U.S. Response:  Security Department Has Improved U.S. Defenses Against WMD Attacks, Official Says

By Mike Nartker
Global Security Newswire

WASHINGTON — In its first six months of existence, the U.S. Homeland Security Department has made “measurable progress” in protecting the United States against terrorist attacks, including those involving weapons of mass destruction, Deputy Homeland Security Secretary Gordon England said yesterday (see GSN, Aug. 19).

Since its inception, Homeland Security has launched a number of initiatives to protect the United States against terrorist attacks involving weapons of mass destruction, such as stockpiling millions of doses of antibiotics and vaccines against biological weapons agents, inoculating health care workers against smallpox (see GSN, Aug. 18) and the installation of biological and chemical-agent sensors (see GSN, July 11) at strategic locations throughout the United States, England said.  In addition, the department has also worked to protect potential U.S. infrastructure targets — such as power plants — and, through Operation Cornerstone, worked to combat money-laundering operations, he said (see GSN, Aug. 1).

England also said that since March, Homeland Security has conducted more than 400 exercises to help localities evaluate their emergency action plans and has provided more than $4 billion to train and equip first responders.  A study released yesterday by RAND, however, found that many first responders throughout the country believe they lack adequate protective gear to respond to terrorist attacks involving weapons of mass destruction (see GSN, Aug. 20).

“The majority of emergency responders feel vastly underprepared and underprotected for the consequences of chemical, biological or radiological terrorist attacks,” the RAND study says.

In addition to working with state and local officials, the Homeland Security Department has sought international cooperation against terrorism, according to England.  For example, U.S. inspectors have been stationed at international seaports through the Container Security Initiative to identify and search high-risk cargo shipments heading to the United States, he said (see GSN, Aug. 6).  Since the effort began, agreements have been reached to station inspectors at the top 20 international ports, he said, adding that since June, the program has been expanded into areas of the Middle East, Turkey and Malaysia.

“We have made measurable progress towards reaching the high standards of readiness and protection to which President [George W.] Bush has called us, and to which the American people are entitled,” England said during a speech at the Heritage Foundation. 

In his remarks, England singled out the Terrorist Threat Information Center for heightened praise (see GSN, July 23).  The center, which opened in early May, is designed to help improve information-sharing among U.S. counterterrorism agencies, such as Homeland Security, the U.S. Defense Department, the CIA and the FBI.

“In my judgment, it [the center] may be the most important thing we have accomplished in the country … because without intelligence, actionable intelligence, it is very difficult to protect and defend this nation,” England said.  “So this is a way to break down the barriers between the various intelligence agencies, to have them co-located, to be able to share information,” he added.

The center has come under criticism, however, from some members of Congress for only serving to add another layer of bureaucracy to intelligence, according to reports. 

“What this looks like is the intelligence community’s ‘jobs-forever program,’” the Los Angeles Times last month quoted Representative Loretta Sanchez (D-Calif.) as saying.

While Homeland Security has made progress in defending the United States against terrorism, more remains to be done, England conceded yesterday.

“Homeland security is a marathon, it’s not a sprint,” he said.

England said the department is still working to consolidate the various terrorist “watch lists” in use by a number of U.S. agencies to help track suspected terrorist operatives (see GSN, Aug. 14).  He blamed technical challenges, however, for the delay in creating a single, unified list.

“I wish I could tell you this was as simple as just pouring two different … bottles into one larger bottle,” England said.  “It’s not that simple to do,” he added.

Earlier this month, however, Democrats in both the House of Representatives and the Senate sent letters to Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge criticizing the delay in establishing a unified list.

“This problem needs to be fixed,” Senator Joseph Lieberman (D-Conn.) wrote in his letter to Ridge.  “Potentially fatal gaps in our watch-list system should be closed.  It is important to have a consolidated national watch list operating around the clock to alert us to terrorists attempting to enter our country,” he added.

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Al-Qaeda:  Group May Benefit by Taking Credit for Blackout, Experts Say

By Mike Nartker
Global Security Newswire

WASHINGTON — Even though there is, as of yet, no indication that al-Qaeda was responsible for the massive blackout that struck the Northern United States last week, the group may still benefit by claiming involvement, experts told Global Security Newswire this week (see GSN, Aug. 15).

Soon after the blackout, which affected sections of New York, Michigan and Ohio, as well as parts of Canada, U.S. officials said there were no signs that terrorism was responsible.  Earlier this week, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge reiterated that there was no indication that a terrorist attack was behind the blackout, adding that the incident is still under investigation.

Last week, however, a statement purporting to be from al-Qaeda taking credit for the blackout appeared on the online newsgroup Global Islamic Media, which has been known to publish statements from the group in the past, according to reports.  The statement claims that cells known as the Abu Hafs al-Misri Brigades attacked two electrical facilities in the Eastern United States under the orders of terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden.  While the statement refused to provide details as to how the attacks were conducted, citing a need for secrecy in the event that similar attacks were to be conducted in the future, it did say that the entire operation cost $7,000.

While U.S. officials may deny terrorist involvement in the blackout, al-Qaeda may reap several benefits by taking credit if the statement is genuine, according to experts.  Jeffrey Bale, senior research associate at the Monterey Institute of International Studies’ Center for Nonproliferation Studies, labeled the purported al-Qaeda statement as an example of psychological warfare aimed at threatening Westerners and bolstering the group’s supporters.

By taking credit for the blackout, al-Qaeda may also be attempting to send a message to its cells to consider similar attacks, said Charles Pena, director of Defense Policy Studies at the CATO Institute.  The statement might have been issued to cause U.S. officials to focus more on defending infrastructure targets, turning their attention away from more probable targets, Pena said, adding that al-Qaeda typically carried out attacks that resulted in mass casualties.

In addition, al-Qaeda might have taken false credit for the blackout in an attempt to see how the United States might react, Pena said, adding that the group is known for its adaptability.

“Everything we do, everything we say, they learn from,” Pena said.  “They’re taking notes,” he added.

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Iraq:  U.S. Forces Take “Chemical Ali” Into Custody

U.S. forces have taken custody of Ali Hassan al-Majid, known as “Chemical Ali” for ordering chemical weapons attacks on Kurdish rebels in Northern Iraq in 1998, a senior defense official said today (see GSN, June 6).

Officials have not released details on al-Majid’s capture, according to the Associated Press.  Al-Majid, ranked No. 5 on the U.S. most-wanted list, had previously been thought to have been killed during an airstrike in April (Robert Burns, Associated Press/Yahoo!News, Aug. 21).

British Dossier

Meanwhile, British documents released yesterday suggest that senior British officials attempted to stop weapons expert David Kelly from discussing his doubts over a September 2002 dossier on Iraqi weapons of mass destruction, according to Reuters (see GSN, Aug. 20).

The documents were presented during an inquiry into Kelly’s apparent suicide.  He had been previously identified as the source for a BBC report accusing the British government of exaggerating Iraqi-related intelligence.

According to one of the documents presented at the inquiry, a senior British Defense Ministry official said that during a meeting in British Prime Minister Tony Blair’s office a week before Kelly was set to testify before two parliamentary committees, it was discussed that some of Kelly’s views on the dossier could be damaging to the government’s claims, according to Reuters.

For example, Kelly’s testimony could have discredited a claim that the Iraqi military had the ability to deploy biological and chemical weapons within 45 minutes of receiving an order to do so, the official said (Reuters/Los Angeles Times, Aug. 21).

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North Korea:  U.S. Diplomat Plays Down Hopes for Progress in Talks

The U.S. ambassador to South Korea said Tuesday that he does not expect the first round of six-nation talks on the Korean nuclear crisis to yield significant results (see GSN, Aug. 20).

“I think we’ve hit upon a good formula for talks.  Obviously, we don’t enter into talks without some degree of hope or optimism that they will succeed,” Thomas Hubbard said.  “But I don’t think we can expect early, quick results,” he added.

Choi Young-jin, chancellor of the Institute of Foreign Affairs and National Security in South Korea, said the talks could take years “to deal with the whole spectrum of questions” (William Cole, Honolulu Advertiser, Aug. 20).

Japan, a participant in the negotiations, indicated it wants to include the issue of Japanese citizens kidnapped by North Korean agents in the 1970s and 1980s.

“We are talking about comprehensive resolutions,” said the top Japanese negotiator, Mitoji Yabunaka, noting that Japan would focus on nuclear weapons, missile development and the kidnappings.  “It is our policy,” he added (Yuri Kageyama, Associated Press/Yahoo!News, Aug. 20).

Russia, meanwhile, is conducting military exercises to test its response to a war on the Korean Peninsula, Reuters reported.

One section of the exercises involves the discovery of a ship carrying a nuclear weapon, according to Alexander Golts, a Russian analyst (Richard Balmforth, Reuters/Washington Times, Aug. 21).

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United States:  University of California Pays $930,000 for Firings

The University of California has paid a whistleblower at Los Alamos National Laboratory $930,000 to settle claims that the laboratory fired him for uncovering extensive fraud and security violations, the Associated Press reported today (see GSN, Feb. 4).

Glenn Walp and Steve Doran were hired to investigate missing equipment and questionable practices at Los Alamos, but they were fired in November, shortly before they were going to implicate a number of laboratory officials.  In January, the university offered consulting jobs to both men.

“The university is glad to put this settlement matter that occurred under former labor management behind us, and we continue to ensure that strong business practices are in place at the laboratory,” said Chris Harrington, a spokesman for the university.  “We continue to focus on the mission of the lab and the work the laboratory is doing,” he added.

Walp was awarded $900,000 in compensation and $30,000 in missed pay.

“They’re trying to make it look now like it’s not a big thing, it’s just a few people, we’ve got it all under control.  It’s fluff.  It’s just fluff,” Walp said (Robert Gehrke, Associated Press/New Orleans Times-Picayune, Aug. 21).

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Smallpox:  Doctor Says Immunization Might Have Killed U.S. Soldier

The April death of U.S. soldier Rachael Lacy might have been caused by a mandatory military smallpox vaccination she received, according to a doctor who treated her (see GSN, Aug. 19).

“I do think her illness should be classified as a vaccine adverse event for smallpox vaccination,” said Jeffrey Sartin, an infectious diseases doctor at the Gundersen Clinic in Wisconsin.  Sartin, who was part of a team that treated Lacy, suggested that the Defense Department might be hesitant to attribute the death to the vaccine because of the controversial nature of the immunization programs.

“Some of us on the civilian side have worried that the interpretation of these cases would be colored by how it would reflect on the (vaccination) program,” he said.  “What we know of her illness suggests a very robust immune system activation, which could have been caused by vaccinations,” Sartin added.

The Pentagon has not yet determined why Lacy died April 4, according to a top military health official.

“Rachael Lacy is still in the [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s] unexplained death program,” said Col. John Grabenstein, the deputy director for clinical operations at the Military Vaccine Agency (Mark Benjamin, United Press International, Aug. 18).

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South Korean Response:  Seoul Increases Security at World University Games

South Korea has increased security at the World University Games, being held in the city of Daegu, amid concerns that the event may be targeted for a possible chemical weapons attack, the Associated Press reported today (see GSN, Feb. 21, 2002).

South Korea’s National Intelligence Service has received information that the games may be targeted by Islamic militant groups, according to AP.  In response, police have increased surveillance around event venues and have increased transportation checks around team accommodations, the South Korean Environment Ministry said in a press release.  A ministry official said the measures are only precautionary, and there have been no signs of terrorist activity (Associated Press/News24.com, Aug. 21).

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U.S. Plans:  Missile Defenses Will Not Be Fully Completed on Schedule, Official Says

By Joe Fiorill
Global Security Newswire

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — The U.S. missile defense system scheduled to be deployed by October 2004 will be only a “70-percent” system at that time and will field two currently competing booster rockets instead of selecting one, a senior U.S. missile defense official said here yesterday.

The remarks came in a broad outline of the plan and its progress laid out at an annual missile defense conference here by Maj. Gen. John Holly, the U.S. Missile Defense Agency’s manager for the Ground-based Midcourse Defense program.

“We’re going to start a journey by fielding a system that’s probably 70 percent of what we want, but we’re doing it in a very deliberate manner where we’re going to incrementally grow … the system over time to ensure that when we’re done with it, that we have a real product that makes a huge difference in the defense of our country,” Holly said.

He said, though, “I believe that we will execute the president’s mission and we will be on alert in ’04,” adding that there is no room for flexibility if the program is to reach the goal defined by a December 2002 presidential order.

At that time, U.S. President George W. Bush ordered that elements of a ground-based system, including six interceptors in Alaska and four in California, be made operational and put on alert by October of next year, even as development and testing activities continue.  Under the plan, 10 more interceptors would be deployed in Alaska the following year.

“This is a significant mission for us, and we have a very short period of time with which to fulfill this mission, but I’m here to tell you I think we’ll do it,” Holly said yesterday.

Lt. Gen. Joe Cosumano, head of the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command, concurred.

“This has been a very aggressive program.  It still is aggressive.  And I think we’re going to do it,” he said.

Critics continue to question the effectiveness of the technology involved and the feasibility of the time frame, but Holly repeatedly expressed optimism that Bush’s order will be carried out successfully.

“If we build it, does it work?  I expect the answer is, ‘yes,’” he said, adding, “We’ve demonstrated that hit-to-kill works,” referring to controlled tests in which mock enemy warheads were intercepted by the ground-launched missiles.

“At the end of ’04,” Holly said, the United States will have “a limited capability, but a credible capability.”

Booster Decision Made Through 2005, but Uncertainty Remains

Amid questions about which of the two competing booster rockets will be chosen for the ground-based system, Holly said both Lockheed Martin and Orbital boosters will be fielded in the plan’s first operational phase.

He said Fort Greely in Alaska, where 16 interceptors are scheduled to be based, will be a “mixed field” including both boosters, while no decision has yet been made on which booster to use at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

However, according to Lockheed Martin Missile Defense Marketing Manager Ron Meulman, the agency could still select a single booster at any time.  A Saturday test of Orbital’s Ground-based Midcourse Defense Boost Vehicle was nearly perfect, according to military and industry officials here, and Meulman said his company’s version is now under pressure to produce similar results (see GSN, Aug. 18).

“I think bottom line, [Missile Defense Agency Director] Gen. [Ronald] Kadish is going to go with reliability,” Meulman said.

Both Meulman and Orbital propulsion engineer Matt Steele, though, said they were not surprised by Holly’s comments yesterday morning and that there are no significant problems inherent in maintaining both boosters in the program over the long term.

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U.S. Plans II:  Warhead Flaw Caused Sea-Based Test to Fail, Pentagon Says

U.S. Defense Department officials have said the failure of a June flight test in the Sea-based Midcourse Defense program was probably caused by a flaw in the kinetic warhead employed on the Standard Missile 3 interceptor used in the test, Defense Daily reported today (see GSN, July 9).

During the flight test, the interceptor failed to hit an Aries ballistic missile target launched off the coast of Hawaii, Defense Daily reported.  The interceptor was expected to destroy the target during its ascent phase, but failed to do so.

The kinetic warhead during the test ejected normally, stabilized, acquired and tracked the target, Pentagon officials said.  Soon after, a slight increase in solid divert and attitude control system (SDACS) pressure was followed by unexpected negative angular yaw acceleration — a sign that the warhead’s attitude-control assembly yaw valve was not working properly, they said.

“Basically, the valve was stuck, resulting in the KW [kinetic warhead] going into a flat spin, causing the loss of the target from its seeker field of view, with resulting loss of target track,” Pentagon officials said in a statement (Kerry Gildea, Defense Daily, Aug. 21).

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U.S. Plans III:  Officials Near Decision on Sea Platform for Boost-Phase Interceptor

The U.S. Defense Department is preparing to make a decision as to what kind of sea-based platform will be used in the Missile Defense Agency’s boost-phase missile interceptor program, a program official said yesterday (see GSN, Aug. 15).

The probable choices include a cargo ship, an Aegis-equipped warship or a submarine, said Terry Little, director of the Kinetic Energy Interceptor program.  While a cargo ship would be the most economical choice, it would also have to be defended, Little said.

Little said he plans to present his recommendation on a sea-based platform to MDA Director Lt. Gen. Ronald Kadish by the end of the month.  He added that he hoped a final decision would be made by December.

Airborne Laser

Meanwhile, agency officials said they have decided to use the freighter version of the Boeing 747-400 aircraft as the second aircraft for the Airborne Laser program (see GSN, Aug. 4).  Previously, officials had considered using a passenger version of the Boeing 747 as the second aircraft in the program (Marc Selinger, Aerospace Daily, Aug. 21).

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