Martial Law Watch, Fascist Budget + News

Lieberman responds to report on military’s role in homeland security preparedness http://continuitycentral.com/news03751.htm

Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee chairman Joe Lieberman, ID-Conn., has reacted to a new report by the Commission on National Guard and Reserves entitled, ‘Transforming the National Guard and Reserves into a 21st-Century Operation Force.’
The report, requested by Congress, makes several homeland security recommendations, including that the Department of Defense (DoD) plan and train for a major role in responding to large-scale catastrophes in support of the Department of Homeland Security. It recommends that National Guard and Reserve forces take the lead in DoD operations during a homeland disaster and that rapid responders be properly manned, trained, and equipped at the highest level of readiness........

U.S. sees Russia, China, OPEC financial threat

http://sg.news.yahoo.com/rtrs/20080205/tbs-security-usa-threats-7318940.html

WASHINGTON, Feb 5 - The United States is worried that Russia, China and OPEC oil-producing countries could use their growing financial clout to advance political goals, the top U.S. spy chief told Congress on Tuesday.

Such economic matters joined terrorism, nuclear proliferation and computer-network vulnerabilities as top U.S. security threats described by National Director of Intelligence Michael McConnell in an annual assessment.
McConnell said U.S. intelligence agencies had "concerns about the financial capabilities of Russia, China and OPEC countries and the potential use of their market access to exert financial leverage to political ends."...... * (current geopolitical analysis in a nutshell)

'Dragon Warrior'

U.S. Army Europe Signal Battalion prepares for future during network exercise 'Dragon Warrior' http://www.eucom.mil/english/FullStory.asp?art=1557

GRAFENWOEHR TRAINING AREA, Germany — Army Sgt. Eric Lewis, 72nd Signal Battalion of U.S. Army Europe's 5th Signal Command, raises a line-of-site antenna during the battalion's network exercise "Dragon Warrior" here. (Department of Defense photo by Army Sgt. Elizabeth Sheridan)

GRAFENWOEHR TRAINING AREA, Germany — Signal waves and U.S. Army Europe Soldiers blanketed the Bavarian fields here during a network training exercise dubbed "Dragon Warrior."The doubleheader exercise began in January, when Soldiers from the 72nd Signal Battalion of USAREUR's 5th Signal Command packed up convoys at their headquarters in Mannheim, Germany with their newly fielded Joint Network Node equipment for deployment to "Graf."

National Guard Multi-Agency WMD Response Exercise Scheduled for Pitt County(NC) http://www.witntv.com/home/headlines/15326061.html

Pitt County agencies, and Soldiers and Airmen of the North Carolina National Guard 42nd Civil Support Team, headquartered in Greenville, are scheduled to participate in a multi-agency exercise at the Pitt County Fairgrounds Wednesday, February 6, 2008.
The exercise at the fairgrounds, U.S. Highway 264 Bypass North, simulates a Weapons of Mass Destruction event in Pitt County. Many specialized vehicles and military helicopters will be in operation in the area near or on the Pitt County Fairgrounds. Personnel may be wearing protective suits and simulate military operations including detonation of training devices. .......

Australia to pull out of 'quad' that excludes China

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Australia_to_pull_out_of_quad_that_excludes_China/articleshow/2760109.cms

NEW DELHI: The US-Japan-Australia-India quadrilateral has hit a new hurdle. During the first strategic dialogue between Australia and China this week, the new Australian foreign minister Stephen Smith assured Beijing that Canberra would pull out of the "quad". Australia will keep the dialogue going with Washington and Tokyo but wants to keep India out. Australian media quoted Smith as saying that during his recent visit to China and Japan, he informed both countries that Australia would not be attending any more of the four-way security meetings. "I indicated when I was in Japan that Australia would not be proposing to have a dialogue of that nature," Smith said. The opposition to the "quadrilateral", a grouping that was enthusiastically embraced by former prime ministers Shinzo Abe and John Howard, was expected to heighten under both Yasuo Fukuda and the Mandarin-speaking Kevin Rudd. The Australian decision to tilt openly towards Beijing will have inevitable consequences in New Delhi, said sources, refusing to be named.......

"Cyber Storm" (update)

In major US drill, disaster threatens the nation from the sky, the land _ and from computers

http://www.fosters.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080205/GJLIFESTYLES_01/87765853/-1/FOSLIFESTYLES

"The upcoming "Cyber Storm 2" in March also will simulate electronic attacks against chemical plants and communication lines, and include targets in California, Colorado, Delaware, Illinois, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas and Virginia."

Beijing conducts anti-terror drill in subway

http://sport.guardian.co.uk/breakingnews/feedstory/0,,-7282124,00.html

BEIJING, Feb 5 (Reuters) - Beijing started an anti-terrorist exercise in subway stations across the city as part of Olympic preparations, Xinhua news agency reported, citing subway sources.
The exercise was conducted on Sunday at two transfer stations and a station at the site of the Olympic village, the agency said.
"This is a trial. We plan to have all 90 stations equipped with security-checking facilities to guarantee secure running of the Olympics," Xinhua quoted a subway worker surnamed Zhang as saying.
Subway stations would be equipped with X-ray machines for hand luggage, similar to those at China's airports and major train stations, the agency said.
China last year said terrorist attacks posed the biggest threat to the Games and has intensified security measures against militants, as well as cracking down on dissidents and protesters....

White House Requests $515 Billion for the Pentagon
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/04/AR2008020403406.html

Pentagon comptroller Tina Jonas discusses the agency's $515.4 billion proposed budget for fiscal 2009 in a news conference with Vice Adm. P. Stephen Stanley of the Joint Staff. (By Alex Wong -- Getty Images)

See also:FACTBOX: Budget plans for biggest U.S. weapons systems: http://www.reuters.com/article/companyNews/idUSN0461774320080204

Homeland Security Would Get 11% Bump

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120217114411042573.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

Budget Request Funds 43,000 More Soldiers

http://www.army.mil/-news/2008/02/05/7294-budget-request-funds-43000-more-soldiers/

The future of network-centric surveillance

http://www.pennwellblogs.com/mae/2008/02/future-of-network-centric-surveillance.html

Federal buildings become Real ID zones

http://www.news.com/Federal-buildings-become-Real-ID-zones/2009-1028_3-6229133.html?tag=nefd.lede

Fact Sheet: U.S. Department of Homeland Security Announces 6.8 Percent Increase in Fiscal Year 2009 Budget Request

http://www.dhs.gov/xnews/releases/pr_1202151112290.shtm

Continue to Protect Our Nation from Dangerous People *(like honest an decent Americans onto this scam!!!! that's the real threat to these Fascists)
The Department of Homeland Security’s main priority is to prevent terrorist attacks against the nation and to protect our nation from dangerous people. DHS will continue to prevent the entry of terrorists while facilitating the legitimate flow of people by strengthening border security efforts and continuing to gain effective control of America’s borders. Requested funding for the following initiatives will support this significant goal:....

War Game Watch, Electromag Railgun, DARPA, Pandemic Watch + News

World’s Most Powerful Electromagnetic Railgun Tested by the U.S. Navy
http://www.defense-update.com/newscast/0208/news/news_030208_railgun.htm

The U.S. Navy's Office of Naval Research successfully conducted a record-setting firing of an electromagnetic rail-gun at Naval Surface Warfare Center, Dahlgren, VA. The new technology demonstrated in the recent test uses high power electromagnetic energy instead of chemical energetic (explosive) propellants to accelerate a projectile farther and faster than any preceding gun. At full capability, a future rail gun will be able to fire a projectile more than 200 nautical miles (ten times farther than current Mk 45 five inch guns) at a muzzle velocity of mach seven and impacting its target at mach five. These high velocity projectiles will be able to destroy targets by kinetic energy, rather than with conventional explosives. According to Dr. Elizabeth D’Andrea, ONR’s Electromagnetic Rail-gun Program Manager, the elimination of explosives from both propellant and warheads will have significant contribution to the safety on board future combatants.

Saudi Aircraft Arrive in U.S. for Joint Drill http://www.themedialine.org/news/news_detail.asp?NewsID=20432


Saudi aircraft and aviation teams arrived in the United States on Friday for a joint air force drill.

The aircraft will take part in the Red Flag 3 exercise at Nellis Air Force base in Nevada.

The Saudi Minister of Defense and Aviation Sultan Bin 'Abd Al-'Aziz agreed to the participation of the Saudi forces, according to the official Saudi news agency.

The Saudi Air Force began training and preparing for the drill nine months ago, and has sent teams of F-15 pilots for the mission.

The Red Flag exercises are aerial war games held periodically at Nellis Air Force Base since 1975.......

US anti-missile ship to dock in Haifa http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?c=JPArticle&cid=1202064573279&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull


An American missile ship set to dock at Haifa Port on Monday is equipped with an anti-missile defense system that could be deployed in the region in the event of an Iranian missile attack against Israel.


The USS San Jacinto is an AEGIS cruiser in the Ticonderoga Class and was commissioned in 1988. It carries the most advanced underwater surveillance system available today and is equipped with the AEGIS missile defense system, which was developed by Lockheed Martin to protect against aircraft and missiles. The ship will remain in Haifa for three days.......

Iran Opens Space Center, Launches Rocket
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8UJN86O5&show_article=1&image=large

An Iranian research rocket is launched in this image taken from Iranian TV at an unknown launch site in Iran, Monday Feb. 4, 2008. Iran launched a research rocket Monday and unveiled its first major space center that will be used to launch research satellites, state-run television reported. The report said the rocket, which is capable of carrying a satellite, was the first launched by Iran "into space," but analysts have expressed doubts about similar technological achievements announced by the country in the past. Iran launched its first domestically built rocket last February, which soared to the edge of space but did not reach orbit

Conspiracy theories emerge after internet cables cut http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/02/04/2153974.htm?section=world

``Key Resolve''


S. Korea, US to Hold Military Drill
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2008/02/113_18448.html

Boeing Shakes Up IDS Management
http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?F=3349190&C=america

Officials set for bird flu 'disaster' drill
http://www.bangkokpost.com/breaking_news/breakingnews.php?id=125694

(BangkokPost.com) – Officials have given the green light for plans to conduct an emergency drill for the bird flu virus.

Taiwan

Drill to be held to prepare island for avian flu outbreak http://www.chinapost.com.tw/health/2008/02/04/141878/Drill-to.htm

TAIPEI -- A drill codenamed "Black-faced Spoonbill Operation No. 2" will be conducted late this month or in March to get the island ready for a fight against possible outbreaks of the deadly H5N1 avian flu, an official said yesterday.

Russia Air Drills over Atlantic Successful
http://www.plenglish.com/article.asp?ID=%7B97BCECD5-B8EF-40B4-BE1A-34FDDD322720%7D)&language=EN

Moscow, Feb 3 (Prensa Latina) All exercises scheduled in the joint maneuvers by the Russian Air Force and Navy over the Atlantic and Arctic oceans were successfully accomplished, a military source confirmed Sunday.
Over one hundred flights carried out mock battles, reconnaissance missions, patrolling, and refuelling. The operations included bombing and missile launching against supposed enemy naval and air groups, according to a release by the Russian Air Force.

Major naval exercise begins off Australia's east coast http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/news/stories/s2154351.htm

More than 20 ships from Australia, New Zealand and French naval forces stationed in the Pacific are taking part in a six-week exercise off the east coast of Australia.

India to launch biggest war games http://thepost.com.pk/IntNews.aspx?dtlid=142991&catid=1

NEW DELHI: India plans to hold the biggest exercises next month in Rajasthan after its armed forces 'Operation Desert Strike' in 2004-05.



Pentagon pundits demand sensible raygun research
http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=3694929721135199289

DARPA Wants Supercharged Spy Cams http://blog.wired.com/defense/2008/02/darpa-wants-sup.html

The Pentagon has a whole array of tools to snoop on its enemies. But those darn "Military Threats in the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT) use deceptive techniques to deny discovery by reconnaissance and surveillance sensors," a Defense Department document bemoans. So DARPA, the military's way-out research arm, has a slew of new programs to beef up its spy sensors.
Dynamic Multisensor Exploitation, or "DYME," aims to combine cameras, radar, and acoustic sensors to better find bad guys as they move through urban canyons, and along coastal waters.

Update: DARPA Backs Luke Arm http://www.medgadget.com/archives/2008/02/update_darpa_backs_dean_kamens_luke_arm.html
Implants Create Insect Cyborgs
http://www.livescience.com/strangenews/080204-cyborg-insect.html

Cornell University researchers have succeeded in implanting electronic circuit probes into tobacco hornworms as early pupae. The hornworms pass through the chrysalis stage to mature into long-lived moths whose muscles can be controlled with the implanted electronics. The research was showcased at MEMS 2008, an international academic conference on Micro-Electrico-Mechanical Systems that took place from January 13-17 in Tucson, AZ. ....

Robots ready for Super Bowl kickoff
http://www.washingtontechnology.com/online/1_1/32185-1.html

Arizona law enforcement agencies will use robots to help maintain security at the Super Bowl to be held Feb. 3 at the University of Phoenix Stadium.
Northrop Grumman Corp. will provide support and repair services for the robots, produced by its Remotec Inc. division.
The robots will assist officers on patrol in a two-square-mile security zone around the stadium. They will assist the Phoenix and Glendale, Ariz. Police departments as well as other federal, state and local agencies at the game.

Strategies against the next pandemic
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/ee927bee-d2c2-11dc-8636-0000779fd2ac.html?nclick_check=1

"Cyber Storm", Russian Arctic X's, + News

"Cyber Storm"

Trains, planes and bloggers concerned U.S. terror drill





This photo provided by the U.S Secret Services shows the work area for the Department of Homeland Security's "Cyber Storm" war games worldwide simulation challenge in Washington


http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nation/5501246.html

WASHINGTON — It's the government's idea of a really bad day: Washington's Metro trains shut down. Seaport computers in New York go dark. Bloggers reveal locations of railcars with hazardous materials. Airport control towers are disrupted in Philadelphia and Chicago. Overseas, a mysterious liquid is found on London's subway.
And that's just for starters.
Those incidents were among dozens of detailed, mock disasters confronting officials rapid-fire in the U.S. government's biggest-ever "Cyber Storm" war game, according to hundreds of pages of heavily censored files obtained by The Associated Press. The Homeland Security Department ran the exercise to test the nation's hacker defenses, with help from the State Department, Pentagon, Justice Department, CIA, National Security Agency and others.
The laundry list of fictional catastrophes — which include hundreds of people on "No Fly" lists suddenly arriving at airport ticket counters — is significant because it suggests what kind of real-world trouble keeps people in the White House awake at night.
Imagined villains include hackers, bloggers and even reporters. After mock electronic attacks overwhelmed computers at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, an unspecified "major news network" airing reports about the attackers refused to reveal its sources to the government. Other simulated reporters were duped into spreading "believable but misleading" information that worsened fallout by confusing the public and financial markets, according to the government's files.
The $3 million, invitation-only war game simulated what the U.S. described as plausible attacks over five days in February 2006 against the technology industry, transportation lines and energy utilities by anti-globalization hackers. The government is organizing another multimillion-dollar war game, Cyber Storm 2, to take place in early March.
"They point out where your expectations of your capabilities may be overstated," Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff told the AP. "They may reveal to you things you haven't thought about. It's a good way of testing that you're going to do the job the way you think you were. It's the difference between doing drills and doing a scrimmage."
The AP obtained the Cyber Storm internal records nearly two years after it requested them under the Freedom of Information Act. The government censored most of the 328 pages it turned over, marked "For Official Use Only," citing rules preventing the disclosure of sensitive information.
"Definitely a challenging scenario," said Scott C. Algeier, who runs a cyber-defense group for leading technology companies, the Information Technology Information Sharing and Analysis Center.
For the participants — including government officials from the United States, England, Canada, Australia and New Zealand and executives from leading technology and transportation companies — the mock disasters came fast and furious: Hacker break-ins at an airline; stolen commercial software blueprints; problems with satellite navigation systems; trouble with police radios in Montana; school closures in Washington, Miami and New York; computer failures at border checkpoints.
The incidents were divided among categories: computer attacks, physical attacks or psychological operations.
"We want to stress these players," said Jeffrey Wright, the former Cyber Storm director for the Homeland Security Department. "None of the players took 100 percent of the correct, right actions. If they had, we wouldn't have done our job as planners."
How did they do? Reviews were mixed. Companies and governments worked successfully in some cases.
But key players didn't understand the role of the premier U.S. organization responsible for fending off major cyber attacks, called the National Cyber Response Coordination Group, and it didn't have enough technical experts.
Also, the sheer number of mock attacks complicated defensive efforts.
The little-known Cyber Response group, headed by the departments of Justice and Homeland Security, represents the largest U.S. government departments — including law enforcement and intelligence agencies — and is the principal organization for responding to cyber attacks and recovering from them.
The exercise had no impact on the real Internet. Officials said they were careful to simulate attacks only using isolated computers, working from basement offices at the Secret Service's headquarters in downtown Washington.
However, the government's files hint at a tantalizing mystery: In the middle of the war game, someone quietly attacked the very computers used to conduct the exercise. Perplexed organizers traced the incident to overzealous players and sent everyone an urgent e-mail marked "IMPORTANT!" reminding them not to probe or attack the game computers.
"Any time you get a group of (information technology) experts together, there's always a desire, 'Let's show them what we can do,'" said George Foresman, a former senior Homeland Security official who oversaw Cyber Storm. "Whether its intent was embarrassment or a prank, we had to temper the enthusiasm of the players."

Military exercises held in Arctic sea http://www.russiatoday.ru/news/news/20342

ARussian strategic bombers are holding exercises in the Arctic sea. More than 40 aircraft will take part in the war games, practicing intelligence gathering, bombing enemy targets and air patrols.
Military officials say the exercises will - in accordance to international rules - take place only in neutral waters, and won't cross the borders of neighboring states.

Universal Detection Technology Inks Chinese Distribution Agreement for Counter Terrorism Detection Technologies and Services http://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/industries/energy/article/universal-detection-technology-inks-chinese-distribution-agreement-counter_459033_11.html

LOS ANGELES, Jan 31, 2008 (PrimeNewswire via COMTEX) -- Universal Detection Technology (www.udetection.com)(OTCBB:UDTT) (Frankfurt:PO8), a developer of early-warning monitoring technologies to protect people from bioterrorism and other infectious health threats and provider of counter-terrorism consulting and training services, announced today that it has reached an agreement with Kadinuo Science and Technology Company in Beijing to market and distribute UDTT's products in China......

AreaRAE Sensor Network Deployed at Premier Terrorism Preparedness Exercise http://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/industries/technology/article/arearae-sensor-network-deployed-premier-terrorism-preparedness-exercise_459335_12.html

Military Unprepared for Domestic Threats http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/31/AR2008013101833.html?hpid=moreheadlines

The U.S. military's reserves and National Guard forces are not prepared to meet catastrophic threats at home and face an "appalling" shortage of forces able to respond to chemical, biological or nuclear strikes on U.S. soil, according to a congressional commission report released today.....

Basij war games kick off in Dezful (Iran)
http://www.tehrantimes.com/index_View.asp?code=162354

Raytheon, L-3, Alliant Profits Rise on Iraq War Sales (Update)

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=a5rEKb2iEBG0&refer=us



Jan. 31 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. defense companies Raytheon Co., L-3 Communications Holdings Inc. and Alliant Techsystems Inc. said profit rose more than analysts' projected and boosted forecasts as the Iraq war lifted sales of combat systems and services....

FCS, Cubic, Simulation News, NATO Pandemic, CSC +

Army Future's Software Overload (update)
http://blog.wired.com/defense/2008/01/army-futures-so.html
The Army's $300-billion Future Combat Systems is the most software-intensive weapons program the Pentagon's got. And according to the Government Accountability Office, the military has failed to anticipate the amount of programming required to get more than dozen types of vehicles and robots to communicate, according to a story last week in The Washington Post:


Cubic Introduces Wireless Technology for Virtual Simulations
http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/marketwire/0354692.htm
The defense segment of Cubic Corporation (AMEX: CUB) has added an important new capability to its EST 2000 Engagement Skills Trainer, which is used by thousands of military personnel throughout the world to develop marksmanship, judgmental and collective training skills. Cubic has developed a tetherless M-4 training rifle that uses a wireless technology rather than computer cables to allow greater freedom of movement and more realism during tactical simulations.
Cubic's Simulation Systems Division in Orlando, Florida, delivered its first tetherless system last year to the Mississippi Air National Guard at the Combat Readiness Training Center in Gulfport. The division is under contract to deliver more tetherless M-4 rifles to the Wisconsin Air National Guard's Combat Readiness Training Center at Volk Field later this year. More than 1,000 EST 2000 systems are operational at Army and Air Force installations worldwide, including the continental United States, Alaska, Hawaii, Korea, Germany, Afghanistan, Kuwait and Iraq.
"There has been a growing demand for the soldier to train as they fight, and a tethered weapon can prevent movement, restricting motion in a collective mode," said Terry Fiest, director of Business Development for U.S. Army Programs for Cubic's Orlando division. "A tetherless weapon is more suited to tactical engagements and gives the soldier more latitude. We are finding that our customers like tethered weapons for marksmanship and they prefer tetherless for dismounted and offensive training scenarios."
The new simulator weapons have a CO2 driven recoil with 2.4GHz wireless connection. The electronics are battery powered and the recoil is provided by the CO2, which can be housed in either the ammunition magazine or in attachments to the simulated weapon. They can be used either with Cubic's Engagement Skills Trainer or its Warrior Skills Trainer, an enhancement to EST 2000 that enables soldiers to move around either on foot or in a moving vehicle in a simulation environment that replicates the weather conditions, convoy attacks and judgment issues that arise in certain combat situations.
Cubic's Orlando division is now working on converting other weapons used in EST 2000 and the Warrior Skills Training to operate in a tetherless environment. Cubic could potentially create tetherless technology for law enforcement users in the future. The company's Orlando site is used as a training venue for Central Florida law enforcement teams who want to train with Cubic's laser-based ground combat training instrumentation

U.S. Army Awards Modeling and Simulation Contract to Charles River Analytics
http://www.newswiretoday.com/news/29204/
NewswireToday - /newswire/ - Cambridge, MA, United States, 01/30/2008 - Charles River Analytics was awarded a follow-on contract from the U.S. Army for their work on modeling and simulation with GATIR (Graphical Authoring Tool for Inference Rules).

Charles River will work with the Modeling and Analysis Team at the U.S. Army Natick Soldier Research, Development, and Engineering Center (NSRDEC) in Natick, MA, to develop state-of-the-art computer-based modeling and simulation techniques for developing new equipment and tactics for Soldiers.“One of the goals of the Modeling and Analysis Team is to conduct assessments of ground Soldier equipment by creating realistic simulated Soldiers and environments where new capabilities can be introduced before they are built or used in the real world,” said Dr. Scott Neal Reilly, Vice President of Decision Management Systems at Charles River and the Principal Investigator for GATIR. “The simulation is both less expensive, since complex equipment can be evaluated before it is ever built, and safer, as the testing does not require live experimentation. It also makes the design, development, and evaluation process for new technologies faster, enabling new equipment and tactics to be deployed more rapidly.”Charles River will develop models of how Soldiers perceive and reason about their environment using cognitive science and artificial intelligence techniques. These models will help, for instance, in the development of new sensors and decision aids to increase Soldiers’ awareness of their surroundings. Such new systems can, in turn, help reduce friendly fire and accidental non-combatant deaths.

Analysis: NATO begins pandemic monitoring
http://www.metimes.com/Security/2008/01/30/analysis_nato_begins_pandemic_monitoring/de2f/
WASHINGTON, Jan. 30 (UPI) -- NATO recently became the latest agency, and the first military one, to sign up for the Global Public Health Intelligence Network, an international initiative that monitors media and other open-source material 24/7 for signs of emerging pandemics and other public health disasters.
The network, based in Ottawa and known by its initials GPHIN, is an "early-warning system using media to detect public health events," GPHIN Senior Surveillance Officer Richard Lemay told United Press International in a recent interview….

CIBER Hosts Feb. 12 Disaster Readiness Webinar for State and Local Government Leaders
http://sev.prnewswire.com/computer-electronics/20080130/LAW10630012008-1.html

CSC to move HQ to Falls Church
http://www.washingtontechnology.com/online/1_1/32170-1.html
Computer Sciences Corp. has announced that it will move its corporate headquarters to Falls Church, Va., from El Segundo, Calif.
The consolidation to Northern Virginia “is without a doubt the right move to power CSC’s accelerated growth and expansion,” said Michael Laphen, the company’s chairman, president and chief executive officer, in a written statement.

PSYOP Desperation: "Al Qaeda" Attack on Grade Schools!!!!+ WWIV Watch

This was only a test...
http://www.wickedlocal.com/whitman/homepage/x1059369220

Whitman, Mass. - What if foreign terrorists linked to al-Qaeda besieged several area schools and took students hostage?
That’s a frightening “what if?” question that attracted hundreds of police officers, firefighters and medics from dozens of communities and agencies to Whitman's Holt School on a recent Saturday morning.
To test local law enforcement’s response to such a scenario, Officers Bob Stokinger and Andrew Stafford, who are members of the Old Colony Special Operations Team, suggested holding the drill at the former school building on Essex Street.
The team includes police officers from Whitman, Pembroke, Kingston, Duxbury, Plympton and Halifax. Others also participated, including members of the Hanson Fire Department.
The vacant Holt School, once used as the town's high school, is set to be demolished early this year. The town is looking into building a new police station on the former school site.
Special Operations Tactical Training International, which specializes in military, law enforcement and corrections special operations, conducted the drill, said Whitman Police Chief Christine May-Stafford.
The drill simulated an incident in which terrorists simultaneously besieged a school in Whitman and five other Massachusetts schools, she said.
“They were threatening to blow up the school unless they talked to someone in charge and their demands were met,” May-Stafford said.
In the Holt School scenario, a group of terrorists took 14 school children hostage. Adult auxiliary police officers and EMS and paramedic students played the hostages, she said.
“You definitely have to prepare for the worst. This drill opens your eyes to the question that if something like this happened, how prepared would you be?” said May-Stafford. (cont...)

Russian Bear bombers join final drills in N. Atlantic

http://en.rian.ru/russia/20080129/97956369.html


MOSCOW, January 29 (RIA Novosti) - Six Tu-95MS Bear strategic bombers joined on Tuesday a Russian naval task force in the Atlantic to take part in the final stage of the current naval exercise, an Air Force spokesman said.
During the exercises, from January 28 to February 2, Russian pilots will practice reconnaissance, missile and bomb strikes on mock adversary naval force, and will fly simulated air combat and air patrolling missions.
"Six Tu-95MS, eight Tu-22M3 Backfire C strategic bombers and two A-50 Mainstay airborne early warning aircraft have flown today to join the final phase of the current naval exercises [in the Atlantic]," Colonel Alexander Drobyshevsky said.
A total of 40 aircraft, including Tu-160 Blackjacks, Il-78 Midas aerial tankers, MiG-31 Foxhound long-range interceptors and Su-27 Flanker frontline fighter aircraft will participate in the drills, he said.
The aircraft are expected to fly at least 40 training sorties during the exercise. ....

Russia Air, Ground Forces to conduct joint drills in April

http://en.rian.ru/russia/20080129/97928036.html

MOSCOW, January 29 (RIA Novosti) - Units of Russia's Air Force and Ground Forces will conduct a joint exercise in the country's Caspian region in April 2008, a senior military official said on Tuesday.
"The exercise will focus on rehearsing command and control of an Air Force and Air Defense Forces combined-arms formation" in what the military terms the Central Asian strategic sector, said Lt. Gen. Valery Stytsenkov, head of the Air Force Combat Training Directorate.
He said units will also practice interoperability and teamwork with aviation, missile defense, antiaircraft, and electronic warfare assets of the Air Force, the Air Defense Forces, and the Ground Forces.

THE BIGGEST MILITARY EXERCISES OF NATO IN CAUCASUS TO BE HELD IN ARMENIA

http://www.panorama.am/en/politics/2008/01/29/nato1/

A conference planning the biggest military exercises of NATO in the South Caucasus “Cooperative Longbow/Lancer” kicked off in Yerevan today. One hundred ten representatives from twenty countries participate......

U.S. to resume full-scale war games in Philippines http://in.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idINIndia-31649020080129

New anti-bioterrorism technology created http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Science/2008/01/29/new_anti-bioterrorism_technology_created/1222/

ATLANTA, Jan. 29 (UPI) -- U.S. researchers have developed a rapid, non-disruptive and less expensive method of decontaminating bioterrorism hazards.Georgia Tech Research Institute scientists, in collaboration with Stellar Micro Devices Inc. of Austin, Texas, created flat panels that produce X-rays and ultraviolet-C light to kill anthrax spores within two to three hours without any lingering effects. The technique also kills spores hidden in places like computer keyboards without causing damage.....

China/US/Russia War Watch, Pandemic Drill, FCS, + News

Electronic Weapons Article Index (CHINA)

http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htecm/articles/20080128.aspx

China Plans a Disruption
January 28, 2008: While the details of Chinese military plans are secret, the general strategy isn't. The weapons, equipment and techniques the military uses, as well as discussions in professional journals, makes it clear how the Chinese plan to fight the United States in the next war. That's how many Chinese military experts describe it. The U.S. is the principal foe, and some kind of conflict is inevitable. All that may seem strange to Americans, but for most Chinese, it's just the way it is.
China plans to disrupt the American military, not destroy it. China takes for granted that they will be on the defensive, and forced to deal mainly with American air and naval forces. Methods discussed include attacks via the Internet (hacking and such) and electronic warfare (jamming and deceptions). China has been very active in controlling its domestic Internet users, and an increasing number of hacker attacks on U.S. military targets are being traced back to China. There, the government denies everything. Yet their professional journals talk about all the opportunities in this area. There are similar discussions of electronic warfare opportunities. In addition, the professional journals are full of exhortations to develop insights into the details of how the American armed forces operates, and adapt Chinese tactics to take care of any U.S. weaknesses. ......

Russian Navy Hits Target in Atlantic Ocean with Supersonic Cruise Missile (update)

http://nyjtimes.com/cover/01-28-08/RussianNavy-SupersonicCruiseMissile.htm



MOSCOW (RIA Novosti) -- The flagship of Russia's Black Sea Fleet has effectively engaged a designated target with a supersonic cruise missile as part of a Navy exercise in the northern Atlantic, a Navy spokesman said.
The Moskva guided-missile cruiser launched the P-500 Bazalt (NATO reporting name SS-N-12 Sandbox), a liquid-propellant supersonic cruise missile, last used in 2003.
The P-500 Bazalt, which entered service in 1973, has a 550 km range and a payload of 1,000 kg, enabling it to carry a 350 kT nuclear or a 950kg semi-armor-piercing high explosive warhead.
A Joint Naval Task Force, comprising the Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier, the Udaloy-Class destroyers Admiral Levchenko and Admiral Chabanenko, as well as auxiliary vessels, is currently on a two-month tour of duty in the Mediterranean Sea and the North Atlantic.
"The missile system used for launches has no match in performance terms," Capt. 1st Rank Igor Dygalo, an aide to the Navy commander, said Monday.
Russian warships will also practice interoperability with naval aviation and strategic bombers for several days.
The operation is the first large-scale Russian Navy exercise in the Atlantic for 15 years. All the warships and aircraft involved are carrying full combat ammunition loads, the Navy said.
Vice-Admiral Nikolai Maksimov, commander of Russia's Northern Fleet who is heading the task force, earlier said that the current tour of duty to the Mediterranean, which started on December 5, was aimed at ensuring Russia's naval presence "in key operational areas of the world's oceans" and establishing conditions for secure Russian maritime navigation.

Pandemic Risk – US releases in-depth results of 2007 Pandemic Flu exercise
http://www.chasecooper.com/News-Regulatory_Pandemic_Risk-2008-01-28.php

The three US sponsoring bodies – the Treasury, the Financial Services Sector Coordinating Council for Critical Infrastructure Protection and Homeland Security (FSSCC), and the Financial and Banking Information Infrastructure Committee (FBIIC), on Thursday released in-depth results (PDF: 1.5 Mb) of the Pandemic Flu Exercise held in 2007.
This exercise, held from September 24 to October 12, 2007, was the largest of a number of pandemic flu exercises held for financial services across the world. Originally, over one-third of participants stated that they had not yet developed pandemic-specific business continuity plans. After the exercise 91% said they would apply lessons they learned from the exercise to their business continuity plans.
“The results of this report demonstrate the clear need for conducting this exercise,” said Treasury Deputy Assistant Secretary Valerie Abend. “Even businesses who had pandemic plans in place found that a global avian flu outbreak poses complex issues and were able to identify areas where more work was needed.”
The exercise simulated absentee rates at up to 49 percent across the country. Results, taken from over 400,000 responses, compare issues ranging from healthcare and school closings, to financial market information and industry security. All findings are anonymous. Critical infrastructures that the sector relies on were tested and issues such as telecommuting and stockpiling equipment and anti-virus medication were included.
99% of participants said that the exercise met its objectives and was useful in assessing their pandemic planning needs. As a result, the exercise “provided participants with the opportunity to examine key crisis management issues, foster strategic thinking, and strengthen the sector's overall preparedness”. The overall conclusion of the report is that while there may be significant impacts to the financial services sector during a pandemic outbreak, the US sector overall will continue to operate

Three nations hold Cope Tiger war games
http://www.bangkokpost.com/breaking_news/breakingnews.php?id=125488

Aviation and ground units from the Royal Thai Air Force and Army, US Air Force and Marine Corps, and Republic of Singapore Air Force have begun Cope Tiger 2008, a multi-nation field training exercise in Thailand.
The war games began on Saturday and will last until Feb. 5.
Cope Tiger is an annual, multilateral large force exercise conducted in the Asia-Pacific region and is the only multilateral field training exercise held in Thailand. Headquarters are at Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base, Nakhom Ratchasima, and at Udon Thani Royal Thai Air Force Base.
More than 1,400 people will participate in the exercise. They include approximately 700 Thai and an equal number of US service members, as well as Singapore forces. .....

Hovering Drones Rushed to Iraq (Updated)
http://blog.wired.com/defense/2008/01/hovering-drones.html

Ducted-fan unmanned aerial vehicles are making their way to Iraq to help spot improvised explosive devices. These new drones, which can hover in place, have been under development as part of the Army's massive Future Combat Systems, but it's actually the Navy that plans to deploy them, reports Flight International:......

Defense Focus: FCS follies -- Part 1
http://www.upi.com/International_Security/Industry/Analysis/2008/01/28/defense_focus_fcs_follies_--_part_1/1886/

For the past 2-1/2 years, we have been reporting in these columns about the growing problems generating by former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's visionary Future Combat Systems program to make the U.S. armed forces unbeatable in the 21st century.FCS had the ambitious vision of integrating the firepower of combat forces of the U.S. Army through a wireless network in real time. It offered the prospect of field commanders video conferencing with front-line officers in tanks on the battlefield. It offered the vision of minimizing combat casualties by sending in large numbers of robots to defuse mines and open ways through battlefields.The program was one of the most costly in the history of the U.S. Army. The Washington Post Friday said its estimated cost was $200 billion. As we have previously reported in these columns, some estimates from the Congressional Budget Office and the Government Accountability Office have already gone 50 percent higher than that. And even those estimates assumed that the basic concepts of the program were sound and that it would work as projected.In fact, as the Post reported Friday, the number of lines of software code required by the project has more than doubled in only the past five years. The Army originally reckoned it needed 33.7 million lines of code. Now it reckons it needs 63.8 million. The paper also cited Dennis Muilenberg, Boeing's project manager on the FCS, as maintaining that the original estimate was 55 million lines of software, not 33 million.No one doubts that interconnectivity and rapid response is vital on the battle field. No one doubts the U.S. armed forces have enjoyed a decisive global superiority in applying these key technologies over the past quarter century. And no one with any sense doubts that it should be a top priority goal to seek to retain that advantage through the coming decades.But as we have warned in these columns before, the FCS from the very beginning appeared doomed to failure: It sought to replace the flexibility easily available in modern off-the-shelf communications technology with enormously ambitious and rigid integrated goals that swallowed up limitless resources.......

Lockheed Martin Demonstrates Air Space Control Software that Mimics Human

Tasks http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/prnewswire/NEM01328012008-1.htm

UAVs, Terror Drill, FRA/ RU X, + News

'Remote' Possibilities: UAVs Come To Florida
http://www.gxonline.com/gxintelnews?id=53932


Soldiers from the 53rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team dismantle a Shadow unmanned aerial vehicle at the Armed Forces Reserve Center in Pinellas Park, FL. Photo by TSGT Thomas Kielbasa


1/24/08, St. Augustine, FL —Shadows and Ravens flying over Florida?What sounds like an Edgar Allen Poe cliché is really the future of reconnaissance for Soldiers, as the Florida Army National Guard is beginning to field its first unmanned aerial vehicles.As U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan have increased their use of remote-piloted drones during the past few years, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) like the Predator have gained notoriety for their ability to enhance battlefield intelligence.Now the Florida Army National Guard is testing two of the smaller UAVs – the Shadow and the Raven – for use with the Infantry and Special Forces.With a wingspan of 12.3 feet, the lightweight Shadow UAV is primarily used by Army brigades for battlefield reconnaissance; the smaller Raven with a 5-foot wingspan is used for reconnaissance by smaller units like battalions or companies. Both operate by remote control and utilize state-of-the-art camera systems to transmit real-time video images to Soldiers on the ground. (Cont...)

It Was Only a Drill: Emergency crews react to terrorist attack, blast
http://www.palatkadailynews.com/articles/2008/01/24/news/news01.txt
Reports of an explosion and chemical spill at a local paper mill. Injuries, contamination and a toxic cloud on the move. And, at the same time, an armed terrorist targeting Rodman Dam with a biological attack.It was, as the saying goes, only a test.About 75 people participated in the full-scale emergency simulation Wednesday.Members of Putnam County Emergency Management, Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, Palatka Police and Fire Departments, and other agencies worked together to manage the multiple emergencies.
“We are here to challenge local responders and emergency management officials,” said Joseph Garcia, a regional planner at the Northeast Florida Regional Council in Jacksonville.“This will help identify any potential issues and improve plans before an actual event,” he said.The simulation was designed and executed by the regional council, which also conducted preparedness events prior to the 2005 Super Bowl in Jacksonville.

Joint Russian-French naval drill starts in Atlantic
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-01/24/content_7490726.htm
MOSCOW, Jan. 24 (Xinhua) -- Russia and France started a joint naval drill code-named "Passex" in northeastern areas of the Atlantic Ocean on Thursday, Russian news agencies reported.

Security Drill for Super Bowl
http://www.eham.net/articles/18492
Phoenix--Anticipating enhanced homeland Security concerns during Super Bowl week, Army MARS members in Arizona and adjoining states tuned up emergency communications in a joint exercise with the state Division of Emergency Management (AZDEMA) January 19, 2008.
The drill's scenario cited simulated intelligence warnings of a possible
IED (Improvised Explosive Device) attack along five Interstate highways leading to the February 1st game site in Glendale, AZ. AZDEMA Communications Coordinator Jerry Justus KB7UKG monitored the “Hidden Shadow” (simulated terrorist) drill from the state's mobile command center in Phoenix.
MARS participants in Arizona, California and Nevada were tasked with reporting suspicious activity to the AZDEMA's special Super Bowl Task Force. Arizona Army MARS Director Pat O'Brien AB7AZ (MARS call AAA9AZ) reported the 35 participating ham operators filed 76 information messages to the state mobile command post by WinLink digital and HF voice.

Report: Army's Future Combat System plagued by software problems
http://www.eetimes.com/news/latest/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=205917863

Emergent BioSolutions In Joint Venture With 9Bio
http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v3/news_lite.php?id=309986

PUTRAJAYA, Jan 24 (Bernama) -- US-based Emergent BioSolutions Inc and Ninebio Sdn Bhd (9Bio) have forged a joint venture to focus on creating critical biologics infrastructure and supplying biodefence counter-measures, including anthrax vaccine and other complementary products and services to the government.The joint venture is also expected to supply similar products and services to member countries of the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) as well as others within Asia.9Bio is a government-owned company and one of the national health institutes under the Health Ministry.The government through 9Bio, has selected Emergent BioSolutions as one of its principal partners to assist in vaccine development and manufacturing infrastructure.According to 9Bio chief executive officer Dr Nor Shahidah Khairullah, the joint venture was a step towards achieving the objectives of obtaining vaccine development and manufacturing capabilities as well as bioterrorism preparedness......

2008 ASM Biodefense and Emerging Disease Research Meeting
http://www.firstscience.com/home/news/biology/2008-asm-biodefense-and-emerging-disease-research-meeting_42242.html
The American Society for Microbiology (ASM) will host its 2008 Biodefense and Emerging Diseases Research Meeting February 24-27, 2008 at the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront Hotel in Baltimore, MD.
There is a continuing need for research that helps better protect the public against not only the traditional agents of bioterrorism, like anthrax, but also against emerging infectious diseases that hold the potential for serious human and economic harm, such as H5N1 influenza. In 2006 the federal government budgeted approximately $4 billion for biodefense research and preparedness and last year created the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, designed to help speed the development of biodefense countermeasures using an estimated funding of $1 billion dollars in fiscal year 2008....

Bases compete for Cyber Command
http://www.washingtontechnology.com/online/1_1/32148-1.html

RESEARCHING SPACE WAR IN NEW MEXICO
http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_bruce_k__080124_researching_space_wa.htm