CBRNe Low Probability High Impact

"If the freedom of speech is taken away then dumb and silent we may be led like sheep to the slaughter."

George Washington

Most of us don’t need to or like to think about chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear or explosive events, yet they happen every day, somewhere.   

We don’t think about them because there is a very low probability that they will happen...but they do. And when they do, unfortunately, they are very high impact. Think 9/11, the Boston Marathon, and the Ebola outbreak as just a few recent examples.

Fortunately, there are experts and private companies meeting the challenge of identifying such events BEFORE they happen. 
I had the privilege of meeting a number of the experts who are creating the adaptive systems, innovative technologies, comprehensive training, detection platforms, testing assays, systems and protocols, and training classes to combat CBRNe catastrophic impacts.

I met these experts at the Nonconventional Threat, Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosives (NCT CBRNe) conference (http://www.cbrneusa.com/) was held from April 29 to May 1 in Fairfax, Virginia. It was sponsored by ib-consultancy (www.ib-consultancy.com) based in the Netherlands. Their mission as stated in their brochure Welcome says it well:

 “The United States of America continues to take a leading role when it comes to counte3ring global threats which are as nuanced as rogue regimes, terrorist threats, but also infectious diseases . . . The U.S. Armed Forces are playing a significant role in this asymmetrical combat...terrorist organizations, such as the Islamic State, are growing in numbers and are increasingly exerting their negative influence on international stability and security. Preventing these organizations from obtaining or using WMDs is vital...”

“NCT CRBNe USA aims to be exactly that, a useful platform for experts, facilitating such coordination to effectively face the menaces of CBRN threats.  An Innovation Stream will run in parallel with the Conference Stream, exploring novel solutions to non-conventional challenges. A wide spectrum of topics, ranging from CBRNe capabilities in Myanmar to the Medical Preparedness and Consequence Management, ensures an all-encompassing business, networking and informative experience.”

My role at the conferees was to give a talk about “ISIS Use of Social Media as a Force Multiple” (see the TACDA Journal Issue 1, 2015) during one of the Innovation Stream sessions. I’m happy to report of that those who attended, from a U.S. Army general to a fire company battalion chief, they got my main point that the jihadi’s will use social media to create even more death and chaos when they use it in tandem with conventional guns and explosives when they strike.

Read the other Innovation Stream talks below that took place for the three days of the conference to begin to understand the complexity and enormity of CBRNe:

Day 1

·        Dealing with the conseque4nces of a collapse in economic activity and law and order after a viral pandemic

·        Introduced species as a form of biological weapons

·        Are we prepared for the next infectious disease

Day 2

·        Organizing and training for Combat CBRNE hazards

·        CRISMA project improving CBRN training using models

·        Enhancing CBRNe response with scenario-based training

·        The threat of agroterrosim and zoonotic diseases in the U.S

·        Unmanned aerial vehicles in maritime security

·Day 3

·        Entolimod, an innovative medical radiation countermeasure

·        A novel device for preventing acute radiation syndrome in emergency first responders

·        Threats and realities of synthetic biology

·        Differential excitation spectroscopy: A new high-specificity technique for threat detection

·        Rapid detection of processed uranium in food

·        Countering nuclear and radiological materials illicit trafficking through maritime security initiatives: paper tiger or concrete solution

·        Mass casualty terrorism and CBRN weapons

·        United against a common enemy: formation of international alliances for the war on terrorism and the WMB dimension

·        Determination of an ideal category A agent for a terrorist attack

If you want to see the Innovation Stream papers about these topics, go to: http://www.cbrneportal.com/tag/nct-cbrne-usa-2015/. My paper about ISIS using social media as a force multiplier can be found at: http://www.cbrneportal.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Curley-NCT-CBRNe-USA-2015.pdf

There were so many CBRNe experts delivering so many talks, and so many vendors creating and delivering products for this area, I cannot possibly cover it in this brief piece. So, I am going to highlight some of the resources I believe are most useful to TACDA members below. Then, I will provide as many links to resources in Table 1 CBRNe Detection and Mitigation Resources at the end of this article so you can look up those that may be useful to you.

Airborne Spectral Photometric Environmental Collection Technology (ASPECT), EPA CBRN Consequence Management Team, Contact Mark Thomas, Program Manager, 513 675 4753, Thomas.markj@epa.gov; John Cardarelli (Radiation POC Contact, 513 675 4745, Cardarelli.john@epa.gov; ASPECT 24 Hour Number 202 564 8602/EPA EOC 202 564 3850

ASPECT is the country’s only airborne 24/7 stand-off chemical and radiological detection, infrared and photographic imagery platform. This plane is a platform rigged with highly sensitive instruments to measure neutrons, gamma rays, chemicals and other indications of a CBRNe event.

Here’s the miraculous part.

This detection platform, with its radiation exposure contour maps, high resolution , geo and digital aerial images, is available to first responders and others on a moment’s notice. Emergency responders in most towns, counties and cities just do not have this capability. Infrared and photographed images with geospatial chemical and radiological information can be provided, according to ASPECT, “...to the customer within minutes to hours.” 

The ASPECT detection platform includes:

·        An infrared Line Scanner to image chemical plumes

·        A High-Speed Infrared Spectrometer to identify and quantity the composition of the chemical plume in the ppb to pm range

·        Gamma-Ray Spectrometer for radiation detection and isotope identification

·        Neutron Detection System for enhances radiological detection

·        High resolution digital cameras (aerial and  oblique) that rectify for inclusion into GIS

·        Broadband satellite data system (SatCom)

They have contractor pilots on continuous standby and respond immediately to any call. I saw them do a live demonstration at NCT CBRNE 2015. The EPA physicists called the pilots live as they flew over a prepositioned radiological event.  The pilots spoke and conveyed live digital images from a base camp to the IR plume and created a radiological map on the screen in near-real time.

ASPECT is a national CBRNe detection technology wonder that can is proven (150 deployments) and offers emergency managers a power life-saving tool. Keep this information for when you need it. Or better yet, call them and get them to explain it in greater detail than I can here.

Homeland Defense and Security Information Analysis Center (HDIAC)

104 Union Valley Road, Oak Ridge, TN 37830, 865 535 0088, inquiries@hdiac.org, http://hdiac.org, info@hdiac.org

HDIAC provides information and collaboration for Homeland Defense and Security, and it establishes provides, and maintains extensive Scientific and Technical Information (STI) from DoD organizations, federal, state, and local governments, in the following areas:

·        Homeland Defense and Security

·        Critical Infrastructure Protection

·        Weapons of Mass Destruction

·        CBRN Defense

·        Biometrics

·        Medical

HDIAC saves DoD scientists time and effort by quickly locating information and providing support to address critical, emerging needs. It supports short-term queries (quick technical questions) and longer term studies (impact of a new chemical release). They apply operational research to the warfighter. Customers include: federal agencies and contractors, state and local government, emergency workers, first responders, academia, private industry.

While the Innovation Stream was going on, there was a simultaneous Conference Stream. Here are the topics that were covered during that simultaneous stream:

Day 1

·        Measures introduced to help mitigate the risk of nuclear terrorism

·        Capability development for CBRNe at the Defense Reduction Threat Agency

·        CBRN Response capabilities and preparedness at EPA: Current state and the way forward

Day 2

·        JUPITR biosurveillance program in Kora

·        Integrated multiplex assay and sampling system

·        Nuclear smuggling detection and deterrence

·        The integrated chemical safety and security program in Ukraine: An introduction

·        DIY biotechnology risks and opportunities for enhance biosafety

·        Enhancing CBRN emergency preparedness in the USAAA New York City as a case

Day 3

·        Planning for the unthinkable: Medical countermeasure planning for the response to CBRNe incidents

·        The role of public health laboratories in CBRN crisis management

·        Medical preparedness for large scale public health emergencies in Florida: The cities readiness initiative

·        Live demonstration led by EPA

·        Bioforensics and its role to enhance bioterrorism preparedness

·        State of the art CBRN detection solutions: the approach made in Germany

·        Rapid respond to radiological terrorist incidents

·        WMD hazmat response SOPs and capabilities at the USCG National Strike Force

·        The dirty bomb scenario: How real is the threat

·        Stockpiling of medical countermeasures and radiological public health emergencies

·        DHS activities to prevent, protect against, respond to, and recovery from CBRN terrorism

If you visit the websites listed above you can see videos of these Conference Stream talks by the leading experts in these fields.

CBRNe is a huge, complex, multi-layered, and ever changing field of study, work, process, policy and...never forget...human lives and property. In the 1980’s when I wrote for Hazard Monthly about such topics, all the issues we face today existed then as well. Despite irrational and wishful thinking that they just go away, they are real, they are here, and they must be managed if we and our offspring are to have a positive future.

I pray that the information provided here, be you just beginning to learn about it or are an expert in the field, helps you to better manage your CBRNe challenges successfully.

 Table 1: CBRNe Detection and Mitigation Resources

Organization/Tools	Expertise	Website, Phone, Email
Bruker Detection Corp, a CBRNE  detection company out of Leipzig , Germany US office: 40 Manning Road Billerica, MA, USA Nuclear, radiation detection Biological agent detection Chemical warfare agent detection Personal chemical agent detector Chemical emergencies and demilitarization	Hand-held CBRN detection, critical infrastructure protection, trace explosives and narcotics detection, Enhanced environmental mobile mass spectrometer, biological detection, external collection protection filter technologies, maritime detection, software and data system protection, training	www.bruker.com http://bit.do/bruker-contact www.bruker-cip.com www.bruker-etd.com www.bit.do/responders www.bruker.com/cbrne 978 663 3660 (USA) 49 0341 2431 30  (Germany) detection @bruker.com sales@brukerdetection.us www.brukerdetection.com
Chemring Sensors and Electronic Systems 4205 Westinghouse Commons Drive Charlotte, NC 28273, USA	Under vehicle surveillance to identify explosives, weapons, narcotics, people and other foreign objects concealed under vehicles. Specialize in critical infrastructure (airports, etc.) border security and event security.	980 235 2213 704 577 5402 athebes@chemringds.com
3D-Radar US 23031 Ladbrook Drive Dulles, Virginia, USA	Sensors and electronic systems, under vehicle scan	703 661 0283 www.rd-radar.com
Scott Safety Monroe Corporate Center POB 569 Monroe, NC 28111 Air-Pak and Accessories First Responder Respirator	Reverse reflex sealing surface facepiece with two voicemitters and communications bracket attachment, high visibility inhalation valves. CBNR respirators, face seals, exhalation valves, and inline secondary filtration.	800 247 7257 704 291 8330 www.scottsafety.com sh-shale@tycoint.com
Proengin 140 South University Drive Suite F Plantation, FL 33324 Biological alarm monitors, portable handheld chemical warfare TIMs and TICS hazard Detection.	Continuously analyses atmospheric particles searching for specific chemical signatures of bacteria or toxins such as anthrax, plague, Botox, legionella, etc.	954 760 9990 sales@proenginusa.com
International Centre for Chemical Safety and Security (ICCSS) Targi Kielce SA Zakladowa 1, 25-672 Kielce, Poland	Chemical safety and security solutions in the supply chain of raw materials, production, infrastructure transportation and use of chemicals. Enhances measures to prevent and respond to the misuse of CBRN agents.	Amb. Krzysztof Paturej President of the ICCSS Michael Luhan, ICCSS Director of Communications 33 7 8863 3757 m.luhan@iccss.eu www.linkedin.com/profile 48 41 365 12 22 48 692893437 Witek.m@targikielce.pl
Immediate Response Technologies 3341 75th Ave., Ste. GG Landover, MD 20785USA Decontamination systems, decontamination systems, chem/bio isolation systems, personal protective equipment	Rapid deployment shelter systems, chem/bio isolation systems, decontamination systems, respiratory protective systems, CBRN missions, methamphetamine lab clean up, chemical, industrial spill cleanup, NIOSH CBRN CAP 1 protection	301 352 8800 800 598 9711 www.imresponse.com
Tactual Defense Media Publications	Armor & Mobility Combat & Casualty Care DOD Power & Energy Annual Tactical Gear Guide Unmanned Tech Solutions	www.tacticaldefense media.com Kevin Hunter, Editor kevin@tacticaldefensemedia.com 301 605 7564 contact@tacticaldefensemedia.com
Armor & Mobility Magazine Clothing, footwear, chest rigs, pouches, packs & hydration, knives & tools, lights, combat electronics	War fighter gear, tactical boots, Blackhawk, optics, and other warrior products.	www.tacticaldefensemedia.com Tactical Defense Media, Inc. Leisure World Plaza POB 12115 Silver Spring, MD 20908-0115
Security & Border Protection Magazine CBRNE training integration, a and wide area coordination	CBRNE, cross border threats, threat detection in the field, rail security (reducing the risks, responding to attacks),	Tacticaldefensemedia.com
DOD Power, Energy & Propulsion Magazine	Tactical, battlefield, and static power needs identified with solutions identified.	George Jagels, Editor George@tacticaldefensemedia.com