SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. (USTCNS) --- At the same time President Bush visited European allies to gather support for a joint missile defense system, Air Mobility Command hosted a conference here to discuss emerging threats and challenges to America's national defense.
More than 100 people from civilian, military, and federal agencies that deal with arms control, weapons treaty compliance, weapons of mass destruction and counterproliferation issues discussed their role in today's environment of nuclear, biological and chemical warfare capabilities.
Four major Air Force commands were represented--AMC, Air Education and Training Command, Air Force Space Command and Air Combat Command--as well as attendees as guest speakers from the Air Staff, Defense Threat Reduction Agency, USAF Counterproliferation Center, and Institute for Defense Analysis.
Representatives from the National War College, HQ National Guard Bureau, Illinois Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Team, National Air Intelligence Center, Institute for Homeland Defense, Harvard University, U.S. Transportation Command, Science Applications International Corporation and Battelle, also shared their expertise and experiences.
They talked about the current threat against the U.S., the programs in place to counter that threat, and actions most agencies take when an attack occurs. Because the United States has the potential to dominate in the conventional battlefield -- more tanks, more planes, more guns -- rogue states, collapsing states and non-states have turned to a cheaper, more lethal method of national defense with NBC agents.
To help deter the use of NBC agents, treaties are the first line of defense. For instance, conference attendees learned more about the Treaty on Open Skies. Mike Connors, Chief of Treaties and Agreements Branch for the Air Force, said Open Skies is one of the most wide-ranging international agreements to date to promote openness of military forces and activities.
"There are 27 countries involved with Open Skies, which basically is a way for them to come to the U.S. so they can fly over the continent to gather information through aerial imaging," Connors said. There are two OC-135B aircraft, stationed out of Offutt AFB, Neb., which are used for these missions when we overfly other countries. Normally, countries request a particular route, and the U.S. crews complete the flight plans within 96 hours.
"The program is going well, however, we're in need of another aircraft and crews if we're going to meet all of our observation quotas," he added.
Attendees were invited to view the OC-135B which was flown to Scott AFB to enhance the Treaty Officers' awareness of the aircraft's mission.
Another area of discussion was bioterrorism, of which Secretary of State Colin Powell was quoted as saying, it is "the one that scares me to death, perhaps even more so than tactical nuclear weapons, and the one we have the least capability against …." Dr. Brad Roberts from the Institute for Defense Analyses said America needs to think differently about how war is conducted.
Weaker states will use biological weapons because those regimes like to run high risks. They have a reputation for ruthlessness and a willingness to use these weapons for local gains.
"Desert Storm was our wake-up call," Roberts said. "Iraq's regime, like most that fit that profile, will use bio warfare for disruption purposes, not necessarily for total destruction. We are either the America of Pearl Harbor or Somalia. We are slow to be provoked, but once provoked, we will use our full force against our enemy. But, in cases such as Somalia, they (rogue states) see that they can give us a bloody nose, and we'll back off. Their intent is to avoid escalation and only if the situation escalates, will they consider the risk of mass casualty."
It's not just rogue states that threaten the lives of Americans. Independent "would be" terrorists caused disruption in the U.S. that involved responses from AMC personnel. On Aug. 18, 1998, an employee in the Joan Finney State Office Building in downtown Wichita, Kansas, opened a letter containing a note saying he had just been exposed to anthrax. The local police and fire departments responded and asked for the nearby McConnell AFB hazardous materials team to assist in the decontamination process.
The other incident occurred July 13, 1999 when the Naval Nuclear Weapon Propulsion Training Center at Charleston, S.C., received a chemical weapons bomb threat and members from Charleston AFB were called in to assist in the response. Both incidents were determined to be hoaxes, however, Hackler highlighted some of the lessons learned from those incidents. The major area of improvement was that the military and civilian command and control integration did not work well.
"Accountability was lost and zones of authority were violated," he said. "What we need to keep doing is practice with our civilian counterparts and remember that they are in control and have jurisdiction. We also (from a military standpoint) must refine mutual aid agreements, procedures and response protocols."
While scientific agencies continue to develop better methods of detecting NBC agents, and U.S. officials negotiate missile reduction and military surveillance treaties, military members continue in their roles with compliance issues, coordinating plans and policies, and learning how to survive and operate after an attack.
For instance, Maj. John Jay and his team in the AMC's Arms Control, Treaties and Counterproliferation branch provide plans and policies guidance and support to the various units in the field.
"Because there are so many layers of response efforts, there are many, many agencies we deal with to protect our people and resources," he said. "This conference brought together most of those players and it has expanded in scope over these past three years. We act as a clearinghouse so all of us, from medical to operations, can be on the same sheet of music as we go about putting in place these vital protective measures for our country." (FROM AIR MOBILITY COMMAND PUBLIC AFFAIRS).
