National Security Council

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Tue, 16 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0400 Administration Plans to Move Top Iran Expert to White House As the White House assumes a more central role in dealing with Iran, the Obama administration plans to move its senior Iran policy maker to the National Security Council from the State Department.

Wed, 27 May 2009 00:00:00 -0400 In Security Shuffle, White House Merges Staffs The plan folds the White House Homeland Security Council, an advisory group created by President George W. Bush after the Sept. 11 attacks, into the National Security Council.

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NEWS BLAST!

Two charged in Wal-Mart bombing incident - Monday, November 27, 2006

Global Terrorism Statistics Released
Clearinghouse Data Show Sharp Rise

The U.S. government released statistics yesterday documenting a dramatic increase in terrorist attacks last year and a death toll of close to 2,000 people around the globe, a disclosure made a week after the State Department said it would publish its congressionally mandated annual survey of international terrorism without the statistical portrait it has always included.

The numbers were provided instead by the government's new clearinghouse for terrorism-related information, the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC), and included statistics documenting a sharp surge in significant terrorist acts from 175 incidents that killed 625 in 2003 to 651 such attacks that killed 1,907 in 2004. But senior officials said the threefold increase was a result of changes in methodology and urged reporters at a hastily called briefing not to compare this year's terrorism numbers with previous ones. Congressional aides already had disclosed the increase in terrorist incidents to reporters Tuesday after a private briefing.

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Lessons on how to deal with terrorism

At the end of the day, what matters most is being able to go home.

Just ask Timothy Culbert, whose primary responsibility at work is to find, remove and detonate explosives.

Unfortunately, he said his skills are being requested more frequently.

Family members of deceased World War II veterans are uncovering "souvenir" grenades and explosives that have become more unstable with age, international terrorists are planting explosive packages in high-traffic areas and teen-agers are creating pipe bombs and other homemade explosives from Internet recipes.

Then there was the tragedy at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo., on April 20, 1999. Two students planned an assault on the high school and used guns and explosives to kill 12 students, two teachers and themselves.

"After Columbine, I realized I was not getting the word out fast enough," Culbert said.

Now Culbert, President of New England Chemical & Explosive Disposal Co. Inc. in Winthrop, Maine, shares his knowledge of explosives with law enforcement, fire school and emergency response officials. He will launch online training on identifying and responding to explosives Friday at www.bombthreats.com.

Culbert was one of the featured speakers Friday at a two-day seminar, "Terrorism and You," that continues today at the Holiday Inn-Riverview in Elmira.

More than 180 school, fire and police officials from across New York and Pennsylvania attended the first day of the seminar, which is sponsored by the West Elmira Fire Department.

Culbert focused his presentation on what he called the three R's: recognize a bomb, respect the dangers associated with it and remove people from its destructive range.

He brought many examples of explosives, ranging from military weapons to dynamite sticks to more creative homemade bombs. He showed a video of how much damage small amounts of explosives can cause, then brought the message home.

Culbert escorted participants outside to an empty field adjacent to the hotel, where he had put a small piece of detonation cord inside a cardboard box.

"Fire in the hole," Culbert yelled three times.

Then boom!

A puff of smoke and a spattering of cardboard shreds filled the air.

Again.

"Fire in the hole," Culbert yelled.

A louder boom that shook everyone's sternum. A child's knapsack had exploded into partially recognizable bits: a zipper here, a torn strap there and scraps of plastic everywhere.

When the participants returned inside, Culbert provided practical advice on how to search a school or other building to help speed the process and ensure the safety of everyone involved.

About a third of the participants at the seminar represented a school district, said West Elmira Deputy Chief Mark Miles, who organized the event.

"I think it's great that there are so many educators here," said another participant, Andy Hall, who works for the New York State Office of Fire Prevention and Control in Albany.

"A lot of times in the past, these people have been left out of the training," Hall said. "It's great that they're learning because they're going to be there. They're going to call us."

The Southern Tier was plagued with a series of copycat bomb threats following the Columbine incident.

Ernie Davis Middle School teacher Doug Stadelmaier said he will share what he learns at the seminar with other members of the school's crisis team.

Stadelmaier, who is also a lieutenant with the Pine City Volunteer Fire Department, said he learned that every bomb threat must be taken seriously.

He also said he learned why parents should not be allowed to take their children from the school during a bomb threat and how the schools can educate parents and the students about these issues.

Culbert explained that when a student leaves during a bomb threat, school officials have no way of knowing where those students are and can waste time looking for them and wondering if they are still in danger. Dealing with parents and other concerned parties during the crisis delays the school and police response, Culbert said.

Some fire officials said the training on explosives is becoming more important for them as well.

Capt. Richard Philling of the Troy Volunteer Fire Department said firefighters never know what they're going to encounter when they respond to a scene. He recounted a recent incident in a neighboring town that involved explosive materials that put the volunteer firefighters at risk, Philling said.

Richard Garrison, another member of the Troy fire department and the safety director for a lumber company, said rural communities such as Troy are not immune to terrorist acts normally associated with large cities.

"It's becoming a more real threat everywhere," Garrison said.

More people are expected to participate in the seminar today to hear the presentations of two key players in the Columbine incident: Chuck Burdick, division chief of operations with the Littleton Fire Department, and Jefferson County (Colo.) Sheriff John P. Stone.

"Unfortunately, more people need to have a basic understanding on how to deal with explosives," Culbert said. "If it looks like a bomb, treat it like one. If it turns out to be nothing, that's fine. Everyone goes home at 5 p.m. That's what we want."