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Glitches Plagued Antiterror Drill, Report Says
Canadian authorities experienced several problems in April 2005 during their participation in a three-nation antiterrorism exercise, the Canadian Press reported today (see GSN, April 11, 2005). The drill involved hundreds of people in Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States. The Canadian component of the simulation was titled “Exercise Triple Play,” while the United States conducted “TOPOFF 3.” The fictional scenario included the release of a pneumonic plague in New Jersey by a terrorist group and a chemical explosion in Connecticut. Canadian authorities were called upon to deal with victims and perpetrators heading into their country. They experienced a number of logistical glitches in doing so, according to CP. A fictional senior official requested a plan to restrict the movement of people in New Brunswick, where a luxury ship was carrying victims of the New Jersey incident. However, memos obtained by the Canadian Press indicate that the request was ignored and no contingency planning occurred. Other participants complained about the control-center space in Ottawa. “Facilities are not adequate,” one participant wrote. “More desk space for each controller was needed,” added another. In addition, only seven of the 18 agencies involved in the simulations contributed personnel to the media office. “An excellent training opportunity was lost to those departmental communications staffs that did not participate in the exercise,” wrote a participant. Other participants criticized the “quantity and timeliness” of the flow of intelligence and the general communications planning for the events. However, Simone MacAndrew, a spokeswoman for Canada’s Public Safety Department, said the simulation provided a valuable experience for her agency. “It was a really tremendous learning experience for the department,” she said. “It clearly showed us where we needed to fine-tune a few things” (Jim Bronskill, Canadian Press/Yahoo!News, Feb. 1).
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