Military on ThreatCon Delta

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...

I have a very strong feeling we will get our first taste of Red Alert nationally tomorrow...

Hmm, in reference to WOS' post about doomsday being held off until May 22nd.... check your calendar...

Originally posted by dragonrider
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

I understand the basics of ThreatCon levels, but I'm a little confused. Maybe I'm missing something?

The article says ThreatCon Charlie for the Pentagon, but you've been moved to Delta?
So, are some areas on Delta, while quote-unquote nationally it's Charlie? Or is it Delta nationally and that hasn't been made public yet?
Or something completely different?

My alphapage indicated that at least our local military bases are going to threatcon delta.

I am unsure if this is a typo on my end, or in the article, but Delta is the highest alert status for military bases.

Originally posted by dragonrider
My alphapage indicated that at least our local military bases are going to threatcon delta.

I am unsure if this is a typo on my end, or in the article, but Delta is the highest alert status for military bases.

Yikes.
I know Delta is the big shebang, but I didn't know if that applied coast-to-coast or not.
Being in the South, too, my stress level just inched up.

Thanks for the info.

-B.

Originally posted by dragonrider
I have a very strong feeling we will get our first taste of Red Alert nationally tomorrow...

Hmm, in reference to WOS' post about doomsday being held off until May 22nd.... check your calendar...

Well, DR I hope and pray your "strong feeling" is just gas pains. We shal see and cover your arse... you are practically family on this site. Be safe and wear the rubber (SUIT)!!

What is your job if you can say Dragonrider???? And also do you have a link ot WoS thread?? lets hope were all just too paranoid

It looks like non-news and hype, dragon-R but it IS the 22nd so it's "test an ATS-prophet Day" (again!)

I am an environmental geologist for a municipal government in the south, very near the US/Mexico border (which may well be the reason our bases at least are going to Delta).

Although I am not a member of the HAZMAT division, I do work closely with them. I am charged with HAZMAT/HAZWASTE containment and disposal in the event of a large HAZMAT incident. Also, rather disturbingly, myself and the rest of my department have been 'volunteered', without someone telling us we were volunteering, to be second string backup for our HAZMAT team, as we are all Level A/SCBA certified. We are NOT HAZMAT first responders, so the fact that they are considering us for backup to those more properly trained indicates that somewhere down the line someone is expecting an incident that will either neutralize or occupy the entire HAZMAT team....

Not a pretty thought...

It looks like non-news and hype, dragon-R but it IS the 22nd so it's "test an ATS-prophet Day" (again!) Posted by Estragon

That is very true. And like the comet thread, this is one test I am not going to complain about if I come up wanting, and am willing to take more than a few jokes on the subject, mainly because the price for me being right would be horrendous...

This will be the fourth move to "orange" -convenient timing -a holiday etc. blah....
a rather nice cut'n'paste from Manchester Guardian coverage of this farce.
"
However, accounts differed on the grounds for the alert. CNN quoted intelligence officials as saying the "chatter" among terrorist groups was "spooky". However, a Washington intelligence source told the Guardian there was "no specific intelligence" to justify an alert, which he described as "pure politics". "

Two "however's"; "officials and sources" (they're different??) -anonymous of course - "intelligence" here means "what" exactly?
Good old CNN

There might be a simple explanation for this alert status.

As posted elsewhere on this board, Russia is testing her nuclear weapons systems this week. Wouldn't it be a natural response from the USA to test hers? If you can make any test as realistic as possible isn't that the whole point of the exercise?

The US and Russia could be playing war-games and could be using the Al Qaeda threat as an excuse to make it as real as possible.

is rumored to be one of the reasons for the high alert status.


alneda.com...

LOL. Why the hell do those guys try to write in English? Not one of them has a grasp on the language!!!

Or is there a reason for not writing in their native tongue that I'm not aware of?

LMAO. Somebody has hacked a 404 onto their site!!!

alneda.com...://alsaha.fares.net./sahat!|||[email protected]@.1dd3a34a&translit=1&lang=0&skipTags=1&theme= 1&themeName=NO_THEME&linkTranslation=1&vPath=http://atarjim.ajeeb.com/ajeeb&asopos=0&asosns=0&asosyn=0&method=post

is going to Bahrain very soon (army)...she's ticked cause Delta threat level means she's gotta be in the hotel by 7pm....

I taught her a great arabic curse phrase

Inta mata mus yahoodi zub!

It means...your mother sucks Jewish "male members"!

(Hey, lighten up, it's just a joke.... )

Edit: Whoa, thought the built-in censor would catch that....

[Edited on 22-5-2003 by Gazrok]

If we go anywhere near TCDelata~I'm sure I'll be one of the first on the board to know about it

And no..we aren't anywhere near that at the present time and moment..
Mag

OK my bad (or at least the person at our dispatch who sent this alphapage out). Our bases are currently at ThreatCon Charlie (which is still rather elevated).

Still high enough to put people on hair trigger though...

Whilst we're on the subject:

news.bbc.co.uk...