U.S. Response:  New Port Security Measures Cause Delays

Increased security measures at U.S. ports have led to longer delays for ships unloading their cargo, the Baltimore Sun reported today.

The Maryland Port Authority this week began requiring that every driver entering the Dundalk Marine Terminal at the port of Baltimore show picture identification before entering.  About 4,000 trucks and 2,000 cars enter the terminal every day, according to the Sun.

“There’s usually a line coming into the pier itself,” said Baltimore truck driver Brent Brinkley.  “It’s a little longer than usual,” he added.

The new port security measures implemented after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks have caused some minor delays, port officials and truck drivers said.  The new security measures, however, have had an impact on the port’s operations, the Sun reported.  For example, P&O Ports, which manages the Maryland International Terminal at Dundalk, has increased the number of drivers who move cargo containers to special areas for U.S. Customs Service inspections.

U.S. Coast Guard and Customs inspectors also have intensified their examinations of cargo manifests and other documents at the company’s port offices, according to the Sun.

“It hasn’t been a serious impact at this point,” Larry Jones, P&O terminal manager at Dundalk, said of the increased scrutiny.  “It’s something we’ve been able to adjust to,” he added (Paul Adams, Baltimore Sun, March 21).

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Iraq:  Ground War, “Shock and Awe” Air Campaign Begin

In a major ground offensive, U.S. and allied forces advanced into Iraq today, capturing several strategic targets, including airfields and a key port, U.S. and British officials said (see GSN, March 20).  Soon after nightfall today, U.S. aerial forces began the long-heralded “shock and awe” aerial bombardment campaign in Baghdad, and possibly other Iraqi cities (CNN, March 21).

U.S. and British troops captured two key airfields in western Iraq, known as H-2 and H-3, according to CNN.com.  U.S. intelligence indicates the H-3 airfield might be a WMD site, according to an official (CNN.com, March 21).  The airfields are also believed to house Scud ballistic missiles, according to the Associated Press (Pauline Jelinek, Associated Press/Yahoo.com, March 21).

U.S. and allied forces have also captured the Faw Peninsula in southern Iraq, which includes several oil installations and the port city of Umm Qasr, according to Lt. Col. Rick Long, spokesman for the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force.  U.S. troops captured the new port, while British forces captured the old port.

Iraqi troops at first put up resistance and took casualties, but that resistance soon faded and hundreds of Iraqi surrendered, U.S. and British officials said. 

Iraqi troops have so far set fire to up to 30 oil fields in southern Iraq, British Defense Secretary Geoffrey Hoon said today.  U.S. military planners are devising strategies to counter another possible act of Iraqi sabotage — the flooding of the Tigris River, the U.S. Defense Department said today (CNN.com).

U.S. forces encountered stiff resistance from Iraqi troops today near the town of Nassiriya, a key crossing point on the Euphrates River in southern Iraq, according to Ha’aretz (Ha’aretz, March 21).

U.S. forces have suffered their first combat casualties in Iraq with the deaths of two U.S. Marines, defense officials said today (CNN, March 21).  One Marine, a member of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, had been killed during the assault into southern Iraq, a British military spokesman in Kuwait said (Associated Press/Yahoo.com, March 21).

U.S. and allied troops could reach Baghdad within the next four days, a British military spokesman said today.

“If I was a betting man, and I’m not, I would say hopefully within the next three or four days,” Group Capt. Al Lockwood said (Michael McDonough, Associated Press/Newsday, March 21).

Today’s aerial bombardment on Baghdad involved more than 300 cruise missiles, according to NBC News.  (NBC News, March 21).

U.S. airstrikes yesterday targeted the main presidential palace in Baghdad, the Iraqi Ministry of Planning, and several Special Republican Guard strongholds, AP reported.  There were also reports yesterday that a 10-story building in Baghdad belonging to Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz had also been damaged.

Air raid siren and explosions were also heard early this morning in the northern city of Mosul, according to AP.  At least two explosions occurred at Kalak, 30 miles east of Mosul by the Great Zab River, which marks the line between Kurdish-controlled Iraq and the rest of the country (Jerome Delay, Associated Press/Yahoo.com, March 21).

Eight U.S. B-52 bombers left the Fairford airbase in the United Kingdom this morning, according to Ha’aretz.  The British Defense Ministry refused to say, however, if the bombers were being sent to the Persian Gulf region (Ha’aretz).

Questions About Hussein’s Fate

Meanwhile, U.S. intelligence officials believe Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, was still inside a compound in southern Baghdad when it was hit by U.S. airstrikes early yesterday.

“The preponderance of the evidence is he was there when the building blew up,” said one senior U.S. official with access to sensitive intelligence, adding that his sons Qusay and Uday might also have been at the site. 

“He didn’t get out” beforehand, another senior official said of Hussein.

There were also some signs that Hussein “was at least injured” in the attack because of indications that medical assistance was called to the compound on his behalf, a third official said.  The conditions of those at the compound during the airstrikes are still unknown, officials said (Washington Post, March 21).

U.S. intelligence officials have determined that the man who appeared on a video recording on Iraqi television soon after the airstrikes is almost certainly Hussein, and not a double as some had speculated, according to the Washington Post.  The CIA has determined that the voice on the tape appears to be Hussein’s, but it still unknown if the tape was recorded before or after the airstrikes, White House press secretary Ari Fleischer said (Washington Post II, March 21).

Even if the attack did not kill Hussein as had been hoped, it still was useful in spreading fear with in the Iraqi leadership, U.S. officials said.

“This guy is paranoid, and completely obsessed with security and loyalty,” an official said of Hussein.  “He now has to question whether he can trust any of his top leaders,” the official added (Laura Sullivan, Baltimore Sun, March 21).

Czech, Slovak Anti-WMD Troops Blocked from Action

U.S. failure to obtain U.N. approval for the current military operation against Iraq has resulted in anti-WMD troops from the Czech Republic and Slovakia being prohibited from taking part in the offensive, according to the Washington Times (see GSN, Feb. 12).

A 460-man unit of anti-WMD troops from the Czech Republic and Slovakia has been in Kuwait for several weeks, preparing to be part of the invasion of Iraq.  Parliamentary mandates in those two countries, however, prevent the troops from taking part in a military operation not explicitly approved by the United Nations.

The Czech troops can play a support role, but cannot take part in the offensive, said Tomas Klvana, spokesman for Czech President Vaclav Klaus.

“The (Czech) government is not part of the coalition,” Klvana said.  “It’s not part of the forces that attacked Iraq last night.  But the forces there are mandated to take part in any humanitarian operation,” he added (Bruce Konviser, Washington Times, March 21).

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U.S. Response:  Judge Approves Life Without Parole for Regan

U.S. District Judge Gerald Bruce Lee yesterday approved a sentence of life without parole for convicted spy Brian Regan, according to the Associated Press.  Regan was convicted last month of offering U.S. intelligence information to Iraq and China (see GSN, Feb. 25).

In an agreement brokered between U.S. prosecutors and Regan’s lawyers, Regan agreed to the sentence in exchange for his wife avoiding prosecution and her being allowed to keep some of his military pension, AP reported.  Regan was convicted last month of two counts of attempted espionage, but escaped being sentenced to death after a jury decided he had not attempted to sell military plans or information on weapons systems, such as nuclear weapons.

U.S. Attorney Paul McNulty said he was satisfied with the sentence agreement.  “This life sentence brings to successful conclusion a prosecution of an egregious breach of national trust,” he said (Jonathan Salant, Associated Press/Yahoo.com, March 21).

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United States:  Sandia President Acknowledges Security Force Concerns

A continuing investigation at the Sandia National Laboratories in New Mexico has discovered a number of serious concerns about the management of the facility’s security force, Sandia President C. Paul Robinson said yesterday (see GSN, Feb. 28).

“Let me say right off the top that these are by and large internal management issues that we are now addressing,” Robinson told reporters.  “There is no evidence that at any time classified or sensitive material has been compromised, and our lab is secure,” he added.

Two recently completed investigations — a self-assessment and one conducted by the National Nuclear Security Administration’s Sandia Site Office — investigated a number of allegations within the security forces concerning a breakdown of discipline, lax security, theft and other claims, Robinson said.  Some of the investigated incidents included security guards watching television or sleeping while on duty, the theft of computer parts and the disappearance and later recovery of a set of keys to laboratory buildings, he said.

The NNSA investigation did not find a broad pattern of security abuses, nor did it question the overall effectiveness of the laboratories’ security, a Sandia press release said.  The investigation did identify a number of concerns as to how Sandia manages its security, the release said.

Sandia has initiated a number of actions to resolve security concerns, such as disciplining security guards and managers involved in the identified incidents, Robinson said.  “As our investigation continues, additional disciplinary actions could be taken,” he said.

Robinson also said he has requested the creation of a special committee of Sandia oversight officials to recommend necessary management changes and corrective measures at the facility.  The members of this committee will have experience in the military and in law enforcement, the Sandia release said (Sandia National Laboratories release, March 20).

In his remarks, Robinson dismissed comparisons between the security concerns at Sandia and complaints of mismanagement at the Los Alamos National Laboratory.

“I would find it hard to argue that they are similar problems,” he said (Leslie Hoffman, Associated Press, March 21).

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U.S. Response:  States to Receive $1.4 Billion to Improve Preparedness

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson announced yesterday that $1.4 billion is set to be provided to states this year to help improve preparations against a biological terrorism attack (see GSN, March 19).

Of the $1.4 billion, $870 million will go to support state public health agencies, according to a Health and Human Services press release.  About $500 million will be provided to help improve hospital preparedness to handle an act of biological terrorism or other mass casualty events.

To receive the additional funding, states will be required to submit plans to Health and Human Services outlining their public health and hospital preparedness activities.  States can quickly receive up to 20 percent of their fiscal 2003 funding to support current public health activities, such as smallpox vaccination for emergency responders, the department release said.

“Once again, we are rapidly getting federal funding for public health preparedness into the hands of our states and hospitals,” Thompson said in a statement.  “We will continue to work with our state and local partners to enhance our readiness and our ability to respond to public health emergencies.  Our combined efforts will result in a stronger public health system to care for Americans in emergencies, whether it be an outbreak of the flu or a biological incident,” he added (Health and Human Services release, March 20).

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France:  Police Discover Flasks Containing Ricin at Paris Railroad Station

French police have recovered two small flasks containing trace amounts of the toxin ricin from a storage locker at a Paris railroad station, a French Interior Ministry spokesman said yesterday (see GSN, Feb. 6).

French police discovered the flasks, which were found to contain traces of ricin mixed with other toxic substances, at the Gare de Lyon railroad station Monday, the ministry spokesman said.  Police searched the station as part of the “Vigipirate” antiterrorism plan, which had been implemented due to concerns of retaliatory attacks for the U.S. military campaign in Iraq, a senior police officer said.

“We have regularly been visiting left luggage depots since Vigipirate was stepped up several weeks ago,” the officer said (Jon Boyle, Reuters/Boston Globe, March 21).

The search also found two vials containing a powder and a third bottle filled with liquid, the Interior Ministry said.  The contents of the two vials and the third bottle are currently being analyzed, officials said (John Tagliabue, New York Times, March 21).

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United States:  Patriots Destroy At Least Three Iraqi Missiles

U.S. forces in Kuwait yesterday successfully shot down at least three incoming Iraqi ballistic missiles using Patriot Advanced Capability 3 missile interceptors, U.S. officials said (see GSN, March 20).

In one instance, three PAC-3s were needed to destroy one incoming missile because of an unspecified malfunction, a U.S. Army battalion commander said.  Even so, he praised the interceptor’s performance, saying it performed better than previous Patriots did during the 1991 Gulf War.

Several of the missiles fired by Iraq into Kuwait were either Ababil-100s or al-Samoud 2s, military officials said.  Iraq had recently dismantled dozens of al-Samoud 2 missiles under U.N. supervision after their range was determined to exceed U.N-imposed limits (see GSN, March 18; Chandrasekaran/Glasser, Washington Post, March 21).

Although yesterday’s Iraqi missile strikes caused no casualties, they did cause fear and panic among the public, concerned of possible chemical weapons attacks, according to the London Independent.

“There was a right panic — people were running all over the place.  They sent us home so I went home and started trying to secure the rooms — putting duct tape around the windows,” said Arif Khan, a 27-year-old marketing manager for an international company.  “I am still shaking.  It is the sound of that siren that is so bad,” he said (Andrew Buncombe, London Independent, March 21).

The interceptors’ success yesterday could help restore the reputation the Patriot briefly gained, then lost, during the Gulf War, according to experts (see GSN, March 13).

“I don’t think we’ve seen anything yet to really test the new Patriot missile’s effectiveness, but any successful intercept would probably be an improvement,” said John Pike, head of GlobalSecurity.org.  “The performance last time around would not be hard to beat,” he added.

During the Gulf War, an earlier version of the Patriot was initially praised for its ability to shoot down Iraqi Scud ballistic missiles, but later analysis determined that the Patriots had in fact mostly missed their targets, and those that were hit were usually only deflected instead of destroyed, according to the Baltimore Sun.

The upgraded Patriot, however, is much more advanced than its predecessor.  It is smaller and more agile in flight than the previous version, and it is designed to hit the target missile directly rather than explode nearby.

“The Gulf War showed that when you shoot a Patriot at something that is much faster than an aircraft, you don’t get optimal results,” said Craig Vanbebber, a spokesman for U.S. defense contractor Lockheed Martin’s Missiles and Fire Control division, which builds the improved PAC 3.

“The PAC 3 is faster, more agile, and the energy that it places on a target just obliterates it,” Vanbebber said.  “And this time, we know the missiles work,” he added (Robert Little, Baltimore Sun, March 21).

For further information, see:

PAC 3 Fact Sheet

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U.S. Plans:  U.S. Official Elaborates on Assessment of  2004 Missile Defenses

By David Ruppe
Global Security Newswire

WASHINGTON — A senior Bush administration official yesterday clarified his earlier congressional testimony that planned U.S. national missile defenses would have a 90 percent success rate by the autumn of 2004 (see GSN, March 19).

Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics Edward “Pete” Aldridge defended the estimate he made at earlier this week, but said it reflected his personal judgment, as opposed to an official Defense Department assessment.

The clarification was made as the Bush administration appeals to Congress for extra funding to field elements of the system, which is slated to install six missile interceptors in Alaska and four in California by the end of fiscal 2004 and an additional 10 interceptors in fiscal 2005.  The administration’s goal is to provide an initial capability to defend the United States from a potential North Korean missile attack.

Congressional critics have argued the administration is overestimating the potential effectiveness of the system, noting official statements that key system components are not scheduled to be built by that time, nor will the entire system have been tested under realistic conditions.

Professional Judgment

At a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing Tuesday Aldridge was asked by one senator how successful the “10 land-based missiles proposed for the end of fiscal year 2004” would be against a North Korean missile launched by October 2004, according to a transcript.

“As of today the projected effectiveness would be in the 90 percent range,” he replied, explaining that such success might be achieved by launching multiple interceptors at individual target missiles.

His estimate was met with skepticism from Senator Carl Levin (D-Mich.), a prominent missile defense program critic who said he had seen a different estimate in a classified briefing.

“I think you’ll want to correct the record after you read the classified numbers,” Levin said.

Appearing before the House Armed Services Committee yesterday, Aldridge said the estimate was a product of his professional judgment.  He was prompted to do so by Representative Curt Weldon (R-Pa.), a prominent missile defense advocate.

Was the 90 percent estimate “in fact your belief based on 42 years of experience?  And would you elaborate on that a little further, because we had some doubters on that in the Senate and I wanted you to have a chance to expand upon your statement as a professional in this area,” Weldon said.

Citing his experience dating to the Johnson administration, Aldridge said, “I had been asked to comment on a particular scenario of which North Korea would launch a missile, a single missile into San Francisco.  And, given the fact that we would have a deployment system in the 2004-2005 timeframe with 20 interceptor missiles, what would I advise the president as to how effective that missile defense would have been against that single attack.”

“Based upon my judgment, I would say given the fact that we could launch one, or two, or three missiles against that target, the effectiveness would be in the 90 percent range.”

Cited Evidence of Success

“There’s no doubt in your mind that that capability is now at hand if we follow through on our program as outlined by you today?”  Weldon asked.

“I will continue to stand by that.  I’ve seen the test results.  If you look at some of the movies [Missile Defense Agency Director] Gen. [Ronald] Kadish has shown of some of the intercepts, you would have a very high confidence that the hit-to-kill technology works,” he said.

Kadish, who also testified at both hearings, has cited the system’s test record of four successful intercepts out of five recent attempts as evidence the system is ready to defend the United States against the possibility of a North Korean threat.

“Our testing and analysis give us confidence that hit-to-kill technology works and that we can take the initial steps we are proposing to … introduce a modest defensive capability to defeat a limited long-range threat,” he said.

Critics note the total testing intercept record is five successes in eight attempts (see GSN, Dec. 11, 2002), and that Kadish himself has said those tests were highly scripted and that operationally realistic testing will not begin by the time those missiles are fielded (see GSN, Jan. 7).

Kadish yesterday also issued a clarification of sorts, saying the most recent intercept test, in December, “was not a failure of new missile defense technology, but a failure of our quality control processes” (see GSN, March 4).

Pentagon officials said the failure resulted when the intercepting vehicle failed to separate from its rocket booster stage.

A Hurry to Field

Early in his presidency, George W. Bush declared a goal of fielding a system by October 2004.  The administration has said that North Korea is developing a missile designed to reach the United States and may have developed nuclear weapons.

The Missile Defense Agency says it is requesting $750 million in addition to its $8 billion budget to address that goal by building and fielding through 2005 a total of 15 ground-based interceptors (five are already funded), plus sea-based interceptors for short- and medium-range threats, according to Kadish.

According to usual Pentagon practice, however, weapons systems are not supposed to be deployed until they have been proven through realistic operational testing.

While Bush and Kadish announced the initial fielding in December, (see GSN, Dec. 17, 2002), officials have said such a fielding would not technically be a deployment but rather would be part of a testing infrastructure.  That distinction would allow the Pentagon to skip the usual operational testing.

Kadish said it would be better to have an unperfected capability in the ground than none at all.

“We have to strike a balance between our desire for perfection in the missile defenses we deploy and our desire to have as soon as possible a defensive capability where none exists today,” he said. 

Kadish said the military would conduct operational testing even as the system was being developed.

“Given recent events in the international security environment, the president’s decision reflects an urgent need to make that test bed as operational as we possibly can,” he said.

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Radiological Weapons:  FBI Hunts for Suspected Terrorist Believed Connected to “Dirty Bomb” Plot

The FBI has begun an intensive search to find Adnan al-Shukrijumah, believed to be connected to captured suspected terrorist Jose Padilla’s alleged plan to build and detonate a “dirty bomb,” U.S. officials said yesterday (see GSN, March 20).

The FBI has urged law enforcement agencies around the world to look out for al-Shukrijumah, who is believed to have lived in Florida.  The bureau has said the Saudi-born al-Shukrijumah carries passports from several countries, including Guyana, Saudi Arabia, Canada and Trinidad.  He is also believed to have used several aliases, the FBI alert said.

Top FBI counterterrorism officials have compared al-Shukrijumah to Mohamed Atta, the leader of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, authorities said.  While the connection between al-Shukrijumah and Padilla is still unclear, three officials with knowledge of the case have said Shukrijumah was Padilla’s partner in the dirty bomb plot, according to the Chicago Tribune (see GSN, Sept. 3).  Some of the information leading authorities to believe that two men are connected has come from interrogations of recently captured senior al-Qaeda operative Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, officials said.

“He is a really, really bad guy.  We are very concerned about him and finding him,” an official said (Cam Simpson, Chicago Tribune, March 21).

Nuclear Power Plants Increase Security

Meanwhile, a number of states have deployed National Guard troops at nuclear power plants, according to a nuclear industry survey.  Additional security measures have been implemented at nuclear power plants since the U.S. terrorism threat level was increased to “orange” Monday, according to the Associated Press (Associated Press/Baltimore Sun, March 21).

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