FEMA, NGA, DARPA, Boeing, + News

* Due to trolls/military outsourced operatives sending Malware to the comments section, all
comments will now be moderated.

FEMA Selects Carahsoft and TerraGo Technologies to Deliver Mapping Solution
http://www.centredaily.com/business/technology/story/458588.html




Geospatial Solution Equips Federal Emergency Responders for Critical Events
RESTON, Va. & ATLANTA — The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has selected Carahsoft Technology Corp., a leading government information technology provider, and TerraGo Technologies, the leading provider of geospatial data distribution and collaboration solutions, to provide interactive electronic mapping solutions for the agency's use in response to critical emergency events....

NGA eagerly awaits arrival to Fort Belvoir
http://www.belvoireagle.com/index.php/news-articles/nga_eagerly_awaits_arrival_to_fort_belvoir/




As the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency continues to lay the groundwork for an emerging world of cutting-edge technology and digital information, the agency will soon begin an even more visible change: consolidating its eastern facilities into one centralized location.
In accordance with Base Realignment and Closure actions passed in 2005, NGA will consolidate its operations to the Engineer Proving Ground at Fort Belvoir by September 15, 2011. With the move, the agency will close its primary sites in Bethesda, MD; Reston, VA and the Washington Navy Yard. Occupancy at the new facility is scheduled to start in spring 2010. ...




Simulation Of Pandemic Influenza Outbreak In Chicago
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/100195.php

By using computer simulations and modeling, an international group of researchers including scientists from the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute (VBI) at Virginia Tech's Network Dynamics and Simulation Science Laboratory (NDSSL) have determined how a pandemic influenza outbreak might travel through a city similar in size to Chicago, Ill. This information helped them to determine the preferred intervention strategy to contain a potential flu pandemic, including what people should do to decrease the likelihood of disease transmission....



Air defense drill under way in Russia's central economic region
http://www.interfax.com/3/373267/news.aspx

MOSCOW. March 11 (Interfax-AVN) - Over 30 air defense aircraft areparticipating in tactical exercises of special-task troops on the Ladogatraining ground. "Heat-homing missiles are fired at parachute targets by the Su-27fighter jet regiment under Col. Konstantin Shatailo's command and by theMiG-312 regiment under the command of Col. Valery Knysh," Russian airforce spokesman Alexander Drobyshevsky told Interfax-AVN on Tuesday. The air crews fly to the training area from their permanent bases. "More than 30 air defense fighter jets of the special-task forcesare involved," Drobyshevsky said.
Joint command war games to be held in Russia and Armenia
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20080311/101096419.html

Moody conducts readiness exercises (GA)
http://www.walb.com/Global/story.asp?S=8000195
Valdosta - Security is tightened at Moody Air Force Base but airmen say it's just part of a drill.
The airmen are being tested on how to pack and ship out on short notice.
The scenario also calls for the base to be under a heightened alert.
They say people driving by may see unusual traffic back-ups at the gates and armed airmen patrolling the perimeter.
It's only an exercise that will last through Friday.

DARPA releases 'Blackswift' hyperplane details
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/03/11/darpa_hypersonic_blackswift_details_released/
Runway roboplane will do porkbarrel roll at Mach 6

Boeing wins $12M DARPA F6 space contract
http://www.upi.com/International_Security/Industry/Briefing/2008/03/10/boeing_wins_12m_darpa_f6_space_contract/7143/

Language of a fly proves surprising
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-03/danl-loa030708.php
LOS ALAMOS, New Mexico, March 10, 2008—A group of researchers has developed a novel way to view the world through the eyes of a common fly and partially decode the insect’s reactions to changes in the world around it. The research fundamentally alters earlier beliefs about how neural networks function and could provide the basis for intelligent computers that mimic biological processes.....

SAIC Inc. Buying Icon Systems
Military Contractor SAIC Inc. Buying Laser Tech Firm Icon Systems Inc. for Undisclosed Amount http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/080310/saic_acquisition.html?.v=1

CDC Issues Pandemic Systems Plan
http://www.baselinemag.com/c/a/IT-Management/CDC-Issues-Pandemic-Systems-Plan/

Are the nation’s systems ready to support an all-out fight against a pandemic influenza such as the avian flu?
The just-released Influenza Pandemic Plan from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) lists 13 different systems for identifying, alerting, responding to and tracking a potential pandemic flu outbreak. Most of these systems—some are completed, while others are under development—are designed to perform specific tasks, but the CDC continues to struggle with its centerpiece, the fledgling $100 million BioSense network.
If avian flu were to suddenly make the biological leap to a form that could be transmitted among humans, U.S. hospitals and physicians’ offices would be overwhelmed. An estimated 18 million patients would need immediate care, 300,000 to 800,000 of them would require hospitalization and 90,000 to 200,000 people could die....

* Universities are morally and intellectually bankrupt and now part of the perp system....
Experts Share Views on Terrorism
http://clubs.ccsu.edu/recorder/news/news_item.asp?NewsID=371

Since 9/11, terrorism has been a prevalent concern on the minds of many Americans. It was with great anticipation then that CCSU welcomed two of the world’s foremost experts on terrorism: Yonah Alexander of the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies and Spain’s Ambassador to the United States, Javier Ruperez.
The first to speak was Alexander, the author of numerous books on the subject and a pioneer in the study of terrorism. His presentation, entitled Terrorism: Will Civilization Survive?, focused on many of the psychological aspects of terrorism.
“Terrorism is not only East-versus-West but a worldwide problem,” he said. Alexander reminded the audience that terrorists have struck in many countries around the world, and despite the diversity of terrorist groups worldwide, they all use the same basic weapon: fear. ....

Why the US has really gone broke
http://mondediplo.com/2008/02/05military

Military Keynesianism........

FCS, China Anti-Terror, NORAD/NORTHCOM, + News

Army's $200 Billion Reboot Fizzles; Murtha Wants $20 Billion More
http://blog.wired.com/defense/2008/03/post.html

The Army's gargantuan digital modernization plan has turned so rotten, a new congressional report says it's time to start thinking about killing off the effort, and looking for new alternatives. Rep. John Murtha (D-Pennsylvania), the powerful head of the House Appropriations defense subcommittee, has another plan: Pump another $20 billion into the sickly, $200 billion behemoth "Future Combat Systems" before it drops dead under its own weight.....


Related:

A call to cyber armsMilitary looks to contractors for more than just armor
http://www.washingtontechnology.com/print/23_04/32393-1.html

Foiled terror plots targeted Olympics
http://edition.cnn.com/2008/SPORT/03/09/olympics.security.ap/

BEIJING, China (AP) -- Chinese police killed alleged terrorists plotting to attack the Beijing Olympics, and a flight crew foiled an apparent attempt to crash a Chinese jetliner in a separate case, officials said Sunday

Wang Lequan, the top Communist Party official in the western region of Xinjiang, said materials seized in a January raid in the regional capital, Urumqi, showed the plotters' planned "specifically to sabotage the staging of the Beijing Olympics."
"Their goal was very clear," Wang told reporters at a meeting of Xinjiang delegates in Beijing.
Wang cited no other evidence and earlier reports on the raid had made no mention of Olympic targets.......

New Center to Boost NORTHCOM, NORAD Capabilities
http://pressmediawire.com/article.cfm?articleID=18239
WASHINGTON, March 7, 2008 - An integrated command center scheduled to become operational in May will improve the global situational awareness critical to U.S. Northern Command and North American Aerospace Command in protecting the homeland, the commands' top officer said yesterday.
The new center, in the works since 2006, will help both commands confront threats posed by unpredictable adversaries who are increasingly networked and dynamic, Air Force Gen. Victor E. Renuart Jr. told the Senate Armed Services Committee. Renuart commands both NORTHCOM, which protects the United States from enemy attacks and natural disasters, and NORAD, a U.S.-Canadian command that focuses on airborne threats to North America. The two commands work as partners in what Renuart called a "no-fail mission" of protecting the homeland. "Our missions require a culture of anticipation," Renuart told the senators. He called the ability to anticipate events that may require a military response an essential element of success for both commands. The new command center will go a long way in promoting global situational awareness and interconnectivity with key homeland defense and civil support partners, Renuart said. "The NORAD and USNORTHCOM Command Center will provide a more efficient and effective means of executing homeland defense against threats coming from all domains," he stated in his prepared testimony. The center will provide better coordination between defense activities and other stakeholders, especially Canada Command, to support defense activities, he said. It also will enhance the military commands' ability to provide defense support of civilian authorities. As work continues in bringing the new center on line, NORTHCOM and NORAD continue bolstering their abilities to provide homeland defense for the United States and Canada, Renuart said. Both commands "are steadfastly committed to our mission of defending our homelands, and we know we cannot fail," he said. Renuart described some of the top-priority efforts under way: -- Building more capability to respond to chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and high-yield explosives incidents, whether a deliberate terrorist attack or an accident; -- Leading Defense Department preparations for a potential pandemic influenza, working to synchronize military efforts globally to minimize contamination and prevent further spread of the pandemic; -- Strengthening preparations for and responses to natural disasters ranging from hurricanes to floods to wildfires in the United States; -- Boosting U.S. homeland defense through continual improvements in the commands' operational missile defense program and maritime and air defense activities; -- Strengthening partnerships at the international, interagency, state and local levels to improve homeland defense and civil-support capabilities; and -- Improving situational awareness capabilities essential to predicting threats from space as well as the maritime domain. "Through continued emphasis on anticipating and preparing for all-hazards response with our mission partners, strengthening relationships with our mission partners, improving our homeland defense and civil support capabilities and anticipating future impacts to our continent security, we are on the right path for a secure nation," Renuart said. "With Congress' sustained support, USNORTHCOM and NORAD will continue to protect and defend our fellow citizens and the freedoms they enjoy."
SOURCE: American Forces Press Service

Bush and Polish PM see progress on missile shield deal
http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSWBT00856520080310?feedType=RSS&feedName=politicsNews&rpc=22&sp=true

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush pledged on Monday to help modernize Poland's military as part a U.S. effort to secure agreement for basing components of a global missile defense shield in Eastern Europe. (cont...)





Warning: This is only a drill (NH)
Guard team tests response to disaster
http://www.concordmonitor.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080310/FRONTPAGE/803100338


The New Hampshire National Guard staged a mock drill in the State House yesterday. Here, members of the 12th Civil Support Team take “radiation readings” in a corridor near Representatives Hall



The New Hampshire guardsmen padding around the State House in hazmat suits were just practicing, but their elaborate drill involved multiple searches of the building, complex chemical tests and a credible back story.
The 12th Civil Support Team, which specializes in responding to attacks involving weapons of mass destruction, was downtown yesterday as part of an evaluation the unit will need to pass to remain certified. It involved fake chemical, biological and radiological weapons, which were spread throughout the building for the soldiers to find, identify and neutralize.
Soldiers were told that the Legislature had held a special session Saturday to discuss gun control legislation, according to Lt. Col. Kevin Major, who commands the unit. During the fictional hearing, Major said, some "unofficial lobbyists" yelled out, "You'll never take guns from me." Later that night, the team was told, legislators started showing up at local hospitals complaining of difficulty breathing and itching, burning skin......

Wenatchee woman trains others to be prepared for attack
http://wenatcheeworld.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080310/NEWS04/302652742

Marianne Patton, left, instructs emergency hospital staff on how to handle a patient injured by a dirty bomb without contaminating hospital staff and patients during a recent training session at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Center for Domestic Preparedness in Anniston, Ala. (Photo provided by Marianne Patton)






Australia, Britain, Canada, New Zealand and the United States are holding global counter-terrorism war games to test the security of vital infrastructure and services. (update)
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/latest/200803101024/bce435

DHS at 5 Years, General Dynamics, Boeing, FEMA, +

Bush Says Homeland Security Improved, Urges Immunity for IT Firms http://www.voanews.com/english/2008-03-06-voa48.cfm

President Bush speaking at the Department of Homeland Security, 06 Mar 2008

President Bush marked the fifth anniversary of the Department of Homeland Security with a warning that terrorists are determined to attack again. VOA White House Correspondent Scott Stearns reports, Mr. Bush wants immunity for telecommunications firms that have helped the government listen-in on conversations with suspected terrorists......

DHS launches Northern Border pilot programs

http://www.washingtontechnology.com/online/1_1/32402-1.html

While the Homeland Security Department prepares a prototype solution for protecting the northern border, new technologies already are being tested in the field, states a new report from the department’s Customs and Border Protection directorate.
The 20-page report said the federal government is in the process of implementing additions in border personnel, infrastructure improvements and technologies to protect the U.S.-Canadian border. The report was written and submitted to Congress under the requirements of the 9/11 Commission implementation law approved last year

National Dragnet Is a Click Away

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/05/AR2008030503656_pf.html

Several thousand law enforcement agencies are creating the foundation of a domestic intelligence system through computer networks that analyze vast amounts of police information to fight crime and root out terror plots.
As federal authorities struggled to meet information-sharing mandates after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, police agencies from Alaska and California to the Washington region poured millions of criminal and investigative records into shared digital repositories called data warehouses, giving investigators and analysts new power to discern links among people, patterns of behavior and other hidden clues.
General Dynamics unit gets clearance to provide NSA communications http://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/stories/2008/03/03/daily55.htmlGeneral Dynamics C4 Systems in Scottsdale has been chosen to outfit the National Security Agency with a secure mobile device for some of the organization's most classified communications.
The NSA will use the Sectéra Edge smart phone for voice and data communications. The system will handle voice communications at "top secret" level, while e-mail and Web access will be conducted at the "secret" level and below.

Boeing Awarded Air Force Contract for Advanced Laser Development and Testing http://www.pr-usa.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=80556&Itemid=9"This Air Force program represents an important opportunity for Boeing in continuing to help develop the next generation of laser weapon technologies" said Scott Fancher, vice president and general manager of Boeing Missile Defense Systems. "The various laser technologies being developed represent potential solutions to equip the warfighter with ultra-precision engagement capability"
Boeing leads directed energy research and development for various military applications, including the Airborne Laser, Advanced Tactical Laser, High Energy Laser Technology Demonstrator and Tactical Relay Mirror System.

Health Department To Hold Emergency Exercise (MO)

http://memphisdemocrat.com/2008/news/080306_mock.shtml

Verizon Business Offers Security and Communications During FEMA Disaster Drill

http://www.tmcnet.com/disaster-planning/articles/22369-verizon-business-offers-security-communications-during-fema-disaster.htm

To support emergency response personnel during a recent mock disaster demonstration run by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Verizon Business (News - Alert) issued their 'Smart Credentials'. Through its participation and support in the disaster demonstration, Verizon Business proved its ability to provide security and communications solutions to public safety agencies in crisis conditions.

"Because we never know when disaster will strike, preparation is key," said Kerry Bailey, vice president of Verizon Business Security Solutions.

E-games to test infrastructure security

http://news.theage.com.au/egames-to-test-infrastructure-security/20080306-1xnn.html

Australia will join global counter-terrorism war games to test the security of vital resources including dams, power stations, telephone exchanges and banks.
Attorney-General Robert McClelland will announce the federal government's involvement in Cyberstorm II......

TOPOFF 5 Announced /SPP, China + "Terror" News

Three amigos at 2010 Winter Olympics?

http://vancouver.24hrs.ca/News/2008/03/05/4909016-sun.html

Could Canada's Games be secured with help from Americans and Mexicans?
Canada, U.S. and Mexico are planning a massive joint military exercise in April 2009 "to focus on terrorist events that could affect [the] 2010 Olympics," according to Public Safety Canada documents released to 2010 Watch via access to information.
The rehearsal, led by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, is code-named TOPOFF 5. Canadian troops were among the 15,000 participants involved in last October's TOPOFF 4 in Portland, Ore., Phoenix, Ariz. and Guam.
"Exercises provide unique training opportunities to strengthen our ability to deal with potential emergencies," said Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day in an e-mail statement responding to 24 hours' interview request. "They are important tools to strengthen Canada's ability to deal with real incidents."
An undated Public Safety Canada report said up to $22.8 million was needed to fund emergency management, counter-terrorism, cyber security and critical infrastructure protection exercises, "leading to a trilateral full-scale exercise prior to the Vancouver Olympic Games in 2010, as outlined under the Security and Prosperity Partnership."

SPP was founded in 2005 to promote economic growth and enhanced security in North America.
"Does it mean that if the American forces are training with Canadian forces that they are going to be positioned here in Canada during the period of the Olympic Games?" said 2010 Watch's Chris Shaw. "And, if so, under whose command?"

The China Syndrome

http://www.fpif.org/fpiftxt/5041

On February 4, President Bush announced a baseline military budget of $515.4 billion for the next fiscal year, not including funds for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. This is the largest one-year Pentagon request in real, uninflated dollars since World War II. This Fiscal Year (FY) 2009 figure represents a 7.5% increase over the 2008 appropriation of $479.5 billion and is expected to be the first of many rising requests supposedly needed to replace equipment lost and damaged in Iraq and to gear up for the security threats to come. As Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen explained last October, “we’re just going to have to devote more resources to national security in the world we’re living in right now.”

At first glance, all these additional funds will be used to sustain the Global War on Terror (GWOT, in Pentagon shorthand) and replace equipment destroyed or rendered inoperable in the wars now under way. “The Fiscal Year 2009 Defense budget request sustains the President’s commitment to growing U.S. ground forces that are needed to prevail in the current conflicts in Iran and Afghanistan,” a Pentagon press release notes. Additional funds are allocated for “Operations, Readiness, and Support” – troop training, replacement parts and equipment, combat supplies, and so on.
But a close examination of the FY 2009 request indicates that the principal sources of future budget growth are not the GWOT or other such low-intensity contingencies but rather preparation for all-out combat with a future superpower. Probe a little deeper into Pentagon thinking, and only one potential superpower emerges to justify all this vast spending: The People’s Republic of China.

Chinese military spending rises sharply http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/03/05/asia/05china.php

BEIJING: China announced a further sharp increase in military spending on Tuesday, a day after the United States renewed its warning that a lack of openness surrounding the rapid buildup of the Chinese armed forces posed a threat to stability in Asia.
China's military budget for 2008 will increase by 17.6 percent to 417.77 billion yuan, or about $58.8 billion, Jiang Enzhu, spokesman for the National People's Congress, China's legislature, told a news conference.
This follows a 17.8 percent increase in 2007

Color-coded map identifies US cities at risk from bioterrorism

http://www.topnews.in/color-coded-map-identifies-us-cities-risk-bioterrorism-224201
Washington, March 5 : Researchers have developed a new system that identifies American cities most at risk from the threat of bioterrorism, using a color-coded map.
Developed by Walter W. Piegorsch, a University of Arizona researcher, the system has placed 132 major US cities – from Albany, New York, to Youngstown, Ohio – on a color-coded map that identifies their level of risk based on factors including critical industries, ports, railroads, population, natural environment and other factors.
The model employs what risk experts call a benchmark vulnerability metric, which shows risk managers each city’s level of risk for urban terrorism.

Flu Pandemic: Is the U.S. Ready?

http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/flu-pandemic-is-the-us-ready,303980.shtml

ST. LOUIS, March 5 /PRNewswire/ -- If history is any guide, a modern-day influenza pandemic in the United States would likely hit city dwellers and non-whites the hardest, based on an economic analysis from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.
Thomas A. Garrett, an economist with the St. Louis Fed, wrote the analysis for the March/April issue of Review, the Reserve Bank's bi-monthly journal of economic and business issues. The publication is also available online at the St. Louis Fed's web site: http://research.stlouisfed.org/publications/review.
Researchers at the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention have estimated that deaths from a flu pandemic could total more than 200,000, with an initial cost to the U.S. economy of $166 billion, or about 1.5 percent of GDP. Moreover, the long-run costs could be even greater....

Los Angeles Officials Say Community Groups Can Help in Pandemics, Other Disasters

http://www.voanews.com/english/2008-03-04-voa77.cfm

Officials in Los Angeles say they cannot tell when, but some type of a major disaster is bound to come to the area. Mike O'Sullivan reports, the officials urged leaders of religious and community groups in the city to be prepared for catastrophes, including pandemics, terrorist attacks, and earthquakes.

More than 50 community organizations took part in a recent forum that focused on a possible flu pandemic. But Dr. Jonathan Fielding, public health director for Los Angeles County, says preparations are much the same for natural disasters and terrorism.
"We're quite susceptible to earthquakes. We've just had wildfires. We just did a tsunami exercise, even though that's less likely. A pandemic will occur - we just don't know when. We are concerned about man-made disasters. Unfortunately, we have to worry about bioterrorism, chemical, radiological terrorism. So the good news is that being prepared for all of them requires the same basic ingredients, which is an emergency communication plan, emergency preparedness kit, and understanding in communities what you'll do in the event of a problem," he said.....

Ky. Guard units train in natural disaster drill Largest emergency exercise ever done http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080305/NEWS01/803050913/1008/NEWS01
The Kentucky National Guard is involved in the largest disaster emergency drill it has ever conducted, working with federal, state and local emergency response agencies. ....

GP contracted for security exercises

http://www.upi.com/International_Security/Industry/Briefing/2008/03/04/gp_contracted_for_security_exercises/7931/

ELKRIDGE, Md., March 4 (UPI) -- General Physics Corp. announced it has been awarded a contract from Tennessee's Department of Safety to facilitate homeland security exercises.The Homeland Security Exercise Program contract, valued at $1.24 million, is from Tennessee's Department of Safety's Office of Homeland Security. Under the deal, GP will plan, conduct and report the results of 11 homeland security exercises over a 17-month period. Officials say the full-scale exercises will "focus on the preparations for, response to, and recovery from pandemic influenza occurrences; chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, or explosive incidents; and catastrophic events, the release said. ...

U.S. War w/China Watch, Pandemic Prep, + News

US worried over China space weapons
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/E77E81DA-436D-4BDE-9244-F1CAF710CA73.htm


China is developing a new generation of space weapons and stepping up its cyber warfare capabilities as it continues to expand its military reach, an annual US military report on China has said.

The report came hours before China announced the latest in a string of double-digit defence budget increases.

The Pentagon assessment, presented to the US congress on Monday, also detailed what it said was an ongoing build-up of Chinese forces and missiles in the area facing Taiwan.
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"A potential military confrontation with Taiwan, and the prospect of US military intervention, remain the PLA's most immediate military concerns," the report said, referring to China's military, the People's Liberation Army.

The Pentagon report echoes previous US assessments that China's top strategic priority is to prevent Taiwan's independence

N.Korea Calls S.K.-U.S. Drills `Nuke War Exercises` http://english.donga.com/srv/service.php3?bicode=050000&biid=2008030443578


US marines stand on a LAV-25 light armored vehicle during the CQB (Close Quarters Battle) drill at the US army's Rodriguez range in Pocheon, on March 1. North Korea on Monday stepped up criticism of a massive joint military exercise involving tens of thousands of US and South Korean troops.
North Korea yesterday denounced the joint South Korea-U.S. military exercises Key Resolve and Foal Eagle as nuclear war drills.
The (North) Korean Central News Agency quoted a North Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman as saying, “Considering the size and nature of the exercises, these are clearly nuclear war exercises aiming to attack our republic by force. We will draw up necessary measures to reinforce all of our war deterrents.”
“U.S. troops occupying South Korea and additional forces dispatched from the United States have been conducting the exercises with South Korean forces. High-tech U.S. military equipments, including the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Nimitz and the nuclear-powered submarine USS Ohio, have been mobilized.”
The North’s Committee for Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland, an official propaganda agency on inter-Korean affairs, also said, “We will take measures of a self-defense nature without hesitation.”
In Seoul, a Defense Ministry official brushed off Pyongyang’s criticism.
“The two drills have been held every year with the aim to defend the South in the case of war. Thus the North’s claim of nuclear war exercises is totally groundless,” the official said.

SAIC Delivers State-of-the-Art Test Facility to NATO
http://www.epicos.com/epicos/portal/media-type/html/user/anon/page/default.psml/js_panename/News+Information+Article+View;jsessionid=ACFF8A29BF41CA0F24D2680341789508.tomcat3?articleid=95057&showfull=false

SAN DIEGO and MCLEAN, Va., March 4 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Science Applications International Corporation (NYSE: SAI) today announced that it has initiated operations of a state-of-the-art integration and test facility for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), a key milestone in the organization's effort to help create a ballistic missile defense capability. The facility, located in The Hague, Netherlands, conducted its initial integration testing with two allied nations -- to include initial hardware in the loop testing -- nine months ahead of schedule.
Known as the Integration Test Bed, the facility is run by NATO's Active Layered Theater Ballistic Missile Defense (ALTBMD) Program Office and was developed by a multinational team led by SAIC. The test bed is a major component of a multiyear NATO project to integrate the existing missile defense programs of U.S. and allied NATO nations, helping ensure the protection of deployed forces against short- and medium-range ballistic missiles. The project involves 10 companies from six NATO member nations, and the final system will complement NATO's current capability against aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles and other aerial threats. SAIC served as the prime contractor under a $110 million systems engineering and integration support contract awarded by NATO in 2006

Crying wolf over bioterrorism
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/opinion/la-op-orent2mar02,0,3111673.story

'Mother Nature is the most dangerous terrorist," says Michael Kurilla, the nation's unofficial biodefense czar. "The microbial world is almost unlimited in its [terrorist] potential." But despite the emergence of such new diseases as SARS and the H5N1 avian flu, it isn't Mother Nature only that worries Kurilla, the director of the Office of Biodefense Research Affairs of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. He's also concerned about the threat from synthetic biology -- the possibility that rogue scientists and bioterrorists could make diseases in the laboratory to be used for terrorism. As he puts it, "The threat and the reality of synthetic biology is becoming greater and greater every day." ...... (cont.)
Mortuary prepares for flu pandemic
http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/generalnews/display.var.2091526.0.flu_pandemic_expected_to_kill_thousands.php
Preparations for pandemic ongoing
http://vancouver.24hrs.ca/News/2008/03/04/4899526-sun.html
Medical Scientists Develop Rice-Based Vaccination To Fight Pandemic Disease
http://www.physorg.com/news123783392.html
Serious business: Seminar aims to help companies plan for pandemic
http://www.gainesvilletimes.com/news/article/3881/

Competitive Technologies for National Security
http://frontpagemagazine.com/Articles/Read.aspx?GUID=FA4F116B-D41E-487B-B5A1-2DB1AD970A4B


Technology does not win wars or make nations safe. The search for security is shaped by larger cultural, eco­nomic, and political factors and strategic choices. On the other hand, technology has always been the handmaiden of national security. Nations always look for innovations that can offer them competitive advantages over their adversaries. Innovation will always be a national security "wild card." New technologies may unleash or accelerate social and cultural changes that affect how nations protect themselves on battlefields and behind the scenes.....



Emergency training exercise begins today (MS)
http://www.vicksburgpost.com/articles/2008/03/04/news/news05.txt


Bioterrorism Training

http://www.kidk.com/news/16198152.html

Seattle Opens New State-of-the-Art Emergency Operations Center
http://www.govtech.com/gt/268765?topic=117691

On the eve of the seventh anniversary of the Nisqually earthquake, Mayor Greg Nickels today opened Seattle's new state-of-the-art Emergency Operations Center (EOC), a high-tech nerve center that will coordinate the city's response to disasters and other major events.
The new EOC is a critical step forward in fulfilling Nickels' goal of making Seattle the most prepared city in the country for dealing with emergencies, whether natural or human caused. It is the latest project delivered by the 2003 Fire Levy.....

"Operation Quick Resolve" RI Flu Crowd Control Drill, + News

Disaster drill prepares organization for action
Emergency response team simulates crisis at Cobb Stadium
http://media.www.thehurricaneonline.com/media/storage/paper479/news/2008/03/03/News/Disaster.Drill.Prepares.Organization.For.Action-3247618.shtml

There were three dead and 31 wounded after the bleachers collapsed in Cobb Stadium last Saturday. But don't worry - this was only a test. The disaster drill was to prepare the Canes Emergency Response Team (CERT), a student-run organization whose members are prepared to assist during disasters and respond to a problem to which the police and firefighters cannot react immediately. Their ability to handle this situation was graded by professionals in different emergency fields....

During the blackout last week, city personnel were flooded with emergencies such as people being stuck in elevators. They were stretched thinner when two people were necessary to direct traffic at each intersection in the area. CERT members were able to assist and lessen the strain on the police and fire departments.Although the members of CERT knew there was going to be a drill on Saturday, they did not know what or where the situation was going to be. The members of the outgoing executive board made these plans and kept them private.Tim Queeny, a team leader for CERT, only knew an event was going to happen but admitted that this knowledge did give him a slight advantage saying, "It made me more available than I might have been."

"Operation Quick Resolve"

National Guard holds surprise training drill (RI)

http://www.eyewitnessnewstv.com/Global/story.asp?S=7952938&nav=F2DO

CRANSTON, R.I. (AP) -- The Rhode Island National Guard held a surprise training drill to test how it would respond to quick activation by the governor in an emergency.
More than 85 members of the Army and Air National Guard were awakened at about 4 a.m. yesterday and ordered to report to Camp Fogarty in East Greenwich and Quonset Air National Guard Base in North Kingston.
The training exercise, "Operation Quick Resolve," was designed to test the Guard's ability to quickly alert, mobilize and deploy troops. In this case, the scenario was a massive civil disturbance during a pandemic flu scare.
Among the strategies they practiced: using less-than-lethal tactics in crowd control.

India to hold biggest ever war games close to Pakistan border http://www.app.com.pk/en_/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=30654&Itemid=2

Making war-games simulators is big business for Orlando division of Cubic Corp.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/orl-cover0308mar03,0,6939890.story

The technician gazes intently as she places tiny metal dots on the circuit board's microelectronic pathways. She is crafting the "brains" of a simulated machine gun that soldiers will eventually use to hone their infantry skills.It is quiet now as she works in the electronics assembly lab at Cubic Corp.'s Orlando simulation plant. But later, it will be loud, really loud, on the virtual firing range as the weapons are tested....

America's Robot Army: Are Unmanned Fighters Ready for Combat?

http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/military_law/4252643.html

DARPA to iRobot: Build a LANdroid bot


Robotics company iRobot Corp. has landed an R&D contract from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to develop a communications robot for the DARPA LANdroids program.
Under the contract, robotics maker iRobot (Nasdaq: IRBT) is expected to develop a communications relay robot, intended to be portable and disposable. The goal of the DARPA LANdroids program is to provide robots small enough that a single soldier can carry multiple robots, which would form a communications infrastructure to support operations.
http://www.bizjournals.com/masshightech/stories/2008/03/03/daily4.html

Homeland Security Update: Congress Asking Who is in Charge?http://www.rotor.com/Default.aspx?tabid=510&newsid905=58059

Fact Sheet: U.S. Department of Homeland Security Announces 6.8 Percent Increase in Fiscal Year 2009 http://www.pr-usa.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=77475&Itemid=9

"Silver Dragon II", "Cyber Storm II", + News

“Silver Dragon II”

Disaster drill to mimic real chaos, test response quickness

http://www.examiner.com/a-1252057~Disaster_drill_to_mimic_real_chaos__test_response_quickness.html

Mar 1, 2008 6:00 AM (11 hrs ago) by Tamara Barak Aparton, The Examiner
San Mateo County (Map, News) - In a race against time and amid simulated chaos, volunteers will pound the pavement for three hours to get emergency “medicine” into the hands of 3,000 San Mateo and Foster City residents.
Dubbed “Silver Dragon II”, the March 13 exercise will test the county’s ability to receive and distribute large quantities of medicine and medical supplies from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Strategic National Stockpile. The SNS was designed to provide immediate medical care after an explosion or bioterrorism attack.
Working with Foster City and San Mateo fire and police, as well as the county health departments, volunteers in brightly colored vests will go door to door in both cities from 9 a.m. to noon.
While they will hand out earthquake preparedness materials in place of medicine, the drill has been designed to mimic the chaos and confusion that would accompany a real disaster, said San Mateo County Health Department spokeswoman Beverly Thames.

County officials will gauge how many households the volunteers can reach in three hours and test communication using satellite phones, handheld and HAM radios

County officials will gauge how many households the volunteers can reach in three hours and test communication using satellite phones, handheld and HAM radios.
The drill is the biggest of its kind in the area, Thames said. In January 2007, the health department coordinated with Foster City to conduct a similar drill, Silver Dragon, reaching 1,300 households.
“I think the biggest challenge this year for the health department was making the exercise more realistic, so we could get a better picture of how many households we could reach,” Thames said.
In an actual health crisis serious enough to deplete local supplies, medicines could be delivered by the federal government within 12 hours. The goal of the March 13 drill is to see how quickly those supplies could get into the hands of San Mateo County residents, Thames said.
While the exercise is a colossal coordination project, the organizing of volunteers and hammering out of logistics is being done by the fire departments, said Carl Hess, the county’s bioterrorism grant coordinator.
“The fire departments are extremely organized and experienced, so it’s easy to conduct a drill with them,” he said

Cyber Storm II stirring

http://www.fcw.com/online/news/151806-1.html

The Homeland Security Department is getting ready to lead foreign governments, corporations, states and federal agencies on a second round of cyber war games. During the second week of March, nine states, four foreign governments, 18 federal agencies and 40 private companies will participate in Cyber Storm II — a weeklong simulation designed to better prepare the players for cyberattacks. DHS, FBI and the Defense Department are among the federal agencies that will participate. The exercise will be the culmination of more than 18 months of planning, led by DHS’ National Cyber Security Division, to design a series of simulations that will test the players’ abilities to respond to cyberattacks on information technology, communications, chemical and transportation infrastructure. The first Cyber Storm exercise, in 2006, focused on air transportation. Cyber Storm II participants have been broken into two teams: planners and players. The players have not seen any of the scenarios they will have to mitigate. A source familiar with the planning of the exercise said that this year’s simulation exercises could include elements of organized crime, terrorism or a hacking attempt driven by political goals. “We are looking at a more sophisticated scenario this time around,” he said. “It’s going to be quite an event.” The exercise will take place in Washington, but will also be played out virtually by thousands of people worldwide. Australia, along with the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Canada and the United States, is planning a simultaneous cyber simulation exercise that will include its military. Each of Cyber Storm II’s participants will have their own goals and challenges designed to bolster their own abilities. The private-sector participant list includes giants such as Dow Chemical, Microsoft, McAfee, Cisco and Nova Chemicals, among others, the source said. “The exercise is very much deliberately intended to overload people,” the source said. “We don’t do these things to pat ourselves on the back.” ...

China and U.S. Agree to Open Military Hot Line

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/01/world/asia/01briefs-hotline.html?ref=world

China and the United States officially signed in Shanghai on Friday an agreement on setting up a military hotline between the two defense departments, the Chinese Defense Ministry said.

The Real R2D2: ASTRO Takes on Space Rogues http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,333575,00.html

R2D2, the feisty, resourceful and intrepid droid that specialized in saving the day in the “Star Wars” films, has leaped from the big screen into real life. ASTRO, also rotund and ingenious, is the real deal and ready to play ball in today’s space race.
When ASTRO recently achieved a first-in-space-history moment 300 miles above Earth on March 8, 2007, he did so with the modest low profile we may associate with R2D2.
The Russians may have created a lot of hoopla when they accused the U.S. of covering up the testing of an anti-satellite weapon, but talk about a storm in a teacup. Of course the U.S. can shoot down satellites. What the Russians should be worried about is real cutting-edge U.S. technology like ASTRO......

Headed Toward an International Robot Arms Race?http://news.thomasnet.com/IMT/archives/2008/02/headed_toward_an_international_robot_arms_race_ethical_concerns.html

MAGTFTC Battle Simulation Center puts combat in virtual perspective http://www.marines.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf/0/de04b6c6489be624852573fe0072fecf?OpenDocument CORPS AIR GROUND COMBAT CENTER TWETNYNINE PALMS, Calif.(Feb. 29, 2008) -- The Marine Air Ground Task Force Training Command Battle Simulation Center is providing deploying Marines and sailors with a variety of cutting-edge virtual training tools to help them prepare for today’s combat environment.The BSC was stood up at the Combat Center in 1996 and originally offered only a couple of training simulations, the MAGTF Tactical Warfare Simulation and the Joint Conflict and Tactical Simulation, said Gary R. Stump, BSC site manager and simulation analyst.MTWS focused primarily on larger-scale training, meaning the company, battalion and regimental levels, while JCATS was designed to train Marines at the fire team through platoon levels.“We’ve always been here to train Marines, but since 1996, we’ve expanded,” said Stump. “We have a lot more capabilities now than we did back then.”The Battle Simulation Center works closely with the MAGTF Integrated Systems Training Center, which focuses of command and control systems training. To date, the BSC offers 10 different training simulators and the MISTC hosts seven training programs.Virtual Battle Space 1 and 2: VBS 1/2 are PC-based first-person viewpoints of a fully functional battlefield that focus on smaller-unit operations. VBS2 is currently more advanced and more prevalent than its older counterpart. Depending on the demands of the individual units, VBS can take the form of many different combat scenarios and environments, which can immerse between one and 100 Marines into a virtual world where small-unit leaders can test their standard operating procedures, as well as conduct rehearsals on the same terrain they will be likely walking to in the near future....