That's about 31 percent of the IRR. Slightly less than 5,000 are mobilized today, and that's about 7 percent of the current IRR population," she said.

Another myth, Good said, is the belief that vast numbers of IRR soldiers are failing to report to mobilization stations as ordered.

"We've had 779 cases of IRR soldiers failing to report as ordered to their mobilization stations," she said. "We've discharged 354 of them for failure to report, and we have 425 cases still under investigation. So, if you calculate those numbers, that's 779 out of 20,000, soldiers. That's only 4 percent."

Good said another myth centers around the belief that the Army doesn't take care of IRR soldiers after they return from Iraq or Afghanistan.

"Actually, the Army and the [Veterans Affairs Department] have a wide variety of programs in place to support all soldiers," she said. "That is another reason why we have musters on an annual basis. We want to call back our soldiers and make sure they are filling out their post-deployment health reassessments."

The assessments are important, the colonel said. "Last year ... we found three soldiers who were suicidal, one of whom got directly into the VA and [received] help immediately," she noted. "We do try very hard to take care of our soldiers, and the musters [are] the best way so far that we can actually touch these soldiers and give them the medical assistance they need."

Since the Sept. 11 terror attacks, 2,218 IRR soldiers have volunteered to return to active duty, Good said. Of the more than 2,200 that have returned to active duty, 384 of them have served in Iraq, and 122 of them have served in Afghanistan.

(Navy Lt. Jennifer Cragg is assigned to the New Media Directorate of the Defense Media Activity.)