The Intersection of Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT) and Domestic Terrorism: Preparedness, Challenges, and Resilience

The threat of domestic terrorism poses a significant challenge to the safety and security of communities across the United States. Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT) have emerged as a vital component of local disaster response efforts. This essay explores the intersection of CERT and domestic terrorism, focusing on preparedness, challenges, and the role CERT plays in enhancing community resilience in the face of such threats.

Preparedness for Domestic Terrorism

1. Training and Education: CERT programs provide essential training to community members on disaster preparedness and response. This training can be adapted to include recognizing signs of domestic terrorism, understanding the threat landscape, and knowing how to report suspicious activities to law enforcement.

2. Communication Skills: CERT members are equipped with effective communication skills, which can be crucial in disseminating information during an act of domestic terrorism. They can serve as vital conduits between first responders and the community, helping to manage panic and coordinate responses.

3. Medical Support: CERT training often includes basic medical skills. In the event of domestic terrorism, CERT members can provide immediate medical assistance to victims before professional responders arrive, potentially saving lives.

Challenges at the Intersection

1. Recognizing Threats: Identifying domestic terrorism threats can be challenging, as they often involve radicalization within the community. CERT members must be trained to recognize signs of extremist ideologies and behaviors.

2. Security Concerns: Engaging CERT members in counterterrorism efforts raises security concerns. Balancing community engagement with the need to prevent potential insider threats is a delicate task.

3. Communication and Coordination: Effectively integrating CERT into counterterrorism strategies requires seamless communication and coordination with law enforcement agencies. Establishing protocols for information sharing and response procedures is crucial.

CERT as a Pillar of Community Resilience

1. Building Trust: CERT programs foster trust between community members and responders. This trust can be invaluable in encouraging reporting of suspicious activities related to domestic terrorism.

2. Rapid Response: CERT members are often among the first on the scene in disaster situations. In the context of domestic terrorism, their quick response can mitigate casualties and provide initial support.

3. Community Healing: Beyond immediate response, CERT volunteers can play a crucial role in community healing and recovery after a domestic terrorism incident. Their familiarity with the community can provide comfort and support to victims.

Conclusion

The intersection of Community Emergency Response Teams and domestic terrorism underscores the importance of preparing communities for multifaceted threats. While CERT programs traditionally focus on natural disasters, their adaptability makes them a valuable asset in combating domestic terrorism. By incorporating counterterrorism training, addressing challenges, and emphasizing community resilience, CERTs can contribute to enhancing overall security and preparedness, ensuring that communities are better equipped to respond to a wide range of emergencies, including acts of domestic terrorism.

Little: Middle East Minesweeping Exercise Set for September

By Army Sgt. 1st Class Tyrone C. Marshall Jr.

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, July 17, 2012 – A multinational minesweeping exercise scheduled for this fall in the waters of the Middle East is intended to increase U.S. capabilities and cooperation with allies, Pentagon Press Secretary George Little told reporters today.

“This is not an exercise aimed to deliver a message to Iran,” Little said in answer to questions about the reported maneuvers.

Rather, “It’s an international symposium and exercise of mine countermeasures conducted in multiple locations in the [U.S. Naval Forces Central Command] area of operations,” he added.  “This is a defensive exercise aimed at preserving freedom of navigation in the international waterways of the Middle East and aimed at promoting regional stability in the [U.S. Central Command] area of responsibility.”

According to Centcom, the International Mines Countermeasures Exercise, scheduled to run from Sept. 16 through Sept. 27, will include more than 20 nations across four continents.

Scenarios will focus on a hypothetical threat from an extremist organization mining the international strategic waterways of the Middle East, Centcom said in a statement.

Additionally, there will be scenario-based exercises held in the Persian Gulf, but they will not extend to the Strait of Hormuz near Iran, Centcom officials said. Exercises will take place in the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and the Gulf of Oman.

Little noted this will be an important exercise involving an international contingent of military planners.

“These exercises are designed to enhance cooperation, develop a mutual maritime capability and aimed at promoting long-term regional stability,” he said.

Immersive Technology Fuels Infantry Simulators

By Cheryl Pellerin

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, May 13, 2011 – Rocket-propelled grenades explode, villagers scream in Arabic, squad members move together through the rough streets past animal pens and bazaar stalls, and the hot air carries local sounds and smells.

It’s not Afghanistan’s Helmand province. It’s a 130,000-square-foot building on Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton in southern California.

There, at the Infantry Immersion Trainer, a Defense Department program combines infrastructure, actors, and three-dimensional immersive technologies that replicate the sights, situations and smells of war in the Middle East to help Marines and soldiers make better, faster decisions on the ground.

M.K. Tribbie is oversight executive for the Future Immersive Training Environment, called FITE. The environment merges elements of virtual reality, computer gaming and virtual worlds into an interactive training tool that is being tested at several Marine Corps and Army bases around the country, Tribbie said.

The idea to build what essentially is a training simulator for ground troops, he added, came from Marine Corps Gen. James N. Mattis in 2008, when he led U.S. Joint Forces Command.

Mattis had been thinking for several years about the fact that ground forces at the infantry and squad levels had no access to the kind of immersive training and simulators routinely used by aviators, submarine and ship pilots, and even truck drivers, Tribbie said.

Mattis thought, he added, “that if we could put together that sort of capability, we could elevate the quality of training available to these ground forces so they could make better, faster, more ethical decisions in the complex and chaotic environment they fight in.”

FITE was approved in 2008 to give individuals, leaders and small units a training capability that “makes their first contact with the enemy no worse than the last simulation they experienced,” as the program’s tagline goes.

“Our Army infantry, our special operations forces, our Marine infantry continue to learn too many of their grim skills in the unforgiving, chaotic and ethically bruising environment of their first close combat, where intimate killing is the norm,” Mattis, who now commands the U.S. Central Command, says in a video that promotes the program.

U.S. Special Operations Command was interested in the technology, as were the Navy and Air Force. A major funder of the project was the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization, Tribbie said.

Beginning in early fiscal year 2009, FITE was built in two parts and demonstrated by 10- to 13-man squads.

The first part used a helmet-mounted virtual-reality display system, a computer that squad members wore on their backs, a tactile feedback device they wore on their thighs, and an operationally representative weapon that looked and felt like the real thing, Tribbie said. Wearing this equipment, the squad stood in a large room on a gridded floor. If they walked in place, they moved forward in the training scenario.

In the demonstration, they were briefed on a mission that they were to carry out in the virtual environment.

“They see a virtual display right before their eyes,” Tribbie said. “Wherever they look, they see each other, they see the virtual players for the mission, they see the full environment you would see if you were in a real environment, but everything’s virtual.”

The faces of each person in the squad were recreated digitally, he added, so when they see each other in the virtual scenarios they see the virtual faces of their squad mates.

“In that manner, they were seeing the virtual reality, hearing the virtual environment,” he said, “and to a degree we had devices that emitted representative smells of the environment.”

If one of the squad was hurt or shot while carrying out the mission, the device on his thigh delivered “a kind of mild electronic jolt to simulate that and help drive home the realism of the scenario,” Tribbie said.

“They really liked it,” he said of FITE Part 1, which was demonstrated in March 2009 at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in North Carolina and at the Army’s Fort Benning in Georgia.

In the next step, the designers blended real and virtual environments in exercises called “facility-based mixed reality,” Tribbie said. They conducted these exercises at Camp Pendleton with participants and observers from the Army.

There, a few years earlier -- recognizing the power and value of mixed-reality training, Tribbie said -- the Marines built the Infantry Immersive Trainer.

It’s like a movie set, Tribbie added, with Pashtun-speaking role players, animatronic characters, interactive virtual projections called avatars and simulated battlefield effects.

Because the FITE technologies are very mature the services “are able to observe, assess and analyze what was demonstrated,” he said, before they spend a lot of money on such capabilities.

Tribbie said he expects further growth over the next few years.

“You’ll start seeing the services and even non-DOD entities like [federal] agencies begin to leverage more available and maturing immersive capabilities and technologies,” he predicted.

Security Check

Massachusetts Guard Member Spc. Igor Tomaz, of Metford, Mass, an infantryman from B Company, 1st Battalion, 182nd Infantry, with the security force for the Provincial Reconstruction Team, checks a door for improvised explosive devices prior to breeching during a room clearing drill at Camp Atterbury Joint Maneuver Training Center, Ind., Apr. 13. (Photo by Staff Sgt. David Bruce, Camp Atterbury Public Affairs

U.S., Salvadoran Military Medical Teams Help Iraqi Villagers

By Army Sgt. Daniel T. West
Special to American Forces Press Service

Aug. 5, 2008 - Doctors from 41st Fires Brigade and El Salvador's Cuscatlan Battalion brought medical care to citizens of the Zuwarijat district of Kut, Iraq, July 31. The event kicked off Operation Bring on the Docs, a multiphase operation with the Wasit province's Health Ministry, which is designed to identify and improve health care capabilities, said Army Col. (Dr.) Italo Bastianelli, 41st Fires Brigade surgeon.

"The overall objective is to develop an Iraqi-led, enduring, quality health care system within Wasit province," he said.

The Zuwarijat operation was held at the Wasit Health Ministry's Jamaheer clinic, and focused on education for local health care professionals and citizens of the district.

Medical assistance visits are planned and executed in cooperation with Iraqi health care professionals, Bastianelli said. Coalition health care providers use the visits to understand limitations local doctors face and to improve their ability to care for their patients, he said.

"With improved training, facilities, medical equipment and supplies, Iraqi health professionals will be able to take the lead in caring for the Iraqi people," Bastianelli said. "This will allow coalition forces medical assets to take advisory and support roles."

About 200 patients received treatment, which focused on preventive medicine, at the Jamaheer clinic during the event.

"It's a good experience for young medics and doctors to get out and see the people of Iraq, and work with them, to help rebuild the country," said Army Pfc. Jessica Rush, of Company C, 589th Brigade Support Battalion, one of the medics on the scene.

"All together, it was fun," added Army Pfc. Dana Larsen, also of Company C. "We never got a rest or lunch break, and didn't even notice. We did a lot, but there are so many more things we wish we could have done, but couldn't."

They will have their chance. The operation's work in the area should take about two months to complete, Bastianelli said.

Army Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Buchanan, Multinational Division Center deputy commander for operations, also visited the event, and Col. Walter Mauricio Arevalo, commander of Cuscatlan Battalion, visited the Salvadoran troops assisting with the operation.

(Army Sgt. Daniel T. West serves in the 41st Fires Brigade Public Affairs Office.)

Officials Strive to Reduce Preventable MRAP Accidents

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

July 28, 2008 - Emphasizing that the mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicles known as MRAPs are the best protection available against roadside bombs and other underbelly explosions, defense safety officials are promoting enhanced training and troop awareness to reduce rollovers and other accidents. Meanwhile, engineers are back at the drawing board, exploring design modifications to make the vehicles more maneuverable and as safe as possible to operate, Jennifer Malone, the Defense Department's lead safety officer for MRAPs, told American Forces Press Service.

Malone conceded that the MRAPs' high center of gravity, designed to keep the crew compartment high off the ground, can cause the vehicles to tip if proper precautions aren't taken. Compounding the issue are environmental limitations in the combat theater – soft sand and roads and bridges not built to handle the hefty MRAPs. Particularly during the spring rainy season, soft shoulders can give way under the MRAP's weight.

Low-hanging power lines strung in Iraqi towns also have been identified as problems, catching the tops of MRAPs as they pass below and shocking or injuring crewmembers.

With almost 10,000 MRAPs currently in the theater, and about 215 more arriving every week, the accident rate stands at 78, Malone reported. Five resulted in fatalities.

Forty-three of all MRAP accidents have involved rollovers. After hitting a high of 10 in April, the number dropped to six in May and three in June.

Bringing these numbers down even more is a top Defense Department priority, Malone said.

"We do not separate safety from survivability in this program," she said. "They are inextricably bonded. You cannot separate the two."

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, who championed efforts to field MRAPs as quickly as possible to save warfighter lives, received an update recently during a Defense Safety Oversight Council meeting about efforts to beef up ongoing safety initiatives.

"We briefed him about the where we are, and that knowing what we know about the number of rollovers, we realize that our work is not done and we have more work to do," Malone said.

Design engineers understood from the start that the MRAPs' design made it prone to rollovers if proper precautions weren't taken, Malone acknowledged. But desperate to protect troops from IEDs and recognizing the life-saving benefit of the MRAP's design against underbelly blasts, defense officials moved the program forward. "This was to meet an immediate need to protect the warfighter," Malone said.

Meanwhile, designers worked with safety and training experts to come up with ways to offset design limitations Malone said come with operating any vehicle as big as an MRAP.

Together, they prescribed specific tactics, techniques and procedures for operating the vehicles, and incorporated them into hands-on training required for all drivers before they get behind the wheel of an MRAP.

The training emphasizes special considerations when driving a vehicle with a high center of gravity and an understanding of conditions such as soft shoulders, corners and canals most likely to result in a rollover, explained Marine 1st Lt. Geraldine Carey, spokeswoman for the Marine Corps Systems Command, which manages the MRAP program for the Defense Department.

"These are big vehicles, and you have got to follow all the operational procedures and restrictions you are given to operate them safely," Malone said. "You have to be aware of speed restrictions, terrain restrictions [and] maneuverability restrictions. And that's what the training programs emphasize."

Meanwhile, accident investigation results and lessons learned are being incorporated into training to ensure troops have the most up-to-date information and can learn from each others' experiences, Carey said. The results are posted on safety center Web sites and handed down through the chain of command to users.

Results are incorporated into the additional hands-on training operators and crewmembers receive, not only at their deployed locations, but also before they deploy and as they process into the theater.

User cards summing up this information have been printed and are being distributed to the field. The cards offer a checklist that outlines procedures to prevent rollovers and, should one occur, how to exit the vehicle quickly, Carey said.

Safety officials call ground commanders and noncommissioned officers key to ensuring these lessons are applied. Pre-mission briefs include not just threat information, but also a review of safety considerations and conditions most likely to result in an accident, she said.

As the military promotes more training and awareness of potential hazards, engineers are taking lessons learned and input from users to identify design modifications that will make MRAPs more maneuverable and reduce rollovers, Malone said.

Malone said it's impossible to tell exactly how many lives MRAPs have saved on the battlefield, but said the Defense Department is committed to ensuring no warfighter dies operating one in a preventable accident.

"One accident or one rollover is one too many," she said. "We are doing everything possible to prevent those incidents from happening."

Team Supports Reconstruction of Afghan Health System

By Navy Lt. Neil Myers
Special to American Forces Press Service

July 22, 2008 - Like most of Afghanistan's provinces, Konar has historically been unable to meet the medical needs of its 381,000 residents. But the Konar Provincial Reconstruction Team is working to meet those needs. As recently as 2002 and shortly after the departure of the Taliban, Afghanistan has faced some of the worst health statistics ever recorded worldwide, including an infant mortality rate of 16.5 percent and 1,600 maternal deaths for every 100,000 live births. More than 25 percent of Afghan children die before their fifth birthday.

In Konar, nearly 60 percent of the population lacked access to any form of health services. The Konar PRT is one of 12 U.S.-led partnership organizations working with the Afghan government to rebuild the health care system and improve medical services.

Navy Lt. Gregory Monk, a Konar PRT physician assistant from Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton, Calif., has managed much of that work in the province. His team of corpsmen includes Petty Officer 2nd Class Alexander Tabayoyon from Naval Air Station Fallon, Nev.; Petty Officer 2nd Class Ixchel Mattes from Naval Hospital Brementon, Wash.; and Seaman Leo Cedeno from Branch Clinic China Lake, Calif.

Monk and his staff work closely with the provincial health director, Dr. Asadullah Fazli, to assist in the implementation of the Basic Package of Health Services. The BPHS is an Afghanistan Ministry of Public Health strategy to provide a standardized package of basic health services. The ministry, Dr. Fazli and Aide Medicale International, with input from the PRT, use the BPHS to identify districts with under-served populations and determine the location for new facilities.

Aide Medicale International is an apolitical French humanitarian organization that implements health care networks around the world. The strategy was designed to increase access for people more than two hours' walking distance from to public health ministry facilities. After selecting the locations for the clinics, Monk works with PRT engineers to solicit contract proposals and oversees the quality of construction for the new buildings. Once the building is constructed, AMI acquires the staffing, professional medical training and supplies needed to run the clinics.

With the assistance of the PRT, 15 new health care facilities are being added to the province. Fazli reported that six years ago, the Konar health network consisted of only 12 low-quality clinics. Now, the province has 24 health care facilities -- one provincial hospital, nine comprehensive health clinics and 14 basic health clinics -- and an additional 242 basic health posts.

Assisted by Afghan doctors, the PRT medical team conducted village medical outreaches in the remote regions of Konar where local clinics do not exist. On missions into the local communities, they have treated Afghans for a variety of ailments. According to Monk, worms and other intestinal illnesses were the main ailments afflicting most of the people the team treated.

The community uses the Konar River, which flows through the province, for everything: drinking, cooking, bathing, hygiene, and even recreation. But the river is heavily contaminated with pathogenic bacteria, parasites and viruses. Monk said almost everyone he sees for evaluation complains of stomach pains.

"The stomach pains are commonly caused by worms or other parasites, but chronic conditions, such as reflux disease, are just as common," Mattes explained. "Education on simple acts of washing hands and boiling water before use can prevent a majority of these illnesses."

The regular engagements became less common, thanks to the growing number of clinics and local doctors in the villages.

"It makes you feel good to go out and assist Afghan doctors in remote villages that have zero access to medical treatment," Monk said. "We hope that one day every community has its own clinic, ultimately becoming less reliant on these outreach missions."
(Navy Lt. Neil Myers serves with the Konar Provincial Reconstruction Team.)

U.N. Agency Declares Afghan Province 'Nearly Poppy-Free'

By Navy Lt. Neil Myers
Special to American Forces Press Service

July 21, 2008 - The United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime recently declared Afghanistan's Konar province to be "nearly poppy-free" in 2006 and 2007. During a July 6 trip to the province, Afghanistan's minister for counter-narcotics, Gen. Khodaidad, announced that Konar has qualified for two monetary awards totaling $750,000 from the Counter-narcotics Trust Fund.

Konar Gov. Sayed Fazlullah Wahidi and his provincial council decided to use $420,000 of that money to upgrade the Konar Teacher Training College with a 60-room dormitory, dining facility and meeting hall. A lack of dormitories requires students of either to commute or to rent local accommodations while attending school.

"This is a great day for Konar and Afghanistan", said Navy Cmdr. Daniel Dwyer, Konar Provincial Reconstruction Team commander. "When you see the government of Afghanistan, on its own, bringing projects to its people that provide for long-term jobs and economic growth, it shows everyone that progress is well on its way."

After Khodaidad's remarks, Wahidi, members of parliament and the delegation moved to the site of the future college facilities for the ceremonial groundbreaking.

"This province is devoted to eliminating poppy in spite of the many problems facing farmers," said Khudaidaad, who thanked the province's elders, who have been campaigning against narcotics.

Wahidi and the Provincial Development Council have not yet decided whether they want to spend the rest of the money on one large provincial project or distribute it for small, district-level projects. The governor said that he will spend some of the money to build irrigation canals and to make educational improvements.

"The people of Konar deserve the credit for the poppy eradication," Wahidi said. "All the tribal elders and people of Konar are committed to putting an end to this [poppy] seed, because the smuggling, trafficking and growing of narcotics is forbidden by Islam."

(Navy Lt. Neil Myers serves with the Konar Provincial Reconstruction Team.)

CBR Weapons and WMD Terrorism News- July 21, 2008

Vangent Awarded $23 Million Contract to Support Force Health Protection & Readiness
“Vangent, Inc., a leading global provider of information management and strategic business process outsourcing solutions, today announced that the Department of Defense (DoD) Force Health Protection & Readiness Program Office (FHP&R) has awarded the company a $23 million contract to manage and enhance FHP&R automated information systems.” (Market Watch; 21July08) http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/vangent-awarded-23-million-contract/story.aspx?guid=%7B35B81569-1FFA-40FB-8D80-30DC606F97E7%7D&dist=hppr

Killer Kevlar: Clothing That Shields From Germs
“Researchers in South Dakota report progress toward the first Kevlar fabrics that can kill a wide range of infectious agents, including bacteria, viruses, and the spores that cause anthrax. […]The scientists developed a special process to coat Kevlar samples with acyclic N-Halamine, a potent germ-fighting substance. They then exposed coated and uncoated fabric samples to E. coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Candida tropicalis (a fungus), MS2 virus, and Bacillus subtilis spores (to mimic anthrax).” (Science Daily; 21July08) http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080721092412.htm

Bio Weapons Monitor System Draws Criticism
“Homeland Security experts consider Southern Nevada a high-risk target for terrorist attacks […] one of 30 major cities nationwide that actually monitor the air for biological weapons. The program is called BioWatch. BioWatch has drawn criticism since it began five years ago. Just this week, members of a Congressional subcommittee heard it characterized as a ‘parasite’ by the local public health officials tasked with running it.”
(Las Vegas Now; 21July08)
http://www.lasvegasnow.com/Global/story.asp?S=8701384&nav=168X

Completion of VX neutralization means many things to [Vermillion] Valley [Indiana]
“For more than 40 years, one of the last and deadliest remnants of the Cold War — 2.5-million pounds of VX — has been sitting quietly in carbon steel barrels in Vermillion County, part of a stockpile of chemical weapons the United States has been trying to dispose of for more than a decade.” (The Tribune-Star; 21July08; Deb Kelly) http://www.tribstar.com/local/local_story_201225101.html

Boone, Avondale [Colorado] to hold chem-demil meetings
“Public meetings on the next phase of the Defense Department’s effort to destroy Pueblo’s stockpile of chemical weapons will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday in Boone and Avondale.” (The Pueblo Chieftain; 21July08; John Norton) http://www.chieftain.com/articles/2008/07/20/news/local/doc4882d6376a7c2288377999.txt

RNC [Republican National Convention] has hospitals ready for anything
“Medical personnel scrambled to set up decontamination showers in an ambulance garage. Others donned head-to-toe hazardous materials protection suits. Pagers beeped madly as doctors and nurses rushed to help victims. Luckily, none of it was real. It was just the latest drill by metro hospitals in more than a year of preparation for medical calamities in advance of the Republican National Convention […]” (Star Tribune; 18Jul08; Chen May Yee) http://www.startribune.com/politics/national/conventions/25638404.html?page=1&c=y

Defentect Invited to Join 'Operation Golden Phoenix' Disaster Response Training Event
“Defentect™ gamma radiation detection network will be a participating technology at the Golden Phoenix real world disaster response laboratory environment in San Diego, July 21 – 24. Federal, state and local agencies will engage in a large-scale terrorism training event led by U.S. Department of Homeland Security Customs and Border Protection, the County of San Diego, the City of San Diego and U.S. Marine Corps Aircraft Group-46.” (The Earth Times; 21Jul08) http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/defentect-invited-to-join-operation-golden-phoenix-disaster-response-training-event,473859.shtml

Soviet uranium removed from Bulgaria
“The last of the highly enriched uranium stored in Bulgaria was removed from the country Thursday and transported to a secured site in Russia. […] The removal of the uranium, stored in Bulgaria since the 1970s, is part of an initiative to deter nuclear proliferation by terrorist groups and other militants whose stated goals include detonating a dirty bomb constructed with nuclear material.” (The Middle East Times; 18Jul08; United Press International)
http://www.metimes.com/Security/2008/07/18/soviet_uranium_removed_from_bulgaria/9b36/

Would-be Vegas hitman’s story ends in Irish jail
“Essam Ahmed Eid, a 53-year-old Egyptian man living in Vegas and dealing poker at the Bellagio, dreamed of becoming a hit man. […] After [Sharon] Collins [the alleged contractor] was arrested, police searched Eid’s cell and found he had a contact lens case with traces of Ricin inside. That evidence, on top of the e-mail, the phone calls, the testimony from Engle and the money Lying Eyes sent to Vegas, was enough for a jury to find Eid and Collins guilty. Collins was convicted of soliciting and conspiring to murder the Howards. Eid was convicted of extortion, which carries a maximum sentence of 14 years in Ireland, and assorted theft charges, for the office break-in.” (Las Vegas Sun; 20Jul08; Abigail Goldman) http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2008/jul/20/would-be-vegas-hitmans-story-ends-irish-jail/

Another Former High-Ranking Iraqi Official Confirms WMD Went to Syria
“Ali Ibrahim al-Tikriti says he was southern regional commander for Saddam Hussein’s Fedayeen militia in the late 1980s and a personal friend of the dictator. Units under his command dealt with chemical and biological weapons. He was known as the ‘Butcher of Basra’ due to his campaigns and defected shortly before the Gulf War in 1991. This interview aims to gain some insight into the current situation in Iraq.” (International Analyst Network; 21July08; Ryan Mauro)
http://www.analyst-network.com/article.php?art_id=2276

City [Johnstown, Pennsylvania] hosting physicians’ disaster-Training program
“Eight physicians have begun Training in the four-year program, with an emphasis on disaster response and bioterrorism. [...] If approved by the American College of Osteopathic Emergency Physicians, the subspecialty will be incorporated with Memorial’s [hospital] newest residency program.”
(The Tribune-Democrat; 20July08; Randy Griffith) http://www.tribune-democrat.com/local/local_story_202201422.html

[National] College [Salem, North Carolina] Helps Prepare for Disaster
“National College in Salem partnered with the Near Southwest Preparedness Alliance (NSPA) [...] They sponsored a three-day planning and Training seminar by the National Emergency Response and Rescue Training Center that prepared medical teams for situations involving weapons of mass destruction, bioterrorism, radiation exposure and even chemical warfare.” (Red Orbit; 19July08; Jones Ryan)
http://www.redorbit.com/news/health/1485718/college_helps_prepare_for_disaster/

US military to be part of NZ exercise
“A large United States military delegation will take part in an international security exercise in New Zealand in September. […] The exercise, which involves stopping a ship carrying materials that could be used to make weapons of mass destruction, is being organised as part of New Zealand's commitment to the Proliferation Security Initiative. The initiative was set up by the United States five years ago to get countries to cooperate on stopping illicit shipments of weapons and materials that could be used to make chemical, biological or nuclear weapons.”
(Stuff.co.nz; 21July08; The Dominion Post, Hank Schouten) http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/4626131a6160.html

International Journalists Discuss Iranian Missile Threat
“Iran’s testing of two separate rounds of long-range ballistic missiles earlier this month has aggravated tensions between Tehran and the United States, Israel, and even the Arab states in the region. […] Iranian journalist Ali Reza Nourizadeh, who directs the Center for Arab and Iranian studies in London, agrees that Tehran has probably exaggerated the range and accuracy of its missiles. Nonetheless, they are still ‘very dangerous’ because the hundreds of kilos of explosives they carry could be ‘turned to chemical and biological warheads.’” (VOA News; 21July08; Judith
Latham)
http://www.voanews.com/english/NewsAnalysis/2008-07-21-voa25.cfm

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.

Civil Affairs Projects Help to Rebuild Afghan District

By Army Pvt. Tamara Gabbard
Special to American Forces Press Service

June 27, 2008 - The Kapisa and Parwan Provincial Reconstruction Team civil affairs leader visited a few local villages in the Kohe Safi district June 24 and met with Community Development Council representatives. The CDC, a body of elected villagers, is given special training to learn how to allocate funds and pick projects that are needed in each village.

The National Solidarity Program funds the projects through Afghanistan's Ministry of Rural Reconstruction and Development.

"The outreach that was involved in this mission was to get to meet some of the CDCs from nine of the targeted villages in the Kohe Safi district," said Army Capt. Steve H. Kaiser, civil affairs leader for the Kapisa and Parwan PRT. "With the information gathered, we will start a Quick Impact Project."

The QIP involves calculating how many families are in a village to determine the amount of the grant per project. This helps with reaching out to more villagers, which gives capability to build cultural enhancements, Kaiser explained.

"Being able to meet some of these CDCs for the first time, and get their names and pictures, was a real breakthrough," he said. "These villages are important, because we do not want them to become a safe haven for the enemy."

The ability to interact with villagers creates a sense of morale for villagers and builds trust. Working with the CDCs also lets PRT members establish personal relationships with the villagers, Kaiser said.

"We want [Afghans] to know that we are here to help, not be part of the problem," he said.

(Army Pvt. Tamara Gabbard serves with the 382nd Public Affairs Detachment.)

Economy Booms Again in Southern Baghdad Province

American Forces Press Service

June 6, 2008 - When Army Capt. Shawn Carbone first took a good look at the economy in Iraq's southern Baghdad province, he found it similar to his studies of America during the Great Depression of the 1930s. "Most of the historically strong businesses were gone," said Carbone, economics team leader for the Baghdad 7 Embedded Provincial Reconstruction Team. "The owners had left and packed up. The businesses were shut down, and there was mass unemployment across the board."

There were many reasons for the economic troubles of Iraqis in the area the 3rd Infantry Division's 2nd Brigade Combat Team took control of in June 2007. A lack of security forces had left a gap that al-Qaida in Iraq terrorists filled by using the area as a base.

Farms and businesses were damaged, and violence caused many to flee -- some of whom have yet to return. Sectarian strife heated up following the 2005 elections, which left many in the area without a voice in government.

Basic needs, such as electricity and water, went largely unmet.

Carbone saw an opportunity to help turn things around. His training in economics at Niagara University, in his hometown of Niagara, N.Y., prepared him for the task of helping the citizens of southern Baghdad province.

"It's rewarding, because it's an experiment in economics," Carbone said. "This is from the ground up. It's much like our depression-era economics. I've actually sent e-mails to my professors, asking them their opinions on some of these things and researched books on depression-era economics."

After security was established, the biggest obstacle to economic recovery, Carbone said, was the centralized nature of the economy in the past. Local industries such as a chicken hatchery, a poultry processing plant and a meat processing facility, for example, received inputs from and sold their goods to the Iraqi government at set prices.

"Cooperation is the biggest thing," Carbone said. "From where I sit, these businesses are complementary. But they never had a capitalist society, which is all about bringing down costs."

Now the government is in a state of transition and moving toward free trade.

"Everyone is going through the change," Carbone said. "Some of the government systems are not yet in place, but that's where we're heading."

In an effort to revive the local economy, the Baghdad 7 Embedded PRT worked in conjunction with 2nd Brigade Combat Team Civil Affairs, using money as their main tool. Armed with State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development funds, soldiers and civilians on the team looked for projects that would benefit the community as a whole.

Civil affairs soldiers used their battalion's bulk funds to stimulate individual small businesses through a series of $2,500 micro-grants. Though most of the projects focused on agriculture, which dominates the local economy and employs the largest percentage of people, other avenues were explored, as well.

Army Maj. Douglas Betts, commander of Company A, 415th Civil Affairs Battalion, said soldiers on the ground identified who could best use the grants.

"The troop commanders and company commanders are all very smart guys," Betts said. "They know what they're doing, and they know what's best for their areas."

Micro-grants were given to businesses ranging from chicken farms to Internet cafes. Most recently, a women's beauty parlor opened up in Arab Jabour, something that would have been impossible in that area until recently.

Betts said soldiers have found other creative ways to involve women in business. One example he gave was women's sewing cooperatives, which grew out of women's committees looking for ways to employ themselves and raise revenue for their causes.

"Captain [Trista] Mustaine in the EPRT did a great job with sewing co-ops. That's a new one to me," Betts said.

"One [co-op] that I know is basically made up of war widows," Betts said. "These ladies want to do something for orphans and school children. They are actually making clothes and selling them. I thought that was pretty original."

The only condition that comes attached to the micro-grants is that business owners attend business training and meetings of their local business associations, Betts said. The formation of local business associations has been vital in helping citizens to help themselves. The focus now is in getting business owners weaned off of coalition forces funding and to get them working with their own government.

Basil Razzak, a bilingual, bicultural advisor with the Baghdad 7 Embedded PRT, said it took some adjusting for local farmers and businessmen to get used to the new economic model.

"Up until now, it was all supervised by the government. Everybody belonged to the government," Razzak said. "I remember at one business association meeting, the chairman said, [to Carbone], 'You are our boss.' He said, 'I'm not your boss. I'm here to help you and support you, but it's your organization and you can conduct your meeting as you like.'"

Razzak, a Canadian citizen who grew up in Baghdad and holds a degree in administration and economics from the University of Baghdad, said the capitalist spirit is slowly, but surely, taking hold here.

"They are open to new ideas, Razzak said. "They realize the era of state-owned business is gone. They are willing to work and cooperate."

Carbone said the stimulus coalition forces provided to the local economy already has produced unexpected results. As more businesses reopen and new ones appear, local entrepreneurs have taken it as a sign that it's OK to reopen their shops.

"When they start to see these places opening with the help of coalition forces, some of the people have come back and opened up on their own," Carbone said. "That's something we didn't expect."

One business owner who received significant coalition help has been encouraged to invest even further in his business. The owner of a meat processing plant in Arab Jabour received a grant to get his facility running again after shutting down operation in 2006. Prior to that, the factory employed more than 90 people.

He noted that one factory owner who received a grant then pitched in $200,000 of his own money. "The money is out there," Carbone said.

"The biggest thing was that when the owner came back to the area and saw that the security situation had changed progressively, he was more willing to reinvest and start over," he said.

Betts said he sees signs that businesses have returned to stay in the area.

"I've noticed it in the short time that I've been here," Betts said. "When we first went out, there were some shops, but there weren't that many. But I've noticed in the past several months, in Sayafiyah especially, a lot more of those businesses. They look better, and they're repainted. People are repairing their shops and restocking supplies."

Betts said the greatest benefit of the renewed prosperity was a population that was employed and able to meet their needs.

"That's the key to security. People that are able to take care of themselves and their families are not out there planting bombs and killing people for money," Betts said. "I want to see a strong economy, because that's the cornerstone of stability."

(From a Multinational Corps Iraq news release.)

U.S. Soldiers Help Iraqi Mothers Meet Children's Needs

By Army Sgt. 1st Class Kerensa Hardy
American Forces Press Service

June 5, 2008 - More than 100 Iraqi families showed up to receive diapers, formula and cereal at the Radwaniyah Palace Complex Civil Military Operations Center, about seven kilometers southwest of Baghdad, May 31. "Rakkasan" soldiers of the 101st Airborne Division's 3rd Brigade Combat Team distributed two packages of disposable diapers, two cans of powdered formula and two cans of cereal mix for each child 3 years and younger. More than 180 children received assistance.

The soldiers began the initiative to reach out to Iraqi women in February. A series of meetings with professional Iraqi women and visits to women from different areas in the Mahmudiyah area revealed their needs, officials said.

"We've had several trips to [a local] clinic, and that's how we came up with the idea," said Army Capt. Martrell Gamble, the brigade's women's initiatives officer in charge. "A lot of the patients were asking us for milk and diapers."

Bulk funds were used to purchase 1,000 of each item for distribution. Arabic flyers were posted in the Radwaniyah area to inform residents about the handout.

When families arrived for the distribution, some babies wore fabric fragments in lieu of diapers, while some wore nothing at all.

Formula, cereal and diapers won't resolve the issues Iraqis face in improving the overall state of Iraq, but it is another tool to assist them while they begin to stand on their feet, officials said.

"I think it's a big help for the people, ... because they said it's expensive and they cannot [afford] it," said Parween Mohammed, bilingual, bicultural advisor with the Rakkasans. Mohammed said it makes her happy to see the gratitude on the faces of the parents who received the items.

"We don't have anything," said Rabia Ahmed, a mother of five whose family depends on unreliable day labor for its income. "I am so happy for this. God bless and protect you all."

Hamdia Ibrahim and her husband have eight children, ages 1 through 23. No one in the family currently works. She said the formula offers a brief reprieve. She breast-feeds the younger children, since she can't afford formula.

Gamble, from Landover, Md., said she is planning a distribution at the Mahmudiyah Civil Military Operations Center and at Patrol Base Dragon later in the summer.

"At the end of the day, we may not be able to change the entire culture. But if we're able to help a handful of families here and there, that's a lasting impression," said Army 1st Lt. Heather Wilson of the 3rd Infantry Division's 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade.

One of the primary goals of the women's initiatives programs is to better understand the women of Iraq, while generating ideas to help them achieve personal and professional goals. To that end, the Rakkasans are working to get approval for a sewing center in one of the buildings on the Ready Made Clothing Co. compound in Mahmudiyah. The center would provide training and generate long-term employment for hundreds of Iraqi women.

Wilson, a resident of Lusby, Md., has been involved with the Rakkasans' women's initiatives since the effort's inception. She said she is motivated by the enthusiasm the Iraqi women have for improving their condition.

"You can tell how much they want change by how much they're willing to work with us, how excited they get about these programs," Wilson said. "Their cooperation is so impressive. ... I think this is more impactful and better for the country than anything else we can do."

(Army Sgt. 1st Class Kerensa Hardy serves in the 101st Airborne Division's 3rd Brigade Combat Team Public Affairs Office.)

U.S., Pakistan Forces Complete 'Inspired Union 2008'

American Forces Press Service

May 22, 2008 - Pakistani and U.S. naval forces completed Exercise Inspired Union 2008 in the North Arabian Sea yesterday. The exercise focused on air, surface and anti-submarine training as part of regional maritime security operations, officials said.

Pakistani forces including PNS Badr, PNS Shahjahan, PNS Nasr and Pakistani air force explosive ordnance disposal personnel participated in the bilateral exercise along with sailors from USS Curts and USS Ross. Other U.S. forces participating included Destroyer Squadron 50 and combined task forces 54, 55 and 57.

"This exercise allowed the U.S. and the Pakistani navy to demonstrate and improve our interoperability in a variety of warfare areas," explained Navy Capt. Paul Severs, commander of Destroyer Squadron 50. "Inspired Union focused on surface warfare; air defense; [and] visit, board, search and seizure operations, and ended with a final event using all warfare areas."

Pakistan is an integral member of the coalition and has commanded Combined Task Force 150 twice, most recently from November through February. Coalition forces regularly operate throughout international waters in the North Arabian Sea to conduct maritime security operations, U.S. officials said.

"It was a very successful exercise," Sever said. "From the planning conferences to the pre-sail seminars and the at-sea events, the exercise was well coordinated. Inspired Union also allowed sailors from both navies to participate in professional exchanges to understand how different coalition ships operate at sea."

He said bilateral cooperation was key to the exercise's success.

The exercise also provided an opportunity for Curts to visit Karachi, Pakistan, during a three-day port visit. The visit offered the crew an opportunity to plan for Inspired Union, conduct cultural exchanges, and engage in sporting events with their Pakistani counterparts.

"This is the first visit by a U.S. ship to Karachi since September 2006 and we are grateful for the opportunity to visit Pakistan," Navy Cmdr. Yvette Davids, Curts' commanding officer, said. "Visits by U.S. Navy ships symbolize the continued friendship and partnerships between countries and military services; it allows us to increase our cooperative engagement and exemplifies our commitment to building trust and confidence among friends worldwide."

Maritime security operations complement the counterterrorism and security efforts of regional nations and seek to disrupt violent extremists' use of the maritime environment as a venue for attack or to transport personnel, weapons or other material, exercise officials said.

(From a U.S. Naval Forces Central Command/U.S. 5th Fleet news release.)

Gates Says Question in Iraq is 'What's the Endgame?'

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

May 1, 2008 - The question for the American people is not whether the United States ought to be in Iraq, but what the endgame is, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said at Fort Bliss, Texas, today. Gates spoke at a news conference after touring the Restoration and Resilience Center at the West Texas base.

Gates said Iraq will require a residual U.S. presence for years. "I think the question is, at this point, not whether or not we should be in Iraq. We are there," the secretary said. "The question is, what's the endgame?"

The U.S. government and coalition allies in Iraq have to manage the final phases of the Iraqi conflict in a way that doesn't "leave us with a bigger problem in Iraq than we started with," the secretary said.

U.S. officials have said throughout the war that the goal in Iraq is to have a democratically elected, representative government in place that is an ally in the war on terror, is not a threat to its neighbors and yet can still defend itself. Gates said defense leaders have to manage the process in such a way that American servicemembers pull back from the major combat role, turning that mission over to increasingly capable Iraqi security forces.

"My own view is, we are going to require a residual presence in Iraq, of some size, for a period of years, as a stabilization force to help go after al-Qaida, [and] to continue training Iraqis," Gates said. "But I think that, despite our impatience as we enter the sixth year of the war, we still have to handle the end of the war and the end of our participation in major combat in a sensible and thoughtful way."

Gates said he approves of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki sending a delegation to Iran to discuss that nation's support of terrorism in Iraq. "I think it's a very important step, and I think that the Iranians do care about what the shape of their future relationship with Iraq will be," Gates said.

He said the delegation will force the Iranians to make a choice to either support or subvert the Iraqi government. "For a Shiite prime minister to send a delegation to Iran, presumably to confront the Iranians with that kind of a choice, I think, is a healthy development," Gates said.

The secretary also received a briefing on the implications of the base realignment and closure process -- Fort Bliss is scheduled to receive between 20,000 and 25,000 soldiers, civilian employees, and family members by 2011 -- and spoke at the Army Sergeants Major Academy.

Gates Pressures Department to Speed Up Delivery of Combat Assets

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

April 23, 2008 - When it comes to delays in getting warfighters what they need, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates is a man of little patience. Expressing frustration earlier this week about the perceived foot-dragging in getting intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance assets to troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, Gates announced that he had stood up a task force to push the issue to the front burner.

Gates told reporters today he's given the task force "some pretty short deadlines." Its first report to him is due next week, and Gates wants its complete job wrapped up in 90 days.

"I have found that perhaps the most effective way to get things done around here is to put pretty short deadlines on things -- and then force them," he said.

So in the weeks ahead, the task force will hone in on two key areas: determining what ISR resources can be moved into the combat theater, and ensuring commands there are making the best use of what they already have.

Gates said he wants the team to take a worldwide inventory of the department's ISR assets – manned and unmanned aircraft, satellites and ground-based sensors, among them – to see if some can be moved into the combat zone.

Even ISR assets now committed to training will be subject to the task force's review.

"If we look at training in a different way than in the past," the secretary wondered, "can we squeeze a little bit more of those capabilities over to Iraq or Afghanistan?"

Meanwhile, Gates said he wants the task force go see firsthand if combat commanders are making the best use of ISR assets they already have. "Are there ways in which, by changing the way they do business in some respects, we can squeeze more capability out of what they already have?" he questioned.

Gates announced April 21 to Air War College students at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala., that he had stood up the task force because ISR assets weren't getting where they were needed fast enough. "My concern is that our services are still not moving aggressively in wartime to provide resources needed now on the battlefield," he said.

He noted a 25-fold increase since 2001, with 5,000 unmanned aerial vehicles now in the military inventory.

"While we have doubled this capability in recent months, it is still not good enough," he said. "In my view, we can do -- and we should do -- more to meet the needs of men and women fighting in the current conflicts while their outcome may still be in doubt."

Gates expressed frustration at the pace of progress, slowed by people "stuck in old ways of doing business" who make instituting change "like pulling teeth." He urged the Air Force audience to cast convention aside to come up with better ways to provide, not only ISR assets, but also other critical support to combat forces.

Today, Gates clarified that his frustration wasn't directed just at the Air Force, but at all the military services too bogged down in bureaucracy to do things quickly.

"It really has to do with institutional barriers here to getting things done quickly," he said. "In too many instances, there is a tendency to look out a year or two years or three years in terms of programs and ... processes as usual."

What's lacking is more "willingness to think out of the box in how do we get more help to the theater now," he said. "How do we help the men and women who are on the front lines out there now?"

This isn't the first time Gates has shaken up the Defense Department to get warfighters what they need. Last year, after reading an article in U.S. News and World Report that described the protection mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicles provide against roadside bombs and other explosives, he stood up another task force to speed up getting them to the troops.

After Gates' call to action, the department began jumping through hoops to get the V-hulled vehicles to the theater as quickly as possible -- from fast-tracking the acquisition process to airlifting models as they rolled off the assembly line. Within six months, 1,500 MRAPs had been delivered to the theater. As of April 5, more than 5,000 were in the CentCom area of operations, with thousands more on the way.

Gates traveled to Charleston, S.C., in January to see the progress firsthand. He watched MRAPs being loaded onto C-17 aircraft bound for the theater and toured the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center, where teams installed radios, sensors, jammers and other equipment on the massive vehicles.

Speaking to the factory workers, Gates cited President Franklin D. Roosevelt's call to the World War II production lines to raise their sights and prove wrong anyone who said that what they were striving to achieve couldn't be done.

"Those in the MRAP program have shown that it can be done," Gates said. "So keep raising your sights. Keep these vehicles rolling off the line. Your efforts are saving lives."