Given the
history of the US government in staging large-scale drills before launching
bioterrorist attacks, an orchestrated Ebola attack or a simulated one —
formaldeheyde or melatonin in New York’s water? — can’t be ruled out
during the FEMA pandemic exercises in November.
Pentagon’s
“Operation Dark Winter”: June 2001 Bioterror Exercise Foreshadowed 9/11 and
Anthrax Attacks
Global Research, October 12, 2014
Region: USA
Coincidence
… Or Something More?
On June
22-23, 2001 – some 3 months before 9/11, and 4 months before the Anthrax
attacks – the U.S. military held a senior-level war game at Andrews Air Force
Base called Dark Winter.
The scenario
of this bio-terrorism drill was designed to simulate a smallpox attack in three
states. Numerous congressmen, former CIA director James Woolsey, New York Times
reporter Judith Miller (who pushed the Iraq WMD myth, as well as the false link
between Iraq and the Anthrax attacks), and anti-terror official Jerome Hauer
allparticipated in
the exercise.
As a part of
this war game, scripted TV news clips were made to help make this drill as
realistic as possible.
At the end
of one of these clips, the reporter says:
Iraq might
have provided the technology behind the attacks to terrorist groups based in
Afghanistan. Some of the details of this operation are below.
This exercise was made possible by grant
funding from The McCormick Tribune Foundation and The Oklahoma City National
Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism.
On 22-23 June, the Center for Strategic
and International Studies, the Johns Hopkins Center for
Civilian Biodefense Studies, the ANSER Institute for Homeland Security, and
the Oklahoma National
Memorial Institute for the Prevention Terrorism, hosted a senior-level war
game examining the national security, intergovernmental, and information
challenges of a biological attack on the American homeland. With tensions
rising in the Taiwan Straits, and a major crisis developing in Southwest
Asia, a smallpox outbreak was confirmed by the CDC in Oklahoma City. During
the thirteen days of
the game, the disease spread to 25 states and 15 other countries. Fourteen
participants and 60 observers witnessed terrorism/warfare in slow motion.
Discussions, debates (some rather heated) and decisions focused on the public
health response, lack of an adequate supply of smallpox vaccine, roles and
missions of federal and state governments, civil liberties associated with
quarantine and isolation, the role of DoD, and potential military responses
to the anonymous attack.
Additionally, a predictable 24/7 new cycle
quickly developed that focused the nation and the world on the attack and
response. Five representatives from the national press corps (including print
and broadcast) participated in the game, including a lengthy press conference
with the President.
Several articles and reports will be
produced in the coming weeks and months. Additionally, at least one
Congressional hearing will be conducted to explore the lessons learned by the
key participants. The first hearing is scheduled for the week of 22 July with
the Subcommittee on National Security, Veterans Affairs and International
Relations (Congressman Shays, Chairman).
|
Dr. Barry Kellman
Professor Depaul University School of Law |
Ms. Kim Kotlar
Military Legislative Assistant Office of Representative Mac Thornberry |
Mr. Gordon Lederman
Associate Arnold & Porter |
Mr. Jim Lewis
Professional Staff Member House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence |
Dr. Scott Lillibridge
Director, Bioterrorism Preparedness Program Centers for Disease Control |
Mr. Jim Martin
Secretary-Treasurer NGA-Past Governors Association |
Mrs. Barbara Martinez
Chief, WMD Operations Unit Federal Bureau of Investigation |
Mr. Dan McConkie
Staff Assistant to the Vice Chairman Joint Economic Committee, Joint Committee of Congress |
Mr. Alan McCurry
Military Legislative Assistant Office of Senator Pat Roberts |
Ms. Lisa Moreno-Hix
Director of Programs Oklahoma City National Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism |
Ms. Linnea Raine
Visiting Department of Energy Fellow Center for Strategic & International Studies |
General Dennis Reimer (USA, Ret.)
Director Oklahoma City National Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism |
Dr. Peter Roman
Chairman, Department of Political Science at Duquesne University and Senior Fellow at the ANSER Institute for Homeland Security |
Mr. Richard Saunders
Principal Booz-Allen & Hamilton, Inc. |
Dr. Monica Schoch-Spana
Medical Anthropologist & Research Associate Johns Hopkins Center for Civilian Biodefense Studies |
Mr. Danny Seabright
Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy |
Mr. John Sirek
Director, Citizenship Program Robert R. McCormick Tribune Foundation |
Mr. Jeffrey Smith
Partner Arnold & Porter |
Mr. Henry St. Germain
Senior Consultant Analytic Services Inc. (ANSER) |
Col. Stephen Waller, USAF
Director, USAF Surgeon General's Tactical Action Team HQUSAF/SGT |
Dr. Marion Warwick
Medical Epidemiologist Emergency Terrorism Response Unit Missouri Department of Health |
Mr. Bill Natter
Professional Staff Member House Armed Services Committee |
Dr. Paula Olsiewski
Program Director Alfred P. Sloan Foundation |
Mr. R. Nicholas Palarino
Senior Policy Analyst U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on National Security House Committee on Government Reform |
Mr. Michael Powers
Research Associate Chemical & Biological Arms Control Institute |
EXERCISE STAFF
|
|
The Honorable John Hamre
President and CEO Center for Strategic & International Studies |
The Honorable Tara O'Toole
Deputy Director Johns Hopkins Center for Civilian Biodefense Studies |
Col. Randall Larsen (USAF, Ret.)
Director, ANSER Institute for Homeland Security Analytic Services Inc. (ANSER) |
Ms. Sue Reingold
Visiting National Security Agency Fellow Center for Strategic & International Studies |
Dr. Thomas Inglesby
Senior Fellow Johns Hopkins Center for Civilian Biodefense Studies |
Mr. Michael Mair
Fellow Johns Hopkins Center for Civilian Biodefense Studies |
Ms. Joyce Whiting
ANSER Institute for Homeland Security Analytic Services Inc. (ANSER) |
Mr. Mark DeMier
Editor-in-Chief, The Journal of Homeland Security Analytic Services Inc. (ANSER) |
Mr. John Wohlfarth
Research Analyst, ANSER Institute for Homeland Security Analytic Services Inc. |
Mr. Robertson Gile
Research Assistant Center for Strategic & International Studies |
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