Graduate Level Paper and Journal

MHS 5201, Weapons of Mass Destruction 1

Course Learning Outcomes for Unit III Upon completion of this unit, students should be able to:

3. Discuss the threat posed by radiological, chemical, and biological devices. 3.1 Evaluate the impact of a terrorist attack on either the mass transit, water supply, or agricultural

water systems in the United States. 3.2 Explain the vulnerability of either the mass transit, water supply, or agricultural systems to a

terrorist attack.

4. Assess the threat posed to our nation in relation to our infrastructure. 4.1 Explain destructive intentions from terrorists on critical infrastructure. 4.2 Explain the impacts of a critical infrastructure event impacting the community.

Course/Unit Learning Outcomes

Learning Activity

3.1 Lesson, Chapters 3.1 and 3.2, Project

3.2 Lesson, Chapters 3.1 and 3.2, Project

4.1 Lesson, Chapter 3.1, Project

4.2 Lesson, Chapter 3.1, Project

Reading Assignment Unit III: Introduction, pp. 301-303 Chapter 3.1: Public Spaces, Transportation Networks, and Other Critical Infrastructure, pp. 304-322, 327-336 Chapter 3.2: Chemical and Biological Threats, pp. 337-359, 365-375

Unit Lesson Technological advancement is one of the fastest growing areas globally. The critical infrastructure (CI) that is used in all nations is tied to security and daily life activities. CI plays a vital role in global economies and allows for ease of transportation, health and hygiene, telecommunications, and the use of other types of social networking. On the other hand, this allows terrorist groups ample opportunities to test the infrastructure’s ability to be secure. In an effort to thwart attacks from terrorists on the infrastructure system, it is important to have a better understanding of how the infrastructure plays a vital role in daily life and occupational advancement. According to your textbook:

Critical infrastructure are those physical or digital systems that a community depends upon to maintain its security, governance, public health and safety, economy, and public confidence. The constituent parts of such systems will vary according to the community context in which they are viewed. (Howard & Forest, 2013, p. 310)

UNIT III STUDY GUIDE

Critical Infrastructure Dimensions

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Critical infrastructure became an official term within public policy discussions following the Oklahoma City bombing in 1966 when then-President Bill Clinton signed Executive Order (EO) 13010: Critical Infrastructure Protection (Forest & Howard, 2013). In October 1997, the Marsh Commission, created by EO 13010, published the Marsh Report, which reported that the key links to the CI in the nation were targeting key links within the infrastructure that would send a rippling impact throughout many sources of CI nationally. The coordinated attacks from terrorists on CI could impact the global competitiveness that is experienced by the United States and severely impact the nation’s security if such an attack were to take place (Howard & Forest, 2013). After the report’s findings, President Clinton enacted Presidential Decision Directive (PDD) 63, formalizing the government’s efforts to protect and defend CI throughout the nation. In 2001, after the events of 9/11, President George W. Bush signed into law EO 13228, establishing the Office of Homeland Security and the Homeland Security Council, and expanding CI sectors to include agriculture and livestock. Then, in October 2001, Congress passed the U.S. Patriot Act—more specifically, Section 1016, which is known as the Critical Infrastructures Protection Act (Howard & Forest, 2013). Early in 2003, the White House released the National Strategy for the Physical Protection of Critical Infrastructures and Key Assets. The document specified facilities that would be directly impacted and functions that might be particularly vulnerable to a terrorist attack. This strategy established three CI objectives. The first is to identify and ensure protection of the most critical assets, systems, and functions in terms of national-level public health and safety, governance, and economic and national security and public confidence. The second objective is to ensure protection of infrastructures and assets facing specific, imminent threats, and the third is to pursue collaborative measures and initiatives to ensure the protection of other potential targets that may become attractive over time (White House, 2003). In December of 2003, President Bush signed Homeland Security Presidential Directive (HSPD) 7: Critical Identification Prioritization, and Protection, establishing mechanisms to prioritize U.S. CI and key resources to protect them from terrorist attacks. This document recognized the potential mass damage that could result from attacks on key resources as well as CI and replaced the term key assets in previous directives (Howard & Forest, 2013). In November 2005, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released a draft of the National Infrastructure Protection Plan (NIPP), designed to combine the provisions of the 2003 National Strategy and HSPD-7. The NIPP was developed to coordinate all levels of government, private sector, and American population in the quest to protect the nation’s CI and key resources (Howard & Forest, 2013). Released for the first time in 2006 and revised in 2009, the NIPP lays out the responsibilities involved in CI protection, integrates with existing plans, and describes the framework for prioritizing risk-reduction efforts. The most recent revision, NIPP 2013, meets the requirements of Presidential Policy Directive-21: Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience, signed in February 2013, and is an evolution of concepts introduced and revised in prior versions (White House, 2013). NIPP 2013 was developed through a collaborative process involving stakeholders from all 16 critical infrastructure sectors, all 50 states, and from all levels of government and industry. It provides a clear call to action to leverage partnerships, innovate for risk management, and focus on outcomes, and it is streamlined and adaptable to current risk, policy, and strategic environments. It provides the foundation for an integrated and collaborative approach to achieve the vision of: "[a] Nation in which physical and cyber critical infrastructure remain secure and resilient, with vulnerabilities reduced, consequences minimized, threats identified and disrupted, and response and recovery hastened.” (White House, 2013, p.5). Why do terrorists feel it is important to attack CI targets rather than another type of target, such as a building? There is a process that takes place for the selection of such infrastructural targets. The terrorists devise an ideology or justification for the attack, establish operational objectives, investigate what the capabilities are for the desired target(s), and complete a target selection with pre- and post-surveillance. The attack on the final target destination is then selected.

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Terrorists seek to create a disruption in society. They have ideological predilection toward CI and feel these areas are evil for destroying society. They feel that the CI has a cultural significance as well as strategic importance. Islamic terrorist groups, domestic right-wing groups who oppose the New World Order, and those involved in the violent fringe elements of the radical ecology movement are all antigovernment groups/terrorist groups that wish to impede critical infrastructure and daily activities. An attack on our CI can lead to damage to it, but it can also lead to significant casualties—especially in the case of mass transit systems and other facilities that handle large numbers of people every day. An attack can also be made on the control systems that surround them. Such vulnerable CI includes subway computer systems, canal gates opening and closing, elevators and their mechanisms, water treatment, and traffic controls. These mass transit CIs may play an integral role in who may be trapped, injured, or die in the event of such an attack. The type of system and the geographic locations need to be taken into consideration in an effort to maintain safety and security and to create a window of opportunity for training and development. Some other areas that should be considered regarding mass transit are buses, planes, and trains. It is not uncommon for these transportation systems to be compromised during an attack. Mass transit systems are relatively easy targets for terrorists due to the fact they can be easily attacked. As a confluence of large numbers of people, they are quite vulnerable to mass casualties and injuries in a well-planned terrorist attack—whether by a lone gunmen radicalized over the Internet or suicide bombers who infiltrated from abroad—yet they significantly impact the daily lives of passengers and the surrounding communities and must be operated in a rapid, open environment. Balancing security and speed in the transit systems is important for daily operations. Even with the latest technology, there is little one can do to speed up the process of scanning, identifying, and clearing passengers rapidly without compromising safety. Although there are challenges with these transportation systems geographically, there are some solutions for mitigating some of the terrorist attacks that have been experienced in the past. Computer-based broadband systems integrated with video analytics can provide alarms and real-time feeds and can indicate the exact location and moment when an incident is occurring.

For example, L3 Security Systems have produced numerous scanning devices used at airports and other mass transit locations. These devices are a useful example of x-ray technology assisting the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) in detecting potential threats from passengers passing through security in these mass transit locations. Although there has been a public outcry over the x-ray machines, the installation of cameras and the monitoring of locations that appear to compromise privacy is a necessity to maintain these advancements in order to monitor any suspicious activities. As a result, there is a delicate balance between monitoring personal space and protecting passenger security from terrorist attacks that may surface during daily transportation (L3 Security & Detection Systems, 2017). Water is one of the key essentials to the survival of all living organisms. Any terrorist attack on our water supplies can cause serious implications for illness outbreaks,

contamination, and massive cleanup efforts costing millions of dollars. Terrorist documents have been recovered showing their intention to contaminate the U.S. water supply in multiple locations. Reservoirs, treatment plants, pumping stations, lakes, and other locations having water utilities are documented by Al- Qaeda for possible contamination and destruction. However, water supplies are treated with chlorine and other chemicals to ensure safety, and treatment plants should be able to decontaminate the water in the event of an attack.

TSA ProVision x-ray machine screening a person (TSA, 2010)

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That said, according to government sources, the U.S. public water system is outdated and needs to have a 220 billion dollar renovation over the next 20 years in an effort to maintain its safety and security. Strong federal action is needed that includes funding, creating jobs for the filtration plants, updating plans, and renovating the infrastructure for the waterways that we have for sustainment of daily life (Environmental Protection Agency, n.d.). Despite the planning efforts that are currently underway to protect the vulnerable infrastructures in the United States, there are indications that an agricultural attack is also likely. The low security, lack of preparation for such an event, and the technical ease of introducing a biological agent into the agricultural system are all indications that the United States needs to prepare and train for this vulnerability. In an effort to combat this type of attack, there is a need to address vaccinations, continuing educational programs for farmers, new types of pesticides, and new sensing technologies to indicate where contamination has taken place. This is an expensive agenda, but the need for more specialists in an effort to research animal diseases, contamination, agricultural commodities, and other intentional contaminations to the food, plant, and animal chains should be considered for life safety and the billions of dollars required to clean up after an attack. As an open and free society, it is extremely difficult to protect our CI and ensure the safety and security of our citizens. It requires an expensive, dedicated, multilayered defense and involves many agencies of the federal government. Good intelligence is key, as is a good inspection and detection regime, in keeping terrorists and their weapons out of the country or from being assembled and used. It also takes concerted state and local efforts, including significant training and exercising all elements of the response system. However, it depends upon each of us to be observant, and if we “see something, say something,” as the slogan states.

References Environmental Protection Agency. (n.d.). Information about public water systems. Retrieved from

https://www.epa.gov/dwreginfo/information-about-public-water-systems Howard, R. D., & Forest, J. (2013). Weapons of mass destruction and terrorism (2nd ed.). New York, NY:

McGraw-Hill. L3 Security & Detection Systems. (2017). Aviation checkpoint solutions. Retrieved from

http://www.dsxray.com/applications/aviation-checkpoint-solutions.htm Transportation Security Administration. (2010). TSA ProVision xray machine screening a person

[Photograph]. Retrieved from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Provision_xray.jpg White House. (2003). National strategy for the physical protection of critical infrastructures and key assets.

Retrieved from https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/pcipb/physical.html White House. (2013). Presidential policy directive – Critical infrastructure security and resilience. Retrieved

from https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2013/02/12/presidential-policy-directive- critical-infrastructure-security-and-resil

Suggested Reading In order to access the following resource(s), click the link(s) below. The Department of Homeland Security has an extensive website dedicated to all aspects of critical infrastructure security Department of Homeland Security. (n.d.). Critical infrastructure security. Retrieved from

https://www.dhs.gov/topic/critical-infrastructure-security

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The National Infrastructure Protection Plan (NIPP) 2013: Partnering for Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience fact sheet outlines some key explanations as discussed in the lesson. You are encouraged to review this information. Homeland Security. (2013, December). National infrastructure protection plan: NIPP 2013: Partnering for

critical infrastructure security and resilience. Retrieved from https://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/publications/NIPP-Fact-Sheet-508.pdf

The National Strategy for The Physical Protection of Critical Infrastructures and Key Assets document (as discussed in the lesson) brings some key information for further reading. You are encouraged to review this document by clicking here.

Learning Activities (Nongraded) Nongraded Learning Activities are provided to aid students in their course of study. You do not have to submit them. If you have questions, contact your instructor for further guidance and information. You may answer one or all of these questions in one or two paragraphs.

1. What are the four primary physical components of public water systems, and how is each vulnerable to tampering?

2. What are some potential motives for terrorist groups to pursue bioterrorism against agricultural targets?

3. What factors contribute to and exacerbate the vulnerability to an agricultural bioterrorist attack in the United States?