We just got alphapaged on this one a couple of hours ago....
Was informed we may be in a HAZMAT response situation this week...
Notice at the end, the bit about "Disgruntled Individuals???"
Military on Highest Domestic Terror Threat Alert
Reuters
Wednesday, May 21, 2003; 7:21 PM
By Charles Aldinger
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency has raised its warning of possible terror attack against military facilities in the United
States to its highest level, defense officials said on Wednesday.
Responding to that change in threat from "significant" to "high," the military will deploy additional mobile anti-aircraft missile systems and
increase air patrols in the Washington area, according to the officials, who asked not to be identified.
The DIA warning was issued late on Tuesday as the U.S. government raised its general terror alert status to the second-highest level, citing the risk
of attacks on American soil in light of recent suicide bombings in Morocco and Saudi Arabia.
Pentagon officials said it was up to regional and base commanders to decide what protective level to set for their facilities, but the level remained
at "Charlie" at the Pentagon -- one below the highest of four levels.
The defense officials said that in addition to increasing patrols by fighter jets over Washington, the military would deploy additional anti-aircraft
missiles on the ground. They would include "Avenger" packages of lightweight Stinger missiles mounted on Humvee military vehicles.
Jeep-borne missiles have been been deployed several times around Washington since the September 2001 hijacked plane attacks on America killed
thousands of people. Some remain in place, officials said on Wednesday.
Officials told Reuters it was unlikely that domestic military facilities would go to their highest protection level, known as "Delta."
"Delta is only supposed to be in response to a very specific threat against a very specific facility," said one official.
DIA WARNINGS
Unlike civilian facilities throughout the nation, which depend on the new Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Bureau of Investigation for
possible terrorist attack alerts, the military uses warnings issued by the DIA.
"We've always had our own system of threats, which now consist of low, moderate, significant and high," said one official. In response to such
warnings, military commanders can raise specific protection levels at their bases at Alpha, Bravo, Charlie or Delta.
The government's decision to raise the general alert level to "high" or orange from "elevated" or yellow was made "based upon the recent
terrorist bombings in Saudi Arabia and Morocco, also in conjunction with intelligence reports concerning anti-U.S. terrorist groups' intentions,"
Department of Homeland Security Undersecretary Asa Hutchinson said on Tuesday.
"The United States' intelligence community believes that terrorists continue to plan attacks against targets in the United States," he told
reporters.
The FBI said earlier that the suicide bombings last week in which a total of 75 people were killed could herald attempts to carry out an attack on the
United States, though it said it had no specific threat information.
Homeland Security chief Tom Ridge, who met with President Bush as the latest FBI warning was released, said in a statement that al Qaeda and its
sympathizers were still the main danger but threats could also come from anti-U.S. terror groups, regional extremists or "disgruntled
individuals."
www.washingtonpost.com...