By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
Sept. 8, 2009 - The United States cannot think about a military withdrawal from Afghanistan, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates told the Arabic television network Al-Jazeera. Gates spoke for an hour with Abderrahim Foukara, the network's Washington bureau chief, Sept. 4. Al-Jazeera is the most-watched news network in the Muslim world.
"He's been trying to sit down with Al-Jazeera for months," said Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell. He noted that despite some trepidation in Washington about the secretary speaking with the network, "they are a giant in the Arabic-speaking world that cannot be ignored."
The network broadcast the interview in its entirety yesterday and will continue to do so for the week, Morrell said.
The situation in Afghanistan and the willingness of Americans to stay the course in the country dominated the interview.
"Americans know that our country has been at war for a number of years, ever since we were attacked in 2001," Gates said. "Obviously, we've lost a lot of our young men and women in combat, not to mention the casualties in New York and Washington and Pennsylvania on Sept. 11. And so, there is a sort of war-weariness on the part of the American people."
Gates said Americans haven't forgotten that Afghanistan was the place where al-Qaida planned, trained and financed the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. They realize that the Taliban weren't just providing a home for Muslim extremists, he added, but also were actively colluding with them.
Americans understand that the way out of Afghanistan is not a precipitous military withdrawal, Gates said, but rather continuing to train Afghan security forces and government institutions to handle the country's security needs.
"The reality is also that al-Qaida has killed many more Muslims than it has Americans, Europeans and others," Gates said. "So this is a challenge we all face, and I am confident the American people will sustain their commitment to help the Afghan people."
The situation in Afghanistan is mixed, Gates acknowledged. The Taliban have reconstituted to an extent, he said, and there is no doubt that the situation is serious. The Taliban are infiltrating into areas and using their tactics of fear and intimidation to make Afghans cooperate with them. Still, Army Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, the NATO and U.S. commander in the country, and Afghan Defense Minister Abdul Rahim Wardak believe a counterinsurgency strategy can be successful in the country, he said.
Protecting Afghans from the Taliban and other extremists has to be the focus of operations in the country, the secretary said, and air strikes like the one in Kunduz last week that killed Afghan civilians are a real problem to the strategy.
"Clearly, we regret any loss of civilian life in Afghanistan, and I've addressed this issue while in Afghanistan as well in the United States," Gates said. "And one of the central themes of General McChrystal's new approach in Afghanistan is significant change in our tactical approach to try and minimize the number of innocent civilians that are killed."
McChrystal has changed procedures for requesting close-air support and has ordered convoys to follow Afghan traffic laws. "In fact, our troops take some additional risk to themselves to avoid innocent Afghan casualties," Gates said.
But the Taliban don't care, he said. The Taliban "actively target innocent civilians, and they also create circumstances where they mingle among innocent civilians, and they are willing to put innocent civilians at risk."
American, NATO and Afghan security forces are working out new tactics to counter the Taliban strategy, he said.
The effort in Afghanistan is a challenge, Gates said, but key to any strategy in the country is trust. "Central to the success of the 42 nations that are trying to help the Afghan people and government at this point is that the Afghan people continue to believe that we are their friends, their partners and there to help them," the secretary said.
Gates said the Afghan people do not want the Taliban back in control, as polling shows fewer than 10 percent of Afghans support the Taliban. The Afghan people have been at war for more than 30 years, he said, and they want peace and security.
"Over time, we and all of the international community with us, along with the Afghan security forces, are in a position to try to bring that to them," Gates said.
How American and NATO forces are used is important to the struggle for Afghanistan, Gates said, noting that the Afghan people viewed foreign powers who became immersed in Afghanistan – Britain in the 19th century and the Soviet Union in the 1970s and 1980s – as occupiers who were out for their own gain.
"We have no interest in a permanent presence in Afghanistan -- no interest in bases in Afghanistan," Gates said. "What our interest is, is in giving the Afghan people the capacity to protect its own people and to prevent Afghanistan from being a center for violent extremists again. And then we'll leave."
Gates said the United States can achieve its objectives in Afghanistan, which he said are "to bring peace and security to the Afghan people and to prevent Afghanistan from becoming a haven for violent extremists."
"I think that those objectives are achievable," he added, "and I think that's the way we ought to think about it."
The secretary said U.S. leaders are evaluating McChrystal's assessment of the situation in Afghanistan and his methods for implementing President Barack Obama's strategy. Once that is digested, he said, leaders will look to the resources – troops and cash – needed.
"I have had a number of reservations about the number of U.S. troops," said Gates, who has said he does not want so large a number of U.S. troops that the Afghans look on them as occupiers. Still, he noted that McChrystal's take on the issue provides another perspective.
"General McChrystal's point, which I think has great validity, is it's really how those forces are used and how they interact with the Afghan people that determine how they are seen by the Afghans," Gates said. "And I think that the approach that he has taken, in terms of partnering with the Afghans, and interacting with the Afghan people, and supporting them, mitigates the concerns that I had."
Still, the secretary said, he has not made up his mind on seeking additional U.S. forces for the region.
Tuesday, September 08, 2009
Gates Speaks Frankly on Pakistan, Iraq to Al-Jazeera
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
Sept. 8, 2009 - The situation in Pakistan and the way ahead in Iraq were among the issues Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates spoke about with the Arabic television network Al-Jazeera in an interview being broadcast this week. The network's Washington bureau chief, Abderrahim Foukara, spoke with the secretary Sept. 4.
Gates traced the growth of the insurgency in Afghanistan to a lessening of pressure on al-Qaida and the Taliban across the border in Pakistan.
"Frankly, when agreements were reached on the Pakistani side of the border, it essentially relieved the pressure from the Pakistan side on the Taliban, who were then in Pakistan," Gates said. "So we have seen a steady increase in violence that really began late in 2005 and early 2006, and the Taliban have gotten better and better over that time."
And other extremist groups – such as the Hakkani network and Gulbuddin Hekmatyar's group – have rushed to embrace the Taliban. Gates called these alliances of convenience, but acknowledged they still are effective. "It is now perhaps a more complex situation [in Afghanistan and Pakistan] than it was in 2002," he said.
Part of that, he said, resulted from earlier mistakes. "We did not provide the resources in Afghanistan early enough to stem this change in the situation in 2005 and 2006," Gates said, noting that the war in Iraq made it difficult to do so. "We didn't have the resources to move in reinforcements, if you will, as the situation in Afghanistan began to deteriorate," he said.
Getting Pakistan on board with the strategy in the region is important for the United States, Gates said, calling trust and commitment the keys to that aim.
Pakistan is important in its own right to the United States, Gates said, but it also is important in terms of violent extremists who cross back and forth across the Pakistani-Afghan border and put both governments at risk.
The United States cannot duplicate its policy – or lack of one – that existed after the Soviets left Afghanistan in 1989, Gates said. "As soon as the Soviets left Afghanistan, we turned our backs on Afghanistan and we did not cultivate our relationship with the Pakistanis properly," he said.
"And so, I think we gave rise to doubts in the region about whether we are prepared to stay there and be their partner on a continuous basis," he said. "And I believe we've learned our lesson, and that both Afghanistan and Pakistan can count on us for the long term."
The secretary generally was upbeat on the future of Iraq, noting that the Iraqi security forces have taken control and are performing their mission. The country will stay together, Gates said, even as America withdraws from the nation.
"I think we have real confidence that they can do that," he said, "and I think the best evidence that a sense of Iraqi nationalism has returned is that al-Qaida has made very strong efforts in recent weeks and months to try and provoke a renewal of the sectarian violence between the Sunnis and the Shiias in Iraq through suicide bombers. And what has been interesting and encouraging is that they have failed in that effort."
American leaders, the secretary said, have a high opinion of the Iraqi army and police. The commander of U.S. forces in Iraq, Army Gen. Raymond T. Odierno, says the Iraqi security forces have developed better and faster than he anticipated, Gates added.
"I think that's why you have not seen renewed sectarian violence, and that's why we are comfortable with the arrangements in which we have withdrawn from cities and in which we will withdraw all our combat troops by the end of August next year," he said.
Gates categorically said the United States will have all troops out of Iraq by the end of 2011. "That is the agreement that we have with the Iraqi government," he said. "All U.S. forces. No bases. No forces."
American Forces Press Service
Sept. 8, 2009 - The situation in Pakistan and the way ahead in Iraq were among the issues Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates spoke about with the Arabic television network Al-Jazeera in an interview being broadcast this week. The network's Washington bureau chief, Abderrahim Foukara, spoke with the secretary Sept. 4.
Gates traced the growth of the insurgency in Afghanistan to a lessening of pressure on al-Qaida and the Taliban across the border in Pakistan.
"Frankly, when agreements were reached on the Pakistani side of the border, it essentially relieved the pressure from the Pakistan side on the Taliban, who were then in Pakistan," Gates said. "So we have seen a steady increase in violence that really began late in 2005 and early 2006, and the Taliban have gotten better and better over that time."
And other extremist groups – such as the Hakkani network and Gulbuddin Hekmatyar's group – have rushed to embrace the Taliban. Gates called these alliances of convenience, but acknowledged they still are effective. "It is now perhaps a more complex situation [in Afghanistan and Pakistan] than it was in 2002," he said.
Part of that, he said, resulted from earlier mistakes. "We did not provide the resources in Afghanistan early enough to stem this change in the situation in 2005 and 2006," Gates said, noting that the war in Iraq made it difficult to do so. "We didn't have the resources to move in reinforcements, if you will, as the situation in Afghanistan began to deteriorate," he said.
Getting Pakistan on board with the strategy in the region is important for the United States, Gates said, calling trust and commitment the keys to that aim.
Pakistan is important in its own right to the United States, Gates said, but it also is important in terms of violent extremists who cross back and forth across the Pakistani-Afghan border and put both governments at risk.
The United States cannot duplicate its policy – or lack of one – that existed after the Soviets left Afghanistan in 1989, Gates said. "As soon as the Soviets left Afghanistan, we turned our backs on Afghanistan and we did not cultivate our relationship with the Pakistanis properly," he said.
"And so, I think we gave rise to doubts in the region about whether we are prepared to stay there and be their partner on a continuous basis," he said. "And I believe we've learned our lesson, and that both Afghanistan and Pakistan can count on us for the long term."
The secretary generally was upbeat on the future of Iraq, noting that the Iraqi security forces have taken control and are performing their mission. The country will stay together, Gates said, even as America withdraws from the nation.
"I think we have real confidence that they can do that," he said, "and I think the best evidence that a sense of Iraqi nationalism has returned is that al-Qaida has made very strong efforts in recent weeks and months to try and provoke a renewal of the sectarian violence between the Sunnis and the Shiias in Iraq through suicide bombers. And what has been interesting and encouraging is that they have failed in that effort."
American leaders, the secretary said, have a high opinion of the Iraqi army and police. The commander of U.S. forces in Iraq, Army Gen. Raymond T. Odierno, says the Iraqi security forces have developed better and faster than he anticipated, Gates added.
"I think that's why you have not seen renewed sectarian violence, and that's why we are comfortable with the arrangements in which we have withdrawn from cities and in which we will withdraw all our combat troops by the end of August next year," he said.
Gates categorically said the United States will have all troops out of Iraq by the end of 2011. "That is the agreement that we have with the Iraqi government," he said. "All U.S. forces. No bases. No forces."
Monday, September 07, 2009
Army Casualty
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
Sgt. Randy M. Haney, 27, of Orlando, Fla., died Sept. 6 in Nangarhar, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit using small arms and rocket-propelled grenade fires. He was assigned to the 2nd Special Troops Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.
For more information, media may contact the Fort Carson public affairs office at (719) 526-7525; after hours (719) 526-5500.
Sgt. Randy M. Haney, 27, of Orlando, Fla., died Sept. 6 in Nangarhar, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit using small arms and rocket-propelled grenade fires. He was assigned to the 2nd Special Troops Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.
For more information, media may contact the Fort Carson public affairs office at (719) 526-7525; after hours (719) 526-5500.
Sunday, September 06, 2009
The Good Fight in Mosul
First ever professional International Sport Combat Federation sanctioned Mixed Martial Arts fight at FOB Marez. Scenes include Soldiers competing against each other, contractors and pro fighter competing.
2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade
Package about Marines assuming control of battlespace in Helmand province, Afghanistan despite harsh environmental conditions. Produced by Marine Cpl. Aaron Rooks.
2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade
Brig. Gen. Lawrence D. Nicholson (US), Commanding Gen. Marine Expeditionary Brigade-Afghanistan Talks to a military reporter in Afghanistan about mobilizing thousands of Marines into Taliban territory in one night, the Afghanistan elections, the success of his mission, dealing with local communities, the challenges posed by harsh environmental conditions and how Marines are making a difference in Afghanistan.
Army Casualty
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
2nd Lt. Darryn D. Andrews, 34, of Dallas, Texas, died Sept. 4 in Paktia province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his vehicle with an improvised explosive device and a rocket-propelled grenade. He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, Fort Richardson, Alaska.
For more information, media may contact the U.S. Army, Alaska, public affairs office at (907) 384-2072.
2nd Lt. Darryn D. Andrews, 34, of Dallas, Texas, died Sept. 4 in Paktia province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his vehicle with an improvised explosive device and a rocket-propelled grenade. He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, Fort Richardson, Alaska.
For more information, media may contact the U.S. Army, Alaska, public affairs office at (907) 384-2072.
Marine Casualty
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
Lance Cpl. Christopher S. Baltazar Jr., 19, of San Antonio, Texas, died Sept. 3 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.
For additional background information on this Marine, news media representatives may contact the II Marine Expeditionary Force public affairs office at (910) 545-5718.
Lance Cpl. Christopher S. Baltazar Jr., 19, of San Antonio, Texas, died Sept. 3 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.
For additional background information on this Marine, news media representatives may contact the II Marine Expeditionary Force public affairs office at (910) 545-5718.
Friday, September 04, 2009
Navy Casualty
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a sailor who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
Petty Officer 3rd Class Benjamin P. Castiglione, 21, of Howell, Mich., died Sept. 3 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to the 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Battalion.
For further information related to this release, contact II Marine Expeditionary Force Public Affairs at (910) 545-5718.
Petty Officer 3rd Class Benjamin P. Castiglione, 21, of Howell, Mich., died Sept. 3 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to the 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Battalion.
For further information related to this release, contact II Marine Expeditionary Force Public Affairs at (910) 545-5718.
CBR Weapons and WMD Terrorism News, September 4, 2009
Keeping genes out of terrorists' hands
"Two competing groups of companies are now proposing different sets of screening standards, and the results could be crucial for global biosecurity. […] Two of the leading companies - DNA2.0 of Menlo Park, California, and Geneart of Regensburg, Germany - announced that they had formulated a code of conduct. […] Both codes involve an automated step, in which the genes in a customer's order are compared against those from organisms on lists such as the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's 'select agents' list. This step uses computer programs such as the US National Center for Biotechnology Information's Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST), which searches for similarities between gene sequences. But although the IASB [International Association of Synthetic Biology, based in Heidelberg, Germany] standard specifies that a human expert will follow up on possible 'hits' identified in the automated screening step, the DNA2.0/Geneart code ends with the automated screening step. The two firms are now merging their databases of genes of concern. This worries some observers, because it is difficult to translate the list of select-agent organisms into lists of dangerous genes […] No one believes that such lists will catch every dangerous gene. […] 'The proposal from DNA2.0 and Geneart is a kind of lowest-common-denominator idea,' [Markus] Fischer [a member of the IASB board and a managing director of Entelechon of Regensburg] says. 'Simply taking a list of genes, performing a BLAST against them and taking a sort of threshold cut-off and saying everything below that cut-off is not of interest to us is frankly a little bit naive and dangerous.' Claes Gustafsson, vice-president of sales and marketing for DNA2.0, counters that human screening is also not perfect. 'There's no way to standardize it,' he explains. And as for the incomplete nature of databases of select-agent genes, 'we're just going to deal with the stuff that we know something about,' he says. 'How do you deal with the unknown? It's outside the scope of science.' […] [Lawyer Stephen] Maurer [of the University of California, Berkeley, who is studying how the industry is developing responsible practices] says he hopes that government officials in the United States, the country most concerned about biosecurity, will step in and communicate with industry about its preferred standard."
(Nature News; 31Aug09; Erika Check Hayden) http://www.nature.com/news/2009/090831/full/461022a.html
Preparedness test disburses medicine [Honolulu, HI]
"All neighbor islands have received a stockpile of antiviral medicine that will be more than doubled next month in the second phase of an emergency response exercise, says Wes McDermott, state bioterrorism preparedness response chief. Shipments of simulated medicine were distributed statewide in the first phase of the state Department of Health exercise yesterday. […] The purpose of the exercise was to demonstrate the state's ability to distribute antiviral medicine and medical supplies during a disaster or emergency. Supplies were distributed to more than 40 locations statewide in about seven hours, starting at 7 a.m., said McDermott, incident commander for the exercise. 'We consider that a great success.' […] The state's current stockpile of about 210,000 courses of antivirals (each course is a week of treatments) includes about 40,000 courses received from the Strategic National Stockpile. […] An additional 120,000 courses allocated to Hawaii is held by the national stockpile. […] States must ensure they can transport and deliver the medications statewide in event of a pandemic, bioterrorism terrorism attack or natural disaster. […] In the second phase of the exercise, McDermott said, 'We will distribute actual medicines to hospitals and health centers and they'll be exercising secondary distribution to satellite clinics and individual clinicians.'"
(Star Bulletin, HI; 03Sep09; Helen Altonn) http://www.starbulletin.com/news/20090903_preparedness_test_disburses_medicine.html
[Albert] Einstein [College of Medicine] scientists move closer to a safer anthrax vaccine [NY]
"Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have identified two small protein fragments that could be developed into an anthrax vaccine that may cause fewer side effects than the current vaccine. […] The current anthrax vaccine is intended mainly for members of the armed forces serving in areas considered high risk and for individuals involved in homeland biosecurity. 'Our research was motivated by the fact that the current anthrax vaccine has significant limitations and there is great need for a better one,' says lead author Nareen Abboud, Ph.D., an Einstein postdoctoral fellow and lead author of the study, which appears in the current issue of The Journal of Biological Chemistry. [… The] 40-year-old vaccine can prevent disease [… but] immunity is temporary, and five injections over the course of 18 months are needed to sustain it. One in five vaccine recipients develop redness, swelling or pain at the injection site, and a small number develop severe allergic reactions. […] In their study, the Einstein scientists focused on the protein toxin used in the current vaccine, looking for the smallest protein sections (known as peptides) that could trigger the production of protective antibodies when injected into animals. […] The researchers looked for peptides that were 'recognized by' (became bound to) an antibody - an indication that those particular peptides might themselves be able to stimulate the production of protective antibodies on their own. […] The researchers found that two of 145 peptides fit the bill: each peptide elicited antibodies when injected into mice, and these antibodies protected macrophages from death that would normally have occurred when the macrophages were exposed to anthrax toxin. […] The next step in the Einstein research will be to inject the peptides into an animal model to see if the peptides can protect against anthrax infection. 'An ideal anthrax vaccine contains only the proteins needed to provide protection against disease, and none of the extraneous protein material that triggers the adverse reactions caused by the current vaccine,' says Dr. Abboud." (E Science News; 04Sep09) http://esciencenews.com/articles/2009/09/04/einstein.scientists.move.closer.a.safer.anthrax.vaccine
Researchers develop method that aims to stabilize antibodies
"Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory have developed a systematic method to improve the stability of antibodies. The technique could lead to better biosensors, disease therapeutics and diagnostic reagents and non-laboratory applications, including environmental remediation. […] Argonne senior biophysicist Fred Stevens, the project's principle investigator, [said …] 'stabilized antibodies, with full functionality, could be used in diagnostic and detection kits that can survive in less than optimal environments and be stockpiled for years at a time.' […] 'They could be used to combat diseases like cancer. They can also be used as the basis for biosensors that can continuously detect for pathogens like botulism [toxin], ricin and anthrax [bacteria] in places such as airports and subway stations - locations where it is not currently possible to provide ongoing detection of pathogens because antibodies cannot tolerate the environmental conditions.' […] 'Our work at this detailed level has taught us that antibody stabilization was possible, but we needed to find out if antibodies could be stabilized without compromising their function and do so with moderate experimental investment,' Stevens said. Recent work suggests these goals are potentially achievable." (Red Orbit; 03Sep09) http://www.redorbit.com/news/health/1748112/researchers_develop_method_that_aims_to_stabilize_antibodies/
OKC [Oklahoma City] foundation gets $14.5M research grant [OK]
"The Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation will receive $14.5 million over the next five years to fund research into how anthrax [spores] affects humans. The grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases is one of the largest grants in the history of the Oklahoma City-based research foundation. It will finance a team of seven scientists who will spend the next five years exploring natural immune response to Bacillus anthracis. […] Principal investigator Mark Coggeshall says humans can inhale the tiny anthrax spores, but what happens after the spores enter the body remains a mystery." (Associated Press; 04Sep09) http://www.pennlive.com/newsflash/index.ssf?/base/national-56/1252071756206570.xml&storylist=health
NMI [Northern Mariana Islands] is first in Western Pacific to have mobile hospital
"The CNMI [Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands] became the first in the Pacific region to own a Mobile Field Hospital with a capacity of 50 beds that would be primarily used in the event of a major natural or man-made disaster. The federally funded mobile hospital is a pneumatic isolation shelter system that has all the main features of a real hospital such as emergency room, laboratory, clean water supply, wastewater storage, isolation room, etc. This could be set up in a few minutes, is transportable, spacious and could be set up anywhere for an extended time. It is self-sustaining with its own power source, air conditioning unit, water and plumbing system, and negative pressure capabilities. Instructors from the U.S. mainland will be arriving next week to conduct a training on how to use the mobile hospital […] The training will be held at the parking lot of the Commonwealth Health Center on Sept. 11-12. […] Acting Public Health Secretary Pete Untalan said […] this is part of efforts to improve the delivery of health care services in the CNMI. He said this project is a collaboration effort between DPH and partner agencies like the Saipan Mayor's Office, Department of Public Safety, Commonwealth Utilities Corp. and others. Warren Villagomez of the Bioterrorism/Pandemic Flu Preparedness Office said there is one mobile hospital in Hawaii but it is owned by the international airport there." (Saipan Tribune; 04Sep09; Nazario Rodriguez Jr.)
http://www.saipantribune.com/newsstory.aspx?cat=1&newsID=93291
Five killed as police face syringe protesters in Chinese city [of Urumqi]
"The deaths and injuries were in the city of Urumqi, said Zhang Hong, the city's deputy mayor. Demonstrators have clashed with police in Urumqi for two days amid a strange string of syringe stabbings. Some Han Chinese demonstrators have taken to the streets to demand better police protection and a crackdown on ethnic Uyghurs, who are blamed for the attacks. Police fired tear gas on demonstrators Friday, a CNN affiliate reported. Armed security forces faced down protesters in front of Chinese Communist Party offices and later in a public square, according to Hong Kong-based i-CABLE. […] 'Hospitals in Urumqi are treating 531 victims of hypodermic needle attacks,' the state-run news agency said Friday, citing local police. 'Statistics from the city's 24 hospitals say 106 of the 531 were showing obvious signs of needle attacks. The victims include members of ethnic groups such as Han, Uygurand Kazakstan.' There have been no reports of deaths from the stabbings. Authorities have detained 21 suspects, 'of whom six are in custody and four have been arrested for criminal prosecution, said the regional information office in a mobile phone text message to the public Thursday,' Xinhua reported. […] Fears were likely heightened by the fact that Xinjiang has the highest rates of HIV infection in China, attributed to intravenous drug use. Rumors have abounded there of people trying to spread AIDS [virus]. […] The Uyghur American Association issued a statement late Thursday urging the Chinese government to improve public safety." (CNN; 04Sep09) http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/09/04/china.urumqi.unrest/index.html
State wants more monitoring of mustard agent [at Pueblo Chemical Weapons Depot, CO]
"Colorado health officials say the Pueblo Chemical Weapons Depot near Pueblo isn't doing enough to ensure the safety of its workers, the environment or people living near where thousands of tons of deadly mustard agent are stored. Documents filed in a lawsuit pending in U.S. District Court want the Army depot to increase the frequency and sensitivity of air monitoring at the facility. Officials at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment are concerned about unplanned releases of mustard agent from artillery shells stored in 94 structures at the site about 100 miles south of Denver. Depot spokesman Chuck Sprague says the depot's operations are safe. 'We're trying to do everything we can to take care of our regulatory requirements. However, we do disagree with the state having problems with our monitoring operations,' Sprague said. 'The safety of our work force, the environment and the nearby communities is our highest priority.'" (Durango Herald; 04Sep09; P. Solomon Banda, AP)
http://durangoherald.com/sections/News/2009/09/04/State_wants_more_monitoring_of_mustard_agent/
$5.5M contract expected to benefit CS [College Station] corporation [CO]
"Officials of a College Station corporation say they anticipate receiving more business because one of its major subsidiaries recently signed a $5.5 million-plus contract. O.I. [Opportunity through Innovation] Corp. […] develops and sells technology used to detect chemical agents in solids, liquids and gases. A wholly owned subsidiary, CMS [Continuous Monitoring Systems] Field Products, will provide a chemical agent-monitoring system to Bechtel National Inc., which is under contract with the U.S. Army. The equipment will be installed at the Pueblo Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant in Pueblo, Colo., where stockpiles of chemical weapons will be destroyed, company officials said. 'They're very sensitive and monitor the air in the plant where they are processing these old stockpiles of agents,' said Don Segers, president and chief operating officer of O.I. Corp. The monitoring equipment provided by CMS will detect the release of unexpected chemical agents and warn facility workers if there is danger. […] The contract took effect at the end of August, and CMS will begin delivering partial shipments immediately and continue to do so for the next 18 months." (The Eagle; 03Sep09; Maggie Kiely) http://www.theeagle.com/business/-5-5M-contract-expected-to-benefit-CS-corporation
OPCW Director-General [Ambassador Rogelio Pfirter] visits Mexico
"On 1 September 2009 the OPCW Director-General, Ambassador Rogelio Pfirter, paid an official visit to Mexico City where he addressed the opening session of the Tenth Regional Meeting of OPCW National Authorities in Latin America and the Caribbean. During his visit Director-General Pfirter […] commended Mexico for its unwavering commitment to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) and work [for] the OPCW, and provided the Deputy Foreign Minister an overview on the implementation of the Convention. Ambassador Gomez-Robledo reaffirmed Mexico's strong commitment to the objectives of the CWC and expressed his Government's firm support for the work of the OPCW in implementing the global chemical weapons ban. In his address to the Tenth Regional Meeting, the Director-General […] stressed that the next challenge will be to ensure that all OPCW Member States in the region appoint a National Authority, submit their initial declarations to the Technical Secretariat, and put into place the legislative and administrative measures to implement the CWC at national level." (OPCW; 03Sep09)
http://www.opcw.org/news/news/article/opcw-director-general-visits-mexico-1/
Radiological counterterrorism exercise held at Baylor College of Medicine [Houston, TX]
"The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) held a table-top counterterrorism exercise today at Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) in Houston, Texas. Federal, state and local officials examined security alarm response and crisis and consequence management capabilities in the event of a terrorist incident involving the kind of medical radiological materials that Baylor regularly uses. […] Known as Space City Thunder, today's exercise is one of many events routinely held at NNSA, U.S. Department of Energy, Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), Agreement State and other government and civilian sites throughout the country to help evaluate security and emergency response. […] The exercise was the capstone of NNSA's Global Threat Reduction Initiative (GTRI) project to provide voluntary security enhancements to the nation's civilian radiological sites. […] The NNSA installs these voluntary security upgrades at civilian sites in the United States to reduce the potential for theft or misuse of radiological materials that could be used in a dirty bomb. […] Silent Thunder scenarios typically feature both a crisis management phase to emphasize primarily law enforcement actions to detect, deter, and prevent a terrorist WMD incident from occurring as well as a consequence management phase that emphasizes local, state, and federal emergency managers and first responders efforts to respond to, mitigate and recover from the effects of a terrorist WMD incident. The program is designed to build teamwork and an in-depth understanding of specific responsibilities in a terrorist-WMD event." (National Nuclear Security Administration; 03Sep09) http://nnsa.energy.gov/news/2514.htm
Hizbullah holding chemical weapons
"Iran is providing the Lebanese based Hizbullah with weapons, and protective gear against chemical and biological weapons, a new report says. Kuwaiti daily A-Siyassa cited European intelligence briefings that were dispatched to European capitals and officials at NATO last weekend. According to the briefings, Iran has sent the Shia Hizbullah air lifts via airports in Syria which contain new types of weapons, thousands of gas masks to protect against chemical and biological weapons, and an alert system against weapons of mass destruction (WMD). Israel is concerned about Hizbullah boosting its weapons arsenal and the prospect of its northern neighbor acquiring chemical weapons is alarming. However, Dr. Mordechai Kedar from the Begin Sadat Center for Strategic Studies said he did not believe Hizbullah would take any risks with chemical weapons. […] Kedar told The Media Line, 'I can't see [Hizbullah] using chemical weapons against Israel because that will be the end of them. Their objective is to create a state, not to eradicate Israel, so the war against Israel is merely a means, not an aim in itself.' […] Israel says Hizbullah is violating the resolution by bringing weapons into South Lebanon through the Syrian-Lebanese border, and threatening the stability of the region. […] A spokesman for UNIFIL [United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon] told The Media Line at the time that there had been no serious violations of Resolution 1701." (All Headline News; 03Sep09) http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7016294613?Report:%20Hizbullah%20Holding%20Chemical%20Weapons
PFD [Princeton Fire Department] trains to tackle terrorism [NJ]
"There were no walking wounded or weapons of mass destruction in the city Wednesday, but Princeton Fire Department personnel stood ready to respond in the event of a hazardous materials emergency. Armed with three different levels of response options, the city's firefighters spent a 12-hour shift refreshing their skills in setting up decontamination sites, preparing for large-scale biological attacks or chemical spills, all just in case of an emergency. PFD Lt. Sean Wyatt served as the instructor for the HazMat and WMD training that will ultimately offer each and every firefighter 24 hours of continuing education and prepare them as HazMat technicians. […] 'This course prepares all the participants for a terrorist event. Although the chances of a large-scale, national incident happening here are slim to none, there's always a possibility of a local event that would require this scale of response,' Wyatt said. 'This will make sure that all of our first responders have planned for and actually know what to do in a terrorist event, even if it's caused by one of our local folks just looking for notoriety.' […] PFD personnel started their training Wednesday. […] Wyatt said his team trained 12 full hours this week and will go again next Wednesday. Then, on Sept. 11-13, volunteer fire departments will go through the same training. […] Wyatt said educating everyone on how to handle large-scale situations should leave the entire county ready to respond." (Princeton Times; 04Sep09; Tammie Toler)
http://www.bdtonline.com/princeton/local_story_247120509.html
Warwick SWAT [Special Weapons And Tactics] team shines at the challenge [CT]
"Everything from domestic disputes to weapons of mass destruction has to be anticipated by the Warwick SWAT and they showed their mettle last week in a SWAT competition in East Hartford. 'Being this close to the Airport, we're the first to come to a crisis there,' said Lt. Thomas Hannon, the chief of the Traffic Division and this year's team captain at the Swat Challenge [the Summer Olympics of special weapons and tactical teams] held in East Hartford Connecticut last week. […] Since 9/11, SWAT members have been training in the handling of weapons of mass destruction and counter-measures for biological and chemical weapons are expected. 'We have developed procedures for school bus and airport hostage situations,'said Mathiesen, who says that 9/11 and other crises made police departments everywhere realize that they are the Home Front for Homeland Security." (Warwick Beacon; 02Sep09; Joe Kernan) http://www.warwickonline.com/pages/full_story/push?article-Warwick+SWAT+team+shines+at+the+Challenge%20&id=3518065&instance=home_news_right
Disaster training goes mobile with $200,000 ICS [Incident Command Simulator] unit
"Life-and-death decisions were made with the toggle of a joystick and the click of a mouse all from inside the highly controlled, safe and air-conditioned environment of Rio Hondo College's new Mobile Incident Command Simulator. A ceremony attended by Rep. Grace Napolitano, D-Santa Fe Springs, Whittier Police Chief David Singer and Santa Fe Springs Department of Fire-Rescue Chief Alex Rodriguez introduced the $200,000 ICS on Thursday at Rio Hondo's new Administration of Justice Complex. According to Rio Hondo Dean of Public Safety Joe Santoro, the ICS is capable of simulating disasters such as earthquakes, fires, chemical spills and terrorist attacks and is designed to simultaneously teach multiple first-responders how to coordinate the management of such incidents. 'The intent is to practice here,' Santoro said. 'As opposed to a full-blown simulation out on the street.' Explaining the benefits of the system, Singer said, 'Having full-scale exercises is very costly. Here you can make mistakes and learn from them.' The Chevrolet, which looks like a large RV, is equipped with a flat-screen TV and six laptop stations. Each is capable of displaying a detailed visual representation of a predetermined environment. […] The ICS will be used to train Rio Hondo police cadets as well as federal, state, municipal and civil authorities acting as first-responders to any given disaster." (San Gabriel Valley Tribune; 03Sep09; Brandon Ferguson) http://www.sgvtribune.com/news/ci_13266500
Judge [Paul M. Peatross Jr.] sets bond for man [Mark Ryland Dowdy] accused in powder scare [Charlottesville, VA]
"An Albemarle County judge has set a $5,000 bond for a Gordonsville man whose trial was halted during his opening statement. Circuit Judge Paul M. Peatross Jr. granted the surety bond for Mark Ryland Dowdy after a hearing Tuesday in Albemarle Circuit Court. […] Dowdy, 37, went to trial in June on five counts of possession of a hoax device, charges filed in connection with the planting of signs with a suspicious powder on them at the corner of Klockner and Gordonsville roads last year. […] Jon R. Zug, assistant commonwealth's attorney, said in court that a competency review of Dowdy shows that he suffers from paranoid personality disorder. […] The evaluation doesn't say that Dowdy is incompetent to stand trial. […] Conditions of Dowdy's bond prohibit him from getting within 500 yards of Klockner Pentaplast, talking to the company's general counsel and certain employees and posting signs on any property that Dowdy doesn't lease or own. […] A judge will rule on Dowdy's competency to stand trial Oct. 7. His one-day jury trial has been scheduled for Jan. 26." (Daily Progress; 02Sep09; Tasha Kates) http://www2.dailyprogress.com/cdp/news/local/article/judge_sets_bond_for_man_accused_in_powder_scare/44809/
Suspicious package at California University prompts anthrax scare [Pomona, CA]
"Authorities in California were investigating a possible anthrax [spore] attack Thursday after a suspicious package opened at a college left one student and 30 other people quarantined. A 'possible anthrax [spores] in an envelope' call was reported Thursday afternoon to the Student Services office at Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona, about 60 kilometers east of Los Angeles, according to an inspector of the Los Angeles County Fire Department. 'One student was exposed but is showing no symptoms at this time,' said Mathew Levesque. 'And 30 other people have been quarantined to defend them from an exposure.' Levesque said hazardous materials teams from the Los Angeles County Fire Department and Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, along with FBI agents were on the scene inspecting a sample of the yellow powder found in an envelope. No information on a possible motive for the suspicious delivery was available, according to the official." (People's Daily Online; 04Sep09) http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90777/90852/6748509.html
"Two competing groups of companies are now proposing different sets of screening standards, and the results could be crucial for global biosecurity. […] Two of the leading companies - DNA2.0 of Menlo Park, California, and Geneart of Regensburg, Germany - announced that they had formulated a code of conduct. […] Both codes involve an automated step, in which the genes in a customer's order are compared against those from organisms on lists such as the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's 'select agents' list. This step uses computer programs such as the US National Center for Biotechnology Information's Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST), which searches for similarities between gene sequences. But although the IASB [International Association of Synthetic Biology, based in Heidelberg, Germany] standard specifies that a human expert will follow up on possible 'hits' identified in the automated screening step, the DNA2.0/Geneart code ends with the automated screening step. The two firms are now merging their databases of genes of concern. This worries some observers, because it is difficult to translate the list of select-agent organisms into lists of dangerous genes […] No one believes that such lists will catch every dangerous gene. […] 'The proposal from DNA2.0 and Geneart is a kind of lowest-common-denominator idea,' [Markus] Fischer [a member of the IASB board and a managing director of Entelechon of Regensburg] says. 'Simply taking a list of genes, performing a BLAST against them and taking a sort of threshold cut-off and saying everything below that cut-off is not of interest to us is frankly a little bit naive and dangerous.' Claes Gustafsson, vice-president of sales and marketing for DNA2.0, counters that human screening is also not perfect. 'There's no way to standardize it,' he explains. And as for the incomplete nature of databases of select-agent genes, 'we're just going to deal with the stuff that we know something about,' he says. 'How do you deal with the unknown? It's outside the scope of science.' […] [Lawyer Stephen] Maurer [of the University of California, Berkeley, who is studying how the industry is developing responsible practices] says he hopes that government officials in the United States, the country most concerned about biosecurity, will step in and communicate with industry about its preferred standard."
(Nature News; 31Aug09; Erika Check Hayden) http://www.nature.com/news/2009/090831/full/461022a.html
Preparedness test disburses medicine [Honolulu, HI]
"All neighbor islands have received a stockpile of antiviral medicine that will be more than doubled next month in the second phase of an emergency response exercise, says Wes McDermott, state bioterrorism preparedness response chief. Shipments of simulated medicine were distributed statewide in the first phase of the state Department of Health exercise yesterday. […] The purpose of the exercise was to demonstrate the state's ability to distribute antiviral medicine and medical supplies during a disaster or emergency. Supplies were distributed to more than 40 locations statewide in about seven hours, starting at 7 a.m., said McDermott, incident commander for the exercise. 'We consider that a great success.' […] The state's current stockpile of about 210,000 courses of antivirals (each course is a week of treatments) includes about 40,000 courses received from the Strategic National Stockpile. […] An additional 120,000 courses allocated to Hawaii is held by the national stockpile. […] States must ensure they can transport and deliver the medications statewide in event of a pandemic, bioterrorism terrorism attack or natural disaster. […] In the second phase of the exercise, McDermott said, 'We will distribute actual medicines to hospitals and health centers and they'll be exercising secondary distribution to satellite clinics and individual clinicians.'"
(Star Bulletin, HI; 03Sep09; Helen Altonn) http://www.starbulletin.com/news/20090903_preparedness_test_disburses_medicine.html
[Albert] Einstein [College of Medicine] scientists move closer to a safer anthrax vaccine [NY]
"Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have identified two small protein fragments that could be developed into an anthrax vaccine that may cause fewer side effects than the current vaccine. […] The current anthrax vaccine is intended mainly for members of the armed forces serving in areas considered high risk and for individuals involved in homeland biosecurity. 'Our research was motivated by the fact that the current anthrax vaccine has significant limitations and there is great need for a better one,' says lead author Nareen Abboud, Ph.D., an Einstein postdoctoral fellow and lead author of the study, which appears in the current issue of The Journal of Biological Chemistry. [… The] 40-year-old vaccine can prevent disease [… but] immunity is temporary, and five injections over the course of 18 months are needed to sustain it. One in five vaccine recipients develop redness, swelling or pain at the injection site, and a small number develop severe allergic reactions. […] In their study, the Einstein scientists focused on the protein toxin used in the current vaccine, looking for the smallest protein sections (known as peptides) that could trigger the production of protective antibodies when injected into animals. […] The researchers looked for peptides that were 'recognized by' (became bound to) an antibody - an indication that those particular peptides might themselves be able to stimulate the production of protective antibodies on their own. […] The researchers found that two of 145 peptides fit the bill: each peptide elicited antibodies when injected into mice, and these antibodies protected macrophages from death that would normally have occurred when the macrophages were exposed to anthrax toxin. […] The next step in the Einstein research will be to inject the peptides into an animal model to see if the peptides can protect against anthrax infection. 'An ideal anthrax vaccine contains only the proteins needed to provide protection against disease, and none of the extraneous protein material that triggers the adverse reactions caused by the current vaccine,' says Dr. Abboud." (E Science News; 04Sep09) http://esciencenews.com/articles/2009/09/04/einstein.scientists.move.closer.a.safer.anthrax.vaccine
Researchers develop method that aims to stabilize antibodies
"Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory have developed a systematic method to improve the stability of antibodies. The technique could lead to better biosensors, disease therapeutics and diagnostic reagents and non-laboratory applications, including environmental remediation. […] Argonne senior biophysicist Fred Stevens, the project's principle investigator, [said …] 'stabilized antibodies, with full functionality, could be used in diagnostic and detection kits that can survive in less than optimal environments and be stockpiled for years at a time.' […] 'They could be used to combat diseases like cancer. They can also be used as the basis for biosensors that can continuously detect for pathogens like botulism [toxin], ricin and anthrax [bacteria] in places such as airports and subway stations - locations where it is not currently possible to provide ongoing detection of pathogens because antibodies cannot tolerate the environmental conditions.' […] 'Our work at this detailed level has taught us that antibody stabilization was possible, but we needed to find out if antibodies could be stabilized without compromising their function and do so with moderate experimental investment,' Stevens said. Recent work suggests these goals are potentially achievable." (Red Orbit; 03Sep09) http://www.redorbit.com/news/health/1748112/researchers_develop_method_that_aims_to_stabilize_antibodies/
OKC [Oklahoma City] foundation gets $14.5M research grant [OK]
"The Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation will receive $14.5 million over the next five years to fund research into how anthrax [spores] affects humans. The grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases is one of the largest grants in the history of the Oklahoma City-based research foundation. It will finance a team of seven scientists who will spend the next five years exploring natural immune response to Bacillus anthracis. […] Principal investigator Mark Coggeshall says humans can inhale the tiny anthrax spores, but what happens after the spores enter the body remains a mystery." (Associated Press; 04Sep09) http://www.pennlive.com/newsflash/index.ssf?/base/national-56/1252071756206570.xml&storylist=health
NMI [Northern Mariana Islands] is first in Western Pacific to have mobile hospital
"The CNMI [Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands] became the first in the Pacific region to own a Mobile Field Hospital with a capacity of 50 beds that would be primarily used in the event of a major natural or man-made disaster. The federally funded mobile hospital is a pneumatic isolation shelter system that has all the main features of a real hospital such as emergency room, laboratory, clean water supply, wastewater storage, isolation room, etc. This could be set up in a few minutes, is transportable, spacious and could be set up anywhere for an extended time. It is self-sustaining with its own power source, air conditioning unit, water and plumbing system, and negative pressure capabilities. Instructors from the U.S. mainland will be arriving next week to conduct a training on how to use the mobile hospital […] The training will be held at the parking lot of the Commonwealth Health Center on Sept. 11-12. […] Acting Public Health Secretary Pete Untalan said […] this is part of efforts to improve the delivery of health care services in the CNMI. He said this project is a collaboration effort between DPH and partner agencies like the Saipan Mayor's Office, Department of Public Safety, Commonwealth Utilities Corp. and others. Warren Villagomez of the Bioterrorism/Pandemic Flu Preparedness Office said there is one mobile hospital in Hawaii but it is owned by the international airport there." (Saipan Tribune; 04Sep09; Nazario Rodriguez Jr.)
http://www.saipantribune.com/newsstory.aspx?cat=1&newsID=93291
Five killed as police face syringe protesters in Chinese city [of Urumqi]
"The deaths and injuries were in the city of Urumqi, said Zhang Hong, the city's deputy mayor. Demonstrators have clashed with police in Urumqi for two days amid a strange string of syringe stabbings. Some Han Chinese demonstrators have taken to the streets to demand better police protection and a crackdown on ethnic Uyghurs, who are blamed for the attacks. Police fired tear gas on demonstrators Friday, a CNN affiliate reported. Armed security forces faced down protesters in front of Chinese Communist Party offices and later in a public square, according to Hong Kong-based i-CABLE. […] 'Hospitals in Urumqi are treating 531 victims of hypodermic needle attacks,' the state-run news agency said Friday, citing local police. 'Statistics from the city's 24 hospitals say 106 of the 531 were showing obvious signs of needle attacks. The victims include members of ethnic groups such as Han, Uygurand Kazakstan.' There have been no reports of deaths from the stabbings. Authorities have detained 21 suspects, 'of whom six are in custody and four have been arrested for criminal prosecution, said the regional information office in a mobile phone text message to the public Thursday,' Xinhua reported. […] Fears were likely heightened by the fact that Xinjiang has the highest rates of HIV infection in China, attributed to intravenous drug use. Rumors have abounded there of people trying to spread AIDS [virus]. […] The Uyghur American Association issued a statement late Thursday urging the Chinese government to improve public safety." (CNN; 04Sep09) http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/09/04/china.urumqi.unrest/index.html
State wants more monitoring of mustard agent [at Pueblo Chemical Weapons Depot, CO]
"Colorado health officials say the Pueblo Chemical Weapons Depot near Pueblo isn't doing enough to ensure the safety of its workers, the environment or people living near where thousands of tons of deadly mustard agent are stored. Documents filed in a lawsuit pending in U.S. District Court want the Army depot to increase the frequency and sensitivity of air monitoring at the facility. Officials at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment are concerned about unplanned releases of mustard agent from artillery shells stored in 94 structures at the site about 100 miles south of Denver. Depot spokesman Chuck Sprague says the depot's operations are safe. 'We're trying to do everything we can to take care of our regulatory requirements. However, we do disagree with the state having problems with our monitoring operations,' Sprague said. 'The safety of our work force, the environment and the nearby communities is our highest priority.'" (Durango Herald; 04Sep09; P. Solomon Banda, AP)
http://durangoherald.com/sections/News/2009/09/04/State_wants_more_monitoring_of_mustard_agent/
$5.5M contract expected to benefit CS [College Station] corporation [CO]
"Officials of a College Station corporation say they anticipate receiving more business because one of its major subsidiaries recently signed a $5.5 million-plus contract. O.I. [Opportunity through Innovation] Corp. […] develops and sells technology used to detect chemical agents in solids, liquids and gases. A wholly owned subsidiary, CMS [Continuous Monitoring Systems] Field Products, will provide a chemical agent-monitoring system to Bechtel National Inc., which is under contract with the U.S. Army. The equipment will be installed at the Pueblo Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant in Pueblo, Colo., where stockpiles of chemical weapons will be destroyed, company officials said. 'They're very sensitive and monitor the air in the plant where they are processing these old stockpiles of agents,' said Don Segers, president and chief operating officer of O.I. Corp. The monitoring equipment provided by CMS will detect the release of unexpected chemical agents and warn facility workers if there is danger. […] The contract took effect at the end of August, and CMS will begin delivering partial shipments immediately and continue to do so for the next 18 months." (The Eagle; 03Sep09; Maggie Kiely) http://www.theeagle.com/business/-5-5M-contract-expected-to-benefit-CS-corporation
OPCW Director-General [Ambassador Rogelio Pfirter] visits Mexico
"On 1 September 2009 the OPCW Director-General, Ambassador Rogelio Pfirter, paid an official visit to Mexico City where he addressed the opening session of the Tenth Regional Meeting of OPCW National Authorities in Latin America and the Caribbean. During his visit Director-General Pfirter […] commended Mexico for its unwavering commitment to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) and work [for] the OPCW, and provided the Deputy Foreign Minister an overview on the implementation of the Convention. Ambassador Gomez-Robledo reaffirmed Mexico's strong commitment to the objectives of the CWC and expressed his Government's firm support for the work of the OPCW in implementing the global chemical weapons ban. In his address to the Tenth Regional Meeting, the Director-General […] stressed that the next challenge will be to ensure that all OPCW Member States in the region appoint a National Authority, submit their initial declarations to the Technical Secretariat, and put into place the legislative and administrative measures to implement the CWC at national level." (OPCW; 03Sep09)
http://www.opcw.org/news/news/article/opcw-director-general-visits-mexico-1/
Radiological counterterrorism exercise held at Baylor College of Medicine [Houston, TX]
"The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) held a table-top counterterrorism exercise today at Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) in Houston, Texas. Federal, state and local officials examined security alarm response and crisis and consequence management capabilities in the event of a terrorist incident involving the kind of medical radiological materials that Baylor regularly uses. […] Known as Space City Thunder, today's exercise is one of many events routinely held at NNSA, U.S. Department of Energy, Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), Agreement State and other government and civilian sites throughout the country to help evaluate security and emergency response. […] The exercise was the capstone of NNSA's Global Threat Reduction Initiative (GTRI) project to provide voluntary security enhancements to the nation's civilian radiological sites. […] The NNSA installs these voluntary security upgrades at civilian sites in the United States to reduce the potential for theft or misuse of radiological materials that could be used in a dirty bomb. […] Silent Thunder scenarios typically feature both a crisis management phase to emphasize primarily law enforcement actions to detect, deter, and prevent a terrorist WMD incident from occurring as well as a consequence management phase that emphasizes local, state, and federal emergency managers and first responders efforts to respond to, mitigate and recover from the effects of a terrorist WMD incident. The program is designed to build teamwork and an in-depth understanding of specific responsibilities in a terrorist-WMD event." (National Nuclear Security Administration; 03Sep09) http://nnsa.energy.gov/news/2514.htm
Hizbullah holding chemical weapons
"Iran is providing the Lebanese based Hizbullah with weapons, and protective gear against chemical and biological weapons, a new report says. Kuwaiti daily A-Siyassa cited European intelligence briefings that were dispatched to European capitals and officials at NATO last weekend. According to the briefings, Iran has sent the Shia Hizbullah air lifts via airports in Syria which contain new types of weapons, thousands of gas masks to protect against chemical and biological weapons, and an alert system against weapons of mass destruction (WMD). Israel is concerned about Hizbullah boosting its weapons arsenal and the prospect of its northern neighbor acquiring chemical weapons is alarming. However, Dr. Mordechai Kedar from the Begin Sadat Center for Strategic Studies said he did not believe Hizbullah would take any risks with chemical weapons. […] Kedar told The Media Line, 'I can't see [Hizbullah] using chemical weapons against Israel because that will be the end of them. Their objective is to create a state, not to eradicate Israel, so the war against Israel is merely a means, not an aim in itself.' […] Israel says Hizbullah is violating the resolution by bringing weapons into South Lebanon through the Syrian-Lebanese border, and threatening the stability of the region. […] A spokesman for UNIFIL [United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon] told The Media Line at the time that there had been no serious violations of Resolution 1701." (All Headline News; 03Sep09) http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7016294613?Report:%20Hizbullah%20Holding%20Chemical%20Weapons
PFD [Princeton Fire Department] trains to tackle terrorism [NJ]
"There were no walking wounded or weapons of mass destruction in the city Wednesday, but Princeton Fire Department personnel stood ready to respond in the event of a hazardous materials emergency. Armed with three different levels of response options, the city's firefighters spent a 12-hour shift refreshing their skills in setting up decontamination sites, preparing for large-scale biological attacks or chemical spills, all just in case of an emergency. PFD Lt. Sean Wyatt served as the instructor for the HazMat and WMD training that will ultimately offer each and every firefighter 24 hours of continuing education and prepare them as HazMat technicians. […] 'This course prepares all the participants for a terrorist event. Although the chances of a large-scale, national incident happening here are slim to none, there's always a possibility of a local event that would require this scale of response,' Wyatt said. 'This will make sure that all of our first responders have planned for and actually know what to do in a terrorist event, even if it's caused by one of our local folks just looking for notoriety.' […] PFD personnel started their training Wednesday. […] Wyatt said his team trained 12 full hours this week and will go again next Wednesday. Then, on Sept. 11-13, volunteer fire departments will go through the same training. […] Wyatt said educating everyone on how to handle large-scale situations should leave the entire county ready to respond." (Princeton Times; 04Sep09; Tammie Toler)
http://www.bdtonline.com/princeton/local_story_247120509.html
Warwick SWAT [Special Weapons And Tactics] team shines at the challenge [CT]
"Everything from domestic disputes to weapons of mass destruction has to be anticipated by the Warwick SWAT and they showed their mettle last week in a SWAT competition in East Hartford. 'Being this close to the Airport, we're the first to come to a crisis there,' said Lt. Thomas Hannon, the chief of the Traffic Division and this year's team captain at the Swat Challenge [the Summer Olympics of special weapons and tactical teams] held in East Hartford Connecticut last week. […] Since 9/11, SWAT members have been training in the handling of weapons of mass destruction and counter-measures for biological and chemical weapons are expected. 'We have developed procedures for school bus and airport hostage situations,'said Mathiesen, who says that 9/11 and other crises made police departments everywhere realize that they are the Home Front for Homeland Security." (Warwick Beacon; 02Sep09; Joe Kernan) http://www.warwickonline.com/pages/full_story/push?article-Warwick+SWAT+team+shines+at+the+Challenge%20&id=3518065&instance=home_news_right
Disaster training goes mobile with $200,000 ICS [Incident Command Simulator] unit
"Life-and-death decisions were made with the toggle of a joystick and the click of a mouse all from inside the highly controlled, safe and air-conditioned environment of Rio Hondo College's new Mobile Incident Command Simulator. A ceremony attended by Rep. Grace Napolitano, D-Santa Fe Springs, Whittier Police Chief David Singer and Santa Fe Springs Department of Fire-Rescue Chief Alex Rodriguez introduced the $200,000 ICS on Thursday at Rio Hondo's new Administration of Justice Complex. According to Rio Hondo Dean of Public Safety Joe Santoro, the ICS is capable of simulating disasters such as earthquakes, fires, chemical spills and terrorist attacks and is designed to simultaneously teach multiple first-responders how to coordinate the management of such incidents. 'The intent is to practice here,' Santoro said. 'As opposed to a full-blown simulation out on the street.' Explaining the benefits of the system, Singer said, 'Having full-scale exercises is very costly. Here you can make mistakes and learn from them.' The Chevrolet, which looks like a large RV, is equipped with a flat-screen TV and six laptop stations. Each is capable of displaying a detailed visual representation of a predetermined environment. […] The ICS will be used to train Rio Hondo police cadets as well as federal, state, municipal and civil authorities acting as first-responders to any given disaster." (San Gabriel Valley Tribune; 03Sep09; Brandon Ferguson) http://www.sgvtribune.com/news/ci_13266500
Judge [Paul M. Peatross Jr.] sets bond for man [Mark Ryland Dowdy] accused in powder scare [Charlottesville, VA]
"An Albemarle County judge has set a $5,000 bond for a Gordonsville man whose trial was halted during his opening statement. Circuit Judge Paul M. Peatross Jr. granted the surety bond for Mark Ryland Dowdy after a hearing Tuesday in Albemarle Circuit Court. […] Dowdy, 37, went to trial in June on five counts of possession of a hoax device, charges filed in connection with the planting of signs with a suspicious powder on them at the corner of Klockner and Gordonsville roads last year. […] Jon R. Zug, assistant commonwealth's attorney, said in court that a competency review of Dowdy shows that he suffers from paranoid personality disorder. […] The evaluation doesn't say that Dowdy is incompetent to stand trial. […] Conditions of Dowdy's bond prohibit him from getting within 500 yards of Klockner Pentaplast, talking to the company's general counsel and certain employees and posting signs on any property that Dowdy doesn't lease or own. […] A judge will rule on Dowdy's competency to stand trial Oct. 7. His one-day jury trial has been scheduled for Jan. 26." (Daily Progress; 02Sep09; Tasha Kates) http://www2.dailyprogress.com/cdp/news/local/article/judge_sets_bond_for_man_accused_in_powder_scare/44809/
Suspicious package at California University prompts anthrax scare [Pomona, CA]
"Authorities in California were investigating a possible anthrax [spore] attack Thursday after a suspicious package opened at a college left one student and 30 other people quarantined. A 'possible anthrax [spores] in an envelope' call was reported Thursday afternoon to the Student Services office at Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona, about 60 kilometers east of Los Angeles, according to an inspector of the Los Angeles County Fire Department. 'One student was exposed but is showing no symptoms at this time,' said Mathew Levesque. 'And 30 other people have been quarantined to defend them from an exposure.' Levesque said hazardous materials teams from the Los Angeles County Fire Department and Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, along with FBI agents were on the scene inspecting a sample of the yellow powder found in an envelope. No information on a possible motive for the suspicious delivery was available, according to the official." (People's Daily Online; 04Sep09) http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90777/90852/6748509.html
Iraqi Forces Wound Terror Suspect, Arrest Smuggler
American Forces Press Service
Sept. 4, 2009 - Iraqi forces, working with U.S. advisors, wounded and captured a suspected terrorist and arrested an alleged weapons smuggler in recent operations, military officials reported. Elements of the Iraqi special operations forces detained a suspected terrorist who was wanted for engaging in sectarian violence in Baghdad yesterday. He was armed with an AK-47 assault rifle, and when approached the Iraqi soldiers with the intent to fire, they shot and wounded him.
The elite counter-terrorism force was operating under the authority of a warrant issued by the Central Investigative Court of Karkh. Iraqi soldiers rendered medical aid and transported the suspect to a nearby medical facility. The U.S. advisors present were not involved in the shooting, officials said.
On Sept. 2, an Iraqi special weapons and tactics team served an arrest warrant without incident on a suspected smuggler in Ramadi.
Kamil Fadil allegedly was involved with smuggling foreign fighters, weapons and suicide vests. He also is believed to have ties to other wanted individuals throughout Iraq. The warrant was issued by the Magistrate Court in Ramadi.
The arrest may lead to the disruption of networks known to smuggle foreign fighters and finance terrorism in Iraq, officials said.
(Compiled from Multinational Corps Iraq news releases.)
Sept. 4, 2009 - Iraqi forces, working with U.S. advisors, wounded and captured a suspected terrorist and arrested an alleged weapons smuggler in recent operations, military officials reported. Elements of the Iraqi special operations forces detained a suspected terrorist who was wanted for engaging in sectarian violence in Baghdad yesterday. He was armed with an AK-47 assault rifle, and when approached the Iraqi soldiers with the intent to fire, they shot and wounded him.
The elite counter-terrorism force was operating under the authority of a warrant issued by the Central Investigative Court of Karkh. Iraqi soldiers rendered medical aid and transported the suspect to a nearby medical facility. The U.S. advisors present were not involved in the shooting, officials said.
On Sept. 2, an Iraqi special weapons and tactics team served an arrest warrant without incident on a suspected smuggler in Ramadi.
Kamil Fadil allegedly was involved with smuggling foreign fighters, weapons and suicide vests. He also is believed to have ties to other wanted individuals throughout Iraq. The warrant was issued by the Magistrate Court in Ramadi.
The arrest may lead to the disruption of networks known to smuggle foreign fighters and finance terrorism in Iraq, officials said.
(Compiled from Multinational Corps Iraq news releases.)
Army Casualties
The Department of Defense announced today the death of two soldiers who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. They died Sept. 3 in Baqubah, Iraq, of injuries sustained during a vehicle roll-over. The soldiers were assigned to the 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.
Killed were:
Staff Sgt. Todd W. Selge, 25, of Burnsville, Minn.; and
Spc. Jordan M. Shay, 22, of Salisbury, Mass.
The incident is under investigation.
For further information contact the Fort Lewis Public Affairs Office, (253) 967-0147 // 0152, or after-hours (253) 967-0015.
Killed were:
Staff Sgt. Todd W. Selge, 25, of Burnsville, Minn.; and
Spc. Jordan M. Shay, 22, of Salisbury, Mass.
The incident is under investigation.
For further information contact the Fort Lewis Public Affairs Office, (253) 967-0147 // 0152, or after-hours (253) 967-0015.
Commander Focuses on Stopping Asia-Pacific Terrorism
By Lisa Daniel
American Forces Press Service
Sept. 4, 2009 - Calling counter-terrorism one of U.S. Pacific Command's top priorities, its commander says he's seeing headway made through increased regional cooperation and information-sharing. Navy Adm. Timothy J. Keating, in a Sept. 2 news conference, called the merger of assets and capabilities a big step toward the ultimate goal of eliminating violent extremist groups scattered throughout Asia and the Pacific Rim.
"We are a long way from that, in my personal view, but it is one of our highest priorities at U.S. Pacific Command," Keating said during the news conference at the U.S. Embassy in Wellington, New Zealand.
"The struggle against violent extremism continues. The events in Jakarta just a couple of months ago certainly illustrate to all of us that we have work to do here," he said, referring to terrorists' deadly hotel attacks in July.
Keating also noted the November terror attacks in Mumbai, India, that left at least 166 dead.
"As you move throughout the Asia-Pacific region, you will find concentrations of terrorists in certain locations," he said. "We're doing our best to assist those countries to combat terrorists and to make life more secure and more stable ... for everybody in those countries."
Keating pointed to Indonesia and the Philippines as examples of progress being made.
"We are pleased with the results Indonesia has made in restricting movement of violent extremists," and in making it difficult for them to get the administrative, logistical and financial support they need to operate, he said.
Meanwhile, about 600 U.S. special operations forces are in southern Philippines. In addition to training the country's armed forces in counterinsurgency and counterterrorist warfare, Keating said they're also sharing information and providing logistical help.
Keating said he knows of no concentration of terrorist groups in New Zealand and its southern Pacific region, and vowed that the United States will do whatever it can to help New Zealanders keep it that way.
His talks with New Zealand officials focused on the two countries' mutual interest in stability and security throughout the Asia-Pacific region. They discussed opportunities for their militaries to conduct humanitarian assistance, disaster relief and search-and-rescue exercises as well as personnel exchanges.
These relationships, Keating told reporters, promote a secure, stable environment that makes it increasingly difficult for violent extremists to operate.
That, in turn, makes it "increasingly difficult, if not impossible, for terrorists to lash out in their utterly indiscriminate, ruthless, bloodthirsty fashion," he said.
American Forces Press Service
Sept. 4, 2009 - Calling counter-terrorism one of U.S. Pacific Command's top priorities, its commander says he's seeing headway made through increased regional cooperation and information-sharing. Navy Adm. Timothy J. Keating, in a Sept. 2 news conference, called the merger of assets and capabilities a big step toward the ultimate goal of eliminating violent extremist groups scattered throughout Asia and the Pacific Rim.
"We are a long way from that, in my personal view, but it is one of our highest priorities at U.S. Pacific Command," Keating said during the news conference at the U.S. Embassy in Wellington, New Zealand.
"The struggle against violent extremism continues. The events in Jakarta just a couple of months ago certainly illustrate to all of us that we have work to do here," he said, referring to terrorists' deadly hotel attacks in July.
Keating also noted the November terror attacks in Mumbai, India, that left at least 166 dead.
"As you move throughout the Asia-Pacific region, you will find concentrations of terrorists in certain locations," he said. "We're doing our best to assist those countries to combat terrorists and to make life more secure and more stable ... for everybody in those countries."
Keating pointed to Indonesia and the Philippines as examples of progress being made.
"We are pleased with the results Indonesia has made in restricting movement of violent extremists," and in making it difficult for them to get the administrative, logistical and financial support they need to operate, he said.
Meanwhile, about 600 U.S. special operations forces are in southern Philippines. In addition to training the country's armed forces in counterinsurgency and counterterrorist warfare, Keating said they're also sharing information and providing logistical help.
Keating said he knows of no concentration of terrorist groups in New Zealand and its southern Pacific region, and vowed that the United States will do whatever it can to help New Zealanders keep it that way.
His talks with New Zealand officials focused on the two countries' mutual interest in stability and security throughout the Asia-Pacific region. They discussed opportunities for their militaries to conduct humanitarian assistance, disaster relief and search-and-rescue exercises as well as personnel exchanges.
These relationships, Keating told reporters, promote a secure, stable environment that makes it increasingly difficult for violent extremists to operate.
That, in turn, makes it "increasingly difficult, if not impossible, for terrorists to lash out in their utterly indiscriminate, ruthless, bloodthirsty fashion," he said.
Air Force Doctor Advances Cyanide Poisoning Treatment
By Judith Snyderman
Special to American Forces Press Service
Sept. 4, 2009 - In espionage novels, cyanide capsules are swallowed by captured spies who would rather commit suicide than divulge classified information. But the highly toxic chemical used in so many works of fiction is a real threat for being used as a terrorist weapon. Air Force Maj. (Dr.) Vik Bebarta, a physician and medical toxicology specialist, outlined the real-life concerns about cyanide during a Sept. 2 webcast of "Armed with Science: Research and Applications for the Modern Military" on Pentagon Web Radio.
"It was [possibly] used in the first World Trade Center bombing in 1993, which many people were not aware of," Bebarta said. "It was used in the sarin nerve gas bombing [in Tokyo] in 1995; and in the last two years, there have been four foiled plots in Europe and a couple of domestic plots also that have been foiled."
Aside from terrorist attacks, exposure to cyanide may come from inhaling smoke from burning plastics during industrial or home fires. Swallowing or breathing even a small amount of cyanide, from 200 to 300 milligrams, is all it takes to become ill, Bebarta said. Toxic effects include severe sedation, lower blood pressure and acid buildup in the blood.
That is why Bebarta, chief of medical toxicology at Wilford Hall Medical Center, Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, and assistant professor of emergency medicine at the University of Texas Health Sciences Center at San Antonio, sees a need for better tools to diagnose and treat acute cyanide toxicity in critically ill patients, such as those stricken in a terrorist attack.
During a year-long study, Bebarta and his colleagues tested the standard, 50–year-old drug treatment against a newer medication made with the metal cobalt.
"We conducted an experiment comparing the old antidote kit with the new one and looking at a very critically ill [lab animal] model. Comparing blood pressure and other parameters, [we saw] that there's a difference," Bebarta said.
That difference showed better results using the newer antidote to raise blood pressure and eliminate all cyanide from the blood.
In May, the comparison study received the Best Basic Science Research Award from the Society of Academic Emergency Medicine. Bebarta is especially honored, he said, because, "typically, these awards go to civilian and [National Institute of Health]- funded researchers."
Bebarta now is looking for ways to use biomarkers to more easily diagnose cyanide poisoning. "In the last 10 years or so, this field's exploded with technology," he said. "And [scientists are] able to measure thousands of proteins in the blood and measure three or four proteins together as a pattern. If that pattern of proteins is present, then that disease is present or that illness is present."
In addition to improved diagnostic tools, Bebarta said, he hopes to develop cyanide antidotes that can be given in pill form or injected directly into muscles instead of intravenously, "because when you have a big exposure, for example, a large building that catches on fire, [or a terrorist event] and you need to treat several patients in the field or in an ambulance, you need something that a paramedic can give quickly to several patients -- and putting in an IV [vein catheter] for all these patients is not feasible."
In the future, Bebarta said, he would like to conduct research to determine which treatments for cyanide toxicity support the best long-term neurological outcomes for patients.
(Judith Snyderman works for the Defense Media Activity's emerging media directorate.)
Special to American Forces Press Service
Sept. 4, 2009 - In espionage novels, cyanide capsules are swallowed by captured spies who would rather commit suicide than divulge classified information. But the highly toxic chemical used in so many works of fiction is a real threat for being used as a terrorist weapon. Air Force Maj. (Dr.) Vik Bebarta, a physician and medical toxicology specialist, outlined the real-life concerns about cyanide during a Sept. 2 webcast of "Armed with Science: Research and Applications for the Modern Military" on Pentagon Web Radio.
"It was [possibly] used in the first World Trade Center bombing in 1993, which many people were not aware of," Bebarta said. "It was used in the sarin nerve gas bombing [in Tokyo] in 1995; and in the last two years, there have been four foiled plots in Europe and a couple of domestic plots also that have been foiled."
Aside from terrorist attacks, exposure to cyanide may come from inhaling smoke from burning plastics during industrial or home fires. Swallowing or breathing even a small amount of cyanide, from 200 to 300 milligrams, is all it takes to become ill, Bebarta said. Toxic effects include severe sedation, lower blood pressure and acid buildup in the blood.
That is why Bebarta, chief of medical toxicology at Wilford Hall Medical Center, Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, and assistant professor of emergency medicine at the University of Texas Health Sciences Center at San Antonio, sees a need for better tools to diagnose and treat acute cyanide toxicity in critically ill patients, such as those stricken in a terrorist attack.
During a year-long study, Bebarta and his colleagues tested the standard, 50–year-old drug treatment against a newer medication made with the metal cobalt.
"We conducted an experiment comparing the old antidote kit with the new one and looking at a very critically ill [lab animal] model. Comparing blood pressure and other parameters, [we saw] that there's a difference," Bebarta said.
That difference showed better results using the newer antidote to raise blood pressure and eliminate all cyanide from the blood.
In May, the comparison study received the Best Basic Science Research Award from the Society of Academic Emergency Medicine. Bebarta is especially honored, he said, because, "typically, these awards go to civilian and [National Institute of Health]- funded researchers."
Bebarta now is looking for ways to use biomarkers to more easily diagnose cyanide poisoning. "In the last 10 years or so, this field's exploded with technology," he said. "And [scientists are] able to measure thousands of proteins in the blood and measure three or four proteins together as a pattern. If that pattern of proteins is present, then that disease is present or that illness is present."
In addition to improved diagnostic tools, Bebarta said, he hopes to develop cyanide antidotes that can be given in pill form or injected directly into muscles instead of intravenously, "because when you have a big exposure, for example, a large building that catches on fire, [or a terrorist event] and you need to treat several patients in the field or in an ambulance, you need something that a paramedic can give quickly to several patients -- and putting in an IV [vein catheter] for all these patients is not feasible."
In the future, Bebarta said, he would like to conduct research to determine which treatments for cyanide toxicity support the best long-term neurological outcomes for patients.
(Judith Snyderman works for the Defense Media Activity's emerging media directorate.)
Gates Objects to News Photo of Dying Marine
American Forces Press Service
Sept. 4, 2009 - Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates used the strongest terms in trying to persuade the Associated Press to refrain from running a graphic picture of a Marine taken shortly after the servicemember was wounded in southern Afghanistan, Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell said here today. Lance Cpl. Joshua M. Bernard later died on the operating table Aug. 14.
The Marine's family in New Portland, Maine, asked the Associated Press not to run the photo, which was taken by Julie Jacobson, who was embedded with the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines, in Afghanistan's Helmand province.
The AP put out a series of photographs of the Marine patrol, and Gates objected to one showing Bernard clearly in anguish while being treated. He had just been hit in the legs by a rocket-propelled grenade.
When Gates heard the AP was going to send the photo to its subscribers, he called Thomas Curley, president and chief executive officer of the news service, asking him to pull the photo, Morrell said.
Morrell quoted the secretary as saying to Curley, "I'm begging you to defer to the wishes of the family. This will cause them great pain."
Curley told the secretary he would reconvene his editorial team to re-examine the release.
The secretary followed his call with a letter to AP. "I cannot imagine the pain and suffering Lance Corporal Bernard's death has caused his family," the secretary wrote. "Why your organization would purposefully defy the family's wishes knowing full well that it will lead to more anguish is beyond me. Your lack of compassion and common sense in choosing to put this image of their maimed and stricken child on the front page of multiple American newspapers is appalling. The issue here is not law, policy or constitutional right – but judgment and common decency."
Curley got back to Morrell later yesterday afternoon and said his crew had "seriously considered the secretary's concerns and the families concerns ... but ultimately decided that they wanted to proceed with pushing out this image to their clients," Morrell said.
Morrell said Gates was extremely disappointed that the Associated Press did not adhere to the wishes of the family. The vast majority of news outlets did not run the photo, he added.
Sept. 4, 2009 - Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates used the strongest terms in trying to persuade the Associated Press to refrain from running a graphic picture of a Marine taken shortly after the servicemember was wounded in southern Afghanistan, Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell said here today. Lance Cpl. Joshua M. Bernard later died on the operating table Aug. 14.
The Marine's family in New Portland, Maine, asked the Associated Press not to run the photo, which was taken by Julie Jacobson, who was embedded with the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines, in Afghanistan's Helmand province.
The AP put out a series of photographs of the Marine patrol, and Gates objected to one showing Bernard clearly in anguish while being treated. He had just been hit in the legs by a rocket-propelled grenade.
When Gates heard the AP was going to send the photo to its subscribers, he called Thomas Curley, president and chief executive officer of the news service, asking him to pull the photo, Morrell said.
Morrell quoted the secretary as saying to Curley, "I'm begging you to defer to the wishes of the family. This will cause them great pain."
Curley told the secretary he would reconvene his editorial team to re-examine the release.
The secretary followed his call with a letter to AP. "I cannot imagine the pain and suffering Lance Corporal Bernard's death has caused his family," the secretary wrote. "Why your organization would purposefully defy the family's wishes knowing full well that it will lead to more anguish is beyond me. Your lack of compassion and common sense in choosing to put this image of their maimed and stricken child on the front page of multiple American newspapers is appalling. The issue here is not law, policy or constitutional right – but judgment and common decency."
Curley got back to Morrell later yesterday afternoon and said his crew had "seriously considered the secretary's concerns and the families concerns ... but ultimately decided that they wanted to proceed with pushing out this image to their clients," Morrell said.
Morrell said Gates was extremely disappointed that the Associated Press did not adhere to the wishes of the family. The vast majority of news outlets did not run the photo, he added.
NATO Investigates Air Strike in Afghanistan
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
Sept. 4, 2009 - NATO's International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan has launched an investigation into a coalition air strike that reportedly killed civilians yesterday, military officials reported. NATO officials still are working to ascertain the facts in the incident, which occurred in Regional Command North's area of operations in Kunduz province, according to an ISAF news release.
What is known is that ISAF soldiers reported that insurgents had hijacked two fuel trucks in Kunduz yesterday. The troops located the trucks on the banks of the Kunduz River when the vehicles became stuck in the mud.
The troops observed insurgent activity around the vehicles, and did not believe civilians were in the area. The NATO commander in the area called for an air strike, and American F-15s responded.
"A large number of insurgents are believed to have been killed or injured, and the fuel trucks were destroyed in the attack," the release said.
Afghan officials put the death toll at 90, 60 of them being insurgents. Afghan provincial and national officials are working with ISAF investigators, NATO officials said.
"While the air strike was clearly directed at the insurgents, ISAF will do whatever is necessary to help the community including medical assistance and evacuation as requested," Canadian Brig. Gen. Eric Tremblay, an ISAF spokesperson, said. "ISAF regrets any unnecessary loss of human life and is deeply concerned for the suffering that this action may have caused to our Afghan friends."
Civilian deaths are a flashpoint in Afghanistan, and the commander of American and NATO troops, Army Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, has stressed the importance of minimizing civilian casualties.
American Forces Press Service
Sept. 4, 2009 - NATO's International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan has launched an investigation into a coalition air strike that reportedly killed civilians yesterday, military officials reported. NATO officials still are working to ascertain the facts in the incident, which occurred in Regional Command North's area of operations in Kunduz province, according to an ISAF news release.
What is known is that ISAF soldiers reported that insurgents had hijacked two fuel trucks in Kunduz yesterday. The troops located the trucks on the banks of the Kunduz River when the vehicles became stuck in the mud.
The troops observed insurgent activity around the vehicles, and did not believe civilians were in the area. The NATO commander in the area called for an air strike, and American F-15s responded.
"A large number of insurgents are believed to have been killed or injured, and the fuel trucks were destroyed in the attack," the release said.
Afghan officials put the death toll at 90, 60 of them being insurgents. Afghan provincial and national officials are working with ISAF investigators, NATO officials said.
"While the air strike was clearly directed at the insurgents, ISAF will do whatever is necessary to help the community including medical assistance and evacuation as requested," Canadian Brig. Gen. Eric Tremblay, an ISAF spokesperson, said. "ISAF regrets any unnecessary loss of human life and is deeply concerned for the suffering that this action may have caused to our Afghan friends."
Civilian deaths are a flashpoint in Afghanistan, and the commander of American and NATO troops, Army Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, has stressed the importance of minimizing civilian casualties.
Thursday, September 03, 2009
C-130 Missions Drop Supplies to Afghan Villagers
By Air Force Tech. Sgt. John JungSpecial to American Forces Press Service
Sept. 3, 2009 - Villagers in a remote area of northern Afghanistan recently were the latest recipients of an Air Force high-altitude airdrop mission that drops tons of supplies to those in need. The Georgia Air National Guard 774th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron that flew the Aug. 26 mission deployed from the 158th Airlift Squadron, Savannah, Ga., and delivered eight bundles of humanitarian aid from a C-130H Hercules.
The bundles, weighing about 4.1 tons, were packaged in a container delivery system, which assured the bundles and their cargo of food, water, clothes and blankets arrived intact. Waiting on the ground were coalition forces who helped distribute the aid to villagers.
The delivery system uses the aircraft's deck angle to move the containers across roller conveyors on their way out the cargo ramp and door, said Air Force Tech. Sgt. Ricky Córdova, loadmaster on the mission, and resident of Charlotte, N.C.
"When the bundles are out of the aircraft, parachutes inflate and lower them to the ground," he explained. "As each bundle clears the cargo ramp, the rigged high-velocity, low-cost aerial delivery system parachutes deploy and quickly deliver the load to the people waiting on the ground."
Corrugated paper cushion pads, known as honeycombs, on the bottom of each bundle help them absorb the shock when they land, Cordova said.
Also aiding in the safe delivery of the humanitarian supplies is an advanced aircraft computer system aboard the C-130H, operated by the navigator, said Air Force Lt. Col. Tommy Atkinson, aircraft commander and a 19-year veteran pilot.
"Once the aircraft is over the drop zone, the co-pilot activates the jump signal switch on command of the navigator and a green light ignites, signalling the loadmaster to manually assist the [container delivery system] gate cut," Atkinson said. The computer program accounts for the parachutes' drift, the weight of the load, wind velocity and other variables to ensure the container ends up in the right place, he said.
"These airdrop missions are challenging, and we enjoy that challenge," the Merritt Island, Fla., resident said. "What may be lost on some people is how complicated these missions really are, because we've been doing them flawlessly for so long."
Air Force Capt. John Mims, navigator on the mission, said even though the members of the squadron make airdrops look easy, a tremendous amount of work goes into every detail.
"The squadron is made up of a multitude of career fields, including intelligence personnel, loadmasters, crew chiefs, navigators and pilots from all over the United States, all of which are absolutely crucial to the airdrop missions being completed," Mims said.
The squadron has been dropping an average of 5 to 8 tons of supplies and equipment per mission and will continue to do so as long as necessary, officials said.
Airdrops are a safe and reliable method for shipping vital supplies into locations where there are no roads, the terrain is too mountainous, the loads are too heavy for helicopters or where the insurgent threat is too great.
(Air Force Tech. Sgt. John Jung serves in the 455th Air Expeditionary Wing public affairs office.)
Afghanistan Assessment Looks to Defeat al-Qaida
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
Sept. 3, 2009 - Enemies of America remain in Afghanistan, and the United States must stay there to defeat the terrorists, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said today. That is the focus of President Barack Obama's regional strategy announced in March, Gates said. The secretary said he is studying the assessment Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the new commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, submitted earlier this week. Gates and Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, spoke during a Pentagon news conference.
Gates said he has passed McChrystal's assessment on to the White House. The assessment looks at the comprehensive strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, with the goal of defeating al-Qaida, and charts the way forward.
Army Gen. David Petraeus, commander of U.S. Central Command, and the Joint Chiefs of Staff will provide their expertise and input. They will send their thoughts on the situation in Afghanistan to the president next week, Gates said.
The chiefs plan to finish their evaluation tomorrow, Mullen said. "We're going to do that with a clear eye, not only on the needs in Afghanistan, but also the needs of the force, in general, and on our other security commitments around the globe," he said.
McChrystal's assessment lays out in frank and candid terms "how he believes his forces can best accomplish the mission the president has assigned to him," Mullen said.
Both Gates and Mullen stressed that the assessment does not deal with troop numbers and other resources. That will be discussed later this month, Gates said.
"What's more important than the numbers of troops he may or may not ask for is how he intends to use them," Mullen said. "It should come as no surprise to anyone that he intends to use those forces under his command to protect the Afghan people, to give them the security they need to reject the influence the Taliban seeks."
Ultimately, the strategy also is meant to prevent terror groups from launching another major attack against the United States from the Afghanistan-Pakistan region, and Gates and Mullen said it is important for the United States to stay there.
"The fact is that 9/11 represented the first foreign-based attack on the continental United States, with significant casualties, since the War of 1812," Gates said. "That attack emanated from Afghanistan under Taliban rule. The Taliban did not just provide a safe haven for al-Qaida. They actively cooperated and collaborated with al-Qaida. They provided a worldwide base of operations for al-Qaida."
The U.S. military must work with the international community to ensure that Afghans can develop the security apparatus needed to protect their people and prevent their country from being used by violent extremists, the secretary said.
"In the context of the president's goal of disrupting, dismantling and destroying al-Qaida, we seek an Afghanistan that is our partner in that endeavor and that can sustain that endeavor after we're gone," Gates said.
The secretary acknowledged that the situation in Afghanistan has deteriorated, but cautioned Americans from making a snap judgment. He reminded reporters that the new strategy only came about in March, that the last of 21,000 new U.S. troops committed to the country are just now flowing in and McChrystal has only been in command since June.
"I don't believe that the war is slipping through the administration's fingers," Gates said in response to a reorter's question. "The fact that Americans would be tired of having their sons and daughters at risk and in battle is not surprising. I think what is important is for us to be able to show, over the months to come, is that the president's strategy is succeeding."
American Forces Press Service
Sept. 3, 2009 - Enemies of America remain in Afghanistan, and the United States must stay there to defeat the terrorists, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said today. That is the focus of President Barack Obama's regional strategy announced in March, Gates said. The secretary said he is studying the assessment Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the new commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, submitted earlier this week. Gates and Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, spoke during a Pentagon news conference.
Gates said he has passed McChrystal's assessment on to the White House. The assessment looks at the comprehensive strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, with the goal of defeating al-Qaida, and charts the way forward.
Army Gen. David Petraeus, commander of U.S. Central Command, and the Joint Chiefs of Staff will provide their expertise and input. They will send their thoughts on the situation in Afghanistan to the president next week, Gates said.
The chiefs plan to finish their evaluation tomorrow, Mullen said. "We're going to do that with a clear eye, not only on the needs in Afghanistan, but also the needs of the force, in general, and on our other security commitments around the globe," he said.
McChrystal's assessment lays out in frank and candid terms "how he believes his forces can best accomplish the mission the president has assigned to him," Mullen said.
Both Gates and Mullen stressed that the assessment does not deal with troop numbers and other resources. That will be discussed later this month, Gates said.
"What's more important than the numbers of troops he may or may not ask for is how he intends to use them," Mullen said. "It should come as no surprise to anyone that he intends to use those forces under his command to protect the Afghan people, to give them the security they need to reject the influence the Taliban seeks."
Ultimately, the strategy also is meant to prevent terror groups from launching another major attack against the United States from the Afghanistan-Pakistan region, and Gates and Mullen said it is important for the United States to stay there.
"The fact is that 9/11 represented the first foreign-based attack on the continental United States, with significant casualties, since the War of 1812," Gates said. "That attack emanated from Afghanistan under Taliban rule. The Taliban did not just provide a safe haven for al-Qaida. They actively cooperated and collaborated with al-Qaida. They provided a worldwide base of operations for al-Qaida."
The U.S. military must work with the international community to ensure that Afghans can develop the security apparatus needed to protect their people and prevent their country from being used by violent extremists, the secretary said.
"In the context of the president's goal of disrupting, dismantling and destroying al-Qaida, we seek an Afghanistan that is our partner in that endeavor and that can sustain that endeavor after we're gone," Gates said.
The secretary acknowledged that the situation in Afghanistan has deteriorated, but cautioned Americans from making a snap judgment. He reminded reporters that the new strategy only came about in March, that the last of 21,000 new U.S. troops committed to the country are just now flowing in and McChrystal has only been in command since June.
"I don't believe that the war is slipping through the administration's fingers," Gates said in response to a reorter's question. "The fact that Americans would be tired of having their sons and daughters at risk and in battle is not surprising. I think what is important is for us to be able to show, over the months to come, is that the president's strategy is succeeding."
Army Announces New Afghanistan Troop Rotation
The Department of the Army announced today the extension of a division headquarters and a combat aviation brigade in Afghanistan, as well as the future deployment of a division headquarters with recent Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) experience.
These moves are part of an initiative to place units on a habitual rotation to take advantage of their knowledge of the complex environment to which they are returning and to increase deployment stability. We will seek to better align the rotation of units and their headquarters for force cohesion.
The units being extended are the 82nd Airborne Division Headquarters, Fort Bragg, N.C., and the 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade, Fort Stewart, Ga. The 82nd Airborne Division will extend its current deployment by approximately 50 days, and the 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade will extend for 14 days. These extensions are necessary to allow follow-on units to accrue one year of time at home station before redeploying (dwell time). The process will be managed to avoid any stop-loss for personnel.
The follow-on forces will deploy in the late spring of 2010. They are the 101st Airborne Division Headquarters, Fort Campbell, Ky., which will now deploy six months sooner than previously planned, and the 10th Combat Aviation Brigade, Fort Drum, N.Y.
These adjustments to the OEF troop rotation achieve better continuity at the division headquarters level in Afghanistan and increase deployment stability for the soldiers and families of these units. When these adjustments are completed, the units will deploy at close to a 1-2 ratio (1 year deployed - 2 years home) -- much better than today's ratio.
This rotation continues the U.S. commitment to maintain the level of forces necessary to provide sufficient military capability for the NATO-International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) to further improve security and stability operations. In consultation with Afghan officials and NATO, commanders continue to assess the situation to ensure sufficient force levels to best support the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, perform counter-terrorism operations, assist with reconstruction, and train and equip the Afghan national security forces. Afghan security forces continue to develop capability and assume responsibility for security. This U.S. force rotation may be tailored based upon changes in the security situation.
"These adjustments to our force flow strategy are an important element in supporting the commander of ISAF's efforts to develop greater campaign continuity in regard to maximizing experience and stability in Operation Enduring Freedom," said Lt. Gen. J.D. Thurman, the U.S. Army's deputy chief of staff for operations.
For further information, please contact Army Public Affairs at (703) 614-2487.
These moves are part of an initiative to place units on a habitual rotation to take advantage of their knowledge of the complex environment to which they are returning and to increase deployment stability. We will seek to better align the rotation of units and their headquarters for force cohesion.
The units being extended are the 82nd Airborne Division Headquarters, Fort Bragg, N.C., and the 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade, Fort Stewart, Ga. The 82nd Airborne Division will extend its current deployment by approximately 50 days, and the 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade will extend for 14 days. These extensions are necessary to allow follow-on units to accrue one year of time at home station before redeploying (dwell time). The process will be managed to avoid any stop-loss for personnel.
The follow-on forces will deploy in the late spring of 2010. They are the 101st Airborne Division Headquarters, Fort Campbell, Ky., which will now deploy six months sooner than previously planned, and the 10th Combat Aviation Brigade, Fort Drum, N.Y.
These adjustments to the OEF troop rotation achieve better continuity at the division headquarters level in Afghanistan and increase deployment stability for the soldiers and families of these units. When these adjustments are completed, the units will deploy at close to a 1-2 ratio (1 year deployed - 2 years home) -- much better than today's ratio.
This rotation continues the U.S. commitment to maintain the level of forces necessary to provide sufficient military capability for the NATO-International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) to further improve security and stability operations. In consultation with Afghan officials and NATO, commanders continue to assess the situation to ensure sufficient force levels to best support the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, perform counter-terrorism operations, assist with reconstruction, and train and equip the Afghan national security forces. Afghan security forces continue to develop capability and assume responsibility for security. This U.S. force rotation may be tailored based upon changes in the security situation.
"These adjustments to our force flow strategy are an important element in supporting the commander of ISAF's efforts to develop greater campaign continuity in regard to maximizing experience and stability in Operation Enduring Freedom," said Lt. Gen. J.D. Thurman, the U.S. Army's deputy chief of staff for operations.
For further information, please contact Army Public Affairs at (703) 614-2487.
Wednesday, September 02, 2009
Army Casualties
The Department of Defense announced today the death of two soldiers who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. They died Aug. 31 in Shuyene Sufia, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked their unit with an improvised explosive device. The soldiers were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 5th Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.
Killed were:
Spc. Jonathan D. Welch, 19, of Yorba Linda, Calif.
Pfc. Jordan M. Brochu, 20, of Cumberland, Maine.
For more information media may contact the Fort Lewis public affairs office at (253) 967-0152, (253) 967-0147 or after hours at (253) 967-0015 (ask for the public affairs officer on call).
Killed were:
Spc. Jonathan D. Welch, 19, of Yorba Linda, Calif.
Pfc. Jordan M. Brochu, 20, of Cumberland, Maine.
For more information media may contact the Fort Lewis public affairs office at (253) 967-0152, (253) 967-0147 or after hours at (253) 967-0015 (ask for the public affairs officer on call).
School Project Inspires Hope in Iraqi Children
By A. Al BahraniSpecial to American Forces Press Service
Sept. 2, 2009 - Children here are getting an opportunity most of their parents never had, as they plan to move into a new school later this year as part of a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers project. "Most of the people in this area missed the opportunity to go to school and learn as children. We want our children to have a better-educated future," said Ali Jalab Hasson, Hamza district mayor and civil engineer with the Qadisiyah education department.
That dream of a better education is just months away, as the Corps' Gulf Region Division helps with the construction of the Al Hasan Al Basri school. The $1.1 million project is being managed by the Division's Gulf Region South district and constructed using funds from its emergency support fund.
"The Al Hasan Al Basri modern, two-story facility will be the source of pride for al Hamza residents," Hasson said. "All the people here wish to provide a good education for their children and that is what this school is going to do."
The school project in Qadisiyah province will improve the quality of education for more than 800 students.
"Most of the schools here are old and in need of windows, doors and bathroom repairs," Hasson said. "When completed, this school will be the first modern facility since 2003 in the area that meets international health and safety standards."
Amjad Khnteel, the project engineer, said the new school will feature many amenities. It will have 12 classrooms, an administrative area, a library, a potable water system, a communication system with Internet capabilities and a fire alarm system, he said.
Khnteel also said the project will benefit the local community. "About 25 Iraqis are currently working on this project, which helps create much-needed opportunities for employment of the local populace and enhance the economic situation of al Hamza district and surrounding communities," Khnteel said.
The school also will provide permanent jobs for Iraqis when it is completed.
"Approximately 20 local Iraqis, including headmaster, teachers, administrative assistants and guards will work at the new facility when it's open by end of this year," Hasson added. "That number is expected to grow once it's fully operational."
The school construction project is 15 percent complete and expected to be completed in December.
The Gulf Region Division, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Iraq, has completed thousands of reconstruction projects in partnership with the U.S. and Iraqi governments. Since 2004, the division has completed 4,626 projects throughout Iraq valued at more than $7.2 billion, and has 287 projects ongoing.
(A. Al Bahrani works for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Gulf Region South public affairs office.)
U.N. Agency Notes Decline in Afghan Poppy, Opium
By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service
Sept. 2, 2009 - Farmers in Afghanistan grew fewer opium poppy plants last year, while opium drug production also declined, according to a United Nations-sponsored report released in Kabul today. The U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime's "Afghan Opium Survey 2009" says opium poppy cultivation in Afghanistan declined 22 percent and opium production went down 10 percent during the May 2008 to June 2009 planting cycle.
"At a time of pessimism about the situation in Afghanistan, these results are a welcome piece of good news and demonstrate that progress is possible," Antonio Maria Costa, the office's executive director, said in a news release.
The report cites overall opium-poppy growth in Afghanistan as having declined to 123,000 hectares -- about 304 acres -- from a peak of 193,000 hectares -- about 477 acres -- in 2007.
The greatest decrease in opium-poppy cultivation, the report said, occurred in Helmand province, where poppy growth declined by a third to 69,833 hectares, or 171 acres, from 103,590 hectares, or 255 acres, in 2008. Reasons for the reductions cited by the report include strong leadership by the provincial governor, more-aggressive counter-narcotics operations, terms of trade that are more favorable to legal crops, and the successful introduction of "food zones" that promote legal farming.
The report also said the number of opium poppy-free provinces in Afghanistan increased from 18 to 20 of the country's 34 provinces.
Taliban and other extremists in Afghanistan are said to use money derived from the country's poppy industry to fund insurgency operations.
"The link between drugs and insurgency, now recognized, is being attacked militarily," Costa said in the U.N. release. In fact, according to the release, more drugs are being confiscated in Afghanistan as a result of more robust counter-narcotics operations by Afghan and NATO forces.
In the first half of 2009, according to the report, military operations destroyed more than 90 tons of chemicals used in the production of illicit drugs, 450 tons of opium poppy seeds, 50 tons of opium, 7 tons of morphine 1.5 tons of heroin, 19 tons of hashish and 27 laboratories.
The U.N. survey "certainly is a positive report," Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman told reporters today. However, he added, "there's still a lot of work to be done in that area."
American Forces Press Service
Sept. 2, 2009 - Farmers in Afghanistan grew fewer opium poppy plants last year, while opium drug production also declined, according to a United Nations-sponsored report released in Kabul today. The U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime's "Afghan Opium Survey 2009" says opium poppy cultivation in Afghanistan declined 22 percent and opium production went down 10 percent during the May 2008 to June 2009 planting cycle.
"At a time of pessimism about the situation in Afghanistan, these results are a welcome piece of good news and demonstrate that progress is possible," Antonio Maria Costa, the office's executive director, said in a news release.
The report cites overall opium-poppy growth in Afghanistan as having declined to 123,000 hectares -- about 304 acres -- from a peak of 193,000 hectares -- about 477 acres -- in 2007.
The greatest decrease in opium-poppy cultivation, the report said, occurred in Helmand province, where poppy growth declined by a third to 69,833 hectares, or 171 acres, from 103,590 hectares, or 255 acres, in 2008. Reasons for the reductions cited by the report include strong leadership by the provincial governor, more-aggressive counter-narcotics operations, terms of trade that are more favorable to legal crops, and the successful introduction of "food zones" that promote legal farming.
The report also said the number of opium poppy-free provinces in Afghanistan increased from 18 to 20 of the country's 34 provinces.
Taliban and other extremists in Afghanistan are said to use money derived from the country's poppy industry to fund insurgency operations.
"The link between drugs and insurgency, now recognized, is being attacked militarily," Costa said in the U.N. release. In fact, according to the release, more drugs are being confiscated in Afghanistan as a result of more robust counter-narcotics operations by Afghan and NATO forces.
In the first half of 2009, according to the report, military operations destroyed more than 90 tons of chemicals used in the production of illicit drugs, 450 tons of opium poppy seeds, 50 tons of opium, 7 tons of morphine 1.5 tons of heroin, 19 tons of hashish and 27 laboratories.
The U.N. survey "certainly is a positive report," Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman told reporters today. However, he added, "there's still a lot of work to be done in that area."
CBR Weapons and WMD Terrorism News, September 2, 2009
SIGA Technologies receives a $3 million research grant from the National Institutes of Health
"SIGA Technologies, Inc. [...] a company specializing in the development of pharmaceutical agents to fight bio-warfare pathogens, today announced that it has received a Phase II grant of approximately $3 million from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to continue exploring the use of ST-246(r) as an adjunct to the current smallpox vaccine for prevention of smallpox vaccine-related adverse events. SIGA will evaluate the efficacy of ST-246 in preventing smallpox vaccine-related adverse events in non-human primate models of immunodeficiency and evaluate the impact of concurrent ST-246 administration on ACAM2000 vaccination efficacy in a monkeypox challenge in non-human primate models of immunodeficiency. [...] SIGA continues its active pursuit of a contract in response to [Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority] BARDA's Request for Proposals to supply the Strategic National Stockpile with a therapeutic smallpox anti-viral drug." (Trading Market; 02Sep09) http://www.tradingmarkets.com/.site/news/Stock%20News/2508286/
City unveils new bio safety lab [Laredo, TX]
"It's a 4-thousand square foot facility designed to do clinical and environmental testing. Technicians will be able to detect harmful bacteria and viruses with the lab's state of the art equipment. Kayla Castillon\epidemiologist 'This lab is designed to respond to any emergency or bio terrorist attack, so its directed to detect anthrax, H1N1, things that would be [a] public health emergency.'" (KGNS, Channel 8, Laredo; 01Sep09)
http://www.pro8news.com/news/local/56679707.html
Bioterrorism: Obama's strategy relies on prevention, says expert [Brian Finlay]
"A research expert says a recent meeting between scientists, researchers, and the Obama administration indicates the administration has chosen a preventive strategy to combat the threat of bioterrorism, reports the Global Security Newswire (GSN). [...] One expert that attended the meeting, Brian Finlay, a biological weapons expert at the Henry L. Stimson Center, a nonpartisan international peace and security think tank, told GSN that the Obama administration's emphasis on prevention differs from the previous administration, as does its open-mindedness to strengthening international law regarding biological weapons, another anonymous international analyst said. 'The focus of the conversation was on the prevention of biothreats, so I believe that is their general strategy,' according to the research expert. The White House 'may have an expansive definition, but their emphasis was on prevention instead of crisis management.'" (Security Management; 01Sep09; Matthew Harwood)
http://www.securitymanagement.com/news/bioterrorism-obamas-strategy-relies-prevention-says-expert-006162
Health officials taking stock of hospital ventilators
"Local, state and federal health officials will know this month precisely how many mechanical ventilators - machines that pump oxygen into ailing lungs - are at every hospital in case the swine flu becomes a moderate to severe outbreak. Inventories of the machines are being counted at hospitals on Long Island [NY] and nationwide in a survey conducted by the American Association for Respiratory Care. [...] Two years ago, at the height of the bird flu scare, federal pandemic planners worried too few ventilators were available. [Alan] Schwalberg's [director of emergency medical services for the North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System] predecessor estimated then there were 50,000 ventilators in New York and 5,000 on Long Island. State health officials now decline to disclose the number of machines. They say the information is considered sensitive, as ventilators may be needed during an act of bioterrorism, and officials don't want the nation's enemies to know what would be available during a crisis." (Newsday; 01Sep09; Delthia Ricks)
http://www.newsday.com/long-island/nassau/health-officials-taking-stock-of-hospital-ventilators-1.1415148
Northrop Grumman's biohazard detection system nocks 8 million tests
"Northrop Grumman Corp.'s [...] Security Systems LLC [limited liability company] unit said its automated Biohazard Detection System [BDS], in use nationwide with the U.S. Postal Service, recently performed its eight millionth test without a false positive test result. [...] Northrop Grumman is the prime contractor and systems integrator of the BDS, which has screened tens of billions of pieces of mail for anthrax [spores] over the past five years. It is the only network of autonomous bio-detectors deployed nationwide. The BDS has full turn-key logistics and is integrated into a mature central monitoring system. More than 1,000 systems have been delivered to hundreds of postal mail processing facilities." (Trading Markets; 31Aug09) http://www.tradingmarkets.com/.site/news/Stock%20News/2504265/
EPA [Environmental Protection Agency]: chemical disposal plant properly closed [Johnston Atoll Chemical Agent Disposal System facility, HI]
"An Army chemical weapons disposal plant that handled nerve gas and other deadly agents has been properly cleaned and closed, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced Monday. The dismantling of the Johnston Atoll Chemical Agent Disposal System [JACADS] facility on the now-uninhabited Pacific island about 890 miles west-southwest of Honolulu took about three years, ending in 2004. Sarin nerve gas, mustard gas and blister agent dating back to World War II were incinerated at the facility, known as JACADS, along with more than 400,000 rockets, projectiles, bombs and mortars containing chemical agents, including the deadly nerve agent VX, officials said. [...] The EPA said its closure approval 'assures protection from impact of JACADS for not only human health, but also for the ecology and environment.' The Army was required to decommission JACADS after the facility in 2000 destroyed the last of over 400,000 obsolete chemical weapons collected from Okinawa, Japan, and other U.S. military bases in the Pacific Basin and West Germany between 1971 and 1991." (Associated Press; 31Aug09)
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5h-t7LF__nOqFWbP8tVvsW88zGR8QD9AE6MCO0
Pakistan to pay for lawyers of Qaeda suspect [Aafia Siddiqui] in U.S.
"A U.S.-trained Pakistani neuroscientist who faces trial for the attempted murder of U.S. interrogators in Afghanistan will be represented by lawyers paid for by Pakistan, a U.S. judge ruled on Wednesday. In an unusual step, Pakistan sought to send in a team of lawyers to help represent Aafia Siddiqui, who is charged with grabbing a U.S. warrant officer's rifle in mid-2008 while she was detained for questioning in Afghanistan and firing it at FBI agents and military personnel who were not hit. [...] According to her U.S. indictment, items found in Siddiqui's handbag at the time of her arrest included notes on making explosives and chemical weapons as well as descriptions of a 'mass casualty attack' that listed various New York City landmarks. While the U.S. government has previously linked Siddiqui to al Qaeda, the charges against her do not mention the group and prosecutors have not said whether they intend to make any connection a part of the case." (Reuters; 02Sep09; Christine Kearney)
http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSTRE5816E120090902
Albuquerque airport testing bio-hazard sensors [NM]
"The international airport in Albuquerque, N.M., is halfway through a two-year test of a new technology designed to 'sniff out' chemical and biological threats in the air. The ThreatSense system developed by ICx Technologies may not look like much [...] but the company claims it can help avert catastrophe." (Smart Brief; 02Sep09)
http://www.smartbrief.com/news/aia/storyDetails.jsp?issueid=4200843E-0CB2-4EC3-BA58-908C50BC821E©id=B0C8F984-4B46-4941-AAF2-773118066115
U.S.-South Africa nonproliferation and disarmament dialogue
"U.S. and South African senior officials discussed a broad range of nonproliferation and disarmament issues August 26 - 28 in Pretoria, South Africa. State Department Special Advisor for Nonproliferation and Arms Control Robert J. Einhorn led the U.S. interagency delegation. The meeting followed President Obama's and President Zuma's decision at the July 8-10 G-8 summit to expand our bilateral dialogue on these issues. [...] The United States looks forward to expanded consultations and cooperation as we work together to promote disarmament and reduce the risk of nuclear proliferation. We will also increase our efforts to prevent nuclear terrorism, which includes securing all vulnerable nuclear material and is the focus of the President's Nuclear Security Summit in March 2010." (PR Canada; 31Aug09)
http://pr-canada.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=121434&Itemid=65
PharmAthene to present at the Rodman and Renshaw Annual Global Investment Conference
"PharmAthene, Inc. [...] a biodefense company developing medical countermeasures against biological and chemical threats, announced today that management will present at the Rodman & Renshaw Annual Global Investment Conference 2009. The Company is scheduled to present on Thursday, September 10th, 2009 at 10:00 a.m. E.T. in the Hubbard Salon (5th Floor) at the New York Palace Hotel, New York. The presentation will be webcast and can be accessed at [...] PharmAthene's lead product development programs include: [...] Valortim(R) -- a fully human monoclonal antibody for the prevention and treatment of anthrax infection -- Protexia(R) -- a novel bioscavenger for the prevention and treatment of morbidity and mortality associated with exposure to chemical nerve agents --RypVax(TM) -- a recombinant dual antigen vaccine for plague [...]." (Reuters; 01Sep09)
http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS144959+01-Sep-2009+PRN20090901
Suspicious package likely birthday prank [Carson City, NV]
"A practical joke on an employee that recently celebrated a birthday prompted a call to police to report a suspicious package at a glass shop on Highway 50 East today. An employee of Great Basin Glass called police after finding an envelope at the business which read: 'Open in an enclosed space such as a bathroom. Might be anthrax. Might be letter bomb.' [...] An examination of the envelope revealed it contained wires and a speaker. After further investigation, it was believed to be a musical birthday card." (Nevada Appeal; 01Sep09; F.T. Norton)
http://www.nevadaappeal.com/article/20090901/NEWS/909019998/1001/NONE&parentprofile=1058
Federal judge dismisses Lafayettte [IN] threat case: new trial for [Stephen Michael Long] accused anthrax hoaxer [sic] is uncertain
"In 2004, a federal jury convicted Stephen Michael Long on charges of threatening to use weapons of mass destruction, but the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in April overturned his conviction and 30-year prison sentence. Prosecutors were pushing to bring the case back to trial this year, but those plans could be frustrated by the dismissal from U.S. District Judge Patricia Minaldi, which comes after a hearing last week. Though the case has been dismissed, the judge has not yet ruled whether prosecutors will be allowed to begin the criminal process anew against Long or whether the man will be allowed to go free. [...] Long's letters were mailed in April 2002 to government offices, politicians, doctors, prominent community members, law enforcement agencies, media outlets and businesses throughout south Louisiana. The letters cryptically worded and attributed to 'The Brothers' led [to] the closure of several businesses and government offices. [...] Some letters contained baby powder, and many people who received the letters testified at Long's trial that they feared the substance was anthrax [bacteria] because the letter referenced drugs used to treat for anthrax [bacteria] exposure." (Daily Advertiser; 01Sep09) http://www.theadvertiser.com/article/20090901/NEWS01/90901016/Federal+judge+dismisses+Lafayettte+threat+case
Ex-BNP [British National Party] man [Matthew Single] fined for leaking details of thousands of party members [names and contact information]
"A former member of the British National party was today fined £200 [pounds sterling] today after he admitted leaking the names and details of thousands of party members online. Matthew Single, appearing before Nottingham magistrates, admitted revealing the names, addresses and occupations of around 12,000 members in a blog. Charges against his wife, Sadie Graham-Single, were dropped. [...] Police officers, teachers, church figures and lawyers were among those revealed to be BNP members, with some complaining the leaks exposed them to the risk of dismissal or disciplinary action. More than 160 complaints were made to police following attacks on BNP members and their property, it was revealed in court. White powder, purported to be anthrax, was put through people's letterboxes, swastikas were daubed on doors and there was an arson attack on one member's vehicle, officers said. Speaking outside the court, Detective Sergeant Chris Reynolds said he was disappointed with the outcome of the investigation, believed to have cost about £50,000 [pounds sterling]. 'It's taken a great deal of work to get the case to court,' he said. 'There was pretty serious stuff after what happened. People were fearful for their safety.' The list of names, which identified thousands of people linked to the far-right party, was leaked on the web in November 2008." (Guardian; 01Sep09) http://u.tv/News/Ex-BNP-man-fined-for-leaking-details-of-thousands-of-party-members/7fbc7f2b-68b0-44ea-b01e-fddde08bbf1
"SIGA Technologies, Inc. [...] a company specializing in the development of pharmaceutical agents to fight bio-warfare pathogens, today announced that it has received a Phase II grant of approximately $3 million from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to continue exploring the use of ST-246(r) as an adjunct to the current smallpox vaccine for prevention of smallpox vaccine-related adverse events. SIGA will evaluate the efficacy of ST-246 in preventing smallpox vaccine-related adverse events in non-human primate models of immunodeficiency and evaluate the impact of concurrent ST-246 administration on ACAM2000 vaccination efficacy in a monkeypox challenge in non-human primate models of immunodeficiency. [...] SIGA continues its active pursuit of a contract in response to [Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority] BARDA's Request for Proposals to supply the Strategic National Stockpile with a therapeutic smallpox anti-viral drug." (Trading Market; 02Sep09) http://www.tradingmarkets.com/.site/news/Stock%20News/2508286/
City unveils new bio safety lab [Laredo, TX]
"It's a 4-thousand square foot facility designed to do clinical and environmental testing. Technicians will be able to detect harmful bacteria and viruses with the lab's state of the art equipment. Kayla Castillon\epidemiologist 'This lab is designed to respond to any emergency or bio terrorist attack, so its directed to detect anthrax, H1N1, things that would be [a] public health emergency.'" (KGNS, Channel 8, Laredo; 01Sep09)
http://www.pro8news.com/news/local/56679707.html
Bioterrorism: Obama's strategy relies on prevention, says expert [Brian Finlay]
"A research expert says a recent meeting between scientists, researchers, and the Obama administration indicates the administration has chosen a preventive strategy to combat the threat of bioterrorism, reports the Global Security Newswire (GSN). [...] One expert that attended the meeting, Brian Finlay, a biological weapons expert at the Henry L. Stimson Center, a nonpartisan international peace and security think tank, told GSN that the Obama administration's emphasis on prevention differs from the previous administration, as does its open-mindedness to strengthening international law regarding biological weapons, another anonymous international analyst said. 'The focus of the conversation was on the prevention of biothreats, so I believe that is their general strategy,' according to the research expert. The White House 'may have an expansive definition, but their emphasis was on prevention instead of crisis management.'" (Security Management; 01Sep09; Matthew Harwood)
http://www.securitymanagement.com/news/bioterrorism-obamas-strategy-relies-prevention-says-expert-006162
Health officials taking stock of hospital ventilators
"Local, state and federal health officials will know this month precisely how many mechanical ventilators - machines that pump oxygen into ailing lungs - are at every hospital in case the swine flu becomes a moderate to severe outbreak. Inventories of the machines are being counted at hospitals on Long Island [NY] and nationwide in a survey conducted by the American Association for Respiratory Care. [...] Two years ago, at the height of the bird flu scare, federal pandemic planners worried too few ventilators were available. [Alan] Schwalberg's [director of emergency medical services for the North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System] predecessor estimated then there were 50,000 ventilators in New York and 5,000 on Long Island. State health officials now decline to disclose the number of machines. They say the information is considered sensitive, as ventilators may be needed during an act of bioterrorism, and officials don't want the nation's enemies to know what would be available during a crisis." (Newsday; 01Sep09; Delthia Ricks)
http://www.newsday.com/long-island/nassau/health-officials-taking-stock-of-hospital-ventilators-1.1415148
Northrop Grumman's biohazard detection system nocks 8 million tests
"Northrop Grumman Corp.'s [...] Security Systems LLC [limited liability company] unit said its automated Biohazard Detection System [BDS], in use nationwide with the U.S. Postal Service, recently performed its eight millionth test without a false positive test result. [...] Northrop Grumman is the prime contractor and systems integrator of the BDS, which has screened tens of billions of pieces of mail for anthrax [spores] over the past five years. It is the only network of autonomous bio-detectors deployed nationwide. The BDS has full turn-key logistics and is integrated into a mature central monitoring system. More than 1,000 systems have been delivered to hundreds of postal mail processing facilities." (Trading Markets; 31Aug09) http://www.tradingmarkets.com/.site/news/Stock%20News/2504265/
EPA [Environmental Protection Agency]: chemical disposal plant properly closed [Johnston Atoll Chemical Agent Disposal System facility, HI]
"An Army chemical weapons disposal plant that handled nerve gas and other deadly agents has been properly cleaned and closed, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced Monday. The dismantling of the Johnston Atoll Chemical Agent Disposal System [JACADS] facility on the now-uninhabited Pacific island about 890 miles west-southwest of Honolulu took about three years, ending in 2004. Sarin nerve gas, mustard gas and blister agent dating back to World War II were incinerated at the facility, known as JACADS, along with more than 400,000 rockets, projectiles, bombs and mortars containing chemical agents, including the deadly nerve agent VX, officials said. [...] The EPA said its closure approval 'assures protection from impact of JACADS for not only human health, but also for the ecology and environment.' The Army was required to decommission JACADS after the facility in 2000 destroyed the last of over 400,000 obsolete chemical weapons collected from Okinawa, Japan, and other U.S. military bases in the Pacific Basin and West Germany between 1971 and 1991." (Associated Press; 31Aug09)
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5h-t7LF__nOqFWbP8tVvsW88zGR8QD9AE6MCO0
Pakistan to pay for lawyers of Qaeda suspect [Aafia Siddiqui] in U.S.
"A U.S.-trained Pakistani neuroscientist who faces trial for the attempted murder of U.S. interrogators in Afghanistan will be represented by lawyers paid for by Pakistan, a U.S. judge ruled on Wednesday. In an unusual step, Pakistan sought to send in a team of lawyers to help represent Aafia Siddiqui, who is charged with grabbing a U.S. warrant officer's rifle in mid-2008 while she was detained for questioning in Afghanistan and firing it at FBI agents and military personnel who were not hit. [...] According to her U.S. indictment, items found in Siddiqui's handbag at the time of her arrest included notes on making explosives and chemical weapons as well as descriptions of a 'mass casualty attack' that listed various New York City landmarks. While the U.S. government has previously linked Siddiqui to al Qaeda, the charges against her do not mention the group and prosecutors have not said whether they intend to make any connection a part of the case." (Reuters; 02Sep09; Christine Kearney)
http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSTRE5816E120090902
Albuquerque airport testing bio-hazard sensors [NM]
"The international airport in Albuquerque, N.M., is halfway through a two-year test of a new technology designed to 'sniff out' chemical and biological threats in the air. The ThreatSense system developed by ICx Technologies may not look like much [...] but the company claims it can help avert catastrophe." (Smart Brief; 02Sep09)
http://www.smartbrief.com/news/aia/storyDetails.jsp?issueid=4200843E-0CB2-4EC3-BA58-908C50BC821E©id=B0C8F984-4B46-4941-AAF2-773118066115
U.S.-South Africa nonproliferation and disarmament dialogue
"U.S. and South African senior officials discussed a broad range of nonproliferation and disarmament issues August 26 - 28 in Pretoria, South Africa. State Department Special Advisor for Nonproliferation and Arms Control Robert J. Einhorn led the U.S. interagency delegation. The meeting followed President Obama's and President Zuma's decision at the July 8-10 G-8 summit to expand our bilateral dialogue on these issues. [...] The United States looks forward to expanded consultations and cooperation as we work together to promote disarmament and reduce the risk of nuclear proliferation. We will also increase our efforts to prevent nuclear terrorism, which includes securing all vulnerable nuclear material and is the focus of the President's Nuclear Security Summit in March 2010." (PR Canada; 31Aug09)
http://pr-canada.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=121434&Itemid=65
PharmAthene to present at the Rodman and Renshaw Annual Global Investment Conference
"PharmAthene, Inc. [...] a biodefense company developing medical countermeasures against biological and chemical threats, announced today that management will present at the Rodman & Renshaw Annual Global Investment Conference 2009. The Company is scheduled to present on Thursday, September 10th, 2009 at 10:00 a.m. E.T. in the Hubbard Salon (5th Floor) at the New York Palace Hotel, New York. The presentation will be webcast and can be accessed at [...] PharmAthene's lead product development programs include: [...] Valortim(R) -- a fully human monoclonal antibody for the prevention and treatment of anthrax infection -- Protexia(R) -- a novel bioscavenger for the prevention and treatment of morbidity and mortality associated with exposure to chemical nerve agents --RypVax(TM) -- a recombinant dual antigen vaccine for plague [...]." (Reuters; 01Sep09)
http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS144959+01-Sep-2009+PRN20090901
Suspicious package likely birthday prank [Carson City, NV]
"A practical joke on an employee that recently celebrated a birthday prompted a call to police to report a suspicious package at a glass shop on Highway 50 East today. An employee of Great Basin Glass called police after finding an envelope at the business which read: 'Open in an enclosed space such as a bathroom. Might be anthrax. Might be letter bomb.' [...] An examination of the envelope revealed it contained wires and a speaker. After further investigation, it was believed to be a musical birthday card." (Nevada Appeal; 01Sep09; F.T. Norton)
http://www.nevadaappeal.com/article/20090901/NEWS/909019998/1001/NONE&parentprofile=1058
Federal judge dismisses Lafayettte [IN] threat case: new trial for [Stephen Michael Long] accused anthrax hoaxer [sic] is uncertain
"In 2004, a federal jury convicted Stephen Michael Long on charges of threatening to use weapons of mass destruction, but the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in April overturned his conviction and 30-year prison sentence. Prosecutors were pushing to bring the case back to trial this year, but those plans could be frustrated by the dismissal from U.S. District Judge Patricia Minaldi, which comes after a hearing last week. Though the case has been dismissed, the judge has not yet ruled whether prosecutors will be allowed to begin the criminal process anew against Long or whether the man will be allowed to go free. [...] Long's letters were mailed in April 2002 to government offices, politicians, doctors, prominent community members, law enforcement agencies, media outlets and businesses throughout south Louisiana. The letters cryptically worded and attributed to 'The Brothers' led [to] the closure of several businesses and government offices. [...] Some letters contained baby powder, and many people who received the letters testified at Long's trial that they feared the substance was anthrax [bacteria] because the letter referenced drugs used to treat for anthrax [bacteria] exposure." (Daily Advertiser; 01Sep09) http://www.theadvertiser.com/article/20090901/NEWS01/90901016/Federal+judge+dismisses+Lafayettte+threat+case
Ex-BNP [British National Party] man [Matthew Single] fined for leaking details of thousands of party members [names and contact information]
"A former member of the British National party was today fined £200 [pounds sterling] today after he admitted leaking the names and details of thousands of party members online. Matthew Single, appearing before Nottingham magistrates, admitted revealing the names, addresses and occupations of around 12,000 members in a blog. Charges against his wife, Sadie Graham-Single, were dropped. [...] Police officers, teachers, church figures and lawyers were among those revealed to be BNP members, with some complaining the leaks exposed them to the risk of dismissal or disciplinary action. More than 160 complaints were made to police following attacks on BNP members and their property, it was revealed in court. White powder, purported to be anthrax, was put through people's letterboxes, swastikas were daubed on doors and there was an arson attack on one member's vehicle, officers said. Speaking outside the court, Detective Sergeant Chris Reynolds said he was disappointed with the outcome of the investigation, believed to have cost about £50,000 [pounds sterling]. 'It's taken a great deal of work to get the case to court,' he said. 'There was pretty serious stuff after what happened. People were fearful for their safety.' The list of names, which identified thousands of people linked to the far-right party, was leaked on the web in November 2008." (Guardian; 01Sep09) http://u.tv/News/Ex-BNP-man-fined-for-leaking-details-of-thousands-of-party-members/7fbc7f2b-68b0-44ea-b01e-fddde08bbf1
Tuesday, September 01, 2009
Iraqis Seize Cache, Detain Terrorist, Secure Drone
American Forces Press Service
Sept. 1, 2009 - Iraqi forces seized a cache of supplies used to make rocket launchers, detained a terrorism suspect and secured a crashed U.S. unmanned aerial vehicle in recent days, military officials in Iraq reported. Iraqi soldiers and a tactical police unit from Amarah seized the rocket-launcher supplies in Maysan province yesterday. The operation snared 16 complete rocket rails and more than 1,300 car jacks and other components used in the assembly of the rails.
Hundreds of jacks were smuggled in banana shipping crates marked with Iranian stickers, officials said.
"The loss of this particular cache will seriously hinder the criminals' ability to disrupt peace in southern Iraq," said Army Maj. Myles Caggins, spokesman for the 1st Armored Division's 4th Brigade Combat Team. "It was especially encouraging to see a number of local citizens come forward to tell the Iraqi army about the cache location. Outlaws who smuggle lethal aid seek to undermine economic development in Maysan."
The 38th Iraqi Army Brigade and Iraqi police, with help from weapons intelligence specialists assigned to the U.S. Army's 4th Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment, are investigating the evidence. The U.S. battalion advises and assists Iraqi security forces from their base in rural Maysan.
Emergency Response Brigade elements, along with U.S. forces advisors, arrested a suspected terrorist in Baghdad on Aug. 30. The suspect allegedly is affiliated with insurgent groups
operating in the area, and was wanted for conducting bomb attacks against Iraqi government officials, security forces and civilians.
In other news from Iraq, Iraqi and U.S. forces recovered an unmanned aerial vehicle that crashed yesterday on a roof in the Rashadiyah neighborhood in northwestern Mosul.
U.S. forces received permission from the Ninevah Operations Center to move through the city to recover the aircraft. Iraqi soldiers were the first to arrive at the crash scene, where they found the aircraft intact and secured the area. They recovered the vehicle and moved it to a more secure location, where they waited for U.S. servicemembers to arrive.
Iraqi soldiers met U.S. forces and handed the recovered aerial vehicle over. U.S. and Iraqi forces are assessing the rooftop for damage. No injuries were reported, and the crash is under investigation.
(Compiled from Multinational Corps Iraq news releases.)
Sept. 1, 2009 - Iraqi forces seized a cache of supplies used to make rocket launchers, detained a terrorism suspect and secured a crashed U.S. unmanned aerial vehicle in recent days, military officials in Iraq reported. Iraqi soldiers and a tactical police unit from Amarah seized the rocket-launcher supplies in Maysan province yesterday. The operation snared 16 complete rocket rails and more than 1,300 car jacks and other components used in the assembly of the rails.
Hundreds of jacks were smuggled in banana shipping crates marked with Iranian stickers, officials said.
"The loss of this particular cache will seriously hinder the criminals' ability to disrupt peace in southern Iraq," said Army Maj. Myles Caggins, spokesman for the 1st Armored Division's 4th Brigade Combat Team. "It was especially encouraging to see a number of local citizens come forward to tell the Iraqi army about the cache location. Outlaws who smuggle lethal aid seek to undermine economic development in Maysan."
The 38th Iraqi Army Brigade and Iraqi police, with help from weapons intelligence specialists assigned to the U.S. Army's 4th Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment, are investigating the evidence. The U.S. battalion advises and assists Iraqi security forces from their base in rural Maysan.
Emergency Response Brigade elements, along with U.S. forces advisors, arrested a suspected terrorist in Baghdad on Aug. 30. The suspect allegedly is affiliated with insurgent groups
operating in the area, and was wanted for conducting bomb attacks against Iraqi government officials, security forces and civilians.
In other news from Iraq, Iraqi and U.S. forces recovered an unmanned aerial vehicle that crashed yesterday on a roof in the Rashadiyah neighborhood in northwestern Mosul.
U.S. forces received permission from the Ninevah Operations Center to move through the city to recover the aircraft. Iraqi soldiers were the first to arrive at the crash scene, where they found the aircraft intact and secured the area. They recovered the vehicle and moved it to a more secure location, where they waited for U.S. servicemembers to arrive.
Iraqi soldiers met U.S. forces and handed the recovered aerial vehicle over. U.S. and Iraqi forces are assessing the rooftop for damage. No injuries were reported, and the crash is under investigation.
(Compiled from Multinational Corps Iraq news releases.)
Bazaar to Provide Taste of Iraqi Culture
By Army Sgt. Debralee P. Crankshaw
Special to American Forces Press Service
Sept. 1, 2009 - With Iraqi forces now handling security in Iraq's cities and towns, coalition forces get fewer chances to immerse themselves in Iraqi culture. Some hope that will change with the opening of an Iraqi bazaar here this month. "We want to get to a point where we give the feel of what a traditional bazaar is in Iraq," said Army Capt. Andrew Nathan, a civil military operations officer with the 34th Infantry Division. "The business group that is setting this up is creating an ambiance of a bazaar or an oasis. It's like coming in off the desert on your camel and you need to be refreshed and you need food and drink and a place of refuge."
The Oasis bazaar will have a "soft" opening for business Sept. 6, with a grand opening planned for Sept. 22 to allow for the passage of Ramadan. It will offer a variety of traditional Iraqi clothing, arts and crafts, pottery products and stone carvings.
"What we're trying to do at the bazaar is to bring a local flavor and a [morale, welfare and recreation] opportunity for the soldiers," Nathan said. "[Army and Air Force Exchange Service] sells things to soldiers they need on a daily basis, and sometimes brings in some of the embroidery shops and framing shops. What we want to do is provide products AAFES doesn't necessarily provide, plus we want to provide soldiers with the opportunity to buy something that is very traditional, very Iraqi -- souvenirs, memorabilia, something they could only get here."
The bazaar is designed not only to allow soldiers to purchase souvenirs, but also to give them a place where they can get away from it all.
"It's an added MWR opportunity," Nathan said. "There isn't a whole lot to do on Basra, so it gives the soldiers a chance to get away from their work. This bazaar is far enough away from their normal day of work, and it's supposed to be a place of solitude. They're trying to create a place, ultimately, to kind of hang out – to get away from the work."
The Oasis will feature vendor stalls and tents, a pond with a fountain and a desert motif mural. Soldiers will be offered camel and horseback rides, and will have the opportunity to have their photos taken in front of the desert mural with the animals.
"Literally, they are trying to bring a traditional bazaar and traditional oasis that you would normally see out here in the desert," Nathan said. "If people have read 'Arabian Nights' or they see movies on the Arab culture, there is a picture in everyone's mind of what an oasis or a bazaar would be. They want to bring that stereotype as accurately as possible to give the soldiers that feel and that look."
This project also benefits local Iraqis, as local businessmen with the Moosawi Group are bringing their experience to the bazaar.
"In downtown Basra, the Moosawi Group has a bazaar -- like a mall-bazaar -- so they are already in the business of selling some of these products," Nathan said. "So, since we can't go to that bazaar, they want to bring the bazaar to us. It's going to benefit them financially. It's a market they wouldn't normally have access to."
While this is beneficial for both nations, Nathan said, he encourages soldiers to be grateful for what the Iraqis are doing.
"They are living out their hospitality. The Arabic culture is about hospitality," he said. "We are guests in their country, and they are opening their arms to us. You will see that in the bazaar; you will see their hospitality. I would really encourage the soldiers who go to the bazaar to appreciate what the Iraqis are giving to us."
For Nathan, the cooperation of the two nations has been the most important part of this project, as the bazaar has created an opportunity for both nations to develop a stronger bond.
"This project has shown that the U.S. forces and local Iraqis can come together and develop a positive relationship," he said. "I'm very excited about this project, because what the soldiers are going to come and experience, it's going to be pretty magnificent."
The project has been about bridging of cultural differences and coming together, Nathan said.
"The bottom-line message is, as we draw down and leave Iraq, it's important to have left on a high note," he said. And this bazaar, I think, is not only going to be a project and a place to go, but I think it's going to be a symbol of what we were able to accomplish together.
"It will be a good memory for the Americans, as well as for the Iraqis, when the Americans leave that we've left on a good note – [that] we've left appreciating each other's company."
(Army Sgt. Debralee P. Crankshaw serves in the Multinational Division South public affairs office.)
Special to American Forces Press Service
Sept. 1, 2009 - With Iraqi forces now handling security in Iraq's cities and towns, coalition forces get fewer chances to immerse themselves in Iraqi culture. Some hope that will change with the opening of an Iraqi bazaar here this month. "We want to get to a point where we give the feel of what a traditional bazaar is in Iraq," said Army Capt. Andrew Nathan, a civil military operations officer with the 34th Infantry Division. "The business group that is setting this up is creating an ambiance of a bazaar or an oasis. It's like coming in off the desert on your camel and you need to be refreshed and you need food and drink and a place of refuge."
The Oasis bazaar will have a "soft" opening for business Sept. 6, with a grand opening planned for Sept. 22 to allow for the passage of Ramadan. It will offer a variety of traditional Iraqi clothing, arts and crafts, pottery products and stone carvings.
"What we're trying to do at the bazaar is to bring a local flavor and a [morale, welfare and recreation] opportunity for the soldiers," Nathan said. "[Army and Air Force Exchange Service] sells things to soldiers they need on a daily basis, and sometimes brings in some of the embroidery shops and framing shops. What we want to do is provide products AAFES doesn't necessarily provide, plus we want to provide soldiers with the opportunity to buy something that is very traditional, very Iraqi -- souvenirs, memorabilia, something they could only get here."
The bazaar is designed not only to allow soldiers to purchase souvenirs, but also to give them a place where they can get away from it all.
"It's an added MWR opportunity," Nathan said. "There isn't a whole lot to do on Basra, so it gives the soldiers a chance to get away from their work. This bazaar is far enough away from their normal day of work, and it's supposed to be a place of solitude. They're trying to create a place, ultimately, to kind of hang out – to get away from the work."
The Oasis will feature vendor stalls and tents, a pond with a fountain and a desert motif mural. Soldiers will be offered camel and horseback rides, and will have the opportunity to have their photos taken in front of the desert mural with the animals.
"Literally, they are trying to bring a traditional bazaar and traditional oasis that you would normally see out here in the desert," Nathan said. "If people have read 'Arabian Nights' or they see movies on the Arab culture, there is a picture in everyone's mind of what an oasis or a bazaar would be. They want to bring that stereotype as accurately as possible to give the soldiers that feel and that look."
This project also benefits local Iraqis, as local businessmen with the Moosawi Group are bringing their experience to the bazaar.
"In downtown Basra, the Moosawi Group has a bazaar -- like a mall-bazaar -- so they are already in the business of selling some of these products," Nathan said. "So, since we can't go to that bazaar, they want to bring the bazaar to us. It's going to benefit them financially. It's a market they wouldn't normally have access to."
While this is beneficial for both nations, Nathan said, he encourages soldiers to be grateful for what the Iraqis are doing.
"They are living out their hospitality. The Arabic culture is about hospitality," he said. "We are guests in their country, and they are opening their arms to us. You will see that in the bazaar; you will see their hospitality. I would really encourage the soldiers who go to the bazaar to appreciate what the Iraqis are giving to us."
For Nathan, the cooperation of the two nations has been the most important part of this project, as the bazaar has created an opportunity for both nations to develop a stronger bond.
"This project has shown that the U.S. forces and local Iraqis can come together and develop a positive relationship," he said. "I'm very excited about this project, because what the soldiers are going to come and experience, it's going to be pretty magnificent."
The project has been about bridging of cultural differences and coming together, Nathan said.
"The bottom-line message is, as we draw down and leave Iraq, it's important to have left on a high note," he said. And this bazaar, I think, is not only going to be a project and a place to go, but I think it's going to be a symbol of what we were able to accomplish together.
"It will be a good memory for the Americans, as well as for the Iraqis, when the Americans leave that we've left on a good note – [that] we've left appreciating each other's company."
(Army Sgt. Debralee P. Crankshaw serves in the Multinational Division South public affairs office.)
Attacks Prompt Iraqi Security Assessment
By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service
Sept. 1, 2009 - Iraqi security forces have undertaken a broad self-assessment in the wake of series of deadly attacks in the Iraqi capital last month, a U.S. commander there said today. A wave of truck bombings in Baghdad killed at least 100 people and injured more than 500 others in a deadly Aug. 19 assault that exposed a lapse in security, according to U.S. defense officials.
"The Iraqi security forces, as a result of that, have done a great deal of introspective assessing, to make sure that they understand how they can mitigate that from ever happening again," Army Col. Joseph Martin, commander of the 1st Infantry Division's 2nd Brigade Combat Team in Baghdad told reporters at the Pentagon today.
"They continue to assess the overall security situation as a whole, in order to mitigate any attacks, not just [car bomb] attacks, but just any attacks that can occur here," he added.
The attack, which came nearly two months after U.S. troops withdrew from Iraq's cities and villages as part of the U.S.-Iraqi security agreement to increase the authority of Iraqi forces, prompted Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to call for a re-evaluation of security operations.
In the wake of the explosions, top Iraqi military officials met to discuss security methods. The meeting culminated in a directive that changed aspects of security, including procedures and locations for checkpoints and inspections, said Martin, who declined to discuss specific details about the security reforms.
"It's reflective of them understanding, based on our discussions, ... the importance of being an introspective organization and entity providing security for the people here. It helps everybody improve," he said. "It's a sign of a very mature chain of command that can take a look at themselves and their operations and improve -- improve their overall capability."
While defense officials have acknowledged that future attacks are likely, they characterized the attacks as an isolated security breach that is overshadowed by broader trends that indicate improved safety in Iraq compared to previous years.
Violence in Iraq since 2004 is at all-time low, Martin said, adding that since his unit's arrival in October, attacks have decreased by almost 40 percent. The brigade's area of operations averages fewer than two attacks per day, compared to 30 daily attacks two years ago.
"This achievement is due to the hard work of the soldiers and the partners at the company level and below who relentlessly attacked the enemy, then stood watch to protect the people they came here to protect," Martin said.
But the bloodshed underscored that security in Iraq is an evolving process of training, partnering and development, defense officials said.
"This event demonstrates that security is not only an ongoing process, but really is a never-ending commitment," Martin said.
American Forces Press Service
Sept. 1, 2009 - Iraqi security forces have undertaken a broad self-assessment in the wake of series of deadly attacks in the Iraqi capital last month, a U.S. commander there said today. A wave of truck bombings in Baghdad killed at least 100 people and injured more than 500 others in a deadly Aug. 19 assault that exposed a lapse in security, according to U.S. defense officials.
"The Iraqi security forces, as a result of that, have done a great deal of introspective assessing, to make sure that they understand how they can mitigate that from ever happening again," Army Col. Joseph Martin, commander of the 1st Infantry Division's 2nd Brigade Combat Team in Baghdad told reporters at the Pentagon today.
"They continue to assess the overall security situation as a whole, in order to mitigate any attacks, not just [car bomb] attacks, but just any attacks that can occur here," he added.
The attack, which came nearly two months after U.S. troops withdrew from Iraq's cities and villages as part of the U.S.-Iraqi security agreement to increase the authority of Iraqi forces, prompted Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to call for a re-evaluation of security operations.
In the wake of the explosions, top Iraqi military officials met to discuss security methods. The meeting culminated in a directive that changed aspects of security, including procedures and locations for checkpoints and inspections, said Martin, who declined to discuss specific details about the security reforms.
"It's reflective of them understanding, based on our discussions, ... the importance of being an introspective organization and entity providing security for the people here. It helps everybody improve," he said. "It's a sign of a very mature chain of command that can take a look at themselves and their operations and improve -- improve their overall capability."
While defense officials have acknowledged that future attacks are likely, they characterized the attacks as an isolated security breach that is overshadowed by broader trends that indicate improved safety in Iraq compared to previous years.
Violence in Iraq since 2004 is at all-time low, Martin said, adding that since his unit's arrival in October, attacks have decreased by almost 40 percent. The brigade's area of operations averages fewer than two attacks per day, compared to 30 daily attacks two years ago.
"This achievement is due to the hard work of the soldiers and the partners at the company level and below who relentlessly attacked the enemy, then stood watch to protect the people they came here to protect," Martin said.
But the bloodshed underscored that security in Iraq is an evolving process of training, partnering and development, defense officials said.
"This event demonstrates that security is not only an ongoing process, but really is a never-ending commitment," Martin said.
Marine Casualty
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
Lance Cpl. David R. Hall, 31, of Elyria, Ohio, died Aug. 31 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.
For additional background information on this Marine, news media representatives may contact the II Marine Expeditionary Force public affairs office at 910-451-7200.
Lance Cpl. David R. Hall, 31, of Elyria, Ohio, died Aug. 31 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.
For additional background information on this Marine, news media representatives may contact the II Marine Expeditionary Force public affairs office at 910-451-7200.
SECRETARY NAPOLITANO AND ADMINISTRATOR FUGATE MARK THE BEGINNING OF NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS MONTH
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Craig Fugate today marked the beginning of the sixth annual National Preparedness Month—focusing on becoming better prepared for and more resilient in the face of emergencies of all kinds.
“National Preparedness Month is about building a culture of personal preparedness and shared responsibility across our country,” said Secretary Napolitano. “This month, we ask all Americans to visit Ready.gov to learn what they can do to help their families, businesses and communities stay safe during an emergency—whether it be hurricanes like Katrina, the fires we are fighting in California or pandemic influenza.”
“Every American is a critical member of our nation’s emergency response team,” said FEMA Administrator Fugate. “By taking a few simple steps now, each of us can make sure we are better prepared for the next emergency or disaster.”
For more information on the Ready Campaign and National Preparedness Month, visit www.ready.gov or www.listo.gov—or call 1-800-BE-READY or 1-888-SE-LISTO for more emergency preparedness information.
“National Preparedness Month is about building a culture of personal preparedness and shared responsibility across our country,” said Secretary Napolitano. “This month, we ask all Americans to visit Ready.gov to learn what they can do to help their families, businesses and communities stay safe during an emergency—whether it be hurricanes like Katrina, the fires we are fighting in California or pandemic influenza.”
“Every American is a critical member of our nation’s emergency response team,” said FEMA Administrator Fugate. “By taking a few simple steps now, each of us can make sure we are better prepared for the next emergency or disaster.”
For more information on the Ready Campaign and National Preparedness Month, visit www.ready.gov or www.listo.gov—or call 1-800-BE-READY or 1-888-SE-LISTO for more emergency preparedness information.
Wounded Warrior Inspires Gates, Accepts Key to New Home
By Donna MilesAmerican Forces Press Service
Aug. 31, 2009 - Hundreds of people arrived today at the home of retired Marine Capt. Dan Moran, a warrior severely wounded in Iraq, to see Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates present him the keys to his new home on behalf of the Helping a Hero organization. They came to see Moran lauded as a hero by a host of luminaries: Astros legend Craig Biggio, Texas Lt. Gov. David Dewhurt, U.S. Rep Todd Tiahrt from Kansas , and hundreds of others from the community.
What most didn't expect is that Moran would steal their hearts in the process, thanking them with a humility and pride that brought tears to their eyes and lumps to their throats.
Gates had been personally moved before by the story of the Marine he presented his "Aggie" diploma while serving as president of Texas A&M University in December 2003.
Four years later, then as defense secretary, Gates met with Moran as he was being treated for extensive burns received in Iraq at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas .
Moran received third-degree burns over 50 percent of his body when his platoon was ambushed during his second tour of duty in Ramadi, Iraq . He also suffered a compression fracture to his T-8 vertebrae, herniated discs, a mild traumatic brain injury and an inhalation injury.
He underwent more than 30 surgeries and spent two-and-a-half years recovering at the Brooke burn center.
Wearing a Texas A&M T-shirt when Gates visited the center, Moran asked the secretary to autograph his graduation photo, then asked later for him to present his Purple Heart.
Last fall, Gates and former President George H.W. Bush joined Moran on the field during a Texas A&M football game and awarded him the Navy Commendation Medal with "V" for valor.
Today, Gates presented Moran the keys to a brand-new home in the Bridgeland community near Houston, donated through HelpingaHero.org. The non-profit, non-partisan group funds financial, emotional, educational, mentoring, recreational and scholarship support for severely injured military members and their families.
Meredith Iler, national chairperson for HelpingaHero.org, called Moran a patriot who loves his country deeply, served valiantly, and continues to reach out to help other wounded warriors as they recover.
"Dan is a real hero and a true patriot," Gates echoed. "He is an inspiration to us."
The new 3,300-square-foot home was funded by the Strake Foundation, Rex and Marilyn King and the Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund.
Perry Homes built it with special accommodations for Moran's physical condition. It features tinted windows, a high-efficiency air conditioner and heating system and other enhanced temperature-control measures because Moran is no longer able to control his body temperature.
The lot was selected to allow the least amount of direct sunlight into the home. The house also includes an extended covered porch to allow him to spend time outdoors with his two children, Trey 4, and Macy, 2, without direct sun exposure.
"We are thrilled to be able to give something back to a man who has given so very much for his country, and we know our residents will gladly welcome the Morans and immediately make them feel at home," said Peter Houghton a Bridgeland community vice president.
Gates said the new home "represents a new beginning and a down payment on a new future."
As Moran accepted the keys to the new home, he put his prepared notes aside and decided to talk "from the heart."
"I can never say thank you enough," he told the group that crowded every nook and cranny in his new home to watch the ceremony, and flowed out along the front walkway and along the street.
"What do I say to people who have given me so much? What can I say? Words don't do justice," he said. "So let me tell you right now: It is going to be the way that I live my life. And the way I am going to live my life is by honor, courage and commitment."
Moran recognized everyone involved in "making this a reality" -- from those who donated money to make it possible to those who did the construction.
"You can rest assured," he told them, "You made an investment in me and other wounded warriors, and I promise you, you will get a return on your investment in me."
Moran said he refuses to live his life for himself and wants it to honor his fallen Marines and others in and out of the military who serve others.
"This is how I am going to pay you back, by how I live my life and the impact I will have," he said.
Moran said he's proud to be a Texan, an Aggie and an American.
"Americans never waiver. They never quit," he said. "And when faced with a challenge, they face it head-on."
That's a standard Moran said he plans to pass on when he talks to his son in his new backyard or in the adjoining pond.
"That's what we believe is the standard that has been set, and it's a standard we will continue to hold," he said. "Nor for ourselves, but for others."
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