Large-Scale Terror Drills Necessary, Chertoff Says

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said yesterday that large-scale terrorism exercises are necessary to prepare local, state and federal agencies to respond together in the face of an actual crisis, the Associated Press reported (see GSN, Oct. 17).

Some critics have argued that major drills cost too much money and don’t approximate the chaos that would follow an actual incident.  They have said the money spent on the events would be better used for responding to natural disasters.

Likening emergency response agencies to sports teams, Chertoff said practice is necessary or “it would be a lousy football team.”

He spoke in Portland, Ore., which this week hosted the main component of the fourth TOPOFF terrorism exercise.  Smaller drills were also conducted in Guam and Phoenix, Ariz.

While the exercises are necessary, releasing all the details about the events is not, Chertoff said.

“We don’t necessarily want to reveal all of the weaknesses or vulnerabilities we’ve detected and put it on the Internet,” he said.

An exercise summary is expected to be released within two to three months and participating agencies would receive details, AP reported.  Homeland Security does not expect to issue a full “after action report.”  The House Homeland Security Committee has yet to receive such a report from the 2005 drill (see GSN, Oct. 3; William McCall, Associated Press/KATU.com, Oct. 18).

An actual law enforcement response interrupted the events yesterday in Portland, the Oregonian newspaper reported.

Bomb-sniffing dogs detected something during a security search of a hotel prior to Chertoff’s arrival.  Police cordoned off the area and halted operations of passing MAX light rail trains.

The alert forced the cancellation of a press briefing and a tabletop drill on the aftermath of the mock “dirty bomb” strike on Portland.

The suspicious material is believed to be residue left in or on a vehicle by police officers or soldiers who work with explosives and were staying at the hotel during the exercise (Joseph Rose, Oregonian, Oct. 19).

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