Alex Ansary, Outside the Box host, Oregon Truth Alliance member, advocate for the 9/11 Truth Movement and student, has been tirelessly working to inform the public at large about the TOPOFF 4 exercise. During this week, in Portland, OR, looks like Alex will be able to obtain a press badge and get access to many of the areas where the exercise scenarios will be enacted. With this access, Alex will be doing some “on-the-street” press reports and, hopefully, garnering some footage so he can share the events with the rest of us.
Alex has sent out the following special bulletin and has requested that it be widely circulated. Alex is always busy but it looks like he'll be especially busy during TOPOFF 4. He sent a message to his fellow Truthers asking that his articles get circulated so here is the first for my blog.
Alex focuses on trying to “calm” the public and he does this by circulating and providing fact-based reports and information. His “calmness” is a welcome breeze in the face of the coming storm.
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On Friday, October 12th, 2007, Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski and Portland Mayor Tom Potter announced that final preparations are under way in Portland for "TOPOFF 4," the largest and most ambitious exercise in emergency preparedness in U.S. history. Beginning on Monday, October 15, and ending on Friday, October 19, the exercise will simulate terrorist attacks in Portland, Phoenix, and the U.S. territory of Guam. The exercise is designed to test the rapid response and recovery systems of federal, state and local agencies.
Normally, emergency crews and civic leaders aren't in place and prepared when a terrorist strike happens. Tuesday, they will be. And that's because the "dirty bomb" that will explode won't really be dirty - and will be detonated by the same people planning to deal with its aftermath. Officially, the purpose of the mock dirty bomb release is so that live tracking of the plume can be observed and integrated into the exercise. When the "live action" portion concludes Wednesday night, the exercise will move to boardrooms and paper through Friday, concentrating on questions bound to emerge in the aftermath of a real dirty bomb.
Homeland Security Chief Michael Chertoff is reported to oversea the operation.
In 2002, Oregon submitted the application to participate in TOPOFF as a way to test the state's emergency response system and prepare for a major emergency. Agencies from Multnomah, Columbia, Washington, Clackamas and Clark counties also will participate.
In Gresham, Mayor Shane Bemis said he hopes his city's residents "take advantage of the concentrated attention on preparedness by making sure their families and households are ready in the event of an emergency or disaster." Portland area residents or other Oregonians interested in additional information during the TOPOFF 4 exercise are encouraged to call 1-800-SAFE-NET.
The Biggest Anti-Terror Drill in US history
The master scenario for this drill involves several Radiological Dispersal Devices (RDDs) or "Dirty Bombs" being detonated in Portland – one located at the East end of the Steele Bridge near the Rose Quarter affecting I-5, another to be detonated "somewhere along the US Highway 26 West Corridor". The project also is aimed at testing the National Response Plan and honing information sharing among government agencies and private-sector Information Sharing and Analysis centers, according to a document describing the exercise
They will set up hospitals with showers to clean off victims. They will test communication systems and chains of command. And they will hand out M&M candies as if they were pills.
Exercise spokesman, Lon Hoklin, says enough staff have been left on regular duty, to take care of routine problems like car crashes. Lon Hoklin: "If anything major happens during the exercise, the exercise will immediately terminate and all of the responders will go to the real emergency."
Lack of Local Citizens Oversight
Some criticize such drills because they don't involve the public -- making them somewhat unrealistic. Even the media are being kept at arms length during this TOPOFF 4 exercise, a situation that is unlikely to happen during a real attack. A memo about TOPOFF 4 from the Real Estate Information Sharing and Analysis Center to its members stated that the exercise would involve "a significant threat in the Washington, D.C., area." The ISAC memo referred to the simulated threat as "unusual and significant." Yet even as this drill begins, details from the previous national exercise held in 2005 have yet to be publicly released - information that's supposed to help officials prepare for the next real attack.
House lawmakers were expected to demand answers recently, including why the "after-action" report from 2005 hasn't been made public. Congress has required the exercise since 2000, but has done little in the way of oversight beyond attending the actual events.
A recent case in point: a group based in Portland called the Oregon Truth Alliance aired their concerns and objections regarding a series of upcoming anti-terrorism/national security drills scheduled to take place in their city this month. They were rewarded for their efforts in an October 2 editorial in The Oregonian, the local daily, that snickered:
“It's hard to know what's scarier: the idea of responding to a terrorist attack in Portland or the idea that the government is using a drill as a pretext to seize power, declare martial law and, possibly, attack Iran. The average Portlander doesn't give much thought to either notion, but a feverish fringe sees a disaster drill as evidence of a future police state . . . Fears and objections notwithstanding, though, Portlanders are being asked to welcome thousands of armed strangers.”
Background
TOPOFF 4, which is shorthand for "Top Officials," was started in 1998 under President Clinton as a way for states to prepare for natural and man-made emergencies.
The first federal Topoff drill was held in May 2000, before the formation of DHS. Topoff 2 took place in Chicago and Seattle in May 2003 to test responses to simulated dirty-bomb and biological-weapon attacks. The exercise involved thousands of public and private response agencies in both locations, as well as Canadian agencies. Topoff 3 was be held in Connecticut and New Jersey, with additional support in the United Kingdom.
TOPOFF is led by the Department of Homeland Security, the federal agency designated to respond to domestic terrorist attacks, the Department of State, which has the lead for responding to international attacks, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the FBI, CIA, National Guard, the United States Military, NORAD, the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), Department of Defense (DoD), etc...) This will involve more than 200 domestic and international organizations, ranging from governmental agencies at all levels to private industry and non-profit organizations.
The program costs about $25 million a year and involves the federal government's highest officials, such as top people from the Defense and Homeland Security departments. The agency said the Oct. 15-19 exercise would be "the largest and most comprehensive" to date.
Official Disclosure
Top Off 4 was announced to the general public as early as March 07th, 2005.
The following is from the DHS's website:
"Top Officials 4 (TOPOFF 4) is the Nation's premier terrorism preparedness exercise, involving top officials at every level of government, as well as representatives from the international community and private sector."
"Exercises such as TOPOFF are an important component of national preparedness, helping to build an integrated Federal, State, territorial, local, and private sector capability to prevent terrorist attacks, and rapidly and effectively respond to, and recover from, any terrorist attack or major disaster that does occur. The full-scale exercise offers agencies and jurisdictions a way to test their plans and skills in a real-time, realistic environment and to gain the in-depth knowledge that only experience can provide. Participants will also exercise prevention and intelligence gathering functions, which are critical to preventing terrorist attacks. Lessons learned from the exercise will provide valuable insights to guide future planning for securing the Nation against terrorist attacks, disasters, and other emergencies."
In August, national military and police forces carried out the terror drill Noble Resolve, focused on Portland as the simulated target of a 10-kiloton nuclear device. Investigating journalists found that top officials zigged and zagged in reply to straight questions about what they were going to do, were doing or had done. Various military commands offered varying explanations, and sometimes outright contradictions, as to the nature of the exercise. Portland Mayor Tom Potter claimed ignorance, and accordingly he ignored it all. A few days before the exercise, the US House Homeland Security Committee formally requested access to the troubling dictatorship directive, NSPD 51, just announced by Bush in May. n reply, a few days later they were formally told to go fly a kite by the White House. Access was denied to view the contingency plans, even for a member of congress.
Manpower
More than 4,000 people in the Portland region—and nearly 15,000 people internationally—will simultaneously participate in the exercise. At least 25 state agencies, five counties, three tribes, 16 local jurisdictions and 36 private sector companies will also be involved.
According to an internal department briefing of next week's exercise obtained by AP, a dirty bomb will go off at a Cabras power plant in Guam; another dirty bomb will explode on the Steel Bridge in Portland, Ore., impacting major transportation systems, and a third dirty bomb will explode at the intersection of busy routes 101 and 202 near Phoenix.
Local Citizens encouraged to role play as victims
Local citizens are being encouraged to take part in this exercise. The website, t4volunteers.com allows people to sign up for roles to play during the exercise such as Victim/Role player, Team Leader (responsible for a group of 50 of the victims), and the Registration Team. (help with checking in and tracking the volunteers.) The exercise options are the following:
4:30am-5pm Tuesday, 10/16 - at Portland International Raceway
9:30am-12pm Wednesday, 10/17 - at Medical Care Point at University of Portland Chiles Center
2pm 10/16 - 9am 10/17 in Vancouver, WA
2pm 10/16- 9am 10/17 in Gresham, OR
Cascade Campus will serve as a backup command center in conjunction with Oregon's participation. Approximately 50 key emergency preparedness officials will be housed in the garage area of Cascade Campus' Public Services Education Building which will serve as a backup command center.
Several other drills are taking place at the same time
This year's VS-08 exercise combines the VS-08 hypothetical war scenario over the North American shelf with the conduct of major domestic anti-terrorist drills under TOPOFF 4.
US Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) has just announced plans for an anti-terrorism exercise called Vigilant Shield 2008. The series of exercises is mandated by the US government to prepare, prevent and respond to any number of national crises that would call for the use of the military inside the United States. Vigilant Shield 2008 builds a scenario of a domestic disaster in the US (terrorist attack or natural disaster). It posits the domestic use of the US military including a special role for the US Air Force.
Hypothetically, a terrorist event could trigger the massive deployment of the US military as part of a national emergency. If a terrorist incident were to occur and Iran were to be blamed for the attacks, the military could also be used to shunt anti-war opposition within the US.
A precedent for the domestic use of the US military within US cities was established in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina.
Vigilant Shield 2008 is said to be designed to deal with a terrorist or natural disaster scenario in the United States. Yet, the deployment of the US forces in the upcoming US military-security exercise, organized by Homeland Security and the Pentagon, resembles a war-time air scenario over North America and the Pacific rather than an anti-terrorist drill. Canadian territory is also involved through NORAD and so is Guam in the Pacific Ocean.
The Iran Link: Air War Scenario?
The involvement of a Pacific front suggests a scenario of confrontation with Russia or China. The Pacific Ocean, along with an arctic route across Canada are the most likely routes for hypothetical Chinese and Russian aerial attacks in response to a broader global war resulting from attacks on Iran. These assumptions were actually built into last year's Vigilant Shield exercise (Vigilant Shield '07).
USNORTHCOM's primary exercise venues for VS-08 include locations in Oregon, Arizona and a cooperative venue with USPACOM in the Territory of Guam. NORAD's aerospace detection and defense events will take place across all the exercise venues, to exercise the ability to mobilize resources for aerospace defense, aerospace control, maritime warning, and coordination of air operations in a disaster area.
This is extremely disturbing for it points me in a direction beyond a false flag attack on US soil and more in the direction of the potential of a conflict with China and Russia. For example:
The JPOST reported in August that "The leaders of China, Russia, and four Central Asian states will observe joint war games being held this month by their countries' armed forces, China's foreign ministry said Thursday. The Aug. 9-17 drill, called "Peace Mission 2007," in eastern Russia will coincide with an annual summit of the six-nation Shanghai Cooperation Organization, Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Li Hui told reporters at a briefing. "This is the first time that all the leaders of SCO nations will attend the war games," Li said. "All the member countries put a high value on these drills."
The exercises are aimed at countering terrorism, including a scenario in which militants occupy a town, requiring SCO forces to retake it by force - a scenario similar to threats faced by Russia in the Caucuses."
In another report, RIA Novosti is reporting that the Russian bomber patrols are still ongoing, currently in the form of another war game scenerio. From the article:
“Russian strategic bombers will conduct October 16-30 a series of long-range training flights, with simulated bomber raids and missile launches, an Air Force spokesman said on Monday. Russian strategic bombers Tu-160, Tu-95 and Tu-22M3, and Il-78 aerial tankers will conduct flights over the Arctic region, the Atlantic and the Pacific oceans, and the Black Sea, with simulated bombing raids and firing of cruise missiles at testing grounds in northern and southern Russia.
Moscow announced in mid-August that regular patrol flights by strategic bombers had been resumed, and would continue on a permanent basis, with patrol areas including commercial shipping and economic production zones. The U.S. administration expressed concern about the resumption of patrol flights by Russian strategic bombers.”
While the Russians flex their aerial muscles, the Japanese are expressing concern of their own through their own multinational naval drills. Singapore is participating in a multinational maritime exercise that is hosted by Japan in the seas off Izu Oshima, and at the ports of Yokosuka and Yokohama.
"Exercise Pacific Shield" seeks to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction through a multinational effort. Besides Singapore, other participants are Australia, France, Japan, New Zealand, the UK and the US. They will be joined by nine observer countries, including India, Malaysia and Vietnam. The maritime exercise is held under the ambit of the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI), and takes place from 13 to 15 October. “
Earlier this year, we witnessed Solid Curtain 2007. A navy website reported the facts about the drill on September 21st, 2007.
“Exercise Solid Curtain 2007, a Navy force protection exercise, will be conducted on all naval installations in the continental United States Sept. 14 - 21, 2007. Exercise Solid Curtain 2007, conducted to enhance training and readiness of naval security personnel, is a regularly-scheduled exercise and is not in response to any specific threat. While disruptions to base operations will be limited, there may be times when the exercise causes increased traffic or delays in base access. Area residents may also see increased military activity associated with the exercise.”
In September, The Department of Homeland Security sponsored an event in Huntsville, AL where children had the opportunity to participate in a mock martial law oriented disaster exercise. The event called the Be Ready Camp is being was held in two sessions as part of the governments National Preparedness Month initiative.
In Kansas a larger natural disaster drill is taking place during Top Off 4 and Vigilant Shield.
Domestically, even FEMA is modifying their tune. FEMA recently announced a change in their preparation plans. The Federal Emergency Management Agency is quietly drawing up plans for a handful of disasters: devastating earthquakes beneath San Francisco and St. Louis and catastrophic storms in South Florida and Hawaii, FEMA's chief said Thursday.
Why are all these anti-terrorism and war game drills taking place at the same time?
"Linked Exercises"
The administration is talking about "linked exercises", where war scenarios are conducted simultaneously and in close coordination with civilian anti-terrorist drills. This central concept --which underlies the "Global War on Terrorism"-- has a direct bearing on the conduct of the US led war in the Middle East. At the same time, the process of "domestic security" has become entrenched and integrated into military planning.
The 'linked exercises" provide an environment which favors the militarization of civilian institutions. They also impart the military with a further opportunity to interfere in domestic civilian law enforcement and judicial functions. The conduct of the anti-terrorist exercise is intended to justify the need to retaliate against an illusive outside enemy (Al Qaeda), even if the US is not attacked. TIME magazine has recently questioned the drills and some of their problems with oversight.
“The public and the media have never been allowed to fully participate in the nation's most elaborate counterterrorism drills and this is a reality that we wish to let the general public know about.”
Drills that have gone “live” in the past spark great concern on the internet
The 911 Truth Movement is spearheading the cry for greater transparency, for good reason. Many people have seen the fact that these types of drills have had a strange habit of mysteriously and spontaneously "going live". The examples cited are September 11th, 2001 and the London Bombings of 7-7-05.
On the morning of 9/11/01, US northeastern air defenses were crippled by a Cheney-Rumsfeld production that combined at least four exercise scenarios -- Vigilant Warrior, Vigilant Guardian, Northern Guardian and Northern Vigilance -- and which, per script, diverted to northern Canada or Alaska many of the NORAD fighter jets that would have been scrambled per standard operating procedure in the event of a suspected hijacking. And the few planes left out of the exercise were not airborne until 80 minutes after the first hijacking alert -- about 70 minutes longer than normal.
As part of the exercises, false radar blips showed up on air traffic controllers' screens that masked the flight patterns of the four hijacked jets and led controllers to believe that as many as 22 planes had been hijacked. Per standard procedure, various regional air traffic control centers notified the FAA, which passed on the alerts to NORAD, which couldn't respond because they hadn't enough fighters available to handle that many hijackings. Because of the ongoing drills, they didn't even know which blips represented actual threats.
Also noteworthy is a fifth exercise taking place at the same time, this one conceived by the National Reconnaissance Office (the NRO operates the US network of spy satellites) and carried out by CIA operatives. This exercise was designed to test emergency response capabilities in the event that an off-course plane crashed into one of the NRO's four office towers.
The name "Vigilant Shield" brings to mind "Vigilant Guardian," the 9/11/2001 Air Force exercise that pulled away fighter aircraft supposed to guard mainland America and sent them off to counter a simulated Russian attack in Alaska. Vigilant Guardian may also have been simulating hijacked aircraft, thereby confusing the few remaining fighter aircraft guarding us. Given that Vigilant Guardian was anything but a vigilant guardian on the day of the last U.S. terror attack, just how reassured should we feel by the feel-good name of Vigilant Shield?
On that day, multiple Government agencies including FEMA, the FBI, CIA, National Guard, The United States Air Force, NORAD, the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), Department of Defense (DoD), Civilian Air Traffic Controllers and multiple other agencies were all participating in fifteen simultaneous emergency exercises – drills, some of which the master scenario involved hijacked airliners crashing into the World Trade Center towers in New York City, the Pentagon in Washington DC, and several other coincidentally strange targets, like Dulles International Airport. Strange, because George W. Bush's younger brother Marvin P. Bush was principal in a company called SecuraCom (now Stratesec) that had an ongoing contract to handle security for the World Trade Center, United Airlines, and Dulles International Airport. Flight 77 (the plane that supposedly hit the Pentagon) left from Dulles International Airport at 8:20am.
Oddly, the 9/11 Commission barely mentioned these exercises, citing only one in a footnote and ignoring the rest. Now to London. On 7/7/05, the private firm Visor Associates ran a mock bombing drill involving three train stations and a double-decker bus. As the exercise began, bombs exploded at those same three stations and, about an hour later, on that same bus route.
The growing concern about a futuristic Martial Law reality
The rationales and blueprints for implementation of martial law are already on the books. Reasoning that the USAPATRIOT Act(s) and the Military Commissions Act weren't quite repressive enough, on May 9, 2007, Bush issued a document entitled "National Security Presidential Directive/NSPD 51" and "Homeland Security Presidential Directive/HSPD-20." This directive outlines the federal government's plan for maintaining continuity in the face of a "catastrophic emergency."
The document defines a --catastrophic emergency-- as --any incident, regardless of location, that results in extraordinary levels of mass casualties, damage, or disruption severely affecting the U.S. population, infrastructure, environment, economy, or government function.-- Well, that certainly narrows things down.
If any of these events occurs, Bush grants himself the power to lead the entire federal government, not merely the executive branch. And, recognizing his veneration of constitutional law, he graciously gives himself sole responsibility --for ensuring constitutional government.
Local Preparations VS. Federal Preparations
Regardless of your position on the Bush Administration and the War on Terror, the key element within all of these drills is a dependency on the government. These is very little oversight into their drills and the information gathered. Instead of being shared with the local governments, our local police and authorities are being training in these drills to work under the federal government and their contractors in the case of a disaster. Most Portlanders remain unaware of the basic facts of this drill and are no more prepared the week after Topoff 4, then they were a week before the drill.
Most alarming, is the lack of education on the national and local level on how to take care of yourself without aid from the government and it’s growing multiple agencies. This is of grave concern for anyone who believes that these threats are real. The message being sent from locals in the Portland 911 Truth movement is very clear.
If you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear. They tell us this mantra regularly in the post 911 world. now it’s our turn.
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