CBR Weapons and WMD Terrorism News-April 16, 2008

Health Monitoring Systems Releases EpiCenter(TM)
“The open source EpiCenter incorporates advanced algorithms and other statistical management and analytical techniques that process and correlate multiple streams of heath-related data in real time. The system pinpoints and manages emerging and current threats to public health and safety, such as infectious disease outbreaks. EpiCenter also features new collaborative work tools to enable public health officials to manage investigations and to share analysis and findings with colleagues and across regions. […] The company maintains online networks to collect data from hospitals and other healthcare providers […] then offers advanced analytics of the aggregated information to detect […] epidemic spread and bioterrorism attacks.” (PR Newswire; 15Apr08; John Buckman) http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/04-15-2008/0004793122&EDATE

NIST [National Institute of Standards and Technology], Army researchers pave the way for anthrax spore standards
“Researchers from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the U.S. Army Dugway (Utah) Proving Ground have developed reliable methods based on DNA analysis to assess the concentration and viability of anthrax spores after prolonged storage. The techniques and data are essential steps in developing a reliable reference standard for anthrax detection and decontamination. […] The NIST-Army study showed that laboratory-grade Bacillus anthracis spores in suspension maintained their viability and did not clump when stored for up to 900 days.” (GEN; 15Apr08; Michael E. Newman)
http://www.genengnews.com/news/bnitem.aspx?name=33793895

Small company gets US go-ahead on bird flu patch
“A small biotechnology company trying to develop needle-free vaccines won a boost to its efforts on Tuesday with U.S. government approval to test a bird flu skin patch on more people. Iomai's patch is not a vaccine, but rather delivers what is called an adjuvant -- an immune boosting agent that will be delivered along with a vaccine to try to make it work better. […] The company reported the skin patch helped boost a bird flu vaccine so well that people appear to be protected by a single dose. […] Iomai is also working to use its needle-free technology to make vaccines against anthrax, seasonal influenza and traveler's diarrhea.” (Reuters; 15Apr08; Maggie Fox) http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N15462451.htm

Retired NY Firefighter Invents and Patents Portable Air Shield
“[…] Retired N.Y. firefighter Jim Thomsen […] developed new technology able to protect against anthrax or other airborne terrorism attacks. […] The PASS [protective air shield system] system is a suitcase sized unit that can suck in and neutralize anthrax, nerve gas, ricin, dirty bomb radioactivity. […] Fire departments, police, government, shopping centers, hotels, cruise ships and schools now have this new tool to respond to the threat of bioterrorist attacks, disasters and routine airborne hazards to protect their staff, the public and customers.” (California Newswire; 14Apr08; Valerie Gotten) http://californianewswire.com/2008/04/14/CNW1288_190539.php

[Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation] Gates boosts global animal health
“Officials at Washington State University are understandably excited about a $25 million grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to establish the School for Global Animal Health. The mission of the new school will be to prevent the spread of diseases from animals to people. […] Some of the diseases are bacterial, like Salmonellosis, anthrax, brucellosis, E. coli and plague.” (The Daily Astorian; 14Apr08)
http://www.dailyastorian.info/main.asp?SectionID=23&SubSectionID=392&ArticleID=50552&TM=74237.52

HHS [Health and Human Services] Names First Director of the Biomedical Advanced Research Development Authority
“The Department of Health and Human Services today announced the selection of Robin Robinson, Ph.D., as the first director of the Biomedical Advanced Research Development Authority (BARDA), which was established in 2007 in the HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response. […] BARDA manages Project BioShield, which includes the procurement and advanced development of medical countermeasures for chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear agents, as well as manages the advanced development and procurement of medical countermeasures for pandemic influenza and other emerging infectious diseases that fall outside the auspices of Project BioShield.” (Department of Health and Human Services; 14Apr08) http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2008pres/04/20080414a.html

Army set to destroy old chemical weapons on island of Oahu [Hawaii]
“The Army says it is ready to begin destroying a stockpile of old chemical weapons found during cleanup of a training range on the island of Oahu. The Army calls it the largest concentration of unexploded chemical weapons ever found in the U.S. Most of the artillery shells and other weapons contain the choking agent phosgene and one holds an agent that causes a reaction like tear gas.” (Associated Press; 15Apr08) http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hztD07JJjsSEdK917nZd602wL-0wD902GUB00

Ground broken on facility to destroy chemical weapons [Pueblo, Colorado]
“Construction has begun on a facility to neutralize a stockpile of chemical weapons stored at a complex in Pueblo. For years, the federal government has planned to destroy about 780,000 mortar rounds and artillery shells at the site, but the project has been delayed. […] Construction of the facility is expected to take until 2011[…].” (Denver Post; 15Apr08)
http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_8925746

Iran NGO calls for review of Iraq’s 1980s chemical war
“Dr. Shahriar Khateri, the head of public and international relations for Iran’s Society for Chemical Weapons Victims Support (SCWVS), […] called on the international community to comprehensively review Iraq’s use of chemical weapons (CW) in the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war in view of new information which has come to light through UN inspections and the subsequent U.S.-led occupation of Iraq. Khateri, whose NGO conducts awareness programs addressing the consequences of war and the use of CW, while also providing health advice and social support for tens of thousands of Iranian survivors of Saddam’s CW attacks during the 1980s, said that recent political upheavals in Iraq had produced an ‘unexpected treasure-trove of authentic primary materials casting fresh light on Iraq’s use of CW, and in particular on the role played by the United States and other countries in making this possible.’” (Mehr News; 15Apr08)
http://www.mehrnews.ir/en/NewsDetail.aspx?NewsID=666327

Iran unveils new medicine for cancer treatment
“Iran unveiled new medicine, Gamma Immunex, for cancer treatment. Minister of Health and Medical Science Education Kamran Lankarani said at the ceremony that Gamma Immunex is also prescribed for treating victims of chemical weapons. […] He added that victims of chemical weapons suffering from pulmonary diseases can also benefit from the medicine. After the United States and Germany, Iran is the third country that succeeded in producing the medicine.” (Mathaba; 15Apr08; IRNA) http://mathaba.net/news/?x=588850

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Croatia Meets OPCW [Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons] Director-General
“On 9 April 2008 the Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration of the Republic of Croatia, H.E. Mr Gordan Jandrokovi, met the OPCW Director-General, Ambassador Rogelio Pfirter. […] Director-General Pfirter also commended the Government of Croatia for its exemplary cooperation and steadfast support for the Convention’s implementation and for the work of the OPCW.” (OPCW; 15Apr08) http://www.opcw.org/pressreleases/2008/News04_2008.html

Aeolus Pharmaceuticals' AEOL 10150 Protects Lungs from Fractionated Radiation; Reduces Angiogenesis and Inflammation
“[A study by] Aeolus Pharmaceuticals […] show[s] the Company’s lead compound, AEOL 10150, provided statistically significant protection of the lungs of Fisher 344 rats exposed to fractionated radiation in a study led by Zeljko Vujaskovic, M.D. Ph.D. of Duke University. ‘In addition to its support for the potential use of AEOL 10150 in cancer radiation therapy, this data supports the possible use of AEOL 10150 against radiation-induced tissue damage from radiological or nuclear terrorism and nicely complements ongoing studies showing AEOL 10150 as a potentially protective agent against chemical terrorist agents such as mustard gas,’ stated John L. McManus, President and Chief Executive Officer of Aeolus Pharmaceuticals, Inc.” (The Earth Times; 15Apr08) http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/aeolus-pharmaceuticals-aeol-10150-protects,352442.shtml

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.

General Shares Successes, Challenges of Afghan Air Corps

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

Jan. 24, 2008 - The Afghan army air corps is going through rapid growth, but it will take eight years for the force to be self-sustaining and independent, the commander of the Combined Air Power Transition Force said from his headquarters in the Afghan capital of Kabul today. Air Force Brig. Gen. Jay H. Lindell told Pentagon reporters via video-teleconference that the air corps has doubled its capability since October and that he expects it to double again in the next six months.

His 133 U.S. servicemembers are helping the Afghan National Army establish the air corps. Ultimately, the force will have 112 aircraft and 7,400 personnel. It now has 1,950 personnel, about 180 of them pilots.

The command has an eight-year campaign plan to acquire aircraft and train the force, but it is flying now.

"We're well on our way," Lindell said.

The air corps now has four Antonov fixed-wing transport planes and 16 Mi-17 and Mi-35 helicopters. The general said the force will receive 16 more Mi-17, six more Mi-35 helicopters, and four more Antonovs in the next six months. The air corps also will buy 20 C-27A Spartan aircraft, with the first set to arrive in June 2009.

The air corps is engaged in operations daily, Lindell said, flying five fixed-wing missions each day. The command, with Afghan National Army concurrence, has decided to concentrate on building the air mobility aspect of the air corps. "That is the urgent and most critical need that the Afghan national security forces need," the general said.

The air corps will pick up these logistical missions that the Afghan National Army has relied on U.S. or NATO forces to perform.

"On the rotary-wing side, they are actually performing more training missions than operational right now," Lindell said, adding that medical evacuation missions are on the air corps' near horizon.

"We will soon start medevac operations here out of Kabul, and in three months we plan to have medevac operations established at Kandahar with the Afghan air corps," the general said.

Though the force is flying and growing, the air corps suffers from a lack of trained personnel and an aging pilot force. The average age of air corps pilots is 43, and some have not flown for 15 years, he said. The Afghan military has not trained a new pilot since 1992.

"The Afghan pilots that are currently flying are very good stick-and-rudder pilots," Lindell said. "They're very competent; they're professional. They can fly the missions that they're assigned to today. It's just that they do not have the resources."

The Afghan pilots are "day pilots," Lindell said. They do not fly at night or in limited visibility.

"As this force ages, it won't sustain this air corps for the long term, and we are developing plans to train new pilots and bring youth into the program," he said.

The command hopes to begin training 48 pilots a year beginning this year. That will take some years to develop, and at first, the Afghan pilots will train outside the country, probably in the United States.

"Then we hope to develop our training capacity in country here, Afghans training Afghans to be new pilots for this air corps," Lindell said.

In three years, the command hopes to begin training Afghan army air corps personnel to pick up more missions, such as direct ground support and intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance capability.

The force's ground crews and maintenance technicians are retired Afghan personnel. They do on-the-job training with their maintenance technicians. The command is working on a formal technical training school that will be developed in Kabul.

"We will start that coursework this year," Lindell said. "We will recruit personnel. They'll go through their military basic training, and then we'll run them through our aviation branch school training here in this technical training center as we develop these maintenance technicians."

This year the air corps will graduate about 20 personnel from the tech school, ramping up to at least 350 a year over the next two years.

The air corps uses Eastern Bloc aircraft because that is what the Afghans are used to. However, servicing the aircraft presents problems. "We're not in good shape, and we do have parts problems," Lindell said.

In September, Lindell's command let a $20 million contract to order parts for Afghanistan's legacy aircraft: the Antonov aircraft and the Mi-17s and Mi-35s.

"We've received some of those parts," he said. "We also plan to put on contract the logistics sustainment system. The logistics sustainment system will be initially a contractor that will help supply-chain management with the right parts, with the right certified quality parts for these legacy aircraft, help us with the support equipment, help us with the tooling necessary to maintain them, help us with the tech orders that we need to maintain these aircraft, and some training for the Afghan maintenance personnel."

The eight-year campaign plan is ambitious, but doable, he said.

"We believe we can build this air corps to an adequate level where they are self-sufficient and they do have operational capability to meet their security needs," Lindell said. "I'm just extremely proud of the 133 personnel assigned to the Combined Air Power Transition Force, as we build and develop this Afghan air corps."

Gates Asks Congress Not to Derail Iraq Progress

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

Nov. 27, 2007 - Important progress the military is making in the war on terror would be derailed if Congress doesn't pass a supplemental war spending bill "in short order," Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates told the Killeen, Texas, Chamber of Commerce yesterday. Congress has passed supplemental measures, but each includes timetables for the withdrawal of American troops from Iraq. President Bush has vowed to veto any spending bill that contains this language.

Killeen is the site of Fort Hood, home of the Army's 3rd Corps, 4th Infantry Division, and 1st Cavalry Division. At least one major unit from Fort Hood has been deployed to Iraq since March 2003.

Gates said the facts of the problem are simple. "Without these funds, Army operations and maintenance funds will be exhausted by mid-February, and similar Marine Corps funds about a month later," he said. "We cannot wait until mid-February to figure out how to deal with the consequences of these accounts running dry."

If Congress does not pass a bill the president will sign, the department will have to take measures, starting in mid-December, the secretary said to the group. DoD will need to send furlough notifications out to Army civilian employees beginning next month. The service also will have to terminate contracts and reduce base services and operations.

"We're not trying to scare anyone or play politics; that's not the way I do business," Gates said. "But I am responsible for prudent management and planning, and that means prior planning just in case we don't get this funding in a bill the president will sign."

The secretary likened DoD to the world's biggest supertanker: It cannot turn on a dime, and we cannot steer it like a skiff. "I do not want to cause anxiety among our employees, but I must plan and I must prepare," he said.

In the question-and-answer session that followed the speech, Gates said the surge of additional forces into Iraq has worked. "I think that the decision to increase by a substantial number the combat forces in Iraq has taken what was a pretty dismal prospect a year ago and turned it into a pretty promising aspect right now. The security situation is significantly improved," he said.

While the security situation is better, servicemembers still are being killed and wounded in Iraq. "I have two folders of condolence letters in my hotel room to sign tonight," he said. "It's the worst part of my job. So no matter how successful we are in terms of the military strategy, there are still families that are hurting, and we need to be cognizant of that and take care not only of the servicemember but the families of those wounded or killed."

The surge has made a huge difference, Gates said, and positive and promising political and economic developments on the ground that the United States did not anticipate are taking place. The secretary said he does not want to count the chickens too early. "But I think the signs are all positive right now," he added.

Gates noted that Army Gen. David H. Petraeus told Congress in September that he wanted to bring five brigades home by July 2008. Since Petraeus, the commander of Multinational Force Iraq, made that announcement, "things have only gotten better," Gates said.

"My hope is that we will not only be able to meet that timetable, but that we will be able to continue the drawdowns after July," he said.

The security progress in Iraq has allowed a Fort Hood unit -- 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division -- to redeploy. "The members of that brigade and of every other unit throughout the U.S. armed forces have been giving this effort everything they've got," Gates said. "And they've gained something in return: They know that they are defending our country and shaping the course of history."

Gates said Fort Hood units have been under stress. The units deploy for 15 months and are at home station for a year. "Let me point out that more help is on the way," Gates told the crowd.

The Army is recruiting more soldiers to build more units, and money is programmed to help improve the quality of life for families when their loved ones are deployed.

Gates also praised families of deployed soldiers. "America owes a great deal to those who have been called 'the power behind the power' -- the spouses, children, parents, grandparents, brothers and sisters of our men and women in uniform," he said. "They, too, make a significant contribution and pay a price in the cause of protecting the United States and its allies."

Gates recalled his days the president of Texas A&M University before becoming defense secretary. "When I was at A&M, I would get e-mails from Aggies serving in Iraq," he said during the question-and-answer session. "They all said three things: 'We want to come home, we don't want to come home until the job is done, and we don't want the sacrifices of our buddies to be in vain.'

"I think that's the way most people feel at this point, and the truth is I think we're on a track where with any luck we can meet all three of those conditions," Gates said.