Could REX-84 Still Be In Use Today???

Rex 84, short for Readiness Exercise 1984, was a plan by the United States federal government to test their ability to detain large numbers of American citizens in case of massive civil unrest or national emergency. Exercises similar to Rex 84 happen periodically. From 1967 to 1971 the FBI kept a list of persons to be rounded up as subversive, dubbed the "ADEX" list.

According to scholar Diana Reynolds:

The Rex-84 Alpha Explan (Readiness Exercise 1984, Exercise Plan), indicates that FEMA in association with 34 other federal civil departments and agencies conducted a civil readiness exercise during April 5-13, 1984. It was conducted in coordination and simultaneously with a Joint Chiefs exercise, Night Train 84, a worldwide military command post exercise (including Continental U.S. Forces or CONUS) based on multi-emergency scenarios operating both abroad and at home. In the combined exercise, Rex-84 Bravo, FEMA and DOD led the other federal agencies and departments, including the Central Intelligence Agency, the Secret Service, the Treasury, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Veterans Administration through a gaming exercise to test military assistance in civil defense.
The exercise anticipated civil disturbances, major demonstrations and strikes that would affect continuity of government and/or resource mobilization. To fight subversive activities, there was authorization for the military to implement government ordered movements of civilian populations at state and regional levels, the arrest of certain unidentified segments of the population, and the imposition of martial rule.
Existence of a master military contingency plan, "Garden Plot" and a similar earlier exercise, "Lantern Spike" were originally revealed by alternative journalist Ron Ridenhour, who summarized his findings in "Garden Plot and the New Action Army."

Rex 84 was mentioned during the Iran-Contra Hearings in 1987, and subsequently reported on by the Miami Herald on July 5th, 1987. As news of the exercise spread, it was amplified by networks of people pursuing more elaborate conspiracy theories.

en.wikipedia.org...

REX-84 was designed for a national crisis that would involve United States Armed Forces operating in civilian capacity in the United States. Crisis that included anything from disease epidemics to civil disturbances. The REX-84 prgram was to take place as an exercise conducted simultaneously with the Joint Chiefs excercise, Night Train 84. Agencies included in the exercise were FEMA, the D.o.D., the CIA, the Secret Service, the Treasury, and the FBI.
According to en.wikipedia.org...

The Rex-84 Program authorized the military to be used in order to implement government ordered bomvement of civilian population and regional, the arrest of certain unidentified segments of the population, and the imposition of martial rule."

REX-84, short for Readiness Exercise 1984, was a plan that may still be in place to be used to detain large numbers of American citizens because of unrest or national emergencies. You could also say that is the United States government is doing today for the "War On Terror." This is also a violation of Habeas Corpus. Habeas Corpus means that no United States citizen is to be held unjustly without trial or lawful representation. However, Habeas Corpus does not directly apply to non-citizens.

It wasn't until 1987 that the REX-84 program was revealed that it did, and possibly still does, exist. This was revealed during the Iran-Contra Affair hearings just three years after the plan was put in place. The media, especially the Miami Herald, at the time took this and had a field day with it. The plan called or still calls for multiple government agencies to act during a time of national crisis. I am going to quote

Habeas Corpus has already been suspended with the signing into law of the patriot Act and The November 13, 2001 Presidential Military Order. This order basically gave President bush the authority to imprison anyone who is suspected of funding international terrorists. You can also say that this does apply to people who do not agree with his policies. The thing is that the basic principle of Habeas Corpus of a U.S. citizen cannot be revoked.

On 29 September 2006, the U.S. House and Senate approved the Military Commissions Act of 2006, a bill which would suspend habeas corpus for any alien (noncitizen) determined to be an "unlawful enemy combatant engaged in hostilities or having supported hostilities against the United States." by a vote of 65-34.
en.wikipedia.org...

An Amendment to remove the suspension of Habeas Corpus failed by a vote of 48 for and 51 against.


The precursor to Rex-84 was
Operation Garden Plot

[edit on 10/31/2006 by gimmefootball400]

[edit on 10/31/2006 by gimmefootball400]

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Gimmefootball400 you have posted an interesting find.
There is nothing strange about governments having contingency to deal with civil unrest and natural disasters. Of course people in power could abuse there power and use such plans to stamp on peoples rights. It all depends on the quality of the leaders who are in office.

What I have found about this is just that it can happen at anytime. The reason why the military were to become involved is because the local authorities may not have the manpower to quell a situation like what this program talks about. Plus, wouldn't you think that the local law establishments would refuse to arrest people on false pretenses?

[edit on 11/1/2006 by gimmefootball400]

Originally posted by gimmefootball400
What I have found about this is just that it can happen at anytime. The reason why the military were to become involved is because the local authorities may not have the manpower to quell a situation like what this program talks about.

I guess that raises an issue for Americans to debate.
How much responsibility should the Federal and State governments take for security in the event of the likes of civil unrest ?

Plus, wouldn't you think that the local law establishments woul refuse to arrest people on false pretenses?

That would depend on how corrupt the local police are and if they are are loyal to the US government or certain moral values.

Whats really scary is the executive orders authorizing forced relocations and civilian manual labor chain gangs....

Plus, Bush not only eliminated habeus corpus, he also gained strange new powers over the national guard and greatly increased his ability to declare martial law for no particular reason....

Im sure that REX84 is still in effect, the Government needs to have contingency plans in case something terrible happens; although I think REX84 is definetly a little extreme.

Whether or not this program is still called REX84 or not is the only real question here. Has it been renamed, if so, to what? And in what way has the program been altered or changed in light of the clampdown on civil liberties.

I have to say, seeing everything that has happened to our civil liberties in the last 6 years, if there is a new version of REX84, Im sure its going to have some teeth, and we should just pray that we never end up finding out firsthand what powers the Government has granted itself.

I believe that if Bush wanted to implement the clausesin the REX-84 plan, he would have already done so. I mean with the marches on immigration that have taken place in the past year or so, it would have been feasible. It would have been an opportune time for Bush to have used because of all of the protests going on in major American cities against his immigration reform. Keep in mind, that he could have used REX-84 to arrest and detain people that participated in these protests if just one protest turned into a full scale riot that torched an American city.