By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service
Oct. 26, 2009 - Terrorist bombings that struck Baghdad yesterday demonstrate the security challenges that exist there, a senior Defense Department official said here today. News reports say more than 150 Iraqis died and hundreds more were injured yesterday as a result of two massive blasts that targeted the Iraqi justice and municipalities and public works ministries and a provincial headquarters building in downtown Baghdad.
"I think what it says is that security remains a challenge, particularly when you have folks that are willing to ... create that type of carnage with a large explosion in an indiscriminate kind of way," Bryan Whitman, a Pentagon spokesman, said in response to a reporter's question.
Most of the victims were innocent civilians, Whitman noted.
Media reports cite yesterday's suicide-vehicle attacks as the deadliest the Iraqi capital experienced since April 18, 2007, when multiple bombings there killed nearly 200 people and injured 250.
President Barack Obama described yesterday's attacks as outrageous acts that targeted innocent people. He pledged the United States would support the Iraqi people and their government as the country prepares for nationwide elections in January.
Iraqi authorities blamed al-Qaida insurgents and Iraqi Baath Party diehards -- the party of deposed dictator Saddam Hussein -- for the latest attacks.
Baghdad also came under attack on Aug. 19, when bombings at the Iraqi government's finance and foreign ministries killed at least 100 people and wounded hundreds more.
Insurgents in Iraq want to conduct such high-profile attacks because they believe large-scale violence will incite sectarian strife and bring down the Iraqi government, Army Brig. Gen. Stephen R. Lanza, Multinational Force Iraq's deputy chief of staff for strategic effects, told reporters Oct. 22 during a news briefing at the Washington Foreign Press Center.
However, the insurgents have failed to divide the Iraqi people, Lanza said at the briefing. Iraqis, he said, are embracing the rule of law and demonstrating their desire "to coalesce around being Iraqi."
Meanwhile, violence in Iraq is at its lowest levels since 2003, Lanza said. This situation, he said, reflects the "continued improvement in Iraq's security environment, through the combined efforts of Iraq and U.S. forces."
Monday, October 26, 2009
Water Taps Open in Baghdad's Sadr City District
By Mike Scheck
Special to American Forces Press Service
Oct. 26, 2009 - Baghdad's Sadr City district, home to more than 2 million Iraqis, was built by Saddam Hussein as a massive urban community to house the thousands of rural Iraqis migrating to the capital in search of jobs. But after decades of neglect, Sadr City's residents lacked even the most basic needs, such as adequate potable water. Two water treatment facilities provided residents with less than 12 gallons per person per day. The average American uses 161 gallons per day.
But a $65 million water plant completed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers about a year ago is designed to treat and purify water from the nearby Tigris River and provide Sadr City residents with potable water. The goal is to provide hook-ups to residences in 68 of Sadr City's 79 sectors.
According to the Iraqi Ministry of Water Resources, the water treatment plant is producing between 3,200 and 4,000 cubic meters of potable water per hour, which equates to 25 million gallons of water a day. At full capacity, the plant can produce more than 6,000 cubic meters of water per hour.
"The new plant location came as a result of a government study on water pressure and supply," according to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers water expert Simeon Francis, the former technical expert on the water plant project. "There was simply not enough water to Sadr City from the Kharkh and Shark-Dihjilih water treatment plants. It was then determined that a new water treatment plant was needed near Sadr City."
The Sadr City plant was intended to increase the quantity and quality of potable water to Sadr City and the surrounding area of Baghdad. The new facility tied into the existing raw water supply piping and included construction of a water treatment system, a water storage facility, a pumping station to pump treated water from storage to the existing distribution system, and ancillary facilities such as an administration building, laboratory and an emergency power system.
Project engineers say the modern water treatment process incorporated in the plant is designed with a filtering system that far exceeds World Health Organization standards.
Army Col. Dan Anninos, commander of the Gulf Region District, and charged with completing the Sadr water treatment project, called the plant a major success for U.S. reconstruction efforts and local residents.
"The Sadr City water treatment plant is a vital community asset that supplies quality drinking water to over 500,000 residents and increases the estimated 46 liters of water per capita per day to approximately 200 [liters]," Anninos said. "This is a project we can all be proud of, knowing that it was built by the hands, hearts and minds of our employees for the citizens of Sadr City.
"The facility today is well maintained, and it is being utilized as it was intended. This plant has the capacity to service thousands more citizens, and I am confident over time it will."
Sustainability also was factored into the plant's construction. Under the terms of the agreement, the contractor is to provide training on operations and maintenance, provide the consumables for running the plant and provide options for future plant expansion. The plant employs more than 140 local Iraqis.
Since 2003, the United States has appropriated more than $50 billion for reconstruction projects in Iraq. The Corps of Engineers has played a major role in the effort. Since the 2004 inception of the Gulf Region Division, more than 5,300 reconstruction projects at a construction cost of $9.1 billion have been completed, and 500 projects are ongoing or planned.
"In 2009 alone, the Corps completed 325 projects valued at nearly $1 billion," said Army Maj. Gen. Michael Eyre, commander of the Gulf Region Division. "Some of the projects completed were 41 school projects, 20 village road projects, 25 water distribution projects, 21 electric distribution projects, 12 police stations, seven court projects and two military command centers.
"These projects are providing electricity, clean water, transportation, police and fire stations, medical care and educational opportunities to the people of Iraq — things many of us take for granted," he added.
The goal, Anninos said, is to empower Iraqi engineers.
"We can all be proud of this work and the thousands of other reconstruction [projects] the Gulf Region District has completed over the years," he said. "We have put Iraqis to work, we have assisted in coaching and training and mentoring this nation's many engineers so that they can take control and rebuild their nation one brick at a time, while all along greatly improving the quality of life of the Iraqi citizens."
In the public works and water sector, since 2004, the Corps of Engineers has completed nearly 800 projects generating about 1 million cubic meters per day of safe, potable water from Corps projects alone, providing water and sewage service to millions of Iraqi citizens, many of whom did not have these services prior to the war, officials said.
(Mike Scheck serves in Gulf Region District public affairs office.)
Special to American Forces Press Service
Oct. 26, 2009 - Baghdad's Sadr City district, home to more than 2 million Iraqis, was built by Saddam Hussein as a massive urban community to house the thousands of rural Iraqis migrating to the capital in search of jobs. But after decades of neglect, Sadr City's residents lacked even the most basic needs, such as adequate potable water. Two water treatment facilities provided residents with less than 12 gallons per person per day. The average American uses 161 gallons per day.
But a $65 million water plant completed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers about a year ago is designed to treat and purify water from the nearby Tigris River and provide Sadr City residents with potable water. The goal is to provide hook-ups to residences in 68 of Sadr City's 79 sectors.
According to the Iraqi Ministry of Water Resources, the water treatment plant is producing between 3,200 and 4,000 cubic meters of potable water per hour, which equates to 25 million gallons of water a day. At full capacity, the plant can produce more than 6,000 cubic meters of water per hour.
"The new plant location came as a result of a government study on water pressure and supply," according to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers water expert Simeon Francis, the former technical expert on the water plant project. "There was simply not enough water to Sadr City from the Kharkh and Shark-Dihjilih water treatment plants. It was then determined that a new water treatment plant was needed near Sadr City."
The Sadr City plant was intended to increase the quantity and quality of potable water to Sadr City and the surrounding area of Baghdad. The new facility tied into the existing raw water supply piping and included construction of a water treatment system, a water storage facility, a pumping station to pump treated water from storage to the existing distribution system, and ancillary facilities such as an administration building, laboratory and an emergency power system.
Project engineers say the modern water treatment process incorporated in the plant is designed with a filtering system that far exceeds World Health Organization standards.
Army Col. Dan Anninos, commander of the Gulf Region District, and charged with completing the Sadr water treatment project, called the plant a major success for U.S. reconstruction efforts and local residents.
"The Sadr City water treatment plant is a vital community asset that supplies quality drinking water to over 500,000 residents and increases the estimated 46 liters of water per capita per day to approximately 200 [liters]," Anninos said. "This is a project we can all be proud of, knowing that it was built by the hands, hearts and minds of our employees for the citizens of Sadr City.
"The facility today is well maintained, and it is being utilized as it was intended. This plant has the capacity to service thousands more citizens, and I am confident over time it will."
Sustainability also was factored into the plant's construction. Under the terms of the agreement, the contractor is to provide training on operations and maintenance, provide the consumables for running the plant and provide options for future plant expansion. The plant employs more than 140 local Iraqis.
Since 2003, the United States has appropriated more than $50 billion for reconstruction projects in Iraq. The Corps of Engineers has played a major role in the effort. Since the 2004 inception of the Gulf Region Division, more than 5,300 reconstruction projects at a construction cost of $9.1 billion have been completed, and 500 projects are ongoing or planned.
"In 2009 alone, the Corps completed 325 projects valued at nearly $1 billion," said Army Maj. Gen. Michael Eyre, commander of the Gulf Region Division. "Some of the projects completed were 41 school projects, 20 village road projects, 25 water distribution projects, 21 electric distribution projects, 12 police stations, seven court projects and two military command centers.
"These projects are providing electricity, clean water, transportation, police and fire stations, medical care and educational opportunities to the people of Iraq — things many of us take for granted," he added.
The goal, Anninos said, is to empower Iraqi engineers.
"We can all be proud of this work and the thousands of other reconstruction [projects] the Gulf Region District has completed over the years," he said. "We have put Iraqis to work, we have assisted in coaching and training and mentoring this nation's many engineers so that they can take control and rebuild their nation one brick at a time, while all along greatly improving the quality of life of the Iraqi citizens."
In the public works and water sector, since 2004, the Corps of Engineers has completed nearly 800 projects generating about 1 million cubic meters per day of safe, potable water from Corps projects alone, providing water and sewage service to millions of Iraqi citizens, many of whom did not have these services prior to the war, officials said.
(Mike Scheck serves in Gulf Region District public affairs office.)
Army Casualties
The Department of Defense announced today the death of two soldiers who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. They died Oct. 23 in Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked their vehicle with an improvised explosive device. The soldiers were assigned to the 569th Mobility Augmentation Company, 4th Engineer Battalion, Fort Carson, Colo.
Killed were:
Spc. Eric N. Lembke, 25, of Tampa, Fla.
Pfc. Kimble A. Han, 30, of Lehi, Utah.
For more information media may contact the Fort Carson public affairs office at (719) 526-7525; after hours (719) 526-5500.
Killed were:
Spc. Eric N. Lembke, 25, of Tampa, Fla.
Pfc. Kimble A. Han, 30, of Lehi, Utah.
For more information media may contact the Fort Carson public affairs office at (719) 526-7525; after hours (719) 526-5500.
Friday, October 23, 2009
U.S. Forces Prepare Iraqis to Train Others
By Army Pfc. J. Princeville LawrenceSpecial to American Forces Press Service
Oct. 23, 2009 - Aided by U.S. forces, Iraqi soldiers with the 14th Provisional Transport Regiment gained valuable skills ranging from first aid to Humvee maintenance during a three-week course at Camp Mirra, Iraq. Members of the Military Transition Team assigned to the Iraqi regiment trained the soldiers, called "jundis," so they can then, in turn, train others.
Before their graduation Oct. 15, the soldiers first had to pass an intensive evaluation.
During the evaluation, the jundis were separated into teams and sent to three stations: combat first aid, weapons and vehicle maintenance. At each station, they were expected to know the subject well enough to teach it.
"This is it," Navy Chief Petty Officer Edward Telles told the jundis during the medical portion of the evaluation. "You either know it or you don't."
One by one, the jundis talked their way through an imaginary scenario, explaining what they were doing to Telles, who served as the evaluator.
"Every treatment is pretty much standard," said Telles, team doctor for the Military Transition Team assigned to the Iraqi regiment. "Once it works, we try to filter that down to everybody.
"What we know is what they know," he added.
Among the jundis was Iraqi army Pvt. Wesame Mahmoud, who said he joined the service because he wanted to follow in his father's footsteps. His father spoke English and Russian and was a colonel in the Iraqi navy during the Saddam years.
Mahmoud, an administrative specialist, said he found the medical training most beneficial.
"The training is very good. We got a lot of information," said Mahmoud, noting that he used his medical training to help a friend who was injured during a soccer match.
"It's a good feeling to educate these guys and say, 'Hey, you're learning something that could save someone's life someday,'" Telles said.
Army Maj. Scott Virgil, transition team chief and training coordinator, closely monitored the training.
"We wanted to get some good material in the three areas of weapons, maintenance and medical treatment," Virgil said, "but we also really put an added focus on their ability not just to know it and do it, but to be able to teach it."
The positive attitude of the jundis made the job simple, said Army Sgt. Darren Macomber, who was placed in charge of weapons training.
"They're real easy to teach. They're all energetic and they show up on time," said Macomber, a mechanic with the 308th Brigade Support Battalion. "They retained information fast and well, and they're pretty much able to repeat everything I told them."
Under Macomber's watchful eye, during the evaluation, the jundis were called up to explain weapons safety and operation and how to assemble and disassemble a weapon.
"The most important thing we thought they learned from me was the safety aspect," Macomber said. "They pick up something, figure it out on their own, it seems like a lot of times. So I think it's good they're learning how to train each other on good habits."
The third section of the evaluation was the vehicle maintenance station. Army Sgt. Ian Grant, a mechanic with 308th BSB, had been training the jundis on basic vehicle maintenance, "exactly what they're looking for as far as leaks, and the troubleshooting they can do."
Grant's evaluation consisted of taking the jundis around, in and under a Humvee and having them explain the vehicle.
When the evaluation ended, the MiTT team members were pleased to find that all the jundis passed.
"They did excellent today," Grant said. "They picked up well on the training. In fact, I put out more information to them than I thought I did, and they all retained it really, really well."
Virgil addressed the graduates and said he now hoped they use their newfound knowledge to teach their peers.
"The doing and the teaching is what we're after," Virgil said, "and that's where, I think, long term, we'll have greater benefits."
(Army Pfc. J. Princeville Lawrence serves in Multinational Division South.)
Iraq Election Debate Won't Affect U.S. Drawdown
By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service
Oct. 23, 2009 - As Iraq's lawmakers craft new election rules prior to January polling there, U.S. officials are confident that both the U.S. troop drawdown and the elections will be accomplished on schedule. "The [Iraq drawdown] timelines that the United States government and the Iraqi government have set out have not changed," Defense Department spokesman Bryan Whitman said today in response to a reporter's question at the Pentagon.
The United States remains committed to plans to remove all of its combat forces from Iraq by the end of July 2010, Whitman said. All U.S. troops are to depart Iraq by the end of December 2011.
Meanwhile, the Iraqi government is gearing up for legislative elections Jan. 16 and for the Jan. 30 general elections.
"With respect to the elections, obviously we are encouraging that they go through with the elections as their constitution states that they have to," Whitman said.
Using the 2005 election law as a starting point, Iraqi lawmakers had aimed to complete work on an updated election law governing the country's voting processes by Oct. 15.
Yet, consensus has yet to be reached on some issues that include how to apportion Kurd and Arab political representation in Kirkuk, part of Iraq's multiethnic northern region; and whether candidates should be identified just by political party, as was the case in the 2005 parliamentary election, or also by name.
Meanwhile, the U.S. military is "focused on the elections," Whitman said, noting U.S. drawdown plans remain flexible in light of conditions on the ground.
About 120,000 U.S. troops are now in Iraq. By the end of July 2010, about 50,000 U.S. troops will be in Iraq, when the U.S. military mission there transitions from combat to stability operations.
"I don't think we're really worried" about delays in passage of a new Iraq election law, Army Brig. Gen. Stephen R. Lanza, Multinational Force Iraq's deputy chief of staff for strategy, told reporters yesterday during a news briefing at the Washington Foreign Press Center.
"We're very comfortable and very hopeful that the law will be passed by the end of this month," Lanza said, "and that it will not detract from the ability to conduct the elections, in accordance with the Iraqi constitution, by the end of January."
Iraq's Independent High Electoral Commission is the lead agency for conducting the upcoming elections, he said.
"We are confident IHEC will conduct the elections in a fair and impartial manner," he added. And, international observers from the United Nations and other organizations, he said, will be on hand to ensure that the elections are credible and legitimate.
Election results are to be certified by the Iraqi Supreme Court, Lanza said.
The United States is implementing a responsible drawdown timeline, Lanza said, that takes into account operational requirements and the capabilities of Iraq's more than 600,000 soldiers and police.
The Iraqi government, he said, may request U.S. forces' assistance "to ensure a security environment that allows for safe, credible and legitimate elections."
American Forces Press Service
Oct. 23, 2009 - As Iraq's lawmakers craft new election rules prior to January polling there, U.S. officials are confident that both the U.S. troop drawdown and the elections will be accomplished on schedule. "The [Iraq drawdown] timelines that the United States government and the Iraqi government have set out have not changed," Defense Department spokesman Bryan Whitman said today in response to a reporter's question at the Pentagon.
The United States remains committed to plans to remove all of its combat forces from Iraq by the end of July 2010, Whitman said. All U.S. troops are to depart Iraq by the end of December 2011.
Meanwhile, the Iraqi government is gearing up for legislative elections Jan. 16 and for the Jan. 30 general elections.
"With respect to the elections, obviously we are encouraging that they go through with the elections as their constitution states that they have to," Whitman said.
Using the 2005 election law as a starting point, Iraqi lawmakers had aimed to complete work on an updated election law governing the country's voting processes by Oct. 15.
Yet, consensus has yet to be reached on some issues that include how to apportion Kurd and Arab political representation in Kirkuk, part of Iraq's multiethnic northern region; and whether candidates should be identified just by political party, as was the case in the 2005 parliamentary election, or also by name.
Meanwhile, the U.S. military is "focused on the elections," Whitman said, noting U.S. drawdown plans remain flexible in light of conditions on the ground.
About 120,000 U.S. troops are now in Iraq. By the end of July 2010, about 50,000 U.S. troops will be in Iraq, when the U.S. military mission there transitions from combat to stability operations.
"I don't think we're really worried" about delays in passage of a new Iraq election law, Army Brig. Gen. Stephen R. Lanza, Multinational Force Iraq's deputy chief of staff for strategy, told reporters yesterday during a news briefing at the Washington Foreign Press Center.
"We're very comfortable and very hopeful that the law will be passed by the end of this month," Lanza said, "and that it will not detract from the ability to conduct the elections, in accordance with the Iraqi constitution, by the end of January."
Iraq's Independent High Electoral Commission is the lead agency for conducting the upcoming elections, he said.
"We are confident IHEC will conduct the elections in a fair and impartial manner," he added. And, international observers from the United Nations and other organizations, he said, will be on hand to ensure that the elections are credible and legitimate.
Election results are to be certified by the Iraqi Supreme Court, Lanza said.
The United States is implementing a responsible drawdown timeline, Lanza said, that takes into account operational requirements and the capabilities of Iraq's more than 600,000 soldiers and police.
The Iraqi government, he said, may request U.S. forces' assistance "to ensure a security environment that allows for safe, credible and legitimate elections."
Iraqis Arrest Terrorism Suspects
American Forces Press Service
Oct. 23, 2009 - Iraqi police and soldiers, working with U.S. advisors, arrested seven terrorism suspects in Iraq over the last two days, military officials reported. Iraqi police captured a suspected Islamic State of Iraq terrorist group leader and three accomplices today in Bayji. Intelligence reports indicate he's also involved with insurgent groups in Hawijah, officials said.
In eastern Mosul yesterday, Iraqi soldiers arrested three suspects while searching for Islamic State of Iraq extortion-network leaders.
The soldiers were continuing a series of searches focused on extortion-network leaders in Mosul who are believed to have close ties with al-Qaida in Iraq and are suspected of extorting profits from construction contractors and using the money to fund bombing attacks against civilians and Iraqi security forces.
Evidence at the scene linked the suspects with the wanted extortion-network leader, officials said.
(Compiled from Multinational Force Iraq news releases.)
Oct. 23, 2009 - Iraqi police and soldiers, working with U.S. advisors, arrested seven terrorism suspects in Iraq over the last two days, military officials reported. Iraqi police captured a suspected Islamic State of Iraq terrorist group leader and three accomplices today in Bayji. Intelligence reports indicate he's also involved with insurgent groups in Hawijah, officials said.
In eastern Mosul yesterday, Iraqi soldiers arrested three suspects while searching for Islamic State of Iraq extortion-network leaders.
The soldiers were continuing a series of searches focused on extortion-network leaders in Mosul who are believed to have close ties with al-Qaida in Iraq and are suspected of extorting profits from construction contractors and using the money to fund bombing attacks against civilians and Iraqi security forces.
Evidence at the scene linked the suspects with the wanted extortion-network leader, officials said.
(Compiled from Multinational Force Iraq news releases.)
CBR Weapons and WMD Terrorism News, October 23, 2009
Lugar legislation included in final Defense Authorization Bill
"U.S. Sen. Dick Lugar [R-IN] welcomed the inclusion of language similar to the Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction Improvement Act of 2009 into the final National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010 that will soon be considered by both the House of Representatives and Senate. […] Under the conference report, Nunn-Lugar would have more flexibility to meet unexpected threats or in locations around the world in which certain laws would bar the use of such funds. The Defense Department would have authority to spend up to 10 percent of annual Nunn-Lugar program funds […] to meet these urgent threats where certain laws unnecessarily prevent the United States from addressing proliferation challenges under the Nunn-Lugar program. […] The final bill also includes an increase of $20 million over the amount requested for Nunn-Lugar in fiscal year 2010 for a total of $424.1 million. This important increase in funding will permit Nunn-Lugar to take on new tasks in new countries, principally in the area of biological threat reduction." (American Chronicle; 22Oct09)
http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/view/124958
Clinton cites nuke worry; panel fears bio attack
"Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Wednesday warned of dire consequences from the spread of nuclear weapons, while a special U.S. panel asserted that the more worrisome and urgent threat is terrorists attacking the United States or its allies with biological weapons. […] Clinton cited a range of troubling trends abroad, including a failure to stop North Korea from developing a nuclear bomb and weakness in the United Nations agency that is responsible for monitoring nuclear programs worldwide. 'Unless these trends are reversed - and reversed soon - we will find ourselves in a world with a steadily growing number of nuclear-armed states and an increasing likelihood of terrorists getting their hands on nuclear weapons,' Clinton said. Separately […] the Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism, said the U.S. was making better progress in regard to the nuclear threat than it was preparing for possible bioterrorism. 'The nation's level of preparedness for dealing with the threat of bioterrorism remains far lower than that of the nuclear threat,' the commission said. […] The government needs to move more aggressively to address the threat of bioterrorism, and that the threat is misunderstood by many. 'Unlike nuclear weapons, which require highly advanced technology, massive infrastructure, and rare materials that can be closely monitored and secured, biological weapons materials occur naturally, require no significant infrastructure to produce and can be found in nearly every part of the world,' the commission said. 'As technology advances, the ability to prevent biological attacks diminishes.' The commission lauded the White House's National Security Council for creating a bioweapons prevention strategy, which the panel said was the first of its kind." (Associated Press; 21Oct09; Robert Burns) http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hw-uWV0hQkJdwsd5BXKYKQvUQ8ZgD9BFNEDG0
Seasonal flu drill held in locations across Bucks County [PA]
"Thousands of free flu shots were given all day Saturday across Bucks County, as part of its fourth annual Pandemic Flu drill. Lines of people waiting for the free shots even wrapped around one Bucks County school. […] Today's Pandemic Flu drill serves two purposes. First, it's a way for the county to vaccinate the masses. Second, it's a way for [Bucks] County Emergency Management to practice the vaccination process they say would be necessary in the event of bioterrorism. […] The Bucks County Health Department and Emergency Management agency are working out the kinks […] in case there's ever a situation that requires mass vaccinations." (WFMZ Channel 69; 17Oct09)
http://wfmz.com/view/?id=1284838
Disaster drill preps responders [IN]
"Canadian National Railway Police inspector Mike Landini […was] on hand for a coordinated disaster drill among several hospitals and local emergency departments at the Kennedy Avenue railroad tracks early Saturday morning. […] The cold and wet were the only real threat to the students, who volunteered to play crash victims during the event. […] Once ushered off a bus, the 'injured' were hustled into one group. […] There's an important reason behind it, said Chuck Hedinger, St. Margaret Mercy's head of security and a former Hammond Police officer. 'People react differently, and those who're in shock often walk away from the accident, not knowing where they are. We group them together first so that we can get a head count,' Hedinger said. Once all the kids were accounted for, emergency personnel from Schererville, Dyer, and Lansing, Ill., jumped into action. […] 'In the age of cell phones, hysterical parents would undoubtedly start showing up,' Hedinger said. 'By using Omni, which is part of St. Margaret Mercy, we can send the kids to one place not unlike our (on-site) command center for the parents to pick them up.' Saturday's exercise was not just for Police, fire and ambulance services, said Schererville Fire Chief Joe Kruzan. […] Every aspect of the county's Bioterrorism-Disaster Response team was contacted, all the way down to the ham radio operators who would step in if all other communication outlets failed." (Post Tribune; 16Oct09; Michelle L. Quinn) http://www.post-trib.com/news/1831294,svdisaster1018.article
JPL [Jet Propulsion Laboratory] develops high-speed test to improve pathogen decontamination [sic] [Pasadena, CA]
"A chemist [Adrian Ponce] at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., has developed a technology intended to rapidly assess any presence of microbial life on a spacecraft. This new method may also help the military test for disease-causing bacteria, such as a causative agent for anthrax, and may also be useful in the medical, pharmaceutical and other fields. […] The new technology works by looking for dipicolinic acid - a major component of endospores and evidence of endospore growth - by first applying terbium to a dime-sized area. Terbium is a chemical element used to generate the color green on television screens. That area is then illuminated under an ultraviolet lamp. Within minutes, one can see through a microscope aided by a digital camera whether live endospores are present. That's because they will literally glow: The terbium will show the endospores as bright green spots. […] The technology has piqued the interest of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The federal agency is funding development of a portable instrument based on Ponce's research that could quickly check for decontamination of pathogens after a biological attack. […] James Anthony, chemical and biological research and development program manager at the Dept. of Homeland Security, […] added that the technology could also be used in bio-containment facilities that have regularly scheduled decontamination requirements and rapidly reactivate important bio-defense research facilities." (NASA; 19Oct09) http://www.nasa.gov/topics/technology/features/endospore20091019.html
BU [Boston University] biosafety lab ignites critiques [MA]
"Boston University's (BU) recently-constructed Biosafety Level-4 (BSL-4) laboratory has raised concerns among local residents and academics who question the new building's ability to facilitate the safe study of dangerous pathogens that have no known cure. […] The BU […] National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories (NEIDL) […] is designed to allow researchers to study infectious and often life-threatening diseases and pathogens, including smallpox [virus], Ebola [virus] and anthrax [bacteria]. The American Biological Safety Association gives labs with a level-4 designation permission to work with 'dangerous and exotic agents that pose a high individual risk of aerosol-transmitted laboratory infections, agents which cause severe to fatal disease in humans.' […] Located on BU's medical campus in Boston's densely populated South End, the lab has led many community members to fear for their safety. There are 50,000 residents within one mile of the site. 'They are working with pathogens for which there is no known cure, which could potentially be turned into biological weapons,' Vicky Steinitz, co-coordinator of the Greater Boston Committee of the Coalition to Stop the BioTerror Lab [sic], told the Daily. 'In theory, these are biodefense labs. But to learn how to cure against these weapons, you essentially have to weaponize them.' NEIDL officials have assured the public that bioweapons research is illegal and they will not engage in research related to biological weaponry. […] NEIDL is proceeding with safety and training exercises using non-live agents to test the lab's standard operating procedures." (Tufts Daily; 20Oct09; Gabrielle Hernandez)
http://www.tuftsdaily.com/bu-biosafety-lab-ignites-critiques-1.2028407
Area agencies take part in terror[ism] event drill [Laconia, NH]
"On Saturday, the New Hampshire Department Human Services asked all health regions to respond to a training scenario where there was a deliberate terrorist release of the biological agent anthrax [bacteria]. […] This training exercise required the Tilton point-of-distribution site at the Winnisquam Regional High School open Saturday morning for all residents of Tilton, Franklin, Northfield, Sanbornton, Hill, Danbury, Andover, Bristol, Alexandria, and Bridgewater. […] In this scenario the goal was to dispense antidote medicine to 200 role players in one hour in order to test the dispensing system and incident command system that would be needed to control such an event. The training exercise involved anthrax [bacteria which] was dispersed from a train moving through the southern part of the State. […] The Winnisquam Middle School Point of distribution site was opened at 11 a.m. and when the hour was over, the team achieved the goals of the exercise successfully." (Citizen of Laconia; 19Oct09) http://www.citizen.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20091019/GJNEWS02/710199884/-1/CITNEWS
County emergency workers put to the test while training [Sarasota, FL]
"Sarasota County emergency workers say this is the closest that training has ever come to real life. It puts emergency crews through situations like terror[ist] attacks and flu outbreaks. Friday they were conducting a small pox simulation, but Sarasota County emergency responders were trying to save this man's life even though they're not in an ambulance and the patient isn't even real. The medical dummy is giving a very real simulation, as it breathes and even talks. […] Just like a real situation, the crews aren't told what they are up against. They're just told to treat a patient in trouble. In this case, it was an unusual disease and they didn't get it right. 'What you're actually dealing with is small pox [virus]. If you take a biological weapon from point A to point B, then you would contaminate the entire hospital. […] That's why they […] are training, so they'll get it right in real life. […] 'Not only can we provide them online training and in the classrooms, but we can show them how it is in real life and before they actually see it out in the streets,' says Capt. Donnie McBrayer with the Sarasota County Fire Department." (WWSB Channel 7; 16Oct09)
http://www.mysuncoast.com/Global/story.asp?S=11328797
Questions raised about Human Genome Science's anthrax vaccine
"A report prepared for a Food and Drug Administration panel scheduled to consider approval of Human Genome Sciences Inc.'s experimental anthrax drug questions whether it works better in humans than existing treatments. […] In the report, questions are raised about the drug's efficacy in humans, specifically because most of the testing was done using animals. The only human trials involved safety of the drug, not its effectiveness at warding off anthrax illness. The report also raises questions about how much more effective ABthrax is than current antimicrobials. 'The combination efficacy studies demonstrated very high efficacies (nearly 100%) of levofloxacin in NZW rabbits and ciprofloxacin in cynomolgus monkeys respectively,' the report said. […] 'When given in combination with antimicrobials, the efficacy of the combination was high, but the efficacy of antimicrobials alone was also high, raising the question whether the animal model adequately reflects the finding from patients with inhalational anthrax whose response to antimicrobials approximates the 55% seen during the 2001 spread of anthrax spores in the mail,' the report said. While ABthrax has not yet received regulatory approval, the Department of Homeland Security has already decided that a stockpile of it is worth having. Human Genome Sciences has begun delivering 20,000 doses of the drug to the Strategic National Stockpile for emergency use in an anthrax [causing] bioterrorist event." (Washington Business Journal; 23Oct09; Jeff Clabaugh) http://washington.bizjournals.com/washington/stories/2009/10/19/daily116.html
United Nations and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia work to strengthen barriers against biological weapons
"The Biological Weapons Convention Implementation Support Unit (ISU) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will jointly host a workshop on the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) in Riyadh on 20 and 21 October 2009. The workshop will be held in the King Faisal Specialist Hospital in Riyadh, and will be opened by His Highness Prince Dr. Torki bin Muhammad bin Saud Al-Kabir, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs for Multilateral Relations of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Participants will include officials and technical experts from a range of government agencies […] in Saudi Arabia and the other Member States of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). […] The workshop will discuss the biological weapons threat, especially as it relates to the Gulf region, and examine the risks to human, animal and plant health, food safety and economic stability. It will consider the response of the international community to the biological weapons threat, focusing on the BWC as well as Security Council Resolution 1540. Participants will discuss approaches to effective national implementation of the BWC. […] The workshop will also examine recent scientific and technological developments relevant to the biological weapons threat, and discuss options for effective oversight of science and technology." (UN Office at Geneva; 15Oct09) http://www.unog.ch/unog/website/news_media.nsf/%28httpNewsByYear_en%
Mercury capturing filter system begins operation at chemical weapons disposal facility [Stockton, UT]
"Workers at the Tooele Chemical Agenct Disposal Facility (TOCDF) today began using a new $33million filtering system designed to safely capture mercury from furnace exhaust gas streams generated while processing mustard agent filled munitions contaminated with elevated levels of mercury. The massive filtering units […] were added to the exisiting Pollution Abatement System (PAS) because some of the mustard agent-filled munitions stored at Deseret Chemical Depot are contaminated with elevated amounts of mercury. The new PAS Filtration System (PFS) user sulfur-impregnated carbon fliters to capture mercury in furnace exhausts. To maximum safety of the workers, community and environment, mercury-monitoring systems ensure the carbon filters are working properly and complement other emission monitoring equipment." (U.S. Army Chemical Materials Agency; 14Oct09)
http://www.cma.army.mil/fndocumentviewer.aspx?docid=003681668
ANCDF [Anniston Chemical Agent Disposal Facility] operations curtailed for maintenance activities [AL]
"Operations at Anniston Chemical Agent Disposal Facility (ANCDF) have been temporarily curtailed while Westinghouse Annistion maintenance teams work in an Explosion Containment Room (ERC) to remove a 4.2 inch mustard-filled mortar after a small flame was encountered when removing components from it yesterday. According to ANCDF officials, this occurred at 2 p.m. during routine disposal operations while robotic equipment in a specially designed blast containment room, with concrete walls 2 feet thick, was being used to remove the mortar fuse and burster. A flame was detected where the equipment grips the fuse and burster to rotate and remove them. The small flame lasted approximately 10-15 seconds. There was no explosion […or] damage to ANCDF processing equipment […] and no one was injured." (U.S. Army Chemical Materials Agency; 21Oct09)
http://www.cma.army.mil/fndocumentviewer.aspx?docid=003681673
Libya requests another extension to chemical-weapon disarmament deadline
"Libya is again requesting additional time to destroy its stockpile of chemical warfare materials, an international nonproliferation organization said recently. The northern African country has submitted a request for an extension of intermediate and final deadlines for the destruction of its Category 1 chemical weapons. […] Libya's stockpile consists of roughly 25 metric tons of sulfur mustard stored in bulk containers, along with two chemical-weapon precursor materials, according to Jonathan Tucker, a senior fellow with the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies. […] The Libyan request for more time 'suggests things are not going well with its CW destruction program,' Tucker told Global Security Newswire. The application was not a surprise, Tucker said. […] The proposed new final deadline for completing destruction of the Libyan chemical weapons stockpile is still within the overall time limit of April 29, 2012, set by the convention, according to Tucker. The delay might have been caused in part by Libya's decision in June 2007 to cancel a a contract with the United States under which it would have received a high-temperature incinerator to destroy its chemical warfare materials, he said. There were several possible reasons for the Libyan pullout, including disagreement over the terms of the contract and the amount of U.S. financial assistance, according to […] Tucker. […] 'If the Libyans had gone forward with the incinerator project, their CW destruction program would probably be on schedule today,' Tucker said." (Global Security Newswire; 21Oct09; Martin Matishak) http://www.globalsecuritynewswire.org/gsn/nw_20091021_9068.php
Lithuania's representatives to the UN discussed issues of sea-dumped chemical weapons
"On 15 October, permanent representative of Lithuania to the United Nations Dalius Cekuolis and permanent representative of Lithuania to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons Vaidotas Verba met with United Nations High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Sergio de Queiroz Duarte. During the meeting, Lithuania's representatives informed S.Duarte about the seminar on the issues of chemical weapons dumped at sea that is organised by Lithuania on 16 October. Ambassador V.Verba drew S.Duarte's attention to the constantly increasing anxiety regarding the ecological, health, security and economic consequences of the sea-dumped chemical weapons, a goal of preventing the threat of terrorism, highlighted the necessity to strengthen international and regional cooperation on this issue and to voluntarily exchange information, experience and technologies in this area. […] Representatives from the United Nations Office for the Disarmament Affairs, experts from the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, the UN General Assembly Committee on Disarmament and International Security and representatives from nongovernmental organizations will take part in the meeting. Ambassador V.Verba emphasized that in 2010 Lithuania was going to present a resolution on sea-dumped chemical weapons at the UN First Committee of the General Assembly." (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania; 16Oct09)
http://www.urm.lt/index.php?1286251971
Mock disaster in Bethesda tests region's readiness [MD]
"The National Naval Medical Center staged a Halloween haunted house a bit early this year with its simulated building collapse and mass casualties on Thursday. […] The fifth annual Collaborative Multi-Agency Exercise [CMAX] was conducted on Navy Med's Bethesda campus in conjunction with the National Institutes of Health, Suburban Hospital and Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service. CMAX is intended to test the region's disaster readiness and response capabilities, and includes drills at other locations in the Washington, D.C., area. About 5,000 emergency workers were slated to take part in CMAX, including the 75 volunteer victims from Navy Med and Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. [...] Wednessday's drill […] was the first CMAX exercise that took place indoors. Chris Gillette, Navy Med's command emergency manager, said the drill was designed to test emergency responders' ability to navigate cramped spaces with patients and deal with hazardous materials. The exercise also marked the first time that the county's Maryland Task Force One participated in the exercise." (The Gazette; 21Oct09; Andrew Ujifusa) http://www.gazette.net/stories/10212009/bethnew204132_32521.shtml
OPCW Director-General [Ambassador Rogelio Pfirter] meets UN Secretary-General [Ban Ki-moon] and addresses First Committee of the General Assembly
"OPCW Director General, Ambassador Rogelio Pfirter, visited the United Nations in New York on 15 and 16 October 2009 where he met with UN Secretary-General Mr Ban Ki-moon and addressed the First Committee of the General Assembly. The Director-General also held meetings with States not party to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC). […] The Director-General furthermore stressed the importance of effective domestic implementation of the Convention and its efficacy in the context of anti-terrorism; recalled in this context OPCW's cooperation with the relevant UN bodies; and highlighted the OPCW's role in promoting peaceful uses of chemistry." (OPCW; 20Oct09) http://www.opcw.org/news/news/article/opcw-director-general-meets-un-secretary-general-and-addresses-first-committee-of-the-general-assemb/
Nuclear emergency response test planned for Callaway [MO]
"Federal inspectors will be watching when a two-day readiness exercise is conducted this week at the Callaway Nuclear Power Plant at Reform. The exercise will involve Ameren UE's Callaway Nuclear Power Plant, the state of Missouri, and emergency management representatives of the counties of Callaway, Montgomery, Osage, and Gasconade. Observing the two-day drills on Tuesday and Wednesday will be representatives of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Region VII, and the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). The exercise will require the activation of emergency facilities for the state of Missouri, the Callaway County Emergency Operations Center, and emergency facilities in the counties of Montgomery, Osage and Gasconade. Activities of the state, counties and local governments will be observed and evaluated by the FEMA Region VII Radiological Emergency Preparedness Program. The Callaway Nuclear Power Plant on-site performance will be observed and evaluated by the NRC. The exercise is a biennial requirement to test the adequacy of the radiological emergency preparedness and response plans. […] Federal officials say the evaluated exercise provides reasonable assurance that the appropriate protective measures can be taken on-site and off-site in the event of a radiological emergency." (Fulton Sun; 19Oct09; Don Norfleet) http://www.fultonsun.com/articles/2009/10/19/news/129news03.txt
WMD symposium [at George Washington University's Homeland Security Policy Institute] [Washington D.C.]
"The George Washington University's Homeland Security Policy Institute and Elliott School of International Affairs hosted an in-depth discussion [Wednesday, October 21, 2009] with former Senators Bob Graham [D-FL] and Jim Talent [R-MO] Chair and Vice Chair of the Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation & Terrorism, as they presented the Commission's interim progress report. […] The Commission assessed the nation's current activities, initiatives, and programs aimed at preventing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and terrorism while providing a clear, comprehensive strategy with concrete recommendations to achieve this crucial goal. […] During its second year of activity, the Commission is working to improve understanding of its findings - and to turn those concrete recommendations into actions." (George Washington University Homeland Security Policy Institute; 21Oct09) http://www.gwumc.edu/hspi/events/WMDPRFresource.cfm
Ohio [National] Guard teams with Israeli forces during joint exercise
"U.S. Navy warships set anchor in the Mediterranean Sea on the coast of Israel as Israeli Defense Forces, joined by more than 1,000 U.S. service members, prepared for a simulated missile attack against the capital city. Joint training exercise Juniper Cobra 10 […] is designed to improve combined Israeli-U.S. missile defense operations, and this year the Ohio Army National Guard has a new role. Nine Soldiers from the Ohio Army National Guard's Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and high-yield Explosive Enhanced Response Force will join about 1,000 Soldiers from the 357th Air & Missile Defense Detachment out of Kaiserslautern, Germany, and U.S. European Command. […] Said Maj. Kevin Meislin, the National Guard Bureau operations officer, 'This is the first year the National Guard will really have boots on the ground for operations.' The Ohioans have been observing and participating in training with the Israeli Home Front Command [HFC] Search and Rescue School, Unit Training Branch. The HFC is similar to the National Guard in structure and mission. It is comprised mainly of reservists and serves the people of Israel through disaster relief, nuclear, biological and chemical operations, search and rescue, and supporting the Israeli Defense Force. […] Meislin said, 'The CERF [Central Emergency Response Force] is very important to the HFC because they are exact counterparts. They are just really into saving lives no matter where it is, and so are we, so it's a good fit.' […] The initial training included HFC displays of troop and vehicle decontamination lines and both U.S. and Israeli NBC [nuclear, biological, chemical] detection equipment and procedures. All of the tasks, both U.S. and Israeli methods, will be performed by the joint force during the exercise." (Digital Video and Imagery Distribution System; 22Oct09; Spc Zachary R. Fehrman)
http://www.dvidshub.net/?script=news/news_show.php&id=40519
Police, firefighters to demonstrate new equipment [Springfield, MO]
"The Springfield Fire and Police departments and other agencies will demonstrate the latest equipment purchased through grants from the Department of Homeland Security from 10 a.m. to 1:30 pm on Wednesday at the Springfield E-Plex at the Ozark Empire Fairgrounds. […] The equipment gives the departments the ability to handle a wide variety of incidents that range from simple hazardous materials spills to complex terrorism incidents and is used on a routine basis by the departments. The latest in communication, bomb, chemical, radiological and other equipment will be on display for elected officials, media and the general public. A meeting of the RHSOC [Regional Homeland Security Oversight Committee] will begin at 2 p.m. and is open to the public." (Springfield News Leader; 20Oct09)
Missouri National Guard's 7th Civil Support Team trains with civilian authorities
"The Missouri National Guard's 7th Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Team joined with local civilian authorities Thursday as part of an exercise at a home just south of Columbia. The focus of the training for the Fort Leonard Wood unit was twofold. First, the team wanted to support and work with the fire department, Police department, HAZMAT [Hazardous Materials] team, SWAT [Special Weapons And Tactics] team, FBI and bomb squad from Columbia. […] The second goal wasn't the usual test to see how well the team could search for and identify possible chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear or weapons of mass destruction threats, but rather, how well the team would respond if one of its members went down with an injury. […] 'We kind of thought outside of the box today,' said [Sgt. 1st Class Timothy] Uptegrove, the 7th's decontamination section noncommissioned officer in charge. 'We're normally dealing with the technical, HAZMAT-kind-of stuff and we wanted to try something a little different on these guys – a scenario that they don't train on every day, but one that is very important. We have to be able to sustain the ability to extract one of our own team members should something go wrong.'" (Digital Video and Imagery Distribution System; 20Oct09; Matthew J. Wilson)
http://www.dvidshub.net/?script=news/news_show.php&id=40423
Naval station sets drill for Wednesday [Everett, WA]
"All the sound and fury at the waterfront Wednesday is part of a planned drill. The naval station and the Everett Fire Department plan to practice responding to a potential chemical, biological, nuclear or radiological terrorist attack. Beginning about 9:30 a.m., there will be plumes of smoke, explosions and people pretending to cough, wheeze and have chemical burns. The drill is scheduled to last through the day and end with a mock news conference. The exercise should help military and civilian personnel practice dealing with a potentially complex emergency, said Naval Station Everett spokeswoman Kristin Ching. Emergency responders will […] also get a chance to test new equipment the naval station received this year designed to protect emergency responders, detect harmful substances and decontaminate victims. The new equipment is designed for use by both the military and the local community. […] The exercise is part of the Department of Defense anti-terrorism program called Guardian." (Herald Net; 20Oct09; Debra Smith)
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20091020/NEWS01/710209882
[North Dakota National] Guard holds emergency training
"In the mock, unannounced incident Tuesday, [...some 22 members of the North Dakota National Guard 81st Civil Support team] are being watched for their readiness to work with local emergency agencies. The real test comes later this week in another exercise where they will be rated by the Army North Fifth team from San Antonio. Col. Larry Shireley commands the specially trained unit, based at Bismarck's Fraine Barracks. […] Shireley said the special Guard team is evaluated every 18 months. The Bismarck Fire Department was the first to respond for the simulated disaster, and quickly called in the special Guard team. 'This explosion appeared to be a radiological agent,' Shireley said. The incident is relayed to the Bismarck Fire Department incident commander. Team members estimate how far the substance could spread. […Shirley] said in real incident […] the public also would be warned about what do if the material went air-borne. […] The Civil Support Team is specially trained to work with radiological agents, chemical and biological agents. It is equipped with a mobile laboratory to help them test chemical on-site." (Bismarck Tribune; 21Oct09; Leann Eckroth) http://www.bismarcktribune.com/news/local/article_709d7be6-bdbf-11de-a755-001cc4c002e0.html
Foolproof security for CWG [Common Wealth Games] unveiled
"Delhi will have exclusive lanes for vehicles, four-layered security checks at venues, experts to battle chemical or biological weapons as well as helicopter surveillance during the 2010 Commonwealth Games (CWG), Delhi Police announced Monday. […] The exclusive lanes would run all over the city, connecting the event venues, hotels, games village, practice venues and other important places. […] 'Along the routes there will be anti-sabotage teams, Quick Response Teams (QRT), commandos, ambulances, uniformed personnel and snipers on rooftops. Buses carrying athletes will have armed personnel... besides armed escort vehicles,' [said Special Commissioner Neeraj] Kumar. […] 'Delhi has successfully organized various international meets. […] Not only [for the] Games but we are looking at the security of the city holistically. We are working in close coordination with various agencies. We have a foolproof security plan in place,' [Delhi Police Commissioner Y.S. Dadwal said]. The Police have also taken elaborate security measures at the Games venue and the Games village. The security apparatus at the village would include three-meter perimeter wall along with 1.5 metre iron grills, CCTV surveillance, Quick Response Teams and teams to battle chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear explosives. […] People entering the village will be cheked by door frame metal detectors and hand held metal detectors as well as X-ray scanners. They would also have bar-coded passes and IDs. […] 'Even inside the stadium there will be adequate security arrangement. Heli-borne assault teams will be deployed to thwart terrorists,' Kumar added." (Mangalorean; 20Oct09)
http://mangalorean.com/news.php?newstype=broadcast&broadcastid=151025
Pakistan remains the geographic crossroads for terrorism [and weapons of mass destruction]: US [Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism]
"If increasingly bold attacks on well guarded targets in Pakistan remain unchecked, it could help Al Qaeda develop and use a biological weapon or a nuclear device against the US or its allies, a Congressional Commission has warned. 'Pakistan remains the geographic crossroads for terrorism and weapons of mass destruction,' the bipartisan Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism said in a World at Risk report Thursday. 'Fear of continued turmoil in Pakistan reinforces the commission's concerns that the country could be an unwitting source of a terrorist attack on the United States - possibly with weapons of mass destruction,' it said. 'Increasingly bold attacks on well guarded military, Police, and UN targets indicate that the Taliban, Al Qaeda, and other militant groups within Pakistan are a growing threat,' it said, warning about Al Qaeda developing and using a biological weapon or a nuclear device. 'The current trends, if left unchecked, will increase the odds that Al Qaeda will successfully develop and use a biological weapon or a nuclear device against the United States or its allies.' The report focused on ways the US could strengthen the non-proliferation regime, improve international cooperation, […] develop more effective policies to eliminate terrorist havens in Pakistan, and galvanize allies to stop the Iranian and North Korean nuclear weapons programmes." (Thaindian News; 22Oct09; Arun Kumar; Source: Indo-Asian News Service) http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/south-asia/pakistan-remains-the-geographic-crossroads-for-terrorism-us_100264296.html
"U.S. Sen. Dick Lugar [R-IN] welcomed the inclusion of language similar to the Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction Improvement Act of 2009 into the final National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010 that will soon be considered by both the House of Representatives and Senate. […] Under the conference report, Nunn-Lugar would have more flexibility to meet unexpected threats or in locations around the world in which certain laws would bar the use of such funds. The Defense Department would have authority to spend up to 10 percent of annual Nunn-Lugar program funds […] to meet these urgent threats where certain laws unnecessarily prevent the United States from addressing proliferation challenges under the Nunn-Lugar program. […] The final bill also includes an increase of $20 million over the amount requested for Nunn-Lugar in fiscal year 2010 for a total of $424.1 million. This important increase in funding will permit Nunn-Lugar to take on new tasks in new countries, principally in the area of biological threat reduction." (American Chronicle; 22Oct09)
http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/view/124958
Clinton cites nuke worry; panel fears bio attack
"Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Wednesday warned of dire consequences from the spread of nuclear weapons, while a special U.S. panel asserted that the more worrisome and urgent threat is terrorists attacking the United States or its allies with biological weapons. […] Clinton cited a range of troubling trends abroad, including a failure to stop North Korea from developing a nuclear bomb and weakness in the United Nations agency that is responsible for monitoring nuclear programs worldwide. 'Unless these trends are reversed - and reversed soon - we will find ourselves in a world with a steadily growing number of nuclear-armed states and an increasing likelihood of terrorists getting their hands on nuclear weapons,' Clinton said. Separately […] the Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism, said the U.S. was making better progress in regard to the nuclear threat than it was preparing for possible bioterrorism. 'The nation's level of preparedness for dealing with the threat of bioterrorism remains far lower than that of the nuclear threat,' the commission said. […] The government needs to move more aggressively to address the threat of bioterrorism, and that the threat is misunderstood by many. 'Unlike nuclear weapons, which require highly advanced technology, massive infrastructure, and rare materials that can be closely monitored and secured, biological weapons materials occur naturally, require no significant infrastructure to produce and can be found in nearly every part of the world,' the commission said. 'As technology advances, the ability to prevent biological attacks diminishes.' The commission lauded the White House's National Security Council for creating a bioweapons prevention strategy, which the panel said was the first of its kind." (Associated Press; 21Oct09; Robert Burns) http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hw-uWV0hQkJdwsd5BXKYKQvUQ8ZgD9BFNEDG0
Seasonal flu drill held in locations across Bucks County [PA]
"Thousands of free flu shots were given all day Saturday across Bucks County, as part of its fourth annual Pandemic Flu drill. Lines of people waiting for the free shots even wrapped around one Bucks County school. […] Today's Pandemic Flu drill serves two purposes. First, it's a way for the county to vaccinate the masses. Second, it's a way for [Bucks] County Emergency Management to practice the vaccination process they say would be necessary in the event of bioterrorism. […] The Bucks County Health Department and Emergency Management agency are working out the kinks […] in case there's ever a situation that requires mass vaccinations." (WFMZ Channel 69; 17Oct09)
http://wfmz.com/view/?id=1284838
Disaster drill preps responders [IN]
"Canadian National Railway Police inspector Mike Landini […was] on hand for a coordinated disaster drill among several hospitals and local emergency departments at the Kennedy Avenue railroad tracks early Saturday morning. […] The cold and wet were the only real threat to the students, who volunteered to play crash victims during the event. […] Once ushered off a bus, the 'injured' were hustled into one group. […] There's an important reason behind it, said Chuck Hedinger, St. Margaret Mercy's head of security and a former Hammond Police officer. 'People react differently, and those who're in shock often walk away from the accident, not knowing where they are. We group them together first so that we can get a head count,' Hedinger said. Once all the kids were accounted for, emergency personnel from Schererville, Dyer, and Lansing, Ill., jumped into action. […] 'In the age of cell phones, hysterical parents would undoubtedly start showing up,' Hedinger said. 'By using Omni, which is part of St. Margaret Mercy, we can send the kids to one place not unlike our (on-site) command center for the parents to pick them up.' Saturday's exercise was not just for Police, fire and ambulance services, said Schererville Fire Chief Joe Kruzan. […] Every aspect of the county's Bioterrorism-Disaster Response team was contacted, all the way down to the ham radio operators who would step in if all other communication outlets failed." (Post Tribune; 16Oct09; Michelle L. Quinn) http://www.post-trib.com/news/1831294,svdisaster1018.article
JPL [Jet Propulsion Laboratory] develops high-speed test to improve pathogen decontamination [sic] [Pasadena, CA]
"A chemist [Adrian Ponce] at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., has developed a technology intended to rapidly assess any presence of microbial life on a spacecraft. This new method may also help the military test for disease-causing bacteria, such as a causative agent for anthrax, and may also be useful in the medical, pharmaceutical and other fields. […] The new technology works by looking for dipicolinic acid - a major component of endospores and evidence of endospore growth - by first applying terbium to a dime-sized area. Terbium is a chemical element used to generate the color green on television screens. That area is then illuminated under an ultraviolet lamp. Within minutes, one can see through a microscope aided by a digital camera whether live endospores are present. That's because they will literally glow: The terbium will show the endospores as bright green spots. […] The technology has piqued the interest of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The federal agency is funding development of a portable instrument based on Ponce's research that could quickly check for decontamination of pathogens after a biological attack. […] James Anthony, chemical and biological research and development program manager at the Dept. of Homeland Security, […] added that the technology could also be used in bio-containment facilities that have regularly scheduled decontamination requirements and rapidly reactivate important bio-defense research facilities." (NASA; 19Oct09) http://www.nasa.gov/topics/technology/features/endospore20091019.html
BU [Boston University] biosafety lab ignites critiques [MA]
"Boston University's (BU) recently-constructed Biosafety Level-4 (BSL-4) laboratory has raised concerns among local residents and academics who question the new building's ability to facilitate the safe study of dangerous pathogens that have no known cure. […] The BU […] National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories (NEIDL) […] is designed to allow researchers to study infectious and often life-threatening diseases and pathogens, including smallpox [virus], Ebola [virus] and anthrax [bacteria]. The American Biological Safety Association gives labs with a level-4 designation permission to work with 'dangerous and exotic agents that pose a high individual risk of aerosol-transmitted laboratory infections, agents which cause severe to fatal disease in humans.' […] Located on BU's medical campus in Boston's densely populated South End, the lab has led many community members to fear for their safety. There are 50,000 residents within one mile of the site. 'They are working with pathogens for which there is no known cure, which could potentially be turned into biological weapons,' Vicky Steinitz, co-coordinator of the Greater Boston Committee of the Coalition to Stop the BioTerror Lab [sic], told the Daily. 'In theory, these are biodefense labs. But to learn how to cure against these weapons, you essentially have to weaponize them.' NEIDL officials have assured the public that bioweapons research is illegal and they will not engage in research related to biological weaponry. […] NEIDL is proceeding with safety and training exercises using non-live agents to test the lab's standard operating procedures." (Tufts Daily; 20Oct09; Gabrielle Hernandez)
http://www.tuftsdaily.com/bu-biosafety-lab-ignites-critiques-1.2028407
Area agencies take part in terror[ism] event drill [Laconia, NH]
"On Saturday, the New Hampshire Department Human Services asked all health regions to respond to a training scenario where there was a deliberate terrorist release of the biological agent anthrax [bacteria]. […] This training exercise required the Tilton point-of-distribution site at the Winnisquam Regional High School open Saturday morning for all residents of Tilton, Franklin, Northfield, Sanbornton, Hill, Danbury, Andover, Bristol, Alexandria, and Bridgewater. […] In this scenario the goal was to dispense antidote medicine to 200 role players in one hour in order to test the dispensing system and incident command system that would be needed to control such an event. The training exercise involved anthrax [bacteria which] was dispersed from a train moving through the southern part of the State. […] The Winnisquam Middle School Point of distribution site was opened at 11 a.m. and when the hour was over, the team achieved the goals of the exercise successfully." (Citizen of Laconia; 19Oct09) http://www.citizen.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20091019/GJNEWS02/710199884/-1/CITNEWS
County emergency workers put to the test while training [Sarasota, FL]
"Sarasota County emergency workers say this is the closest that training has ever come to real life. It puts emergency crews through situations like terror[ist] attacks and flu outbreaks. Friday they were conducting a small pox simulation, but Sarasota County emergency responders were trying to save this man's life even though they're not in an ambulance and the patient isn't even real. The medical dummy is giving a very real simulation, as it breathes and even talks. […] Just like a real situation, the crews aren't told what they are up against. They're just told to treat a patient in trouble. In this case, it was an unusual disease and they didn't get it right. 'What you're actually dealing with is small pox [virus]. If you take a biological weapon from point A to point B, then you would contaminate the entire hospital. […] That's why they […] are training, so they'll get it right in real life. […] 'Not only can we provide them online training and in the classrooms, but we can show them how it is in real life and before they actually see it out in the streets,' says Capt. Donnie McBrayer with the Sarasota County Fire Department." (WWSB Channel 7; 16Oct09)
http://www.mysuncoast.com/Global/story.asp?S=11328797
Questions raised about Human Genome Science's anthrax vaccine
"A report prepared for a Food and Drug Administration panel scheduled to consider approval of Human Genome Sciences Inc.'s experimental anthrax drug questions whether it works better in humans than existing treatments. […] In the report, questions are raised about the drug's efficacy in humans, specifically because most of the testing was done using animals. The only human trials involved safety of the drug, not its effectiveness at warding off anthrax illness. The report also raises questions about how much more effective ABthrax is than current antimicrobials. 'The combination efficacy studies demonstrated very high efficacies (nearly 100%) of levofloxacin in NZW rabbits and ciprofloxacin in cynomolgus monkeys respectively,' the report said. […] 'When given in combination with antimicrobials, the efficacy of the combination was high, but the efficacy of antimicrobials alone was also high, raising the question whether the animal model adequately reflects the finding from patients with inhalational anthrax whose response to antimicrobials approximates the 55% seen during the 2001 spread of anthrax spores in the mail,' the report said. While ABthrax has not yet received regulatory approval, the Department of Homeland Security has already decided that a stockpile of it is worth having. Human Genome Sciences has begun delivering 20,000 doses of the drug to the Strategic National Stockpile for emergency use in an anthrax [causing] bioterrorist event." (Washington Business Journal; 23Oct09; Jeff Clabaugh) http://washington.bizjournals.com/washington/stories/2009/10/19/daily116.html
United Nations and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia work to strengthen barriers against biological weapons
"The Biological Weapons Convention Implementation Support Unit (ISU) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will jointly host a workshop on the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) in Riyadh on 20 and 21 October 2009. The workshop will be held in the King Faisal Specialist Hospital in Riyadh, and will be opened by His Highness Prince Dr. Torki bin Muhammad bin Saud Al-Kabir, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs for Multilateral Relations of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Participants will include officials and technical experts from a range of government agencies […] in Saudi Arabia and the other Member States of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). […] The workshop will discuss the biological weapons threat, especially as it relates to the Gulf region, and examine the risks to human, animal and plant health, food safety and economic stability. It will consider the response of the international community to the biological weapons threat, focusing on the BWC as well as Security Council Resolution 1540. Participants will discuss approaches to effective national implementation of the BWC. […] The workshop will also examine recent scientific and technological developments relevant to the biological weapons threat, and discuss options for effective oversight of science and technology." (UN Office at Geneva; 15Oct09) http://www.unog.ch/unog/website/news_media.nsf/%28httpNewsByYear_en%
Mercury capturing filter system begins operation at chemical weapons disposal facility [Stockton, UT]
"Workers at the Tooele Chemical Agenct Disposal Facility (TOCDF) today began using a new $33million filtering system designed to safely capture mercury from furnace exhaust gas streams generated while processing mustard agent filled munitions contaminated with elevated levels of mercury. The massive filtering units […] were added to the exisiting Pollution Abatement System (PAS) because some of the mustard agent-filled munitions stored at Deseret Chemical Depot are contaminated with elevated amounts of mercury. The new PAS Filtration System (PFS) user sulfur-impregnated carbon fliters to capture mercury in furnace exhausts. To maximum safety of the workers, community and environment, mercury-monitoring systems ensure the carbon filters are working properly and complement other emission monitoring equipment." (U.S. Army Chemical Materials Agency; 14Oct09)
http://www.cma.army.mil/fndocumentviewer.aspx?docid=003681668
ANCDF [Anniston Chemical Agent Disposal Facility] operations curtailed for maintenance activities [AL]
"Operations at Anniston Chemical Agent Disposal Facility (ANCDF) have been temporarily curtailed while Westinghouse Annistion maintenance teams work in an Explosion Containment Room (ERC) to remove a 4.2 inch mustard-filled mortar after a small flame was encountered when removing components from it yesterday. According to ANCDF officials, this occurred at 2 p.m. during routine disposal operations while robotic equipment in a specially designed blast containment room, with concrete walls 2 feet thick, was being used to remove the mortar fuse and burster. A flame was detected where the equipment grips the fuse and burster to rotate and remove them. The small flame lasted approximately 10-15 seconds. There was no explosion […or] damage to ANCDF processing equipment […] and no one was injured." (U.S. Army Chemical Materials Agency; 21Oct09)
http://www.cma.army.mil/fndocumentviewer.aspx?docid=003681673
Libya requests another extension to chemical-weapon disarmament deadline
"Libya is again requesting additional time to destroy its stockpile of chemical warfare materials, an international nonproliferation organization said recently. The northern African country has submitted a request for an extension of intermediate and final deadlines for the destruction of its Category 1 chemical weapons. […] Libya's stockpile consists of roughly 25 metric tons of sulfur mustard stored in bulk containers, along with two chemical-weapon precursor materials, according to Jonathan Tucker, a senior fellow with the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies. […] The Libyan request for more time 'suggests things are not going well with its CW destruction program,' Tucker told Global Security Newswire. The application was not a surprise, Tucker said. […] The proposed new final deadline for completing destruction of the Libyan chemical weapons stockpile is still within the overall time limit of April 29, 2012, set by the convention, according to Tucker. The delay might have been caused in part by Libya's decision in June 2007 to cancel a a contract with the United States under which it would have received a high-temperature incinerator to destroy its chemical warfare materials, he said. There were several possible reasons for the Libyan pullout, including disagreement over the terms of the contract and the amount of U.S. financial assistance, according to […] Tucker. […] 'If the Libyans had gone forward with the incinerator project, their CW destruction program would probably be on schedule today,' Tucker said." (Global Security Newswire; 21Oct09; Martin Matishak) http://www.globalsecuritynewswire.org/gsn/nw_20091021_9068.php
Lithuania's representatives to the UN discussed issues of sea-dumped chemical weapons
"On 15 October, permanent representative of Lithuania to the United Nations Dalius Cekuolis and permanent representative of Lithuania to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons Vaidotas Verba met with United Nations High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Sergio de Queiroz Duarte. During the meeting, Lithuania's representatives informed S.Duarte about the seminar on the issues of chemical weapons dumped at sea that is organised by Lithuania on 16 October. Ambassador V.Verba drew S.Duarte's attention to the constantly increasing anxiety regarding the ecological, health, security and economic consequences of the sea-dumped chemical weapons, a goal of preventing the threat of terrorism, highlighted the necessity to strengthen international and regional cooperation on this issue and to voluntarily exchange information, experience and technologies in this area. […] Representatives from the United Nations Office for the Disarmament Affairs, experts from the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, the UN General Assembly Committee on Disarmament and International Security and representatives from nongovernmental organizations will take part in the meeting. Ambassador V.Verba emphasized that in 2010 Lithuania was going to present a resolution on sea-dumped chemical weapons at the UN First Committee of the General Assembly." (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania; 16Oct09)
http://www.urm.lt/index.php?1286251971
Mock disaster in Bethesda tests region's readiness [MD]
"The National Naval Medical Center staged a Halloween haunted house a bit early this year with its simulated building collapse and mass casualties on Thursday. […] The fifth annual Collaborative Multi-Agency Exercise [CMAX] was conducted on Navy Med's Bethesda campus in conjunction with the National Institutes of Health, Suburban Hospital and Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service. CMAX is intended to test the region's disaster readiness and response capabilities, and includes drills at other locations in the Washington, D.C., area. About 5,000 emergency workers were slated to take part in CMAX, including the 75 volunteer victims from Navy Med and Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. [...] Wednessday's drill […] was the first CMAX exercise that took place indoors. Chris Gillette, Navy Med's command emergency manager, said the drill was designed to test emergency responders' ability to navigate cramped spaces with patients and deal with hazardous materials. The exercise also marked the first time that the county's Maryland Task Force One participated in the exercise." (The Gazette; 21Oct09; Andrew Ujifusa) http://www.gazette.net/stories/10212009/bethnew204132_32521.shtml
OPCW Director-General [Ambassador Rogelio Pfirter] meets UN Secretary-General [Ban Ki-moon] and addresses First Committee of the General Assembly
"OPCW Director General, Ambassador Rogelio Pfirter, visited the United Nations in New York on 15 and 16 October 2009 where he met with UN Secretary-General Mr Ban Ki-moon and addressed the First Committee of the General Assembly. The Director-General also held meetings with States not party to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC). […] The Director-General furthermore stressed the importance of effective domestic implementation of the Convention and its efficacy in the context of anti-terrorism; recalled in this context OPCW's cooperation with the relevant UN bodies; and highlighted the OPCW's role in promoting peaceful uses of chemistry." (OPCW; 20Oct09) http://www.opcw.org/news/news/article/opcw-director-general-meets-un-secretary-general-and-addresses-first-committee-of-the-general-assemb/
Nuclear emergency response test planned for Callaway [MO]
"Federal inspectors will be watching when a two-day readiness exercise is conducted this week at the Callaway Nuclear Power Plant at Reform. The exercise will involve Ameren UE's Callaway Nuclear Power Plant, the state of Missouri, and emergency management representatives of the counties of Callaway, Montgomery, Osage, and Gasconade. Observing the two-day drills on Tuesday and Wednesday will be representatives of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Region VII, and the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). The exercise will require the activation of emergency facilities for the state of Missouri, the Callaway County Emergency Operations Center, and emergency facilities in the counties of Montgomery, Osage and Gasconade. Activities of the state, counties and local governments will be observed and evaluated by the FEMA Region VII Radiological Emergency Preparedness Program. The Callaway Nuclear Power Plant on-site performance will be observed and evaluated by the NRC. The exercise is a biennial requirement to test the adequacy of the radiological emergency preparedness and response plans. […] Federal officials say the evaluated exercise provides reasonable assurance that the appropriate protective measures can be taken on-site and off-site in the event of a radiological emergency." (Fulton Sun; 19Oct09; Don Norfleet) http://www.fultonsun.com/articles/2009/10/19/news/129news03.txt
WMD symposium [at George Washington University's Homeland Security Policy Institute] [Washington D.C.]
"The George Washington University's Homeland Security Policy Institute and Elliott School of International Affairs hosted an in-depth discussion [Wednesday, October 21, 2009] with former Senators Bob Graham [D-FL] and Jim Talent [R-MO] Chair and Vice Chair of the Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation & Terrorism, as they presented the Commission's interim progress report. […] The Commission assessed the nation's current activities, initiatives, and programs aimed at preventing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and terrorism while providing a clear, comprehensive strategy with concrete recommendations to achieve this crucial goal. […] During its second year of activity, the Commission is working to improve understanding of its findings - and to turn those concrete recommendations into actions." (George Washington University Homeland Security Policy Institute; 21Oct09) http://www.gwumc.edu/hspi/events/WMDPRFresource.cfm
Ohio [National] Guard teams with Israeli forces during joint exercise
"U.S. Navy warships set anchor in the Mediterranean Sea on the coast of Israel as Israeli Defense Forces, joined by more than 1,000 U.S. service members, prepared for a simulated missile attack against the capital city. Joint training exercise Juniper Cobra 10 […] is designed to improve combined Israeli-U.S. missile defense operations, and this year the Ohio Army National Guard has a new role. Nine Soldiers from the Ohio Army National Guard's Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and high-yield Explosive Enhanced Response Force will join about 1,000 Soldiers from the 357th Air & Missile Defense Detachment out of Kaiserslautern, Germany, and U.S. European Command. […] Said Maj. Kevin Meislin, the National Guard Bureau operations officer, 'This is the first year the National Guard will really have boots on the ground for operations.' The Ohioans have been observing and participating in training with the Israeli Home Front Command [HFC] Search and Rescue School, Unit Training Branch. The HFC is similar to the National Guard in structure and mission. It is comprised mainly of reservists and serves the people of Israel through disaster relief, nuclear, biological and chemical operations, search and rescue, and supporting the Israeli Defense Force. […] Meislin said, 'The CERF [Central Emergency Response Force] is very important to the HFC because they are exact counterparts. They are just really into saving lives no matter where it is, and so are we, so it's a good fit.' […] The initial training included HFC displays of troop and vehicle decontamination lines and both U.S. and Israeli NBC [nuclear, biological, chemical] detection equipment and procedures. All of the tasks, both U.S. and Israeli methods, will be performed by the joint force during the exercise." (Digital Video and Imagery Distribution System; 22Oct09; Spc Zachary R. Fehrman)
http://www.dvidshub.net/?script=news/news_show.php&id=40519
Police, firefighters to demonstrate new equipment [Springfield, MO]
"The Springfield Fire and Police departments and other agencies will demonstrate the latest equipment purchased through grants from the Department of Homeland Security from 10 a.m. to 1:30 pm on Wednesday at the Springfield E-Plex at the Ozark Empire Fairgrounds. […] The equipment gives the departments the ability to handle a wide variety of incidents that range from simple hazardous materials spills to complex terrorism incidents and is used on a routine basis by the departments. The latest in communication, bomb, chemical, radiological and other equipment will be on display for elected officials, media and the general public. A meeting of the RHSOC [Regional Homeland Security Oversight Committee] will begin at 2 p.m. and is open to the public." (Springfield News Leader; 20Oct09)
Missouri National Guard's 7th Civil Support Team trains with civilian authorities
"The Missouri National Guard's 7th Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Team joined with local civilian authorities Thursday as part of an exercise at a home just south of Columbia. The focus of the training for the Fort Leonard Wood unit was twofold. First, the team wanted to support and work with the fire department, Police department, HAZMAT [Hazardous Materials] team, SWAT [Special Weapons And Tactics] team, FBI and bomb squad from Columbia. […] The second goal wasn't the usual test to see how well the team could search for and identify possible chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear or weapons of mass destruction threats, but rather, how well the team would respond if one of its members went down with an injury. […] 'We kind of thought outside of the box today,' said [Sgt. 1st Class Timothy] Uptegrove, the 7th's decontamination section noncommissioned officer in charge. 'We're normally dealing with the technical, HAZMAT-kind-of stuff and we wanted to try something a little different on these guys – a scenario that they don't train on every day, but one that is very important. We have to be able to sustain the ability to extract one of our own team members should something go wrong.'" (Digital Video and Imagery Distribution System; 20Oct09; Matthew J. Wilson)
http://www.dvidshub.net/?script=news/news_show.php&id=40423
Naval station sets drill for Wednesday [Everett, WA]
"All the sound and fury at the waterfront Wednesday is part of a planned drill. The naval station and the Everett Fire Department plan to practice responding to a potential chemical, biological, nuclear or radiological terrorist attack. Beginning about 9:30 a.m., there will be plumes of smoke, explosions and people pretending to cough, wheeze and have chemical burns. The drill is scheduled to last through the day and end with a mock news conference. The exercise should help military and civilian personnel practice dealing with a potentially complex emergency, said Naval Station Everett spokeswoman Kristin Ching. Emergency responders will […] also get a chance to test new equipment the naval station received this year designed to protect emergency responders, detect harmful substances and decontaminate victims. The new equipment is designed for use by both the military and the local community. […] The exercise is part of the Department of Defense anti-terrorism program called Guardian." (Herald Net; 20Oct09; Debra Smith)
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20091020/NEWS01/710209882
[North Dakota National] Guard holds emergency training
"In the mock, unannounced incident Tuesday, [...some 22 members of the North Dakota National Guard 81st Civil Support team] are being watched for their readiness to work with local emergency agencies. The real test comes later this week in another exercise where they will be rated by the Army North Fifth team from San Antonio. Col. Larry Shireley commands the specially trained unit, based at Bismarck's Fraine Barracks. […] Shireley said the special Guard team is evaluated every 18 months. The Bismarck Fire Department was the first to respond for the simulated disaster, and quickly called in the special Guard team. 'This explosion appeared to be a radiological agent,' Shireley said. The incident is relayed to the Bismarck Fire Department incident commander. Team members estimate how far the substance could spread. […Shirley] said in real incident […] the public also would be warned about what do if the material went air-borne. […] The Civil Support Team is specially trained to work with radiological agents, chemical and biological agents. It is equipped with a mobile laboratory to help them test chemical on-site." (Bismarck Tribune; 21Oct09; Leann Eckroth) http://www.bismarcktribune.com/news/local/article_709d7be6-bdbf-11de-a755-001cc4c002e0.html
Foolproof security for CWG [Common Wealth Games] unveiled
"Delhi will have exclusive lanes for vehicles, four-layered security checks at venues, experts to battle chemical or biological weapons as well as helicopter surveillance during the 2010 Commonwealth Games (CWG), Delhi Police announced Monday. […] The exclusive lanes would run all over the city, connecting the event venues, hotels, games village, practice venues and other important places. […] 'Along the routes there will be anti-sabotage teams, Quick Response Teams (QRT), commandos, ambulances, uniformed personnel and snipers on rooftops. Buses carrying athletes will have armed personnel... besides armed escort vehicles,' [said Special Commissioner Neeraj] Kumar. […] 'Delhi has successfully organized various international meets. […] Not only [for the] Games but we are looking at the security of the city holistically. We are working in close coordination with various agencies. We have a foolproof security plan in place,' [Delhi Police Commissioner Y.S. Dadwal said]. The Police have also taken elaborate security measures at the Games venue and the Games village. The security apparatus at the village would include three-meter perimeter wall along with 1.5 metre iron grills, CCTV surveillance, Quick Response Teams and teams to battle chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear explosives. […] People entering the village will be cheked by door frame metal detectors and hand held metal detectors as well as X-ray scanners. They would also have bar-coded passes and IDs. […] 'Even inside the stadium there will be adequate security arrangement. Heli-borne assault teams will be deployed to thwart terrorists,' Kumar added." (Mangalorean; 20Oct09)
http://mangalorean.com/news.php?newstype=broadcast&broadcastid=151025
Pakistan remains the geographic crossroads for terrorism [and weapons of mass destruction]: US [Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism]
"If increasingly bold attacks on well guarded targets in Pakistan remain unchecked, it could help Al Qaeda develop and use a biological weapon or a nuclear device against the US or its allies, a Congressional Commission has warned. 'Pakistan remains the geographic crossroads for terrorism and weapons of mass destruction,' the bipartisan Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism said in a World at Risk report Thursday. 'Fear of continued turmoil in Pakistan reinforces the commission's concerns that the country could be an unwitting source of a terrorist attack on the United States - possibly with weapons of mass destruction,' it said. 'Increasingly bold attacks on well guarded military, Police, and UN targets indicate that the Taliban, Al Qaeda, and other militant groups within Pakistan are a growing threat,' it said, warning about Al Qaeda developing and using a biological weapon or a nuclear device. 'The current trends, if left unchecked, will increase the odds that Al Qaeda will successfully develop and use a biological weapon or a nuclear device against the United States or its allies.' The report focused on ways the US could strengthen the non-proliferation regime, improve international cooperation, […] develop more effective policies to eliminate terrorist havens in Pakistan, and galvanize allies to stop the Iranian and North Korean nuclear weapons programmes." (Thaindian News; 22Oct09; Arun Kumar; Source: Indo-Asian News Service) http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/south-asia/pakistan-remains-the-geographic-crossroads-for-terrorism-us_100264296.html
Combined Force Kills Enemy Fighters, Detains Suspects
American Forces Press Service
Oct. 23, 2009 - A combined Afghan and international security force killed enemy fighters and wounded another yesterday after forcefully entering and searching a series of compounds in Afghanistan's Wardak province. The compounds were known to be used by a Taliban commander and his group believed to be responsible for several attacks in the area.
The combined force initially searched a building in the province's Chaki Wardak district without incident. But after observing enemy activity in a nearby compound, the force pursued those suspected militants. The militants fired on the combined force as it approached, and the force returned fire, killing a militant armed with an assault rifle, a pistol, fragmentation grenades and communications gear.
Hostile fire continued, and the combined force killed another militant and wounded another, who then was given medical aid. A search of enemy positions yielded multiple assault rifles and grenades.
In a separate Wardak province operation, a combined force detained several suspected militants after searching buildings in the Saydabad district known to be used by a senior Taliban commander believed associated with Taliban and Haqqani terrorist leaders in the area.
In Helmand province, a combined force killed several enemy militants and detained half a dozen others today after taking hostile fire when approaching a compound known to be used by senior Taliban commanders responsible for several attacks and other militant activities in the area.
(From an International Security Assistance Force news release.)
Oct. 23, 2009 - A combined Afghan and international security force killed enemy fighters and wounded another yesterday after forcefully entering and searching a series of compounds in Afghanistan's Wardak province. The compounds were known to be used by a Taliban commander and his group believed to be responsible for several attacks in the area.
The combined force initially searched a building in the province's Chaki Wardak district without incident. But after observing enemy activity in a nearby compound, the force pursued those suspected militants. The militants fired on the combined force as it approached, and the force returned fire, killing a militant armed with an assault rifle, a pistol, fragmentation grenades and communications gear.
Hostile fire continued, and the combined force killed another militant and wounded another, who then was given medical aid. A search of enemy positions yielded multiple assault rifles and grenades.
In a separate Wardak province operation, a combined force detained several suspected militants after searching buildings in the Saydabad district known to be used by a senior Taliban commander believed associated with Taliban and Haqqani terrorist leaders in the area.
In Helmand province, a combined force killed several enemy militants and detained half a dozen others today after taking hostile fire when approaching a compound known to be used by senior Taliban commanders responsible for several attacks and other militant activities in the area.
(From an International Security Assistance Force news release.)
Artillerymen Save Lives on Battlefield
American Forces Press ServiceOct. 23, 2009 - Army Sgt. Carlos Medina is relaxing in his room at Forward Operating Base Mehtar Lam here when his radio breaks the silence. Medina and his unit are needed to provide field artillery support. Medina leaps into action. "Fire mission!" he yells to the other artillerymen who live in the rooms adjacent to his quarters. All are assigned to 4th Infantry Division's 3rd Platoon, Alpha Battery, 2nd Battalion, 77th Field Artillery Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team.
But his teammates already have sprung into action. The artillerymen have to be ready to go at any time.
Using the M-198 155 mm howitzer, their mission is to use illumination rounds to keep forward maneuvering units from getting ambushed at night and to provide fire support when patrols come into heavy contact.
Having donned their gear, the soldiers hasten toward the gun line knowing that time is of paramount concern.
Pfc. James Billasano, a 3rd Platoon artilleryman, explained why the initial moments of a fire mission are so frantic.
"We drop whatever we're doing," the Needville, Texas, native said, "because when we get the call, it's game time; someone really needs us -- lives can be at stake."
"It's a rush," Medina added. "Once we get the call, we are ready to fire in about five minutes."
As they head to out, the mission still is unknown.
"There's an uneasy tension as you run down to the gun line," said Army 1st Lt. Regan Tatford, fire direction officer and platoon leader for 3rd platoon. "The uncertainty of not knowing what the mission is for really gets your adrenaline pumping."
To some of the Fort Carson, Colo.,-based soldiers, the first minutes are a blur, but not for the soldiers calling for support.
"That initial three minutes seem like an eternity to the guys needing our support, because they desperately need it," Tatford said. "The faster we do our job, the faster they can do theirs."
Oftentimes, the enemy is unaware of the artillery until it is too late for them and just in time for the forward soldiers.
"The enemy could be engaging our guys with [rocket-propelled grenades] or small arms," Tatford said. "If we're called up, [the enemy] wouldn't know about us until the round impacts."
This quick-strike capability is an asset to ground units and has the potential to save soldiers.
"We save lives," Medina said. "Our job is to give them light to see and to watch their backs, and we're having success doing that."
The soldiers are able to provide support up to 18 miles away, he said, which gives the forward elements greater freedom to accomplish their missions.
The success they've had supporting forward soldiers has given them confidence in their abilities and trust in the skills of each other, Billasano said.
"It takes about eight guys and everyone has to be in sync for everything to go smoothly," he said. "We trust each other's skills."
That confidence makes the unit more cohesive and effective, Tatford said.
"I'm proud of these guys and what we do," he said. "We have fired several times toward [Combat Outpost] Nagil when the COP was being directly attacked and helped neutralized the enemy there."
Though they may be heroes to the soldiers they've supported, the soldiers remain humble.
"It's rewarding," Tatford said. "It is a great feeling to have someone come on the radio and say, 'thanks, you guys really helped us out.' But it's our job; it's what we signed up to do."
Medina said he's grateful for the opportunity to serve his country.
"I'm proud to be here," he said. "I feel like we are making a difference."
(From a Combined Joint Task Force 82 news release.)
Treasury Designates North Korean Bank and Banking Official As Proliferators of Weapons of Mass destruction
The U.S. Department of the Treasury today designated Amroggang Development Bank (Amroggang) as a proliferator of weapons of mass destruction under Executive Order (E.O.) 13382 for being owned or controlled by North Korea's Tanchon Commercial Bank (Tanchon). Treasury also today designated Tanchon's President, Kim Tong Myong. Tanchon, which is sanctioned by the United States under E.O. 13382 and the UN Security Council under Resolution (UNSCR) 1718 for its involvement in North Korea's proliferation activities, is a commercial bank based in Pyongyang, North Korea. E.O. 13382 freezes the assets of designated proliferators of weapons of mass destruction and their supporters and prohibits U.S. persons from engaging in any transactions with them.
"As long as North Korea continues to try to evade sanctions and obscure its illicit proliferation transactions, we will take steps to combat that activity and protect the integrity of the international financial system," said Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Stuart Levey.
Amroggang, which was established in 2006, is a Tanchon-related company managed by Tanchon officials. Tanchon, the financial arm of the U.S. and UN-designated North Korean company Korea Mining Development Corporation (KOMID), plays a role in financing KOMID's sales of ballistic missiles and has also been involved in ballistic missile transactions from KOMID to Iran's Shahid Hemmat Industrial Group (SHIG), the U.S. and UN-designated Iranian organization responsible for developing liquid-fueled ballistic missiles. KOMID is North Korea's premiere arms dealer and main exporter of goods and equipment related to ballistic missiles and conventional weapons.
A North Korean individual Kim Tong Myong was also designated today for acting on behalf of Tanchon. Kim Tong Myong has held various positions within Tanchon since at least 2002 and is currently Tanchon's President. He has also played a role in managing Amroggang's affairs using the alias Kim Chin-so'k.
Identifying Information
Entity: Amroggang Development Bank (a.k.a. Amnokkang Development Bank) Tongan-dong, Pyongyang, Democratic People's Republic of Korea [NPWMD]
Individual: Kim Tong-myo'ng (a.k.a. Kim Tong Myong; a.k.a. Kim Chin-so'k; a.k.a. Kim Jin Sok) c/o Tanchon Commercial Bank, Saemul 1-Dong Pyongchon, District, Pyongyang, Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DOB 1964; Nationality: North Korean [NPWMD]
"As long as North Korea continues to try to evade sanctions and obscure its illicit proliferation transactions, we will take steps to combat that activity and protect the integrity of the international financial system," said Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Stuart Levey.
Amroggang, which was established in 2006, is a Tanchon-related company managed by Tanchon officials. Tanchon, the financial arm of the U.S. and UN-designated North Korean company Korea Mining Development Corporation (KOMID), plays a role in financing KOMID's sales of ballistic missiles and has also been involved in ballistic missile transactions from KOMID to Iran's Shahid Hemmat Industrial Group (SHIG), the U.S. and UN-designated Iranian organization responsible for developing liquid-fueled ballistic missiles. KOMID is North Korea's premiere arms dealer and main exporter of goods and equipment related to ballistic missiles and conventional weapons.
A North Korean individual Kim Tong Myong was also designated today for acting on behalf of Tanchon. Kim Tong Myong has held various positions within Tanchon since at least 2002 and is currently Tanchon's President. He has also played a role in managing Amroggang's affairs using the alias Kim Chin-so'k.
Identifying Information
Entity: Amroggang Development Bank (a.k.a. Amnokkang Development Bank) Tongan-dong, Pyongyang, Democratic People's Republic of Korea [NPWMD]
Individual: Kim Tong-myo'ng (a.k.a. Kim Tong Myong; a.k.a. Kim Chin-so'k; a.k.a. Kim Jin Sok) c/o Tanchon Commercial Bank, Saemul 1-Dong Pyongchon, District, Pyongyang, Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DOB 1964; Nationality: North Korean [NPWMD]
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Gates Heads to NATO Meeting to Discuss Afghanistan
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
Oct. 22, 2009 - Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said today he's headed to a NATO defense ministers meeting in Slovakia confident there's enough to discuss about Afghanistan even without a U.S. decision on the strategy there. Gates also said he's close to making his own decision about the best way forward. "I am moving into my personal decision phase," he said, borrowing a phrase from White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs.
The secretary spoke during a joint news conference with South Korean Defense Minister Kim Tae Young, after which he boarded a plane for a NATO defense ministers meeting in the Slovak capital of Bratislava.
The discussions in Bratislava will focus on far more than just troop numbers, Gates said, noting that the assessment provided recently by Army Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, commander of NATO and U.S. forces in Afghanistan, dealt with other issues as well.
"General McChrystal has identified a number of needs in his assessment on which there is agreement," Gates said. These range from civilian development to governance to training support for the Afghan National Army and Afghan National Police.
"So I think there is ample for us to discuss, going forward, that is completely independent of how many additional troops the president -- and frankly, other members of the alliance -- may decide to send," he said.
Gates called the upcoming NATO meeting part of the "process of intense consultation" the United States is undergoing with its allies and partners as it evaluates the way forward in Afghanistan. He noted that Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, just met with the military chiefs of 42 coalition partners in Afghanistan, and the North Atlantic Council met twice in the lead-up to the NATO session.
"So this is a consultative process, and we are as interested in hearing from them, as I am sure they are in hearing from us," he said.
With a runoff election in Afghanistan slated for Nov. 7, Gates said, there's intense interest in making sure it's conducted fairly and runs smoothly.
"Everybody has an interest in making sure there are as few problems with this runoff election as possible in terms of providing legitimacy for the winning candidate," he said.
Most of the additional forces the United States and its coalition partners sent to provide security for the August elections are still in Afghanistan. This, he said, positions them to work alongside the Afghan army and police to provide the security critical for the runoff.
American Forces Press Service
Oct. 22, 2009 - Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said today he's headed to a NATO defense ministers meeting in Slovakia confident there's enough to discuss about Afghanistan even without a U.S. decision on the strategy there. Gates also said he's close to making his own decision about the best way forward. "I am moving into my personal decision phase," he said, borrowing a phrase from White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs.
The secretary spoke during a joint news conference with South Korean Defense Minister Kim Tae Young, after which he boarded a plane for a NATO defense ministers meeting in the Slovak capital of Bratislava.
The discussions in Bratislava will focus on far more than just troop numbers, Gates said, noting that the assessment provided recently by Army Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, commander of NATO and U.S. forces in Afghanistan, dealt with other issues as well.
"General McChrystal has identified a number of needs in his assessment on which there is agreement," Gates said. These range from civilian development to governance to training support for the Afghan National Army and Afghan National Police.
"So I think there is ample for us to discuss, going forward, that is completely independent of how many additional troops the president -- and frankly, other members of the alliance -- may decide to send," he said.
Gates called the upcoming NATO meeting part of the "process of intense consultation" the United States is undergoing with its allies and partners as it evaluates the way forward in Afghanistan. He noted that Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, just met with the military chiefs of 42 coalition partners in Afghanistan, and the North Atlantic Council met twice in the lead-up to the NATO session.
"So this is a consultative process, and we are as interested in hearing from them, as I am sure they are in hearing from us," he said.
With a runoff election in Afghanistan slated for Nov. 7, Gates said, there's intense interest in making sure it's conducted fairly and runs smoothly.
"Everybody has an interest in making sure there are as few problems with this runoff election as possible in terms of providing legitimacy for the winning candidate," he said.
Most of the additional forces the United States and its coalition partners sent to provide security for the August elections are still in Afghanistan. This, he said, positions them to work alongside the Afghan army and police to provide the security critical for the runoff.
General in Iraq 'Encouraged' as Elections Approach
By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service
Oct. 22, 2009 - Violence in Iraq has dropped to the lowest levels seen since 2003 as the Iraqi people prepare to vote in new legislative and general elections slated for January, a senior U.S. military officer said here today. "I'm encouraged now that violence is at an all-time low; that the levels are down to where they were in 2003," Army Brig. Gen. Stephen R. Lanza, Multinational Force Iraq's deputy chief of staff for strategic effects, told reporters during a news briefing at the Washington Foreign Press Center.
The reduced violence in Iraq today, Lanza said, indicates "continued improvement in Iraq's security environment, through the combined efforts of Iraq and U.S. forces."
The 120,000 U.S. troops now in Iraq "continue to push hard," Lanza said, following the June 30 implementation of a U.S.-Iraq security agreement through which Iraqi security forces took primary responsibility for security within the country's cites.
U.S. combat forces today are conducting partnered, full-spectrum operations outside Iraqi cities and also along the borders, Lanza said, to deny extremists safe havens and reduce the foreign flow of lethal aid, and specifically foreign fighters, into Iraq.
"Our combined focus today remains on securing the Iraqi population and enabling Iraq to continue to move forward," Lanza said.
The success of a two-day U.S.-Iraq business and investment conference that drew 1,500 people and concluded here yesterday reflects the greatly improved security in Iraq, Lanza said, as well as the Iraqi people's eagerness and desire to move forward.
"What you have right now is Iraqis are truly embracing the rule of law," Lanza said. "And I think what we've talked about here in the last couple of days at this economic conference was a reassurance to U.S. businessmen that Iraq is a country that is administered by the rule of law and a law that supports the constitution."
Meanwhile, Iraq's citizens "have made it extremely hard for those people that would conduct violence in the cities to proliferate," Lanza said.
However, insurgents in Iraq still seek to achieve high-profile attacks, Lanza said, like the Aug. 19 Baghdad bombings that killed at least 100 people and wounded hundreds more.
The insurgents want to launch spectacular attacks, Lanza explained, because they believe such big-scale violence will incite sectarian strife and fracture the national unity of the government. However, the insurgents have failed to divide the Iraqi people, Lanza said.
In recent years, the general said, the Iraqi people have demonstrated their collective desire "to coalesce around being Iraqi."
The Iraqi government re-evaluated and improved its security strategy following the Baghdad bombings, Lanza said, noting that senior Iraqi government officials continued to conduct business the day after the attacks.
"So, there is an intense desire of the Iraqi people and the Iraqi government to move forward and embrace the fact that they are Iraqis," Lanza said. "And, that is something that is extremely positive, and we're certainly encouraged by that."
Meanwhile, efforts are under way to reduce tensions between Iraqi Kurds and Iraqi Arabs over disputed territory in the northern part of Iraq, Lanza said. The dispute, he said, has allowed a "seam" to develop in which al-Qaida can operate.
The Iraqi government, Lanza said, has asked Multinational Force Iraq for help in looking for ways to mitigate some of the tension in the disputed territory. One of the initiatives being explored, he said, involves the bringing together of Iraq troops and Kurdish forces to man joint checkpoints in the disputed area.
The Iraqi government likely will approve and announce new initiatives designed to reduce Kurdish-Arab tensions over the next few weeks, Lanza said.
"I think it's important that as you start resolving the crisis in that sector, [that] you start mitigating the effects of al-Qaida to attack both Kurdish and both Arab people within that area," he said, "but more importantly [that] we start unifying the military and start unifying those forces in terms of the government of Iraq."
The sectarian violence witnessed a few years ago among some of the Iraqi security forces "no longer exists," Lanza said. Last week, he said, senior Iraqi military officers met to develop an ethical code for the Iraqi officer corps.
"That's a huge development," Lanza said. "That's a huge change in the mind-set in the Iraqi security forces."
Meanwhile, the Iraqi government is gearing up for legislative elections Jan. 16 and the Jan. 30 general elections, Lanza said. Passage of a new election law has been delayed, he told reporters, but Iraqi legislators continue to make progress.
"We're very comfortable and very hopeful that the law will be passed by the end of this month," Lanza said, "and that it will not detract from the ability to conduct the elections, in accordance with the Iraq constitution, by the end of January."
American Forces Press Service
Oct. 22, 2009 - Violence in Iraq has dropped to the lowest levels seen since 2003 as the Iraqi people prepare to vote in new legislative and general elections slated for January, a senior U.S. military officer said here today. "I'm encouraged now that violence is at an all-time low; that the levels are down to where they were in 2003," Army Brig. Gen. Stephen R. Lanza, Multinational Force Iraq's deputy chief of staff for strategic effects, told reporters during a news briefing at the Washington Foreign Press Center.
The reduced violence in Iraq today, Lanza said, indicates "continued improvement in Iraq's security environment, through the combined efforts of Iraq and U.S. forces."
The 120,000 U.S. troops now in Iraq "continue to push hard," Lanza said, following the June 30 implementation of a U.S.-Iraq security agreement through which Iraqi security forces took primary responsibility for security within the country's cites.
U.S. combat forces today are conducting partnered, full-spectrum operations outside Iraqi cities and also along the borders, Lanza said, to deny extremists safe havens and reduce the foreign flow of lethal aid, and specifically foreign fighters, into Iraq.
"Our combined focus today remains on securing the Iraqi population and enabling Iraq to continue to move forward," Lanza said.
The success of a two-day U.S.-Iraq business and investment conference that drew 1,500 people and concluded here yesterday reflects the greatly improved security in Iraq, Lanza said, as well as the Iraqi people's eagerness and desire to move forward.
"What you have right now is Iraqis are truly embracing the rule of law," Lanza said. "And I think what we've talked about here in the last couple of days at this economic conference was a reassurance to U.S. businessmen that Iraq is a country that is administered by the rule of law and a law that supports the constitution."
Meanwhile, Iraq's citizens "have made it extremely hard for those people that would conduct violence in the cities to proliferate," Lanza said.
However, insurgents in Iraq still seek to achieve high-profile attacks, Lanza said, like the Aug. 19 Baghdad bombings that killed at least 100 people and wounded hundreds more.
The insurgents want to launch spectacular attacks, Lanza explained, because they believe such big-scale violence will incite sectarian strife and fracture the national unity of the government. However, the insurgents have failed to divide the Iraqi people, Lanza said.
In recent years, the general said, the Iraqi people have demonstrated their collective desire "to coalesce around being Iraqi."
The Iraqi government re-evaluated and improved its security strategy following the Baghdad bombings, Lanza said, noting that senior Iraqi government officials continued to conduct business the day after the attacks.
"So, there is an intense desire of the Iraqi people and the Iraqi government to move forward and embrace the fact that they are Iraqis," Lanza said. "And, that is something that is extremely positive, and we're certainly encouraged by that."
Meanwhile, efforts are under way to reduce tensions between Iraqi Kurds and Iraqi Arabs over disputed territory in the northern part of Iraq, Lanza said. The dispute, he said, has allowed a "seam" to develop in which al-Qaida can operate.
The Iraqi government, Lanza said, has asked Multinational Force Iraq for help in looking for ways to mitigate some of the tension in the disputed territory. One of the initiatives being explored, he said, involves the bringing together of Iraq troops and Kurdish forces to man joint checkpoints in the disputed area.
The Iraqi government likely will approve and announce new initiatives designed to reduce Kurdish-Arab tensions over the next few weeks, Lanza said.
"I think it's important that as you start resolving the crisis in that sector, [that] you start mitigating the effects of al-Qaida to attack both Kurdish and both Arab people within that area," he said, "but more importantly [that] we start unifying the military and start unifying those forces in terms of the government of Iraq."
The sectarian violence witnessed a few years ago among some of the Iraqi security forces "no longer exists," Lanza said. Last week, he said, senior Iraqi military officers met to develop an ethical code for the Iraqi officer corps.
"That's a huge development," Lanza said. "That's a huge change in the mind-set in the Iraqi security forces."
Meanwhile, the Iraqi government is gearing up for legislative elections Jan. 16 and the Jan. 30 general elections, Lanza said. Passage of a new election law has been delayed, he told reporters, but Iraqi legislators continue to make progress.
"We're very comfortable and very hopeful that the law will be passed by the end of this month," Lanza said, "and that it will not detract from the ability to conduct the elections, in accordance with the Iraq constitution, by the end of January."
Deployed Soldiers Provide Life's Small Comforts
By Army 2nd Lt. Hilda O. StarksSpecial to American Forces Press Service
Oct. 22, 2009 - It's not uncommon for deployed soldiers to miss their families and friends, home-cooked meals and the small comforts of life. Fourteen soldiers deployed here from Fort Polk, La., with 2nd Platoon, 488th Quartermaster Company, take care of one of the smallest comforts of life: clean clothes.
These soldiers make it their mission to provide the best laundry service possible to all the soldiers and civilians stationed here.
"We work hard to provide a 24-hour turnaround service for the soldiers, because we understand they are out there executing their missions, and the last thing they need to worry about is having a clean uniform for the next day," said Army Staff Sgt. Aundra Wesley, a laundry and shower noncommissioned officer from Mobile, Ala.
The laundry facility here washes and folds an average of 2,200 pounds of clothes per day to support the soldiers and civilians living here, using a system that consists of two laundry drums and water processing equipment within an 8-by-8-by-20-foot frame, a fuel tank, a storage container and a generator mounted on a trailer. It washes the laundry, extracts water and dries the laundry in the same drum. The laundry water is recycled and reused via a distillation process to minimize water consumption and wastewater generation.
"I've worked with the [system] for two years, and I am still learning its complexity," said Army Sgt. Alicia Goodman, a laundry and shower noncommissioned officer from Baker, Fla. "It is a very efficient and water-saving piece of equipment."
The 2nd Platoon soldiers will be here until spring. In the meantime, they will continue the tradition of soldiers taking care of soldiers.
"I am personally thankful that 488th is here providing us with laundry services," said Army Spc. Ashley Stapleton, a medic assigned to Company E, 121st Brigade Support Battalion, from Knoxville, Tenn. "It's a small comfort that we take for granted back home, but greatly appreciate while deployed."
(Army 2nd Lt. Hilda O. Starks serves with the 121st Brigade Support Battalion.)
Army Casualty
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
Spc. Kyle A. Coumas, 22, of Lockeford, Calif., died Oct. 21 in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his vehicle with an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.
For more information media may contact the Fort Lewis public affairs office at (253) 967-0152 or (253) 967-0147.
Spc. Kyle A. Coumas, 22, of Lockeford, Calif., died Oct. 21 in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his vehicle with an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.
For more information media may contact the Fort Lewis public affairs office at (253) 967-0152 or (253) 967-0147.
Forces Detain Suspected Militants in Afghanistan
American Forces Press Service
Oct. 22, 2009 - A combined Afghan and international security force detained almost a dozen suspected militants in Afghanistan's Khowst province today after searching a compound known to be used by a Haqqani terrorist organization commander and his element responsible for bombings and armed attacks in the area. The combined force searched compounds near Peru Kheyl village north of Khowst City after intelligence reports indicated militant activity there. The force detained the suspects, one of whom was identified as the sought-after Haqqani commander.
In another operation today, a combined force detained two suspected militants after searching a compound in Paktia province known to be used for making roadside bombs. The force searched the compound near the village of Tabiban, southwest of Gardez City, without incident.
In other news from Afghanistan, a combined force detained a suspected militant yesterday after searching buildings known to be used by a Taliban bomb maker maker in Kandahar province. The suspect is believed to be responsible for numerous attacks and ambushes in the region, and also is believed to be a shadow governor for the local Taliban's illegitimate government.
Meanwhile, U.S. and NATO forces continue to realign forces to better secure and stabilize population centers in Afghanistan, most recently by closing Combat Outpost Lowell in the Kamdesh district of Nuristan province Oct. 20.
Prior to the closure, international forces met with local leaders to explain the decision and discuss the handover of facilities. The facilities were left intact for use by the local community after all military equipment was removed.
Coalition forces and the Afghan government will continue to seek opportunities to cooperate with and provide assistance to Afghans in the Kamdesh district, officials said. International Security Assistance Force troops will use the opportunities provided by realignment to enhance combined action with Afghan forces and to assist the Afghan government to build governance and development capacity in populated areas, they added.
(Compiled from NATO International Security Assistance Force news releases.)
Oct. 22, 2009 - A combined Afghan and international security force detained almost a dozen suspected militants in Afghanistan's Khowst province today after searching a compound known to be used by a Haqqani terrorist organization commander and his element responsible for bombings and armed attacks in the area. The combined force searched compounds near Peru Kheyl village north of Khowst City after intelligence reports indicated militant activity there. The force detained the suspects, one of whom was identified as the sought-after Haqqani commander.
In another operation today, a combined force detained two suspected militants after searching a compound in Paktia province known to be used for making roadside bombs. The force searched the compound near the village of Tabiban, southwest of Gardez City, without incident.
In other news from Afghanistan, a combined force detained a suspected militant yesterday after searching buildings known to be used by a Taliban bomb maker maker in Kandahar province. The suspect is believed to be responsible for numerous attacks and ambushes in the region, and also is believed to be a shadow governor for the local Taliban's illegitimate government.
Meanwhile, U.S. and NATO forces continue to realign forces to better secure and stabilize population centers in Afghanistan, most recently by closing Combat Outpost Lowell in the Kamdesh district of Nuristan province Oct. 20.
Prior to the closure, international forces met with local leaders to explain the decision and discuss the handover of facilities. The facilities were left intact for use by the local community after all military equipment was removed.
Coalition forces and the Afghan government will continue to seek opportunities to cooperate with and provide assistance to Afghans in the Kamdesh district, officials said. International Security Assistance Force troops will use the opportunities provided by realignment to enhance combined action with Afghan forces and to assist the Afghan government to build governance and development capacity in populated areas, they added.
(Compiled from NATO International Security Assistance Force news releases.)
Musicians Seek Secret U.S. Documents on Music-Related Human Rights Abuses at Guantanamo
National Security Archive Files FOIA Requests on Rock and Roll as 'Enhanced Interrogation' Technique
For more information contact:
Thomas Blanton: 202/994-7000
Kate Doyle: 646/670-8841
On behalf of a coalition of U.S. and international musicians, including R.E.M., Pearl Jam, Tom Morello and Jackson Brown, the National Security Archive today filed a series of FOIA petitions requesting the full declassification of secret U.S. documentation on the strategy of using music as an interrogation device at Guantanamo and other detention centers.
The Archive also posted several declassified documents and published reports that refer to the use of "loud" music to "create futility" in uncooperative detainees at Guantanamo. A 2004 Defense Department report on abuses at the military base in Cuba, for example, stated that the "futility technique included the playing of Metallica, Britney Spears and Rap music."
Archive analysts filed the FOIA requests with the CIA, U.S. Special Operations Command, and the FBI, among other agencies, requesting all documentation pertaining to how the music was chosen and the specific role it played in interrogations of detainees at the Guantanamo base.
"At Guantanamo, the U.S. government turned a jukebox into an instrument of torture," said Thomas Blanton, the Archive's executive director. "The musicians and the public have the right to know how an expression of popular culture was transformed into an enhanced interrogation technique."
Visit the National Security Archive Web site for more information:
http://www.nsarchive.org
Follow the link below to read the press release issued today by the musicians and the Campaign to Close Guantanamo.
http://www.newsecurityaction.org/pages/35/
For more information contact:
Thomas Blanton: 202/994-7000
Kate Doyle: 646/670-8841
On behalf of a coalition of U.S. and international musicians, including R.E.M., Pearl Jam, Tom Morello and Jackson Brown, the National Security Archive today filed a series of FOIA petitions requesting the full declassification of secret U.S. documentation on the strategy of using music as an interrogation device at Guantanamo and other detention centers.
The Archive also posted several declassified documents and published reports that refer to the use of "loud" music to "create futility" in uncooperative detainees at Guantanamo. A 2004 Defense Department report on abuses at the military base in Cuba, for example, stated that the "futility technique included the playing of Metallica, Britney Spears and Rap music."
Archive analysts filed the FOIA requests with the CIA, U.S. Special Operations Command, and the FBI, among other agencies, requesting all documentation pertaining to how the music was chosen and the specific role it played in interrogations of detainees at the Guantanamo base.
"At Guantanamo, the U.S. government turned a jukebox into an instrument of torture," said Thomas Blanton, the Archive's executive director. "The musicians and the public have the right to know how an expression of popular culture was transformed into an enhanced interrogation technique."
Visit the National Security Archive Web site for more information:
http://www.nsarchive.org
Follow the link below to read the press release issued today by the musicians and the Campaign to Close Guantanamo.
http://www.newsecurityaction.org/pages/35/
Collaboration Drives Afghan Strategy Review, Gates Says
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
Oct. 21, 2009 - Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates today praised a close collaboration between the military and the White House in examining the U.S. strategy in Afghanistan, dismissing news reports of a rift. "These stories may make good reading, but they are not a reflection of reality," Gates said here in response to a question during a joint news conference with Japanese Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa.
Gates cited a "very close, collaborative effort" between military officers, including commanders in the field, and civilian government leaders who meet on an almost daily basis as part of President Barack Obama's strategic review.
The national security team is working closely together to work through what Gates called "this very complicated situation in Afghanistan." He cited "complicated issues" associated with the Afghan presidential elections, but also the challenges Army Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, the top U.S. commander there, identified in his assessment.
Gates called the runoff election slated for Nov. 7 an important step toward moving forward in Afghanistan. "Getting that behind us and moving forward is very important," he said.
But while the run-off election will resolve outstanding issues regarding the presidency, Gates emphasized, the larger issue of establishing legitimacy of the Afghan government is a longer-term proposition.
"This is going to be a work in progress, an evolutionary effort, and we need to be realistic about that," he said.
American Forces Press Service
Oct. 21, 2009 - Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates today praised a close collaboration between the military and the White House in examining the U.S. strategy in Afghanistan, dismissing news reports of a rift. "These stories may make good reading, but they are not a reflection of reality," Gates said here in response to a question during a joint news conference with Japanese Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa.
Gates cited a "very close, collaborative effort" between military officers, including commanders in the field, and civilian government leaders who meet on an almost daily basis as part of President Barack Obama's strategic review.
The national security team is working closely together to work through what Gates called "this very complicated situation in Afghanistan." He cited "complicated issues" associated with the Afghan presidential elections, but also the challenges Army Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, the top U.S. commander there, identified in his assessment.
Gates called the runoff election slated for Nov. 7 an important step toward moving forward in Afghanistan. "Getting that behind us and moving forward is very important," he said.
But while the run-off election will resolve outstanding issues regarding the presidency, Gates emphasized, the larger issue of establishing legitimacy of the Afghan government is a longer-term proposition.
"This is going to be a work in progress, an evolutionary effort, and we need to be realistic about that," he said.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
U.S., Iraqi Troops Conduct Medical Mission
By Army Spc. Maurice A. Galloway
Special to American Forces Press Service
Oct. 21, 2009 - Soldiers of the U.S. Army's 17th Fires Brigade and the 14th Iraqi Army Division conducted their first joint medical military-civic operations clinic at Basra Operations Center Oct. 8, drawing about 150 people. "The purpose of an event such as this is to provide treatment for minor illnesses and teach these people how to better care for themselves," said Army 1st Lt. Jennifer L. Leathers, operations manager for the U.S. brigade's 1314th Civil Affairs Company and a native of Omaha, Neb. "With the right teaching and instruction, a lot of the illnesses and injuries that we saw here could have been treated at home or prevented."
The patients were comfortably seated on couches as they awaited their turn to be seen at one of the nine stations set up to treat and assess their needs. Iraqi medical personnel and U.S. soldiers evaluated the patients and offered analysis and guidance on treatment and preventive care. In addition to providing medical attention, the soldiers dispensed food, medicine and personal hygiene items. Iraqi soldiers provided security as the mission allowed the Iraqi army to showcase its civil-military role in helping the country's people.
The Iraqi and U.S. medics were fully prepared for the event and had plenty of supplies on hand to treat each patient ensuring that each person who came was seen and evaluated. The Iraqi army took the lead in security medical treatment, allowing U.S. soldiers the chance to evaluate and train their Iraqi counterparts.
"The Iraqi army met their goal, which was to provide the barest of necessary equipment needed to treat and teach the local populace how to better care for minor injuries and illnesses that could progress if not assessed early on," Leathers said. "Our role was to evaluate the Iraqi army's procedures during the event and make on-the-spot corrections as needed. This is so they could learn while doing, making them much more efficient and effective when they conduct other events like this in the very near future."
The soldiers at the clinic recognized the event's value toward providing care for the city's residents. Iraqi Col. Abbas Abdul Ghafar Altmymy, a 14th Iraqi Army Division public information officer, said the event's large turnout indicated the people's desire for coordinated health care in Iraq's Basra province and the need to implement and sustain such operations.
"Today we did something that was extremely positive and progressive for the people of Basra," he said. "We were able to take care of the needs of 150 patients, which is no small task. With the help of our partners from the 17th Fires Brigade, we'll conduct an evaluation to see how we can improve to make our next community outreach project an even bigger success."
The 17th Fires Brigade soldiers were proud to be part of the event, not only for the opportunity it provided to help the citizens of Basra, but also to see first-hand the united Iraqi and U.S. efforts in working toward a worthwhile cause.
"Having done similar events before, by working side by side with them, we've given them a template ... to measure their progress by," said Army Sgt. 1st Class Maryfaith B. Payne, brigade medical operations noncommissioned officer for the brigade's Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, a Honolulu native.
"It's really good to see the people of Basra receiving the help and assistance that they need from the Iraqi army," said Army Spc. Christina R. Kreite of the brigade's 206th Military Police Company, a native of Long Island, N.Y. "We've been training them to handle these types of situations, and there was a time when a crowd this large would have been a bit overwhelming for the Iraqi army. But this shows just how far they've come."
Army Pfc. Leah K. Brook, a medic and health care specialist with the military police company, said the event was similar to other humanitarian missions in which she's participated. The Syracuse, N.Y., native said she felt moved by the faces of the people seeking treatment and impressed by the level of care given by the Iraqi military and civil medical community. She was honored to be a part of such a fulfilling experience, she added, even if her role was limited to an advisory capacity.
"As a medic, I find humanitarian missions to be undeniably fulfilling," she said. "So to be here in an observation role, as opposed to helping the people first-hand, is a little difficult. But seeing the Iraqis helping their own people lets me know that we are really making a difference."
(Army Spc. Maurice A. Galloway serves with the 17th Fires Brigade.)
Special to American Forces Press Service
Oct. 21, 2009 - Soldiers of the U.S. Army's 17th Fires Brigade and the 14th Iraqi Army Division conducted their first joint medical military-civic operations clinic at Basra Operations Center Oct. 8, drawing about 150 people. "The purpose of an event such as this is to provide treatment for minor illnesses and teach these people how to better care for themselves," said Army 1st Lt. Jennifer L. Leathers, operations manager for the U.S. brigade's 1314th Civil Affairs Company and a native of Omaha, Neb. "With the right teaching and instruction, a lot of the illnesses and injuries that we saw here could have been treated at home or prevented."
The patients were comfortably seated on couches as they awaited their turn to be seen at one of the nine stations set up to treat and assess their needs. Iraqi medical personnel and U.S. soldiers evaluated the patients and offered analysis and guidance on treatment and preventive care. In addition to providing medical attention, the soldiers dispensed food, medicine and personal hygiene items. Iraqi soldiers provided security as the mission allowed the Iraqi army to showcase its civil-military role in helping the country's people.
The Iraqi and U.S. medics were fully prepared for the event and had plenty of supplies on hand to treat each patient ensuring that each person who came was seen and evaluated. The Iraqi army took the lead in security medical treatment, allowing U.S. soldiers the chance to evaluate and train their Iraqi counterparts.
"The Iraqi army met their goal, which was to provide the barest of necessary equipment needed to treat and teach the local populace how to better care for minor injuries and illnesses that could progress if not assessed early on," Leathers said. "Our role was to evaluate the Iraqi army's procedures during the event and make on-the-spot corrections as needed. This is so they could learn while doing, making them much more efficient and effective when they conduct other events like this in the very near future."
The soldiers at the clinic recognized the event's value toward providing care for the city's residents. Iraqi Col. Abbas Abdul Ghafar Altmymy, a 14th Iraqi Army Division public information officer, said the event's large turnout indicated the people's desire for coordinated health care in Iraq's Basra province and the need to implement and sustain such operations.
"Today we did something that was extremely positive and progressive for the people of Basra," he said. "We were able to take care of the needs of 150 patients, which is no small task. With the help of our partners from the 17th Fires Brigade, we'll conduct an evaluation to see how we can improve to make our next community outreach project an even bigger success."
The 17th Fires Brigade soldiers were proud to be part of the event, not only for the opportunity it provided to help the citizens of Basra, but also to see first-hand the united Iraqi and U.S. efforts in working toward a worthwhile cause.
"Having done similar events before, by working side by side with them, we've given them a template ... to measure their progress by," said Army Sgt. 1st Class Maryfaith B. Payne, brigade medical operations noncommissioned officer for the brigade's Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, a Honolulu native.
"It's really good to see the people of Basra receiving the help and assistance that they need from the Iraqi army," said Army Spc. Christina R. Kreite of the brigade's 206th Military Police Company, a native of Long Island, N.Y. "We've been training them to handle these types of situations, and there was a time when a crowd this large would have been a bit overwhelming for the Iraqi army. But this shows just how far they've come."
Army Pfc. Leah K. Brook, a medic and health care specialist with the military police company, said the event was similar to other humanitarian missions in which she's participated. The Syracuse, N.Y., native said she felt moved by the faces of the people seeking treatment and impressed by the level of care given by the Iraqi military and civil medical community. She was honored to be a part of such a fulfilling experience, she added, even if her role was limited to an advisory capacity.
"As a medic, I find humanitarian missions to be undeniably fulfilling," she said. "So to be here in an observation role, as opposed to helping the people first-hand, is a little difficult. But seeing the Iraqis helping their own people lets me know that we are really making a difference."
(Army Spc. Maurice A. Galloway serves with the 17th Fires Brigade.)
Retired Soldier Deploys as Civilian
By Cathy Hopkins
Special to American Forces Press Service
Oct. 21, 2009 - Darren Costine retired from the Army in 2001, but with 22 years of service under his belt, the former first sergeant said, the Army is still in his blood. Costine, who lives in Chester, Va., is a weapon system support manager for rotary aircraft engines and ground support equipment. He works in the Army Customer Facing Division at Defense Supply Center Richmond, the agency's aviation demand and supply chain manager. His active duty experiences in the Army included tours in Saudi Arabia, Turkey, South Korea and Alaska.
In February, Costine went to Iraq as a member of a DLA Support Team. He said he had wanted to deploy a couple years earlier so he could join his son, who was deploying to Iraq and Afghanistan. But that didn't work out, and he ended up leaving as his son was returning.
Costine found a totally different Army than he remembered when he arrived in Iraq. "The weapons were different. I used an M16 when I was in," he said. The Army's primary individual combat rifle now is the M4. "The soldiers' attitudes are very much a wartime attitude. A lot of soldiers now are coming into the military and going straight into deployment."
While deployed, Costine supported the Army directly at several forward operating bases, including Camp Speicher, in Tikrit; Camp Warrior, outside of Kirkuk; and Camps Diamondback and Marez.
"Each place was different. One had concrete buildings that also served as our bunkers," he said. "I could touch everything in my living quarters by standing in the center of the room." Living conditions varied greatly from base to base, he added. At one, Costine discovered that the restrooms came complete with bullet holes.
"Speicher is considered a rest and relaxation base, and Warrior, Diamondback and Marez are 'hot spots,'" Costine said. He spent close to four months at Warrior.
"I could see the city of Kirkuk from the base, and compared to the other bases, it was a small and underdeveloped area," Costine said.
"We were attacked at least five days a week," he recalled. "Sirens would go off telling us we needed to take cover in the bunkers, and it was common to see columns of smoke coming up over the city and to hear gunfire almost daily."
Diamondback and Marez are close to the Turkish border. "I think their proximity to the border makes them hot spots," he said. At Diamondback, he provided support to three brigades.
Costine was the sole DLA representative embedded with the Army Materiel Command blast team at Warrior, Diamondback and Marez. A blast team has experts in ground and air vehicles, weapons, ammunition, and supply. It provides front-line support for items that can't be handled through normal supply systems. His expertise as a weapon system support manager allowed him to help the logistics assistance representatives on the blast team.
"Work days were long and busy, processing non-mission-capable reports," Costine said. "It was nothing to have people come knocking at your door in the middle of the night needing help getting a part." He said he averaged 67 supply assistance requests daily, adding up to a little more than 10,000 during the six-month tour.
"I would work the items from the DLA perspective, and the [logistics assistance representatives] would work it from the [Army Materiel Command] side," he said. "Once we found the best method of getting the part, it would be taken off the report."
Costine worked with other DLA support teams through weekly teleconferences originating in Baghdad.
"We would review questions and potential issues," he said. "We looked for an answer on items we needed immediately, and looked for fixes to ensure they were on the shelf next time."
This was Costine's first visit to Iraq, and one of the differences he noticed immediately was a lack of trees and grass. "It was nice to see all the greenery when I got back," he said.
"Temperatures were between 112 to 114 degrees in the daytime," he said. "Bottled water was stacked everywhere on pallets. If the air conditioning broke, that was an emergency work order, and a crew came out within 40 minutes to fix it." The nights felt cold at 80 degrees because of extreme temperature changes, he said.
Costine said he received some memorable support from stateside DLA employees, who were ready and willing to assist him during the deployment. He recalled one employee from the Defense Supply Center in Columbus, Ohio, who "bent over backwards" to help.
"Daniel Haughey would have given me his home phone number if I asked for it," he said. "He became my go-to guy and did wonders to support us." Costine arranged for a flag that had flown over Mosul to be given to Haughey to show his appreciation.
"I feel as if I've accomplished something; it was something gnawing at me," Costine said. "I would go again."
(Cathy Hopkins works in the Defense Supply Center Richmond public affairs office.)
Special to American Forces Press Service
Oct. 21, 2009 - Darren Costine retired from the Army in 2001, but with 22 years of service under his belt, the former first sergeant said, the Army is still in his blood. Costine, who lives in Chester, Va., is a weapon system support manager for rotary aircraft engines and ground support equipment. He works in the Army Customer Facing Division at Defense Supply Center Richmond, the agency's aviation demand and supply chain manager. His active duty experiences in the Army included tours in Saudi Arabia, Turkey, South Korea and Alaska.
In February, Costine went to Iraq as a member of a DLA Support Team. He said he had wanted to deploy a couple years earlier so he could join his son, who was deploying to Iraq and Afghanistan. But that didn't work out, and he ended up leaving as his son was returning.
Costine found a totally different Army than he remembered when he arrived in Iraq. "The weapons were different. I used an M16 when I was in," he said. The Army's primary individual combat rifle now is the M4. "The soldiers' attitudes are very much a wartime attitude. A lot of soldiers now are coming into the military and going straight into deployment."
While deployed, Costine supported the Army directly at several forward operating bases, including Camp Speicher, in Tikrit; Camp Warrior, outside of Kirkuk; and Camps Diamondback and Marez.
"Each place was different. One had concrete buildings that also served as our bunkers," he said. "I could touch everything in my living quarters by standing in the center of the room." Living conditions varied greatly from base to base, he added. At one, Costine discovered that the restrooms came complete with bullet holes.
"Speicher is considered a rest and relaxation base, and Warrior, Diamondback and Marez are 'hot spots,'" Costine said. He spent close to four months at Warrior.
"I could see the city of Kirkuk from the base, and compared to the other bases, it was a small and underdeveloped area," Costine said.
"We were attacked at least five days a week," he recalled. "Sirens would go off telling us we needed to take cover in the bunkers, and it was common to see columns of smoke coming up over the city and to hear gunfire almost daily."
Diamondback and Marez are close to the Turkish border. "I think their proximity to the border makes them hot spots," he said. At Diamondback, he provided support to three brigades.
Costine was the sole DLA representative embedded with the Army Materiel Command blast team at Warrior, Diamondback and Marez. A blast team has experts in ground and air vehicles, weapons, ammunition, and supply. It provides front-line support for items that can't be handled through normal supply systems. His expertise as a weapon system support manager allowed him to help the logistics assistance representatives on the blast team.
"Work days were long and busy, processing non-mission-capable reports," Costine said. "It was nothing to have people come knocking at your door in the middle of the night needing help getting a part." He said he averaged 67 supply assistance requests daily, adding up to a little more than 10,000 during the six-month tour.
"I would work the items from the DLA perspective, and the [logistics assistance representatives] would work it from the [Army Materiel Command] side," he said. "Once we found the best method of getting the part, it would be taken off the report."
Costine worked with other DLA support teams through weekly teleconferences originating in Baghdad.
"We would review questions and potential issues," he said. "We looked for an answer on items we needed immediately, and looked for fixes to ensure they were on the shelf next time."
This was Costine's first visit to Iraq, and one of the differences he noticed immediately was a lack of trees and grass. "It was nice to see all the greenery when I got back," he said.
"Temperatures were between 112 to 114 degrees in the daytime," he said. "Bottled water was stacked everywhere on pallets. If the air conditioning broke, that was an emergency work order, and a crew came out within 40 minutes to fix it." The nights felt cold at 80 degrees because of extreme temperature changes, he said.
Costine said he received some memorable support from stateside DLA employees, who were ready and willing to assist him during the deployment. He recalled one employee from the Defense Supply Center in Columbus, Ohio, who "bent over backwards" to help.
"Daniel Haughey would have given me his home phone number if I asked for it," he said. "He became my go-to guy and did wonders to support us." Costine arranged for a flag that had flown over Mosul to be given to Haughey to show his appreciation.
"I feel as if I've accomplished something; it was something gnawing at me," Costine said. "I would go again."
(Cathy Hopkins works in the Defense Supply Center Richmond public affairs office.)
U.S., Afghans Open Strategic Road
By Air Force Capt. John T. Stamm
Special to American Forces Press Service
Oct. 21, 2009 - U.S. and Afghan officials joined local residents in the Anaba district of Afghanistan's Panjshir province Oct. 8 to officially open a spur connecting the historic Daraband pass to the main road in the Panjshir River valley. The Daraband pass is the strategic connection between the Shomali Plain and the Panjshir Valley, and it's where the Northern Alliance and U.S. troops began their campaign to roust the Taliban shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.
Members of the provincial reconstruction team joined Panjshir Gov. Hajji Bahlol, Anaba district governor Hajji Sadiqi and more than 100 local residents in a ceremony at the Daraband High School to open the 3.75-mile compacted gravel spur, dubbed Khermensan Road. After the opening prayer, local school children sang a traditional song called "Torona" about the brave people of Panjshir and their resistance to the Soviet occupation and Taliban rule.
Army Lt. Col. Eric Hommel, commander of the provincial reconstruction team, was the first speaker.
"I ask for your continued assistance as we proceed forward," Hommel said. "We are moving from a time where the [provincial reconstruction team], working with the government, provides for the people to a time where the people must take ownership for their future."
James DeHart, the team's director, spoke next and trumpeted the progress cooperation has brought about.
"The reason the [team] has been able to build roads, schools, and clinics is because the people of Panjshir have provided for their own security and for the security of the [team]," DeHart said. "We share a vision with the people of Panjshir for peace, stability, and economic development. Together, we stand against terrorism, narcotics, and corruption."
Bahlol, the keynote speaker, thanked the provincial reconstruction team and the American people for providing the resources for projects such as the road. He also urged residents to take care of the road, schools and all the projects belonging to them.
The governor spoke of a man with no shoes who, in the dead of winter, would carry ammunition and food to fellow residents of Panjshir who were fighting the Soviet occupation in the 1980s.
"It is this spirit," he said, "that provides the security that makes development possible."
In a show of solidarity, Bahlol then presented Hommel with an Afghan carpet made in the valley. Hommel accepted on behalf of his predecessor, Army Lt. Col. Mark E. Stratton, who died along with three other members of his team in a suicide bomber attack in Kapisa province.
"Colonel Stratton's team initiated this project. It is he who deserves this gift," Hommel said. "I will ensure his family receives this so they can see the lasting impression his team made on this valley."
(Air Force Capt. John T. Stamm serves in the Panjshir Provincial Reconstruction Team public affairs office.)
Special to American Forces Press Service
Oct. 21, 2009 - U.S. and Afghan officials joined local residents in the Anaba district of Afghanistan's Panjshir province Oct. 8 to officially open a spur connecting the historic Daraband pass to the main road in the Panjshir River valley. The Daraband pass is the strategic connection between the Shomali Plain and the Panjshir Valley, and it's where the Northern Alliance and U.S. troops began their campaign to roust the Taliban shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.
Members of the provincial reconstruction team joined Panjshir Gov. Hajji Bahlol, Anaba district governor Hajji Sadiqi and more than 100 local residents in a ceremony at the Daraband High School to open the 3.75-mile compacted gravel spur, dubbed Khermensan Road. After the opening prayer, local school children sang a traditional song called "Torona" about the brave people of Panjshir and their resistance to the Soviet occupation and Taliban rule.
Army Lt. Col. Eric Hommel, commander of the provincial reconstruction team, was the first speaker.
"I ask for your continued assistance as we proceed forward," Hommel said. "We are moving from a time where the [provincial reconstruction team], working with the government, provides for the people to a time where the people must take ownership for their future."
James DeHart, the team's director, spoke next and trumpeted the progress cooperation has brought about.
"The reason the [team] has been able to build roads, schools, and clinics is because the people of Panjshir have provided for their own security and for the security of the [team]," DeHart said. "We share a vision with the people of Panjshir for peace, stability, and economic development. Together, we stand against terrorism, narcotics, and corruption."
Bahlol, the keynote speaker, thanked the provincial reconstruction team and the American people for providing the resources for projects such as the road. He also urged residents to take care of the road, schools and all the projects belonging to them.
The governor spoke of a man with no shoes who, in the dead of winter, would carry ammunition and food to fellow residents of Panjshir who were fighting the Soviet occupation in the 1980s.
"It is this spirit," he said, "that provides the security that makes development possible."
In a show of solidarity, Bahlol then presented Hommel with an Afghan carpet made in the valley. Hommel accepted on behalf of his predecessor, Army Lt. Col. Mark E. Stratton, who died along with three other members of his team in a suicide bomber attack in Kapisa province.
"Colonel Stratton's team initiated this project. It is he who deserves this gift," Hommel said. "I will ensure his family receives this so they can see the lasting impression his team made on this valley."
(Air Force Capt. John T. Stamm serves in the Panjshir Provincial Reconstruction Team public affairs office.)
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