CBNW 2017 Vol 1

2017 | 01

CBNW – Chemical, Biological & Nuclear Warfare

Protecting our troops Detecting chem-bio threats

Ensuring sensor and PPE efficacy Eradicating deadly disease Improving medical countermeasures

2017 | 01

Robots for radiation

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STATIONARY WMD Avoiding another Bhopal

STRONG TOWER Live training in London

ANTHRAX IN AFRICA The biothreat from ISIS

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CONTENTS

05

Foreword Andy Oppenheimer assesses the many-headed monster of terrorism.

12

40

Events and advertisers

50

EXCLUSIVE: Turning a blind eye Ilja M Bonsen relates an account by the Syrian National Coalition of chemical weapons attacks in their beleaguered country.

54

12

58

16

63

Invisible red lines Andy Oppenheimer on the Syrian regime’s use of chemical weapons and the rise of nuclear North Korea.

22

INTERVIEW: Raman Empire David Oliver meets Jen Lynch, Marketing Director of Rigaku Analytical Devices.

COUNTRY PROFILE: First-degree protection Otakar J. Mika & Jozef Sabol outline CBRN defence in the Czech Republic.

Robots for radiation F. E. Schneider, B. Gaspers & D. Wildermuth on critical infrastructure protection against radiological threats.

The last word Zygmunt F. Dembek asks if the world is ready for the next global pandemic.

68

“So what does that mean?“ Greg Ouzounian fills the blind spots left by HME detection.

72

Knowledge is power Linda Nisbet opens up the International CBRNE Institute.

76

78 32

Keep it real Steven Pike describes advanced simulation in training for response to industrial accidents.

78

36

82

40

86

Stationary WMD Col H R Naidu Gade asks if another Bhopal can be avoided.

Anthrax in Africa Dr Ram Athavale examines recent anthrax scares and the biothreat from ISIS.

Robot system for a radiological-nuclear scenario takes a sweep sample of the environment.

Making London a Strong Tower David Oliver lays out vital live training exercises.

28

Rat run Brig Gen (Pa) Ret Xavier Stewart reads the roll call of lone terrorists.

ON THE COVER

Anthrax and the city Gary A. Flory proposes a rethink of the urban response to anthrax.

06 08

SPECIAL REPORT: Most likely – and

most dangerous Col Hamish de Bretton Gordon details lessons to be learned from chemical weapons attacks in Syria and Iraq.

68

44

Dial 4G for detection Dr Michal Simko renews faith in stand-off detection.

Dishing the dirt Eleonora Pacciani outlines the effects of radiological weapons on health.

COUNTRY FOCUS: Follow the NorthStar Ilja M. Bonsen assesses Singapore’s CBRN defence capabilities.

BOOK REVIEW: David Oliver reviews Chemical Warfare Toxicology: Volume I.

CBNW is published by React Media Publishing, 15 Heritage House, Chase Side, London N14 5BT. Telephone: +44 20 8886 2133 E-mail: tina@chembio.biz www.cbnw.co.uk

Publisher Tahmiena Naji | Editor-in-Chief Andy Oppenheimer AIExpE MIABTI Deputy Editors Dr. Salma Abbasi, David Oliver | US Correspondent Frank Rando Designer/Production Manager Mariel Tabora Foulds Printed by: The Manson Group, 8 Porters Wood, Valley Road Industrial Estate, St Albans AL3 6PZ. Tel: 01727 848440

©Fraunhofer FKIE

ISSN 2051-6584. © React Media Publishing 2017. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be used, reproduced, stored in an information retrieval system or transmitted in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of React Media. This publication has been prepared wholly upon information supplied by the contributors and while the publishers trust that its contents will be of interest to readers, its accuracy cannot be guaranteed. The publishers are unable to accept, and hereby expressly disclaim any liability for the consequences of any inaccuracies, errors or omissions in such information whether occurring during the processing of such information for publication or otherwise.

No representations, whether within the meaning of the Misrepresentation Act 1967 or otherwise, warranties or endorsements of any information contained herein are given or intended and full verification of all information appearing in the publication of the articles contained herein does not necessarily imply that any opinions therein are necessarily those of the publishers.

CBNW 2017/01 03

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FOREWORD

Terrorism –

I

in all shapes and sizes

SIS is now the world’s deadliest terrorist group, surpassing Boko Haram in Nigeria. In 2015 it was responsible for 6,141 deaths through attacks in more than 250 different cities. Since 2014, it has used chemical weapons at least 52 times in Iraq and Syria. On 1 January UK Security Minister Ben Wallace warned that ISIS wants to build on this record by bringing the weapons to Europe.

This barbarous group has expanded its influence into neighbouring regions.

Despite substantial inroads being made into ISIS territory it seized in Iraq and Syria, where it has enslaved, tortured and murdered whole populations, the reach of this group and its supporters

“If there’s one lesson we seem to have forgotten 20 years after Oklahoma City, it’s that extremist violence comes in all shapes and sizes.”

PROF JOHN G HORGAN, UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS

continues to extend beyond its original heartlands. Last February Moroccan authorities dismantled a cell amassing toxic chemical and biological substances and a large stock of fertiliser.

In late November intelligence experts warned ISIS has between 60 and 80 operatives planted in Europe poised to carry out attacks. Dutch counterterrorism coordinator Dick Schoof said in a press interview that ISIS messages exhort these wannabe terrorists “not to come to Syria and Iraq, but to prepare attacks in Europe.”

The deadly attacks in Paris, Nice, Brussels, Berlin and Istanbul already give tragic proof to this threat, and as

the group’s so-called Caliphate continues to disintegrate intelligence services cite the prospect of homegrown jihadis exploding vehicle bombs in European cities to cause mass casualties. Director General of MI5 Andrew Parker said 12 major terror attacks have been foiled since June 2013.

“ISIS is an enduring threat, here to stay, and is at least a generational challenge.” This could translate as: we’re in a Hundred Years’ War. So, how can we be ready – and specifically, for CBRN? Drills and exercises have been conducted in London and other cities. And a real and immediate response to a potential chemical incident in the capital went into full swing on 21 October, when 500 people were evacuated from London City Airport when passengers felt unwell.

Firefighters and police jointly conducted sweeps of the airport building. While not treated as terrorism, police later found a canister, believed to be “a CS gas or spray.” Whatever and whoever set it off, and despite it thankfully not resulting in loss of life, a day of chaos ensued: incoming flights were diverted while hundreds of passengers were stranded on board aircraft on the runway.

As is well known, the threat also extends to civilian infrastructure, beyond the prime targets of aviation and transit. On 22 October two people were killed and 1,000 sickened after ISIS set fire to Mishraq Sulphur Plant in the battle for Mosul. The attack released huge plumes of noxious yellowish smoke which spread for miles across northern Iraq and into neighbouring countries; Mosul’s beleaguered hospitals were overwhelmed as dozens of casualties suffered respiratory distress.

And what else must we be ready for? Terrorist techniques span both ends of the spectrum: from large vehicle IEDs and chemical weapons to knives, guns, and the use of trucks to mow down innocent civilians. The rise of the Right also moved up a gear in 2016 – across Europe, the United States, and in the UK, where in November a white supremacist terrorist was convicted for the brutal murder of MP Jo Cox in June. The prevalence of lone-wolf attacks by right-wing extremists deserves heightened attention. Since 9/11, in the US almost twice as many people have been killed by non-Muslim extremists in the US than by radical Muslims. The 1995 Oklahoma massive car-bombing, by a anti-government extremist, remains America’s deadliest terrorist homeland attack. Whatever the twisted ideology, the result is the same: murder, maiming and mayhem. Therefore, authorities must steel themselves against all shades of terrorism. zy

In this edition Ilja M. Bonsen provides an exclusive report from the Syrian National Coalition on chemical weapons; Hamish de Bretton Gordon analyzes their continued use by ISIS in Syria; Brig Gen (Pa) Ret Xavier Stewart warns about lone wolf terrorism; CBNW Deputy Editor David Oliver reviews live training exercises in London and interviews leading technology company Rigaku Analytical Devices; a catalogue of chemical accidents is opened by Col HR Naidu Gade, and Steven Pike describes the vital role of training and simulation in dealing with them; Ram Athavale and Gary Flory revisit the anthrax threat and urban response; and Andy Oppenheimer reviews state use of CBRN by Syria and North Korea.

CBNW 2017/01 05

EVENTS & INDEX EVENTS 2017

ADVERTISERS INDEX AIRBOSS DEFENSE

15

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ARGON ELECTRONICS (UK) LTD

FEBRUARY

AVON PROTECTION

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BATTELLE

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Homsec Madrid, Spain

BBI DETECTION

65

BERTIN SYSTEMS & INSTRUMENTATION

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CEOTRONICS AG

75

CRISTANINI

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16

MARCH

21-23 MARCH

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NCT Asia & SISPAT Singapore www.nctsingapore.com

CQC LTD DECON7 SYSTEMS

IFC

7 48/49

DXTERITY

67

CBRNe Summit Madrid

ENDEAVOR ROBOTICS

61

APRIL

intelligence-sec.com/events/cbrnesummit-europe-2017

ENVIRONICS OY

43

FLIR INC

3-4

Counter Terror Expo London

24-27

MAY

www.counterterrorexpo.com

22-24

1st Scientific International Conference on CBRN Rome, Italy

MAY

16-18 MAY

29 - 1 MAY

JUNE

27-29

www.sicc2017.com

NCT Asia Pacific Seoul, Korea http://nctasiapacific.com

2nd International Conference CBRNE-Research and Innovation Lyon, France https://cbrneconference.fr/

NCT Europe Sonthofen, Germany

4

HOMELAND DEFSEC

71

I-BODI TECHNOLOGY

11

JOHNSON MATTHEY (TRACERCO)

53

LLOYD’S MARITIME ACADEMY & IBC ACADEMY

27

NBC-SYS

85

OWR

83

PAUL BOYE TECHNOLOGIES

57

PROENGIN RIGAKU ANALYTICAL DEVICES

IBC 19

ADVERTORIALS ARGON ELECTRONICS (UK) LTD

87

AIRBOSS DEFENSE

88

BATTELLE

88

CQC LTD

89

FLIR INC

89

I-BODI TECHNOLOGY

90 90

JUNE

www.nct-europe.com

19-21

NCT USA Washington DC, USA

RIGAKU ANALYTICAL DEVICES

SEPTEMBER

www.nct-usa.com

CBRNE SUMMIT EUROPE

79

13-15

NCT Middle East Doha, Qatar

NCT ASIA & SISPAT

21

NCT EUROPE

25

www.nct-middleeast.com

SECURITY & COUNTER TERROR EXPO

73

NOVEMBER

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EXCLUSIVE:

SYRIA Turning a blind eye Illustration: Mariel Foulds

I

n the early morning of 21 August 2013, between 14.30 and 17.00 hours, fifteen to twenty rockets containing sarin nerve agent struck the eastern and western Ghouta suburbs of Damascus, killing thousands of civilians. Based on the evidence collected by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) investigation team, which happened to be in Damascus at that time, the United Nations concluded that “chemical weapons have been used in the ongoing conflict between the parties in the Syrian Arab Republic, also against civilians, including children, on a relatively large scale.”

This triggered a response from the international community and eventually led to the US-Russian bilateral agreement to remove the Syrian regime’s arsenal of 1,300 tonnes of chemical weapons.

08 CBNW 2017/01

The Ghouta attacks serve as an example of the cursed faith of the Syrian Arab Republic. Nearly six years after the start of the revolution in Syria, the situation has deteriorated severely. It has become a full-blown intractable war, involving a web of international, regional and national actors who fail to establish The most lethal CW owned by the Syrian regime include the nerve agents sarin, soman, and VX; the cytoxic and vesicant agents sulphur mustard and nitrogen yperite; the choking agents diphosgene (DP) and phosgene (CG); and the blood agents chlorine cyanogenesis and cyanhydric acid.

concrete forms of peace.

Caught in the middle of this web is the civilian population of Syria, which has been completely isolated and subjected to some of the worst atrocities -ranging from targeted aerial strikes and chemical weapon (CW) attacks, to the use of landmines.

Chemical warfare in Syria

Syria’s CW programme began in the 1970s, leading to the first production of CW in the mid-1980s in “scientific research centres” run and supervised by the Air Force Intelligence Directorate.

Capt Abdulsalam Abdulrazak, a defector from the Syrian Army’s Chemical Warfare Department and now member of the National Coalition of Syrian Revolution and Opposition Forces, served within the plant managed by the Chemical Warfare Department

CHEMICAL WEAPONS Ilja M Bonsen provides an account direct from the Syrian National Coalition of Syria’s use of chemical weapons Two destroyed Syrian Army tanks in Azaz, Syria, August 2012. ©Centre for Strategic & International Studies

Below: Just part of the city of Aleppo is pictured before the protracted conflict that is the Syrian Civil War, having been bombed multiple times.

©Hannah Karim

“Toxic substances were subsequently stored in special warehouses guarded by the Air Force Intelligence Directorate. Preparations to use them began in 2011 when the regime distributed gas masks to military units that entered the rebellious cities to crush the popular uprising.”

CAPT. ABDULSALAM ABDULRAZAK, NATIONAL COALITION OF SYRIAN REVOLUTION AND OPPOSITION FORCES

where napalm and toxic chlorine were manufactured.

Capt Abulrazak stated that these toxic substances were subsequently stored “in special warehouses guarded by the Air Force Intelligence Directorate” and that preparations to use them began in 2011 when the regime “distributed gas masks to military units that entered the

rebellious cities to crush the popular uprising.”

The regime has the capability to deliver these via aerial bombs, surfaceto-surface missiles, and artillery rockets.

Chlorine has been the most commonly used chemical agent, which can cause severe respiratory problems as well  as chemical burns. In September, CBNW 2017/01 09

CHEMICAL WEAPONS ©Wikipedia

©The White House

Above left: A many-sided conflict: the scene of bombings in Aleppo in October 2012, for which the al-Qaeda-linked al-Nusra Front claimed responsibility.

Above right: Map showing areas affected by the 21 August 2013 chemical attacks on the Ghouta suburbs of Damascus. ©2016 Ole Solvang/Human Rights Watch

Right: A deminer shows a photograph he took of an ISIS IED concealed as a rock.

government warplanes were highly suspected of dropping bombs containing chlorine over parts of Aleppo, causing some 80 civilians to be taken to hospitals with breathing problems.

In many cases though, the chemical agent used was not identified, making an effective diagnosis of victims’ exposure to the agent and the ensuing treatment by healthcare providers more difficult.

Furthermore, local first responders lack the capacity and equipment to properly treat victims of chemical warfare. They are left with expired equipment and medications as well as overwhelmed health facilities. As a result, many patients are brought to insufficiently equipped, provisional facilities for treatment, leading to higher mortality rates.

Although most of Syria’s chemical weapons were accordingly removed

by August 2014, Capt Abdulrazak is not convinced and has asserted that “serious concerns remain; especially considering further disclosures, incomplete documentation”. This is not surprising as since the Ghouta attacks in 2013 at least 130 chemical attacks have taken place – resulting in around 3,000 victims, with deaths likely to run into the hundreds.

The use of landmines

Another prominent issue featured within the Syrian war is the excessive use of explosives, notably mines. According to Capt Mohammad Said Masri of the Free Syrian Army, “there are an estimated million landmines planted across Syria which pose high risk to civilians in the absence of the means to clear them.”

In addition, there is a serious lack of specialized teams who have the necessary equipment to clear them and who are trained in detecting and handling mines.

Given that there are an estimated 40,000 victims of mines in Syria, including 7,000 who have died as a result of mine-related injuries – these challenges make it difficult to improve the situation. Government-backed forces as well as ISIS and PKK-affiliated militias have been known to resort to mines to inflict damage.

Various types of mines have been used such as air-dropped bombs, anti-personnel mines, explosive hoses and electric landmines. When it comes to the extensive use of anti-personnel mines, Human Rights Watch denounced the dangers of improvised mines left behind by ISIS in homes, schools and hospitals, and placed in seemingly innocuous locations such as refrigerators, televisions, kitchen sinks and under mattresses. Landmines were also planted on roads, bridges and fields which have posed a real threat to returning and fleeing populations. This tactic was used in cities such as Manbij and Kobani.

As such, civilians are trapped between minefields from two separate parties, risking their lives when they leave their homes. According to Capt. Masri, a core challenge is that ISIS militants do not follow a specific pattern in planting mines in civilian areas and there are very few maps which could indicate

Where it all began: anti-Assad protests in Baniyas, April 2011. ©Syria-Frames-Of-Freedom/Wikimedia

10 CBNW 2017/01

“Anti-personnel mines are usually planted in border areas and around military sites. ISIS plants these mines to prevent civilians from fleeing the areas under its control, while the PYD militias use them to prevent opposing armed groups from infiltrating the areas under their control.”

CAPT. MOHAMMAD SAID MASRI, FREE SYRIAN ARMY

where mines were laid. ISIS militants move around in the mined areas using a guide, usually the militant who planted the mines.

International cooperation – or lack thereof

In his account on the current political situation, Secretary General of the Syrian National Coalition Abdul Elah Fahed emphasizes that “the goal of these revolutions was not war, death and destruction, but regaining freedom, democracy and dignity. However, these revolutions have very soon morphed into full-blown wars due to the failure of the major world powers to support the demands of the people.”

As such, he observes that “the strings are no longer pulled by the Syrians or even countries in the region as the conflict has become an international one.”

Ever since the outbreak of war, the international community has been trying to initiate political transition and bring about the cessation of violence. However, the results of this agenda have been very meagre. Further polarization between various national, regional and international actors has caused severe damage to the hopes for a better future.

This failure is an issue of major concern to Secretary General Fahed – who concludes that “the United Nations has failed to shoulder its responsibility for maintaining international peace and security, and even turned a blind eye to the ongoing atrocities being committed by the Assad regime against the Syrian people.” ❚❙ IB Consultancy was honoured to welcome Secretary General Abdul Elah Fahed, Mr. Mohammad Said Masri, and Mr. Muhammed Temim Hocaoglu on behalf of the National Coalition of Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces to participate in the conferences and discussions which took place at NCT Asia 2016 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The Syrian National Coalition will attend and contribute to future events within the NCT Series in 2017, including NCT Asia, NCT Europe, NCT USA, and NCT Middle East.

Ilja M. Bonsen is CEO of IB Consultancy, an independent defence and security consultancy firm based in The Netherlands. Before establishing the consultancy Ilja worked as a project manager at TNO. With both organizations he has participated in EU-funded projects and has a special insight into the inner workings of EU-funded CBRN research.

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CBNW 2017/01 11

NATION-STATE CBRN

©2016 Syria Civil Defense

©Vlad/Wikipedia

©Bellingcat

RED LINES FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: This OPCW depiction of a barrel bomb is based on testimonials and collections of bomb fragments from an improvised weapon possibly dropped on the Idlib Governorate between March and May 2015. Nine gas cylinders (green) are filled with a chlorine or chloride containing compound. The flasks with potassium permanganate (pink) would then have been used to oxidize the chlorine containing compound, producing chlorine gas.

◀

Remnants from a barrel bomb containing chemicals that struck Aleppo on September 6, 2016.

A helicopter carries what appear to be two barrel bombs.

Prof Sig Hecker is shown examining machining lathes on a visit to the Yongbyon nuclear facility in 2008.

In 2016, a series of chemical attacks were launched on civilians in Syria. In September, Syrian government forces reportedly dropped bombs filled with chlorine gas from helicopters on the besieged and ruined Syrian city of Aleppo.

Over 80 people, many of them children, were seen by volunteer rescue workers to suffer respiratory distress in one single attack.

Subsequent attacks are under investigation.

B

ased on field visits and witness interviews, the UN Joint Investigative Mechanism (JIM) estimated in its fourth report in August that at least 130 alleged CW attacks occurred from December 2015 to August 2016. Nerve agent sarin and even VX, the most lethal, are reported to have been used; other chemical warfare agents (CWAs) included mustard, chlorine, and other toxic chemicals. The JIM affirmed that the Syrian regime had been responsible for two chemical attacks: in 2014 in Talmenes, and in 2015, in Sarmir.

12 CBNW 2017/01

©OPCW

The UN determined responsibility in three cases, saying evidence in three others pointed to government responsibility – but these await full verification. Lines of investigation are based on witness accounts and expert testimonies in the field from use of chlorine by Assad’s forces in barrel bombings, which are essentially improvised chemical devices, and by ISIS, which is incorporating chlorine and mustard agent in IEDs and mortars, mainly in Iraq.

Repeated chlorine bombings

On 3 August 2016 two chlorine barrel-bombings on Saraqeb were reported with at least 30 civilians hospitalised, and a further attack was widely reported on Aleppo on 11 August in which at least four died. On 11 August a toxic gas attack reported on a rebel-held area of Aleppo. In September, at least two barrel-bombings containing chlorine were dropped from helicopters on suburbs of Aleppo, with a minimum of 80 injured. Several more chlorine attacks on Aleppo incurring dozens of casualties were reported in October, November and December.

The Syrian American Medical Society (Sams), which runs 95 medical facilities in Syria, documented 31 separate chlorine attacks between 16 March and 9 June 2015, mainly air-dropped barrel bombs.

NATION-STATE CBRN ◀ FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: Medical personnel at the al-Quds hospital in Aleppo treat people after a chemical attack on 6 September 2016.

A RPU-14 Soviet-import multiple rocket launcher of a type found

by UN inspectors after the August 2013 sarin attacks.

Remains of a cylinder where the det-cord detonated, ensuring a minimum amount of gas was destroyed in the explosion; the design is enhanced beyond just throwing a gas cylinder into a barrel bomb.

Barrel bomb with a metal plate at the front, which is the impact fuze, with metal rods along the outside of the bomb holding the plate away from it, with explosive det-cord sandwiched in between.

©Bellingcat

Andy Oppenheimer reports on the onslaught of chemical weapons attacks on civilians in Syria and the inexorable rise of nuclear North Korea ©2016 Forensic Medical Services in Aleppo

©Robotnyck

©W. Keith Luse

And CW doesn’t stop at Syria. In late September Amnesty International estimated that at least 200 people had been killed by CW dropped on them by their own government since January in the Darfur region of Sudan, concluding that “the evidence strongly suggested exposure to vesicants, or blister agents, such as sulphur mustard, Lewisite or nitrogen mustard.”

Crossing the red line

What will be the West’s response to the worst series of stateinitiated CW attacks since Saddam Hussein’s chemical mass murder of thousands of civilians in Halabja in 1988? Before sarin nerve agent was dropped on civilians in August 2013,

“…The smell of gas started spreading... and I felt my eyes burning and difficulties in breathing… The smell was very strong – beyond any description.”

WITNESS TO CHLORINE GAS BOMBING, ALEPPO, 11 AUGUST 2016

reportedly by al-Assad’s forces – killing over 1,500 – President Obama warned that CW use would cross a ‘red line’. When it happened, no significant response accrued. If a nation-state which repeatedly uses CW to inflict mass casualties – classed as a war crime – can no longer see a red line, it will no doubt keep on crossing it. The complexity of the conflict, with increased Russian involvement, is also rendering red lines invisible.

By October 2014, according to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), almost 98% of Syria’s declared stockpile of 1,308 metric tons of sulphur mustard agent and precursor chemicals had been destroyed.

Chlorine is banned as a weapon under the terms of the CWC but Syria was not obliged to give up its stores: as one of the most ubiquitous chemicals on the planet, chlorine is one of the hardest chemicals to control.

NORTH KOREA: BEYOND NASCENT

On 9 September North Korea conducted its fifth, and largest ever, underground nuclear test. The North Koreans also claim they can now miniaturize and standardize their nuclear warheads for deployment on its growing arsenal of ballistic missiles.

The test took place just months after the previous test in January 2016: the first time the pariah nation has conducted



CBNW 2017/01 13

NATION-STATE CBRN

“Five tests conducted over a 10-year period – sufficiently spaced that the test results can inform the next test – are deeply alarming.

Recent successful tests may also give Pyongyang a false sense of confidence, altering regional security dynamics for the worse.”

PROF SIG HECKER, SEPTEMBER 2016

(SLBM) was launched in August and three more were launched from land in early September. In February, a Pentagon report said that the North’s KN-08 ICBM had the potential to hit much of the US mainland, although noting that the missile’s reliability was low. Dictator Kim Jong-Un used his New Year speech to announce a first ICBM test in January. In October two missile tests failed. Nevertheless, Japan authorized its Self-Defence Forces to shoot down missiles that could land in its territory.

‘Massive punishment’

On 13 September, the ROK’s Defence Ministry revealed its ‘Korea Massive Punishment and Retaliation’ (KMPR) plan to destroy Pyongyang if the North was seen to be readying a nuclear attack

“Every Pyongyang district, particularly where the North Korean leadership is possibly hidden, will be completely destroyed by ballistic missiles and high-explosive shells as soon as the North shows any signs of using a nuclear weapon.”

SOUTH KOREA DEFENCE MINISTRY

two nuclear tests within a year. The September device had a force estimated to be the equivalent of at least 10 kilotons (kt) of TNT, almost double that of the January test, which had a force equivalent of 6 kt. The DPRK claimed this was a thermonuclear device and that it was miniaturized; both claims are unverified.

Nevertheless, North Korea had developed the ability to build seven nuclear warheads a year beyond its existing stockpile of fissile material for around 20 bombs, according to the world’s leading expert on plutonium, Stanford University’s Prof Sig Hecker. Following several visits to North Korea’s Yongbyon plutonium reprocessing facility and uranium facility, he said Pyongyang could build nuclear missiles capable of reaching the US within a decade. Satellite imagery from mid-2016 showed continued activity at the Yongbyon site.

Two months later after the January test, the UN Security Council (UNSC) imposed various sanctions on North Korea, but this has so far not prevented or allayed its nuclear advance. This has been enabled by lack of resistance from China, the DPRK’s main ally and benefactor, and Russia – two of the UNSC’s permanent five members.

Missiles – ups and downs

North Korea’s testing of all ranges of missile continues apace, but with variable results. A submarine-launched ballistic missile

“…It doesn’t appear they will be able to [mount a nuclear warhead on a ballistic missile] in the next one or two years, but the intelligence authorities said it may be able to be weaponized sooner than expected.”

KIM BYUNG-KEE, ROK OPPOSITION MINJOO PARTY

14 CBNW 2017/01

on the South. The operational concept involves pre-emptive bombing attacks against the North’s military leadership if there is an indication that nuclear weapons are to be used, or in the event of war.

The plan involves heavy use of South Korea’s Hyunmoo ballistic missiles. Its military recently activated a special unit for destroying the North Korean military leadership, and it is planned to deploy the US Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defence system to South Korea in 2017. In late October US National Intelligence director James Clapper said the US policy to persuade North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons programme was “probably a lost cause” – and that the best the US could hope for was a cap on the North’s capabilities. But the North’s nuclear behaviour could provoke the South into an even more radical response: advancing its own nuclear weapon programme. The number of NWS in the world currently stands at nine; it could soon become ten. ❚❙ The Temple of Bel in Palmyra was destroyed by ISIS in August 2015, reclaimed in March 2016, then reoccupied by ISIS in December 2016 – with further chemical attacks reported in the area.

Bernard Gagnon/wikimedia

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CHEMICAL WEAPONS

SPECIAL REPORT

Col Hamish de Bretton Gordon details the continuing use of chemical weapons in Syria and Iraq and advises on lessons to be learned

Most likely – AND Most dangerous 16 CBNW 2017/01

CHEMICAL WEAPONS

The use of chemical weapons in Syria and Iraq by the al-Assad Regime and ISIS is changing the paradigm of CBRN usage – and of CBRN defence constructed around state-on-state conflict scenarios and antiquated defensive procedures and equipment.

In light of the conflict in Syria, Iraq and the global Jihadist terror threat, this situation now requires review.

W

e must focus on the ‘most likely’ scenario first, and also be prepared for the ‘most dangerous’ state-on-state weapons of mass destruction scenario – which is currently more unlikely. It is not unsurprising that the ultimate terror organization, ISIS, and other Jihadist groups are turning to the ultimate terror weapons, CBRN. But the challenges of the production of sophisticated weapons such as nuclear and some advanced chemical and biological agents are likely to limit their current and future use by such groups.

ISIS has learned from al-Assad’s Regime in Syria that relatively basic agents like chlorine or very small amounts of sarin nerve agent can create the desired psychological and military effect, without needing to resort to more complex production and delivery methods.

ISIS the prime threat

The use of chemical weapons by ISIS and other Jihadist groups is likely to be the most significant CBRN threat over the next ten years and our military approach to operating in this environment must change to reflect this. The lack of desire to have UK and US ‘boots on the ground’ and fewer Special Forces in Syria and Iraq could change if the Iraqi Army and Kurdish Peshmerga are not successful in defeating ISIS in Mosul. We would then require a realistic CBRN defensive capability for operations in Syria and Iraq.

Improvised CBRN devices

There is little conviction that ISIS has a realistic chance of

All photos ©Avon Protection

The author views ISIL positions with Peshmerga near Makmour.

obtaining nuclear weapons. But they have stated their desire to develop improvised nuclear weapons (INDs) and radiological dispersal devices (RDDs). In 2015 the FBI uncovered Jihadists trying to buy highly enriched uranium (HEU) which could be made into a IND, and with 20K g of HEU and the known ISIS expertise in this area they could produce a device with a yield of up to about 2 kilotons (equivalent to 2,000 tonnes of conventional explosive).

The most likely scenario would be a detonation in Syria or Iraq rather than constructing, moving and detonating such a device elsewhere. Defensive measures such as Project Cyclamen in the UK would most likely detect and interdict such a threat.

The chemical threat, particularly from toxic industrial chemicals (TICs) and homemade agents, should be the focus of our counter-terror CBRN defensive activity over the next five to ten years.

These attacks are likely to be characterised by low toxicity and short duration.

The challenge we have seen in Syria has been the identification of the chemical substances used and acting accordingly.  CBNW 2017/01 17

CHEMICAL WEAPONS Biological threats

The biological threat from ISIS is difficult to gauge. There was a well-reported story that they had recruited scientists from around the globe to work on their biological weapons programme in Raqqa and Mosul, and that a laptop was recovered in Syria belonging to a Tunisian scientist working for ISIS with details of biological weapons.

In April 2015 I had a meeting with a senior Iraqi army general in Baghdad who said they believed ISIS was trying to introduce plague into refugee camps.

Biological attack does not appear to be a favoured weapon for terrorists – it can be hit-and-miss and a huge amount of effort can have very little effect.

Materialising and delivering the agent can take a long time and actually getting people to ingest the pathogens or toxins is difficult.

In my opinion, this type of weapon would have very little effect or use in Syria or Iraq – but would be much more likely to be used as a terror device in capitals around the world. After the Paris ISIS attacks in November 2015 the French Prime Minister Manuel Valls warned that biological and chemical attacks were likely to come from ISIS – and presumably the French Government had some intelligence to back this up. Interestingly, just this statement by the French PM created panic and spurious claims emerged in Belgium of anthrax attacks.

Minimal kit

The Cold War CBRN posture of ‘survive and operate’ now appears an anathema.

Sitting in my tank in the 1980s as a young soldier in our German defensive positions in dress state ‘3ROMEO’ (full CBRN kit including a respirator) didn’t seem an ‘act of war’ then and certainly doesn’t now.

My first trips into Syria in 2013 with the media and others to investigate nerve agent use was characterised by the minimal amount of kit we carried. No body-armour – too cumbersome – just an escape hood (vacuum-packed respirator) and that was about it. The theory was that when you are in this most complex of environments it is your agility and situational awareness that provides your protection, rather than layers of ever-more heavy and cumbersome kit.

Most recently I adopted a similar approach when I advised the Peshmerga near Mosul. The only protection I carried was a decent pair of sunglasses and an escape hood. When ISIL fired 20 mortar rounds near us full of chlorine gas, we 18 CBNW 2017/01

A Peshmerga General wears the M50 mask provided by the US government.

could very easily avoid it and live to fight another day.

Survive to return

At the opposite end of the spectrum, my last visit as a serving soldier to Afghanistan was characterised by huge amounts of heavy personal protection and travelling in heavily armoured vehicles. We had very little tactical flexibility in movement, it was difficult to engage with the local population where the insurgents/terrorists work, and we presented an obvious and visible target. We were governed by British (and other coalition forces’) protection measures designed to ensure minimum casualties rather than maximum operational effectiveness.

It strikes me that our maxim should be ‘survive to return’ (to the fight) given that the Jihadist CBRN threat is likely to be small scale, unsophisticated, non-persistent, low lethality, and aimed to harass and hinder rather than kill. This would be enabled by the appropriate ISR (intelligence, surveillance & reconnaissance) together with capability and kit that affords the right amount of agility and flexibility.

A soldier in 3ROMEO in Northern Iraq today wearing body armour and helmet in 40C is going to be a target for ISIS, with very little agility to avoid that threat. Conversely, a Peshmerga soldier with an escape hood can move quickly around the battlefield and avoid such attacks.

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CHEMICAL WEAPONS This flexibility to adjust ‘dress states’, not just from 1-3ROMEO, needs to be considered to provide our troops with the ‘agility’ to operate on the contemporary battlefield against the likely CBRN threats. It would be naïve to assume that the UK MOD, with its duty-of-care responsibilities and embedded force protection doctrine and procedures, can at a stroke begin operating like the Peshmerga – but it should take note of those directly in the CBRN ISIS firing line and understand how they need to operate.

Right: This photo from the United Nation Relief and Works Agency shows Yarmouk refugees in Syria waiting for food aid in January 2014.

©UNRWA

Left: Peshmerga soldiers examine a 122 mm rocket that just landed but failed to explode near Gwer.

have died from secondary contamination and simple procedures such as sacrificing the top layer of clothes and washing in a mild bleach/chlorine solution is now saving lives.

All Union of Medical Care and Relief Organizations (UOSSM) hospitals I work with in Syria have good procedures in place and the equipment to survive chlorine barrel bomb attacks.

But they were completely caught off guard when ISIS used mustard agent during an attack in August 2015 at Meara near Aleppo. Once identified as mustard agent the procedures and kit were updated, and we can now protect against chlorine, mustard and sarin. But there is fear around the next development in the ISIS and al-Assad CW programme.

Finally, the lesson that keeps repeating itself since CW were first used is the need for decontamination. So many people become casualties in chemical and biological attacks because they do not realise the nature of the attack and do not decontaminate, causing unintended secondary casualties.

Reducing the burden

Improving basic defence

Simple single-gas detectors, training for first responders to allow escape from the immediate vicinity, and respirators, escape hoods and effective decontamination are crucial and very effective – highly sophisticated and expensive equipment is not necessarily the answer. Many first responders in Syria

The MOD Dismounted Soldier System project over the next five to ten years will hopefully look at some of these challenges – and how the burden on the soldier can be reduced to increase his capabilities on the ever-evolving contemporary battlefield.

However, it is the current situation which requires urgent attention, especially if we are to become more engaged on the battlefields of Syria and Iraq and protect our service personnel and civilians from increasingly likely CBRN terrorist attacks.

Agility and flexibility appears to be the best approach to operating on the contemporary battlefield rather than ever-more cumbersome protection measures. In order to operate in this environment the soldier requires the personal ISR to identify what they are attacked with, just enough CBRN protection to allow them to get out of the immediate attack area, and effective decontamination to allow them to clean themselves and prevent the spread of agent to others.

All this is achievable but will require a quantum change in current force protection doctrine and stance. ❚❙

Col Hamish de Bretton Gordon served 23 years in the British Army including service as Commanding Officer of the UK CBRN Regiment and NATO’s Rapid Reaction CBRN Battalion. He advised the charity Syria Relief and UOSSM on treating the victims of CW attacks and in training doctors in Turkey. He advises the Peshmerga on CBRN and has just returned from training them to counter ISIS chemical attacks in Northern Iraq.

20 CBNW 2017/01

NCTAsia& SISPAT A Vision of IB Consultancy th

8

Singapore

21 -23 March | Marina Bay Sands Asia’s only CBRNe & EOD Conference series is back in Singapore!

DSO National Laboratories from Singapore and IB Consultancy are proud to announce that the 2017 editions of SISPAT and NCT will be held in conjunction at the Marina Bay Sands Singapore on 21-23 March 2017. The 8th edition of SISPAT will again be the premier scientific forum in the field of CBRN. The 24th and 25th editions of the NCT CBRNe Asia and eXplosive Asia conferences will continue to be the main forum for CBRN and C-IED/EOD professionals in the Asian region. During the three-day event, the three conferences will have one shared exhibition showcasing the latest equipment from the global CBRN and C-IED/EOD industries.

The event will host three separate conferences: the 8th SISPAT, NCT CBRNe Asia and NCT eXplosive Asia, with a shared opening/ closing plenary and exhibition area. NCT Asia will welcome presentations from H.E. Ahmet Uzumcu (DG of the OPCW), Douglas Bryce (JPEO), Dr. Ronald Hann (DTRA), Quek Gim Pew (Singapore Ministry of Defence) and many more.

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INTERVIEW

CBNW Deputy Editor David Oliver meets Jen Lynch, Marketing Director of Rigaku Analytical Devices

Raman Empire 22 CBNW 2017/01

INTERVIEW

CBRW: Could you provide a short history of the company – and how it became involved in the market?

The Progeny ResQ Raman is used for speedy identification of substances during a laboratory scan.

JL: Rigaku Analytical Devices is a wholly owned subsidiary of Rigaku Corporation, headquartered in Japan. Since its inception in 1951, Rigaku Corporation has been the world leader in X-ray diffraction and wavelength dispersive X-ray fluorescence technology, with more than 1,200 employees worldwide.

In 2011, Rigaku founded Rigaku Raman Technologies to focus on delivering revolutionary handheld Raman systems, with significantly expanded capabilities as compared with conventional Raman systems. Rigaku Raman Technologies was rebranded to Rigaku Analytical Devices in June 2015.

Rigaku was the first to introduce a 1064 nm laser excitation in a sealed and ruggedized handheld platform for reliable analysis of the broadest range of materials.

This expanded our handheld Raman capabilities because of the instrument’s ability to identify coloured substances or through coloured packaging. These characteristics are more ‘real world’ of what is typically found by law enforcement in the safety and security industry.

CBRW: What physical and personnel assets does Rigaku bring to the market?

All photos ©Rigaku

Rigaku Analytical Devices’ portable and handheld specvtrometers provide rapid identification of the widest variety of materials.

Purpose-engineered to meet rigorous requirements, its devices set the new standard for the features and advanced analytics that users expect from lab-quality field portable analyzers.

JL: Rigaku Analytical Devices is based in a 15,000-sq ft (5,000-sq m) facility just outside Boston, Mass., and includes a class 10 k clean room, machine shop, and laser and application labs. Because all our basic business functions – administration, product development/management, sales, marketing, operations, and customer support – are located in one building, it allows us to have excellent coordination and maintain a high level of quality and responsiveness to our end users.

The foundation of the company was built upon the Rigaku Corporation legacy. Our expert team has over a hundred years of combined experience in successfully developing reliable, cost-effective solutions for the end user.

Our field-ruggedized systems deliver unparalleled accuracy and, paired with our extensive application support, enable customers to achieve rapid, lab-quality results at any time, in any place.

CBRW: How many staff do you employ and how many are involved in R&D? JL: We have 35 employees based in our Massachusetts office, with some remote and field-based employees throughout the US, Europe, and Asia. About 60% of our Wilmington staff is involved in product development – including three at PhD level. Progeny ResQ handheld Raman was selected by R&D Magazine as one of its top 100 innovative products of 2015.

In addition, our headquarters achieved ISO 9001:2008 certification where we were praised on our methodical engineering processes, the skills of our technicians, and our commitment to delivering high quality, reliable products. 

CBNW 2017/01 23

INTERVIEW WHAT IS THE CORE OF THE PROGENY RESQ DEVICE? Progeny ResQ is a high-performance handheld device based on 1064 nm laser excitation with compatible hardware. This provides ease of use while still being durable enough to pass rigorous operating standards set by the US military. The criteria include: prolonged submersion in water, repeated drops on the floor, high intensity vibrations, and high/low temperature operation.

Rigaku Analytical Devices spent roughly two years designing, prototyping, and building a system from scratch that meets all requirements for durability. Progeny ResQ is the first fully sealed and ruggedized system of its kind. In ruggedizing the spectroscopic hardware that enables 1064 nm Raman, a great deal of effort was invested into making Progeny ResQ easy to operate by users who must wear cumbersome protective suits.

Screen

For example, an ultra-high contrast ratio screen was selected for Progeny ResQ’s display, so analysis results can be viewed in direct sunlight by an operator wearing SCBA equipment. Additionally, all control buttons on Progeny ResQ meet MIL standards design standards, are raised, and are made from a unique copolymer that is easily felt through protective gloves.

Software

The software systems on Progeny ResQ were designed with two performance objectives that are often incompatible: 1. simple

operation for users experiencing stressful situations, and 2. advanced analytical performance.

Layout

The user interface and layout of Progeny ResQ was developed in an environment that mimics smartphones. This intuitive design allows a user to operate Progeny ResQ with minimal training. With the single push of a button, Progeny ResQ automatically employs two patent pending software systems that allow an untrained operator in the field to obtain the same actionable results as a PhD- level chemist.

Autocollect

The patent pending ‘Autocollect’ feature dynamically and automatically adjusts laser power, exposure time, and ensembleaveraging parameters to maximize the signal-to-noise ratio during Raman signal collection. Once the spectrum has been collected, another patent pending spectral processing system rapidly searches a spectral database which contains Raman signatures of over 12,000 compounds in a few seconds.

If the Raman spectrum of the sample indicates that a mixture is present, the algorithm automatically adapts and identifies the components of the mixture. Unlike competing systems, whose instruments often take several minutes to complete the sample measurement and analysis, Progeny ResQ typically provides the critical results to the end user in less than 30 seconds. In potentially Progeny ResQ is a high-performance handheld device based on 1064 nm laser excitation with compatible hardware.

24 CBNW 2017/01

Jen Lynch

hazardous situations that require an immediate response, this time difference is crucial. The results are presented in an easily interpretable manner that quickly alerts the user as to whether or not a threat is present, including the nature of the threat.

Camera

In addition to unprecedented chemical identification capabilities that come from the advanced hardware and software systems, Progeny ResQ also has features that provide logistical support to first responders. It is the only handheld chemical detection tool with an integrated digital camera that can capture a photograph of the sample and embed the photo into the identification report, which streamlines evidence collection and incident note taking.

It also allows users to quickly export user-generated library entries (for example, a newly discovered drug or hazardous substance) and share the library entry with their colleagues worldwide, so the new threat can be rapidly identified before it proliferates.

4C Technology

The most recent enhancement to Progeny ResQ is the release of 4C Technology. It now has the ability to monitor individually identified chemicals that could possibly be used in combinations as precursors to create an ever more hazardous situation – such as the making of explosives or illicit drugs. Often a first responder is required to know these vast recipes or have an immediate ability to verify with an off-site expert. This can cause unnecessary delays. Progeny ResQ can now foresee a potentially more dangerous threat and warn the user automatically.

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The three-day event will be opened by a multinational CBRN/ C-IED/EOD demonstration led by the German CBRN Command joined by US, Austrian, French and Swiss Armed Forces. The demonstration is followed by two days of conferences, as well as a large indoor and outdoor industry exhibition.

NCT Europe 2017 will host two separate conferences: NCT CBRNe Europe and NCT eXplosive Europe, with a shared exhibition area and joint plenary sessions.

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INTERVIEW CBRW: Why does your company concentrate on handheld Ramans?

JL: As the global threat continues to rapidly evolve, the unique and powerful capabilities of Progeny ResQ handheld Raman provide first responders, law enforcement professionals, customs and border security agencies, and the military with a means to respond to critical situations confidently. Because there are so many application uses for field-portable instrumentation including handheld Raman based devices, Rigaku Corporation identified portable Raman technology as one of high innovation and potential growth, and that this area is synergistic with their other product lines.

CBRW: What percentage of your business is in the safety and security sector?

JL: We have identified the safety and security sector as a priority focus of our business. The safety and security market includes several sub-sectors that each has an extremely important role in protecting public safety. Because these sub-sectors operate independently but have similar requirements – as they include hazmat response, law enforcement, customs and border security, aviation, counter-terrorism, bomb investigation, forensic evidence, and the military – our solution meets the needs of the widest variety of users and actually expands what they are able to accomplish using a single piece of equipment.

There is a tremendous amount of coordination across sales, product development, management, production and customer support to ensure a smooth process for the end user. We understand the scope of the challenge our users face in safety and security response.

CBRW: What are its advantages over other handheld analytical devices on the market?

JL: Chemical detection systems based on Raman spectroscopy are ideal tools for analyzing potentially hazardous samples because, unlike other handheld detection techniques,

26 CBNW 2017/01

analysis can often be performed though packaging material without disturbing the sample – which minimizes exposure to the operator.

While handheld Raman based chemical detectors have been developed by other instrument manufacturers, most systems use a 785 nm laser to excite the sample, which is known to generate heavy fluorescence interference when trying to analyze coloured materials.

For this reason, the use of handheld Raman based detection systems have historically been used, primarily for identifying white powders and clear liquids, which are the least likely samples to produce fluorescence when excited with a 785 nm laser.

While pharmaceutical or laboratory-grade compounds exist as white powders and clear liquids, many real-world threats commonly encountered by military and first responder personnel are coloured by impurities from crude synthetic processes, low-grade precursors, or from intentionally added pigments and dyes, such as those found in household products (e.g. fuel oil, antifreeze).

CBRW: Who are your main customers in the civil sector?

JL: Optimized for use by emergency responders, bomb disposal units, civilian support teams, law enforcement agencies and the military, Progeny ResQ handheld Raman provides rapid and comprehensive detection of unknown substances and delivers the industry’s most comprehensive chemical detection range in a fast and simple handheld form. When response time is mission critical, this rugged device delivers easy-to-interpret actionable results to detect, identify and respond to chemical threats, explosives, illegal drugs, household chemicals and hazardous materials with the touch of a button. Progeny ResQ handheld Raman enables users to protect public and response team safety, the environment, and property while aiding in the global fight against trafficking of illegal substances and terrorism.

CBRW: What percentage of your business is in the military sector?

JL:: Our approach to the military is to focus on what they do versus who they are. The military can be looked at as a small community composed of various functions, including fire departments, emergency management/civil engineers, mail rooms, bioenvironmental response, forensics, security, and counter terrorism. Again, all have their own application and internal processes, and so there are numerous applications for handheld Raman analyzers within the military sector.

CBRW: Where do you see the greatest potential growth sector for your safety and security devices?

Progeny ResQ handheld Raman enables emergency responders to protect public and response team safety.

JL:: Because the overall safety and security umbrella actually consists of many separate sub-sectors already mentioned, the opportunities are many and various. Progeny ResQ 1064 nm handheld Raman provides the capacity to expand at-scene or downrange response using one device for easy, fast, accurate chemical identification. Therefore, it is a solution applicable to the entire market – across the globe. ❚❙

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CHEMICAL DISASTERS India’s chemical industry is worth about $150 billion, ranking sixth in the world. One of the largest industrial sectors in the Indian economy, it is a big employment generator. The location of toxic chemical units close to population centres poses immense hazard to human beings, livestock, flora, fauna and the environment.

The Bhopal gas tragedy in December 1984 still stands as the world’s worst chemical disaster, causing as many as 15,000 deaths. Can we prevent it being repeated?

T

he industry comprises about 70,000 chemical manufacturing units – small, medium and large-scale units, making a wide range of chemical products which include pharmaceuticals (29%), petrochemicals (21%), speciality chemicals (19%), fertilizers (17%), agrochemicals (3%) and other base chemicals (11 %). As much as 80% of this chemical industry is located in the two developed western states of Maharashtra and Gujarat and in, or close to, the population centres of Mumbai and Vadodara.

The Industry is regulated by a host of federal and state agencies as regards licensing, safety, security, pollution control, environmental impact, imports and exports. The Indian Chemical Council is the industry association that works closely with the government bodies in guiding members to implement the above issues.

Vulnerabilities: hazardous chemicals The essential elements of security in the hazardous chemicals (HC) Industry are: assessment of possible threats; vulnerability analysis; security counter measures required; and mitigation and emergency response mechanisms in place. The threats to the chemical industries could affect hazardous chemical facilities, hazardous chemical transportation systems,

and cyber threats to microprocessorcontrolled hazardous chemical process operations.

Any of these could be potential targets for deliberate actions by terrorists, criminals and disgruntled employees.

The major external threat to a facility could be from terrorists, anti-nationals, and militants, with a clear intention to cause a large toxic release, explosions, and inflicting a large number of casualties. The internal threats could be from disgruntled employees, former employees, contractors, with the intention to cause economic damage or disruption in business activity rather than inflicting injuries to people.

Insider threat

The most serious threat could be from collaborative actions by insiders and external adversaries. The risks arising out of these threats are huge and must be assessed to determine adequate security measures required to be employed within the facility, including the domains of cyber security and chemical logistics.

The threats to a chemical processing industry could manifest in release of HC on-site causing fire; explosion and toxic gas dispersion; theft of HC for use off-site; major damage to the infrastruc-

ture of the plant; product tampering; theft of confidential information; and disruption of computer controlled equipment through cyber-attacks.

Vulnerability analysis

Vulnerability analysis (VA) determines the degree to which a facility or system is susceptible to hostile action. It involves identifying areas and realizing the credible threats assessed in the threat analysis. It is essential to be creative and imaginative in VA as the hostile elements may employ novel ways to strike facilities and systems. Vulnerabilities exist at each phase of chemical production, storage, transportation, and distribution, which may be exploited by the threat elements.

Therefore, the security countermeasures should cater to timely detection, delay, response and mitigation from any possible threats – and should encompass Information security, physical security, cyber security, and well-established security policies and procedures.

Site security planning

The US and Western nations have had ample experience with severe chemical incidents, and with the looming threat of chemical terrorism, chemical manufacturers and internal security

Stationary WMD Col H R Naidu Gade asks: can another Bhopal be avoided?

28 CBNW 2017/01

CHEMICAL DISASTERS

“Basically, these hazardous chemical facilities are stationary weapons of mass destruction spread all around the country.”

SEN. BARACK OBAMA, 2006

officials have been striving to improve chemical sector-specific standards, laws and countermeasures.

More advanced countries conduct ‘Responsible Care’ initiatives with stringent and verifiable chemical safety and security standards. These mandate each high-risk facility to carry out a Security Vulnerability Assessment intended to assess the likelihood that unintended consequences would be prevented, based on the security measures already in place at the facility.

Thereafter, these facilities are required to submit a site security plan (SSP) detailing planned security measures, both physical and procedural, intended to address identified vulnerabilities.

These facilities are required to prove that they have adequately addressed the risks outlined by the risk-based performance

standards in their site security plan.

After physical inspection of the facility, the SSP is approved and a deadline given for successful implementation of that plan.

India’s chemical insecurities

India’s chemical industry supposedly operates within elaborate and stringent safety procedures and processes that are periodically updated and upgraded.

However, the record of physical compliance to these procedures by the industry is questionable – because of lax regulatory/supervisory bodies not carrying out their required functions well, and because most industry members compromise on safety and security in order to make quick profits by adopting shortcuts.

As of chemical security, the ubiquitous inadequacies mean the industry needs to walk a long mile. The terms ‘safety’ and ‘security’ are often mixed up and there is a misapprehension that facilities with good safety mechanisms in place are equally secure, which is not true.

In India, an emerging nation, chemical sector safety and security remain 

RISK-BASED PERFORMANCE STANDARDS PERTAIN TO: Restricted-area perimeter; secure site assets; screen and control access; deter, detect, and delay; shipping, receipt, and storage; theft and diversion, sabotage, cyber, response, monitoring, training, personnel surety, elevated threats, specific threats, vulnerabilities, risks, report of significant security incidents, officials and organizations and records.

©Vaikoovery/Wikimedia

CBNW 2017/01 29

CHEMICAL DISASTERS LEFT (from top to bottom):

©Luca Frediani/Simone. lippi/Wikimedia

Memorial for those killed and disabled by the 1984 Bhopal disaster.

After the Bhopal disaster, municipal workers picked up 15,000 bodies with their bare hands, loading them onto trucks for burial in mass graves or to be burned on mass pyres.

Primitive security measures at a chemical plant in India.

woefully inadequate, and the facilities are vulnerable to terrorism and catastrophic failures. Hence there is an immediate need to address areas such as process safety, chemical incompatibilities, emergency response systems, integrated training and mock exercises among stakeholders, comprehensive hazard vulnerability assessments, adequate warning and notification systems, accurate risk communication and public information, and improved cyber and physical security measures.

This would do much to avert, mitigate, respond to, and recover from industrial chemical sector disasters and their aftermath.

©Mr Jaimini from Bhopal

National Chemical Policy 2014

©DNA Daily News & Analysis

The draft National Chemical Policy 2014, which is yet to be approved by the Government, provides for creation of a National Chemical Centre (NCC). This is mandated to evolve, authenticate and issue chemical safety and security standards aimed at putting in place a robust framework, promoting safety and

security of chemical facilities across the value chain – and disaster-resistant and resilient chemical industry operations.

The policy document aims for the NCC and its organs to strictly and holistically regulate the Indian chemical industry.

Until such time the NCC comes into being and is fully functional, the Indian chemical industry will perhaps continue to follow the present ad-hoc and selfsuiting security standards – thereby posing a great threat and risk to the people and the environment around.

The Bhopal disaster was a clear case of serious safety lapses and failed disaster responses. As safety and security are inter-linked, any breaches in the chemical facilities and the transportation chain would result in huge catastrophes causing immense human, animal, and environmental losses. The Indian government and the chemical industry must speedily address this huge ticking time bomb without further delays and vacillations – if they are to prevent another Bhopal-type catastrophe waiting to happen. ❚❙

Right: After Bhopal: during decontamination of the plant in 2010, Tank 610 was removed from its foundation and left aside.

Below: This section of the MIC (methylisocyanate) plant at Bhopal is deteriorating decades after the gas leak.

©Simone.lippi/wikipedia

©Julian Nitzsche/Wikimedia

Col H R Naidu Gade (Retd) is Chief Consultant with CBRNe Secure India, a forum for proliferating knowledge on the threats from CBRNE materials and their disastrous consequences, and has served as Chief CW Inspector with the Organization for Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.

30 CBNW 2017/01

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TRAINING

Keep it real

Major industrial or technological accidents, where the failure of a process, procedure or operating system leads to injury, loss of life, damage to property, economic disruption and environmental degradation, are thankfully comparatively rare. But when an incident does occur it can have major consequences

A

mong accidents that took place in 2015, one included the release of gas and vapour from an ethylene distillation system, while another involved an explosion at a pyrotechnics manufacturing plant, which resulted in six fatalities and significant destruction of property over a large blast area.

32 CBNW 2017/01

Perhaps the most notorious case in recent years was the widely publicised explosion at the Buncefield Oil Storage Terminal in the UK in 2005. This injured 43 people, registered 2.4 on the Richter scale, and caused a cloud of soot and other contaminants covering an area in excess of 200,000 sq m, which quickly reached a height of 2,700 m and within 24 hours had extended across France and Spain. The financial costs of this accident have since been estimated at 1.13 billion

Euros, including emergency response measures, remedial action and compensation claims, plus a further 11.8 million Euros in fines for the various operating companies involved.

Managing risk

The ownership and operation of hazardous industrial and process facilities, particularly those that fall under COMAH (Control of Major Accident Hazards) regulations and the Sevesco III directive, requires carefully managed processes and procedures to ensure full compliance and to reduce

TRAINING

Steven Pike outlines the risk of industrial accidents and describes the vital role of advanced simulation in training

The windsock indicates downwind should cooling fail. ©Shutterstock

risk to the absolute minimum.

Additionally, if processes involve flammable or explosive materials, compliance with the Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmosphere Regulations (DSEAR) also has to form a key part of the overall risk management and safety strategy.

Under DSEAR, an explosive atmosphere is defined as, ‘dangerous substances mixed with air, under atmospheric conditions, in the form of gases, vapours, mist or dust in which, after ignition has occurred, combustion spreads to the entire unburned mixture’ The term ‘atmospheric’ is taken to mean ambient temperatures and pressures, -20°C to +40°C, at

pressures of 0.8 to 1.1 bar.

Further regulations include the European ATEX Directives 99/92/EC and 94/9/EC. These effectively control both the working environment and the protective equipment and systems required to maintain the safety of employees and the workplace as a whole.

Individual sectors of industry are then subject to specific regulations.

For example, in the UK, the nuclear sector falls under the auspices of the Office for Nuclear Regulation, with safety and risk management being based around a legal framework constructed from the Health and Safety at Work Act, the Energy Act and the Nuclear Installations Act, as well as specific process and site

security protocols.

Across industry, these regulations and directives create structures within which organisations can assess, define, control and manage risk, with standardised, repeatable and documented processes. However, despite these rigorous controls the hazardous nature of the processes involved – combined with the ever-present potential for human error – means that there is always the possibility, however small, for an incident to occur. This prompts the question: how best to prepare for a possible industrial accident?

Training and simulation

There are many organizations providing a wealth of guidance and training courses to help managers assess and manage risk – the 

CBNW 2017/01 33

TRAINING primary objective being to establish and document procedures, and then to embed these into working practices, so that unsafe systems and unwanted behaviours are identified and eliminated.

Although this approach is essential, it is also important to ensure that staff are trained to deal with an incident if it should occur; in particular, equipping them with skills and knowledge required to understand and handle the outcome from either an accidental or deliberate release of gas, vapour, dust or radioactive material, which may be carried a considerable distance from the industrial or process facility – and potentially affect both on-site staff and the general public in the surrounding area.

The challenge is creating training scenarios that replicate real-world situations, without actually releasing hazardous agents into the environment.

Traditionally, this has been achieved either using classroom or field-based simulations – often with small quantities of live materials or check sources, which

©Wikimedia commons

Above: The smoke plume from the Buncefield industrial accident could be seen from Dunsmore, Buckinghamshire, about 32 km away.

Below: This petrochemical plant fire in Thailand was caused by welding sparks!

©Shutterstock

trainees locate using conventional detection instruments, or the use of signs and handheld notes around the training area or classroom that show the expected level of contamination readings at different locations.

These methods, however, have a number of disadvantages. For example, using real detectors in training takes equipment out of service and can cause it to be damaged, while the use of live check sources, even on a limited scale, can present considerable risk to trainees and, as a minimum, require compliance 34 CBNW 2017/01

with health and safety regulations and also limit the maximum reading that can be presented.

At the other end of the scale, the use of printed signs around the training area may be inexpensive but in practice does little to help trainees understand the correct use of detection equipment or the best methods of interpreting readings under different operating conditions.

Creating real-world simulation

The alternative to these traditional methods of incident training is to use a

new generation of intelligent computer based simulation tools, such as Argon Electronics’ PlumeSIM-SMART system.

The latest version of this powerful system has been designed for use in a wide range of industrial scenarios, including the release of radiological, chemical and petrochemical gases, vapours or agents.

PlumeSIM-SMART is a software-driven system, available on low-cost annual user licences, which runs on a standard laptop connected wirelessly to one or more handheld smart devices or mobiles (SMART-SIM). These are used by students working in the designed training location, which can be up to 2,500 km in area, and simulate real-life detection instruments. They are implemented as virtual devices within each SMART-SIM and include radiological dose and dose rate meters, multi-gas detection, air monitoring and in the future radiological spectrometry meters, as well as customer-specific instruments.

The system allows an instructor to create, run and optimise each training exercise from a central point, with the ability to influence the readings that students should obtain across the training area at different times or phases of each exercise.

In the field, each student sees a customised display on their SMART-SIM. The readings are determined and automatically updated in real time to reflect the movement and location of the student and the impact that changing wind and weather conditions has on the dispersal rate of the plume of gas or radioactivity. Other features include the ability to simulate hot spots, such as static emissions or a localised radiological source, material fallout, deposition, persistency, evaporation and

©Argon

TRAINING

©Argon

Plumes and hot spots are readily simulated with A01 representing the survey team.

Multi-GAS simulator indicates 15% LEL (lower explosive limit).

radioactive decay while the associated simulated instrument readings are automatically updated.

The route and actions taken by each student are automatically logged, allowing the instructor to review the choice of survey route, time taken, information collected and communicated, personal dose management and the decisions taken, as a result of the readings and hazard predictions provided.

PlumeSIM-SMART can also be

configured to provide an identical training regime in the classroom, with an integrated gamepad feature to allow trainees to manoeuvre through a virtual exercise space, thereby greatly enhancing table-top exercises.

COMAH and Sevesco site simulation This new technology is ideal for use in a wide range of training scenarios, and is especially valuable for industrial and process sites that are regulated under COMAH regulations and the

Seveso III directive.

The system is simple to set up and use, yet delivers the ability to construct intricate training programmes, to reflect the challenges of dealing with complex dispersal patterns in different environmental conditions. Perhaps as importantly, it provides detailed audit trails and can be used for training and evaluating staff at all levels of seniority and skill including, for example, in the UK Bronze, Silver and Gold commanders.

Tools such as PlumeSIM-SMART offer an extremely effective extension to existing safety management and training programmes, providing a new dimension that can play an important role in mitigating risk and, should an incident occur, deal efficiently with the outcome. ❚❙ Steven Pike is founder and Managing Director of Argon Electronics (UK) Ltd. A graduate of the University of Hertfordshire, Steven has been awarded a number of international patents related to hazardous material training systems and technology.

React Media is proud to present CBNW Xplosive – an annual journal dealing with the multiple military and civilian threats caused by the constant deployment of Improvised Explosive Devices and explosives, and the evolving countermeasures to deal with them – and their instigators.

Due out this Autumn, CBNW Xplosive analyses IED deployment in the increasing number of terrorist and insurgent conflicts occurring worldwide – and describes the latest breakthroughs in Counter-IED, counter-terrorism, and Explosives Ordnance Disposal equipment and training.

Edited by CBNW editor Andy Oppenheimer IAExpE MIABTI, CBNW Xplosive features articles by leading counter-IED and counter-terrorist experts. It is distributed free and at all major defence and security trade shows, and is available online.

www.cbnw.co.uk Tel: +44(0) 20 8886 2133 CBNW 2017/01 35

TERRORISM

RAT RUN

Brig Gen (Pa) Ret Xavier Stewart reads the roll call of lone perpetrators of terrorism

Illustration: ©Mariel Foulds

The bomb attack on Djemaa El Fna square in Marrakech, Morocco on 28 April 2011 was allegedly the work of a lone-wolf terrorist acting without his cell’s assistance. ©Mawassi Lahcen

©Wikipedia

Police and EMTs (emergency medical technicians) arrive on scene immediately after the April 2013 Boston Marathon bombing.

Since the 9/11 attacks on the U.S. homeland, Americans have become ever more vigilant to the ongoing threat of terrorist violence. That vigilance has risen since lone wolves became more prevalent and continue to pose an increasingly challenging terrorism threat.

T

oday’s global strategic environment remains turbulent. Weapons, bomb-making materials and explosives are widely available and technologies, literature and equipment can be found on the Internet. Preventing individuals, criminals and terrorists, state or non-state supported, from acquiring these materials is a formidable but necessary task and a challenge for the law enforcement and intelligence community.

The threats and acts of lone wolves pose great challenges to our first-responder community, critical infrastructure, key resources, government, business, and economy.

to transport these terrorists or smuggle weapons into the US undetected. This is increasing the stress factors amongst our Emergency Response Communities (ERC). Their ability to respond to the proliferation of lone-wolf attacks has been shaken recently as law enforcement and first responders have also been targeted.

Recent changes in the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) structure and budget allocations reflect not only the public’s concern, but also the realization by government officials that past practices and priorities needed to be revised.

The enemy is among us

Recent lone-wolf attacks continue to 

Bystanders take cover as shots ring out from the Soldier Readiness Processing Center during the Fort Hood shooting on 5 November 2009.

Exploiting vulnerabilities

The lone wolf, or as defined by current FBI Director James Comey “the Lone Rat” -has become decidedly more complex to identify and locate in order to prevent an incident. We have an open society; this is our Achilles heel, and rogue states and terrorist organizations seek to use this vulnerability to recruit lone wolves as their proxies to engage in criminal or terroristic acts.

Our porous borders do not hinder our adversaries’ capability 36 CBNW 2017/01

©Wikipedia

NCAGE A5009 CONFORM TO THE QUALITY SYSTEM STANDARD AQAP 2110 and ISO 9001:2008

TERRORISM

“Between 1955 and 1977, approximately 7% of all terror victims were killed by lone wolves. Since then (1978-1999), 26% of all terror victims were killed by lone wolves.”

TERRORISM RESEARCH AND ANALYSIS CONSORTIUM, 2015

reverberate throughout the nation and the world - from Europe, Asia and Russia to the Middle East, Africa and the US. The recent increase in lone wolf attacks using IEDs, guns or vehicles are now more than ever a clear and present danger. These individuals usually work alone or in very small groups. The Paris and Nice attacks in France and in the US, Orlando, Boston, San Bernardino County, Colorado Springs, and the most recent attacks in New York, New Jersey and Ohio State University are just some examples. These individuals may present a greater threat than organized groups.

No longer are lone perpetrators just a theoretical matter that occurs sporadically, but has led Western governments to be embroiled in a ghost war unlike any it had ever experienced.

The enemy is among us, virtually undetectable. He wears no uniform; there are no front lines to delineate friend from foe.

It is obvious that this enemy has the advantage of years of planning, abundant resources, and the ability to strike at the time, place, and manner of his or her choosing.

who killed three and injured 23 during an 18-year bombing spree; the Tylenol poisoning incident, in which tablets laced with potassium cyanide killed seven in 1982; the bombing of Oklahoma City by Timothy McVeigh, who with Terry Nichols killed 168 and injured hundreds more in April 1995, and remains to date the bloodiest attack on US soil; the anthrax attacks, which sparked the administration of antibiotics to thousands in October 2001; the Beltway sniper, who shot 10 in and around Washington D.C. in October 2002; the bombing of clinics by antiabortionists; the shooting dead of 13

First responders clear up massive damage in the immediate aftermath of the Oklahoma City bombing in April 1995 - the deadliest act of domestic terrorism in US history. ©Wikipedia

The shooters’ Ford Expedition SUV involved in the San Bernardino shoot-out on 2 December 2015, in which a jihadist lone-wolf couple, Syed Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik, killed 14 and injured 22.

©San Bernardino County Sheriff Department

Lone wolves engage in traditional terrorist tactics (use of conventional small-calibre weapons and explosives) targeting soft targets (open public venues or businesses), delivering violent attacks against civilians or government facilities to achieve political, religious, and ideological goals. They may act on behalf of a belligerent nation, state-sponsored group or terrorist cell.

Spanning the spectrum

These individuals span the religious and political spectrum.

They comprise a long list: the Unabomber Theodore Kaczynski, 38 CBNW 2017/01

soldiers at Fort Hood by Maj Nidal Maljik in November 2009; and the Boston Marathon bombings in April 2013, in which two died and over 200 injured.

These events, and others, have created insecurity amongst the nation’s populace.

While the lone wolf acts to advance the ideological or philosophical beliefs of an extremist group such as ISIS and al-Qaeda, they act on their own, usually without any outside command or direction. The lone wolf’s tactics and methods are conceived and directed solely on their own thorough Internet research or copycat methodologies. These lone wolves are in part Islamic-motivated terrorists who have increased their terror in a number of countries and caused significant fatalities and injuries.

Interacting with fellow extremists on line or watching extremist media previously radicalized only 3% of domestic lone wolves. Today, the Internet has become one of the most powerful radicalization tools for domestic lone wolves. Terrorist chat rooms in particular

TERRORISM Rizwan Farook killed 14 and injured 22 in the San Bernardino California mass shooting with his wife Tashfeen Malik. They were both killed in a gun battle with police.

©FBI

Right: Ahmad Khan Rahami made four bombing attempts from 17-19 September 2016, wounding 30.

Left: Omar Mateen killed 45 and wounded 53 in the Orlando Pulse Nightclub massacre on 12 June 2016.

©FBI

©California DMV

the de-radicalization of the latter. Therefore, jails may paradoxically act as a further means to enhance radicalization.

The United States will have to become vigilant to this expanding threat and implement processes and data collection tools that will provide actionable situational awareness to agencies in a timely manner to thwart this new enemy, while holding in balance the civil liberties we so cherish. However, I fear this will sadly be the decade of the lone rats. ❚❙

©My Space

serve to reinforce individuals’ extremist views.

Civilian workplaces have also become a prominent place for individuals to radicalize, especially if they work with individuals who share a similar ideology.

Jails have also become a breeding ground for new terrorists who get radicalized by convicted terrorists, and may not lead to

Xavier Stewart is a retired Brigadier General (PA), currently President and CEO of Stewart and Associates, a company that helps the US Government combat weapons of mass destruction and develops national policies on homeland defense. He was Commander, 3rd Weapons of Mass Destruction-Civil Support Team, US Army from 1998-2005 for FEMA Region III.

The views expressed in this paper is that of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Army, Department of Defense, the US Government and Stewart and Associates.

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BIOWARFARE A new pathogen causes anthrax-like disease.

©Deviant World

Dr Ram Athavale examines the recent anthrax scares and the biothreat from ISIS

ANTHRAX

in Africa

There are fears that ISIS is generating bio threats in Africa.

ISIS are said to have recruited young medical interns in countries in the Horn of Africa and Sahel to develop toxic pathogens in hospital laboratories. With many tourist A dead cow killed by anthrax in Lake Nakuru National Park in Kenya in 2009. ©East Africa Standard

40 CBNW 2017/01

hotspots in the region, the vulnerability of tourists – especially from Western countries and Israel – has increased

BIOWARFARE ©US CDC

©CDC

Top: Spores from the Sterne strain of anthrax bacteria (Bacillus anthracis).

I

n 2016, reports emerged of ISIS experimenting with lethal pathogens. A suspect in the March bombings in Brussels was apprehended allegedly with a crude biological weapon. In August 2015 there were reports of a natural outbreak of anthrax in domestic and wild animals in Kenya, with Outbreak News Today reporting that anthrax had killed over 300 buffalo in Lake Nakuru National Park – about 10% of 4,500 buffalo living in the reserve. Other animals like rhinos, Rothschild giraffes, elands, impalas, warthogs and Thomson gazelles have also been affected by the outbreak.

As the Merck Veterinary Manual indicates, anthrax is a zoonotic disease

Bottom: Photomicrograph of a Gram stain B. anthracis.

caused by the spore-forming bacterium Bacillus anthracis. Anthrax is most common in wild and domestic herbivores (cattle, sheep, goats, camels, antelopes) but can also be seen in humans exposed to tissue from infected animals, contaminated animal products or directly to B. anthracis spores under certain conditions.

Threat to livestock

Depending on the route of infection, host factors, and potentially strain specific factors, anthrax has several clinical presentations. In herbivores, it commonly presents as an acute septicemia with a high fatality rate, often accompanied by hemorrhagic lymphadenitis.

B. anthracis spores can remain infective in soil for many years. During this time, they are a potential source of infection for grazing livestock. Grazing animals may become infected when they ingest sufficient quantities of these spores from the soil.

In addition to direct transmission, biting flies may mechanically transmit B. anthracis spores from one animal to another. People can get anthrax by handling contaminated animal or animal products, consuming undercooked meat of infected animals – and more recently, intentional release of spores. Inhalation anthrax is the most potent and dangerous form and can kill quickly if not treated immediately.

Spread to Africa

A recent study published in PLOS (Public Library of Science) in September 2016, Neglected Tropical Diseases, states that a related bacillus with distinct genetic and biological characteristics that causes anthrax-like disease in chimps, gorillas, elephants, and goats has been isolated from four African countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. The bacteria strain (B. cereus) mimics anthrax symptoms in animals and humans and can be as lethal as B. anthracis.

In May 2016, Kenyan authorities claimed to have foiled a “large-scale” biological terrorist plot by militants linked to ISIS, raising fears that the terrorist group may be extending its influence in Africa. Police arrested Mohammed Abdi Ali, a medical intern at the Wote District Hospital in south-eastern Kenya, and his wife and her friend from Uganda. The interns were believed 

AN ANTHRAX ATTACK COULD BE:  placed in letters and mailed, as was done in the US in October 2001  put into food or water  released into the air from a truck, building, or aircraft.

A few grams of the spores could affect a stadium full of people.

This type of attack would mean the anthrax spores could easily be blown around by the wind or carried on furniture, buildings, trees, crops, clothes, shoes, and other objects.

CBNW 2017/01 41

BIOWARFARE to be members of the Al Shabaab terrorist group of Somalia and affiliated to ISIS. The terror plot was aimed at various targets in Kenya.

Recruitment in hospitals

ISIS is suspected to have recruited a large number of people from Eastern and Northern African states, some of whom are educated and skilled people working in laboratories and hospitals. There are reports of another group, calling itself Jahba East Africa, which has announced itself as an ISIS affiliate and claims to have operatives in Kenya, Somalia, Tanzania, and Uganda.

There has been easy access to hospital pathology laboratories and animals naturally infected by anthrax. There has also been a spurt in recruitment of many educated and trained technicians by terrorist organisations. Kenyan authori-

launch an anthrax attack, raising fears the terrorist group is increasingly close to acquiring the deadly biological weapon.

Both operatives were medical interns at Malindi hospital, who studied at Saratov State Medical University. The two were planning to acquire fake travel documents to facilitate their escape to Somalia.

The hospital has a history as a breeding ground for Islamic terrorists.

Four other interns at the hospital were arrested by Kenyan authorities in 2015 for planning to join ISIS. Another Kenyan medical intern at a separate hospital, Mohamed Ali, was arrested in April 2016 for trying to plan an anthrax attack.

The sheer simplicity of operations by these medical interns raises grave concerns regarding general safety of the public. People have faith in doctors to heal them of diseases and illnesses.

Africa to prevent spread of such activities. Countries need to strengthen their domestic laws and procedures for safety and security of laboratories and research establishments. Greater surveillance of such assets needs to be implemented.

Police forensics and health officials need to be duly sensitized towards such activities by terrorist groups.

Countries need to come together to share intelligence alerts and launch coordinated operations to curb this rising menace in its inception. National police, Interpol, Europol and similar such organizations have a grave task ahead to prevent clandestine activities where terrorists are attempting to make home-grown biological and chemical weapons.

While countries in Eastern and Northern Africa are aware of the threats and have effectively prevented the ©Argonne National Laboratory/Wikimedia

Above: CapD protein crystal structure of B. anthracis.

Left: This image from March 2016 shows the location of carcasses in sub-Saharan Africa infected with B. cereus by anthracis isolates.

©Deviant World

ties have long worried about radicalization and recruitment of young people in Kenya’s schools and universities. While the authorities have instituted measures to prevent such recruitment, the arrests have taken CBRN terror possibilities to the next level. It is possible that biological agents are being grown and prepared in remote low-visibility areas of Africa for subsequent use in Europe, US or elsewhere.

Recent cases

In July 2016 up to 30 anthrax cases were reported in the Nakuru county of Kenya.

Doctors said they were contaminated by animal carcasses infected with anthrax.

On 30 August 2016, two ISIS operatives were arrested in Kenya after trying to 42 CBNW 2017/01

With doctors indulging in such covert and lethal activities, threats and risks increase manifold.

Preventive measures

ISIS has embarked on a new path of CBRN terror and we need to be more vigilant against such threats. Safety and security of laboratories and research institutions needs to be enhanced.

Healthcare officials need to be sensitised about such threats and their prevention measures. Deadly pathogens or cultures could be prepared in remote places, avoiding detection, and transported elsewhere to target victims.

The arrest of ISIS operatives from different countries seeks greater regional cooperation within Eastern and Central

terrorists from using such toxic pathogens, the threat of more such medical students and qualified doctors indulging in similar activities in other parts of the world remains. In a region having witnessed many lethal diseases and illnesses from natural causes, such manmade bio threats are a matter of great concern. ❚❙ Dr Ram Athavale has been a Key Advisor to the Government of India on CBRN Security and Incident Management. He is currently deployed as a CBRN Key Expert for On-Site Technical Assistance to the EU CBRN Risk Mitigation Centres of Excellence, Regional Secretariat in Nairobi, Kenya.

BIORESPONSE

Gary A. Flory proposes a rethink of the urban response to anthrax

ŠUS Environmental Protection Agency

Š2016 US Environmental Protection Agency

ANTHRAX A week after the September 11, 2001 attacks, letters tainted with anthrax spores were mailed to two US Senators and several news media offices. The attacks, often referred to as Amerithrax, resulted in the deaths of five people and the infection of 17 others.

In addition to causing widespread fear, the attacks contaminated dozens of buildings with anthrax spores.

D

econtaminating buildings and returning them to service is possible but time consuming and costly.

Cleaning anthrax spores from the Senate office building cost $27 million. After 26 months, the Brentwood postal facility in Washington, D.C. was finally remediated at a cost of $130 million. The total cost of the attack is estimated to exceed $1 billion.

Anthrax persistence

Anthrax is a zoonotic disease caused by the bacterium Bacillus anthracis. It is endemic in several countries in Africa, central and southern Asia, and southern Europe, where it can be found in wildlife and domestic animals such as cattle, sheep and goats.

Outside of a living host, the bacterium forms spores which persist in the environment, surviving years or even decades.

Responding to a subway attack

The previous examples highlight the difficulty of decontaminating both urban and natural environments.

In addition to the typical difficulties, an anthrax attack on a subway system poses unique challenges: the size of the system, number of stations, concentration of people, interconnectedness with the surface, and the mixing of air by the trains. The Shanghai Metro is 365 miles (584 km) long. The New York City Subway has 469 individual subway stations. More than 3.2 million people ride the Beijing Subway.

Top left: Foggers prepare to disinfect the contaminated subway system.

Left: Disinfecting porous material in an immersion tank.

44 CBNW 2017/01

BIORESPONSE

and the city

Illustration: ©Mariel Foulds

To demonstrate the spores’ longevity, in 2016 unusually warm temperatures in western Russia’s Yamal tundra melted the thick frozen soil layer, exposing grazing reindeer herds to anthrax spores in a reindeer carcass that had been protected under permafrost for 75 years. Anthrax infections sickened nearly a hundred people and killed 2,300 reindeer. To help control the outbreak, Russian authorities are evaluating killing 250,000 reindeer and disposing of the carcasses. ©2016 US Environmental Protection Agency

To address these challenges the United States undertook an interagency effort between the Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Defense and several national laboratories. The Underground Transportation Restoration (UTR) Operational Technology Demonstration (OTD) was conducted at Fort A.P. Hill’s Asymmetric Warfare Training Center (AWTC) to evaluate field-level mass transportation decontamination technologies directed at the intentional release of a biological agent such as Bacillus anthracis. Access to the AWTC offered researchers the unique opportunity to evaluate technologies in a subway environment without a connection to an active subway system.

Assessing decon technologies

The project, which spanned more than a month, consisted of two separate rounds of background sampling, agent release, decontamination, sampling, waste removal and decontamination, and post-decontamination sampling. For the safety of the researchers, a non-pathogenic surrogate organism, Bacillus atrophaeus subspecies globigii (Bg) was used.

The first round assessed off-the-shelf L-30 foggers from Curtis Dyna-Fog Ltd producing a fog from a diluted bleach 

©2016 US Environmental Protection Agency

Top right: Preparing disinfectant within the hot zone.

Middle right: Workers prepare to exit the release zone.

Right: Responders in Level A protection enter the release zone.

©2016 US Environmental Protection Agency

CBNW 2017/01 45

BIORESPONSE ©2016 US Environmental Protection Agency

Above: An orchard sprayer is tested for applying disinfectant.

Left: Surface sampling template.

©2016 US Environmental Protection Agency

solution. The machine consists of a motor/blower assembly, nozzle system, nozzle housing, formulation tank, and metering valve. Liquid is drawn from the formulation tank through the control valve and into the nozzle system where it is pneumatically sheared into aerosol or mist size droplets.

The droplets are then driven away from the machine by air passing by the nozzle system.

The second round assessed an off-the-shelf Northstar skid sprayer spraying an application of a pH-adjusted bleach solution. Both rounds included a cost analysis and an efficacy assessment. Secondary studies included an aerosol knock-down barrier evaluation, a gel decontaminant application study, full-scale demonstration of other alternative technologies, and an aggressive air sampling study.

The project’s emphasis on off-the-shelf technology was intentional. During any emergency, reliance on purpose built equipment can increase cost and result in significant delays.

Much of the equipment used in the UTR OTD is commercially available for use in agricultural or industrial applications.

Response in subways

As part of the project design staff evaluated a variety of 46 CBNW 2017/01

equipment for ease of use, broad availability, cost and effectiveness. These evaluations in themselves advanced our understanding of a response to a biological or chemical attack on a subway system.

One example was the evaluation of potential methods for sealing off sections of a subway system. Any CBRN response will require the isolation of portions of a subway system to prevent the spread of contaminants and to conduct decontamination activities. After the evaluation of a half-dozen different systems, the team was able to down-select to a frame system that allowed teams to erect sealed barriers within 20 minutes which could be quickly deconstructed and reinstalled at another location.

Sample collection

The sampling activities for each of the two test rounds consisted of collecting samples within the tunnel and platform areas pre-decontamination to determine the levels of Bg throughout the test facility, and post-decontamination to determine the efficacy of the decontamination technology, as well as sampling from a newsstand, food cart, railway ballast, and water from the station sumps. These will be sampled by EPA Consequence Management and Advisory Division (CMAD) personnel, EPA National Homeland Security Research Center (NHSRC) personnel, Regional On-Scene Coordinators (OSCs), EPA contractors, US Army Civil Support Teams (CSTs), the US Coast Guard Atlantic Strike Team, and US Army personnel.

Waste management

Not all materials can be decontaminated in situ. In addition to concrete, tile and similar non-porous building materials, subway systems contain a variety of porous material that must

BIORESPONSE ©2016 US Environmental Protection Agency

©2016 US Environmental Protection Agency ©2016 US Environmental Protection Agency

be removed from the system for disposal. Examples include maps, posters and kiosk items including newspapers, magazines, T-shirts, cash, and food items. Disposables from the response such as sampling and personal protective equipment must also be managed as part of the waste stream.

One objective of the project was to evaluate methods for treating these waste streams to destroy spores prior to their removal from the site. If effective, this process will allow these waste streams to be managed and disposed of at a lower risk level, considerably reducing transportation risk and disposal cost. The method evaluated was a simple process of dunking contaminated material in a sporicidal agent contained within a 10 ft3 (3 cubic metres) immersion tank. After complete saturation, the waste was removed from the tank, drained of free liquid, and sampled for the presence of spores.

Success?

Thousands of samples were collected during the month-long UTR OTD. The analysis of the samples and the evaluation of the data will take time. Although it is too early to draw conclusions about individual decontamination and sampling technologies, the project has clearly helped define the problem and offers the possibility of bringing new technology to the next CBRN response. Although many challenges remain, research and field-scale projects like the UTR OTD will continue to improve our preparedness for future bioterrorism attacks on critical urban infrastructure. ❚❙

Top: Testing off-the-shelf disinfection equipment.

Middle: A sampling team prepares to enter the subway system.

Bottom: Disinfecting porous material in an immersion tank.

Gary A. Flory is Agricultural Program Manager for the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality where he provides leadership on agriculture, the environment and public health. He also provides independent consulting, training, emergency response, and public speaking services in foreign animal diseases, counter-agroterrorism, One-Health, and natural disasters.

CBNW 2017/01 47

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deployable. It neutralizes chemical and biological warfare agents (CBWs), toxic industrial chemicals (TICs), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), bodily fluids, bacteria and viruses.

BDAS+ units are easy to use while wearing PPE including MOPP IV, Class II, Class III and Level A ensembles. Allowing up to a 15-ft (4.5-m) standoff distance for the warfighter, direct contact with the threat is avoided - so exposure is reduced and potential spread of contamination is minimized.

Decon7 Systems has partnered with top-tier firms for design, engineering, and manufacturing of the BDAS+. The BDAS+ won a 2016 Bronze IDEA in the annual design competition conducted by the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA). The industrial design aesthetic takes its cue from defence products. Functional, angular lines give it a purposeful, rugged look. The knurled handle, bright yellow safety tab,

and trigger illustrate the correct operation of the unit and communicate importance of these features. The integrated yellow safety and dust cover also keeps critical areas sealed against harsh environments.

Components are contained in three bag-on-valve cylinders, protected by a roll cage-inspired, slatted casework made from high-impact plastic that provides excellent impact and drop-resistance.

Through careful material selection, component reduction, and designing the product for ease of assembly and simplified manufacturing, Decon7 was able to balance the need for ruggedness and durability with the demand for a disposable product.

Hundreds of prototypes have been field tested by agencies such as the FBI, Pentagon Force Protection Agency, US Secret Service, Army National Guard WMD-CSTs, SOCOM, USASOC, NAVEOD, and more. ❚❙

EXERCISES

Making London a

STRONG TOWER

David Oliver lays out vital live training exercises as London prepares for terrorism London is no stranger to terrorism. Given the changing nature of the very real terrorism threat and events around the world all its agencies need to constantly adapt our plans and prepare for new or emerging threats

T

he UK Government aims to ensure all organizations are fully prepared for all types of emergencies. Integral to that is practicing and testing all the elements of emergency plans.

Planning for emergencies cannot be considered reliable until it is exercised and has proved to be workable, especially since false confidence may be placed in the integrity of a written plan.

Live exercises are a live rehearsal for implementing a plan and are particularly useful for testing logistics, communications and physical capabilities. They also make excellent training events from the point of view of experiential learning, helping participants develop confidence in their skills and providing experience of what it would be like to use the plan’s procedures in a real event. Live exercises are expensive to set up on the day and demand the most extensive preparation.

Strong Tower

In June 2015 a counter-terrorism test exercise took place at sites across London. Codenamed Operation Strong Tower, it had been in planning since December 2014 rather than as a result of a specific threat, or the tragic events in Paris or Tunisia.

At one venue – Westminster around the disused Aldwych Tube Station – appropriate steps were taken to reduce disruption over the two-day exercise. Local residents and businesses along with schools and places of worship were advised of the exercise and extensive media coverage was also used to reduce public concern and promote the aims of the initiative.

The exercise was jointly funded by the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) and the Home Office as part of the National Counter Terrorism Exercise Programme under CONTEST, the UK’s counter-terrorism strategy. Its main aim was to test the response of over 14 different organizations and agencies that took part. NHS England and NHS frontline providers took part in order to test their systems and processes and the way they interact with other key agencies and government departments – and to ensure the NHS has the strongest possible incident response systems in place.

The Department for Transport was responsible for managing the risk to transport networks as part of CONTEST, and worked with industry and the police to ensure appropriate measures were in place proportionate to the threat, to maintain the security of the travelling public.

More than 140 operational and support staff alongside specialist London Ambulance Service teams tested their emergency medical response to this kind of incident. A full debrief was carried out after the exercise to make sure that any learning is properly captured.



50 CBNW 2017/01

“Although the scenario of Operation Strong Tower had no overt chemical attack, the threat of one was always in the background.”

EXERCISES Decontamination units have been seen on the streets of London for the first time at live emergency response exercises.

©London Fire Service

Medics from London’s Air Ambulance treat a volunteer victim during a live exercise in London.

Regular major emergency response exercises are conducted in London involving up to 170 organizations.

©London Fire Service

©London Fire Service

CBNW 2017/01 51

EXERCISES THE ACT BECAME REAL In October 2016 London was faced with a full-scale emergency following a chemical incident at London City Airport.

Three fire engines and a range of specialist appliances, including Detection, Identification and Monitoring (DIM) vehicles, were called to reports of a chemical at the airport. The DIM vehicles provide a capability to a major national incident, involving actual or potential chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear (CBRN) or hazardous materials (Hazmat).

Around 500 members of the public and staff were evacuated and London Ambulance Service crews treated 26 patients at the scene for difficulty breathing; two were taken to hospital.

Two complete sweeps of the airport building were carried out jointly by firefighters and police officers both wearing protective equipment but no elevated readings were found. The building was ventilated, searched and declared safe. Two men were later interviewed under caution for possession of pepper spray, an offence contrary to the Aviation Security Act 1982. They were not arrested.

The incident was not treated as a terrorist-related matter and the investigation was led by officers from the Metropolitan Police Service Operational Command Unit (OCU) known as Aviation Policing CID, who police Heathrow Airport and London City Airport.

Unified Response

This large-scale, complex, live, command-post exercise held between 29 February and 3 March 2016 took place at four separate venues in central and southeast London and at a disused power station near the Dartford river crossing.

The scenario was based on a significant building collapse incorporating heavy transport and mass casualties.

All London’s emergency response organizations, including local and national authorities, were involved – along with specialized teams from across the UK and from Hungary, Italy and Cyprus. The exercise was a complex scenario that presented a range of challenges to frontline responders from all participating agencies and specialist teams, including the London Fire Service that undertakes Urban Search and Rescue, Hazardous Area Response Teams from the London Ambulance Service, and Disaster Victim Identification by the MPS. The European Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC) also took part and the exercise was designed to validate protocols and coordination arrangements at the responder, tactical and strategic level. Exercise Unified Response was part of the European Commission Exercise Programme and 52 CBNW 2017/01

“We were called at 4.11pm to reports of an incident at London City Airport. We sent a number of resources to the scene including two single responders in cars, four ambulance crews, an incident response officer and our Hazardous Area Response Team – medics specially trained to treat people in hazardous situations.”

was co-funded under the EU Civil Protection Mechanism.

Kirchhoff ’s Impedance

A low-profile exercise, dubbed Kirchhoff ’s Impedance, took place over several days in February 2016 when British security forces were joined by Special Air Service (SAS) and Special Boat Service (SBS) troops as well as American FBI agents, US Navy Seals and Delta force to prepare for potential devastating radiological attacks at famous London landmarks.

These included Lord’s cricket ground, disused buildings near Lambeth Palace, and other buildings close to the MI6 headquarters next to the River Thames.

The 22nd SAS and SBS maintain teams on alert to respond to a terrorist incident in the UK, but their deployment requires approval from civilian powers – in the form of an authorization issued by COBRA, the emergency committee of cabinet ministers chaired by the Prime Minister. The aim of the exercise was to see how security forces would manage if faced with a new generation of chemical/nuclear explosive.

Responding to London attacks

In the event of a serious terrorist threat, the Metropolitan Police SO15 Counter

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF LONDON AMBULANCE SERVICE OPERATIONS PAUL GIBSON

Terrorism (CT) Command’s Forensic Management Team (FMT) is responsible for scene management and evidence recovery and management, in support of all CT operations within London. The FMT carry out roles within a conventional scene or a CBRN environment.

The London Resilience Partnership brings together over 170 organizations, each with specific responsibilities for preparing for and responding to emergencies. These include an event or situation which threatens serious damage to human welfare; an event or situation which threatens serious damage to the environment; or war or terrorism which threatens serious damage to security.

In October 2016, the London Resilience Team and the London Fire Brigade Emergency Planning Team combined to form a collective unit delivering services on behalf of the Mayor of London, London’s Local Authorities, and the London Fire Brigade. ❚❙ CBNW Deputy Editor David Oliver is the author of 18 defence-related books.

He is a former IHS Jane’s consultant editor and a regular correspondent for defence publications in the UK, USA, France, Poland, Brazil and Thailand.

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COUNTRY PROFILE

Otakar J. Mika and Jozef Sabol outline the frameworks for CBRN defence in the Czech Republic

Š Otakar J. Mika and Jozef Sabol

First -degree PROTECTION The UN, NATO, EU, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and other international organizations have recently adopted resolutions and directives aimed at preventing CBRN terrorism. The Czech Republic has also implemented legislation and procedures against the misuse of CBRN elements to construct weapons.

54 CBNW 2017/01

COUNTRY PROFILE

The National Action Plan to Combat against Terrorism for CBRN defence in the Czech Republic includes preparedness (first responders, rescuers, health personnel, the police, Army, hospitals) and response to extraordinary events and their consequences, including CBRN terrorist attacks, with:  Systematic preparation of control components and bodies for CBRN terrorism  Sufficient knowledge of CBRN terrorism: population awareness of possible extraordinary events and emergency situations in the home or workplace, including terrorist attacks  Warning systems and answers to questions by administrative authorities in places of residence  Equipping the population with written directions on CBRN terrorism and how to react to terrorist attacks: how warnings work, civilian shelters, improvised personal protective equipment (PPE) and aids, evacuation luggage and routes, and evacuee assembly areas  Practical training of the population for CBRN attacks: drill and exercises, how to use PPE and aids, improvised protective equipment, evacuation training, and training for civilian occupation of assigned shelters  Theoretical training: basic knowledge for first responders and police  Practical training: exercises for first responders and police  Systematic, regular and comprehensive verification of responders’ knowledge and skills through written tests and practical verification in the field.

F

ollowing the terrorist attacks in Brussels on 22 March 2016, the Czech government increased the terrorist threat level in the country to the first degree. The boost permits up to 550 military personnel to be called up to support police for two months, to add to special security measures at international airports, nuclear power plants, embassies and the Prague Metro.

CBRN materials – including toxins and civil-use radioisotopes and even weapons-grade nuclear materials or weapons components – can be stolen from army bases, store houses, production plants or in transit. Individuals or groups can obtain explosives and conventional weaponry illegally and CBRN materials or devices can be smuggled from countries where it is relatively easy to acquire them.

The Czech Republic has been prone to this but has not lagged behind in CBRN prevention. The country’s legislation is rigorously based on international treaties, agreements and conventions, and national legislation for CBRN defence involves implementing UN and several other elaborate decrees. Executive and control authority is invested in the State Office for Nuclear Safety, which covers non-proliferation of nuclear weapons and prohibition of chemical and biological weapons.

Measures for protection

Standards for protection of the population against chemical terrorism are laid out in an inaugural dissertation from 2011, which includes 91 measures for prevention, rescue, protection, and restoration.

The multidimensional nature of expanding CBRN threats is illustrated in Figure 1. The CBRN defence workflow, including all its main phases including prevention and preparedness, CBRN incident response, recovery, and consequence management is outlined in Figure 2.

Stakeholders in public protection

Civilian stakeholders in the Czech Republic are the National Institute for Nuclear, Chemical and Biological Protection (NINCBP) at Kamenna and the Population Protection Institute (PPI) at Lazne Bohdanec, and the main military stakeholder is the NATO Joint CBRN Centre of Excellence at Vyškov.

The NINCBP is a public institution established by the State Office for Nuclear Safety (SONS) for R&D into CBR agents, to provide technical support to inspection procedures for radiological protection, and for verification of prohibition of chemical and biological weapons.

The PPI is responsible for education, scientific research and advisory services for Fire and Rescue, ministries, administrative and 

CBNW 2017/01 55

COUNTRY PROFILE municipal authorities tasked with civil emergency planning and management, the integrated rescue system, and population protection. The PPI also organizes international workshops and conferences coordinated by the UN, NATO and the EU. The PPI’s Science and Research Department has sections for Chemical, Radiological, Warning and Notification, and Crisis Management. These sections conduct applied research into public warning systems, practical tools of crisis management, critical infrastructure protection, and radiation reconnaissance, dosimetry, verification, and PPE, as well as chemical countermeasures and responses to the use of CBRNE agents.

It is vital to make use of experience and know-how in other countries – and how they counter international terrorism and respond to CBRN incidents. For example, in Canada the most important CBRN issues are addressed in the Strategic Plan for CBRN (2005) and the Strategic Plan and Action Plan for CBRNE (2011).

Facing the threats

Measures must consider multiple attacks:

Above: How the three pillars connect the political, military and civilian sectors.

Below: Graphic showing governance of concerned sectors in the Czech Republic for prevention, protection, rapid containment, and recovery after a CBRN incident. © Otakar J. Mika and Jozef Sabol

NATO JOINT CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE The mission of the JCBRN Defence COE is to:  Provide advice in all CBRN defence-related areas  Develop CBRN defence doctrines, standards and knowledge to support improvement of interoperability and capabilities  Provide opportunities to enhance education and training  Contribute to the relevant processes for lessons learned  Promote CBRN defence-related efforts, including validation through experimentation.

Its new three-pillar approach to WMD non-proliferation and CBRN defence is to:  Prevent the proliferation of WMD by state and non-state actors  Protect the Alliance from WMD attack or a CBRN incident should prevention fail  Recover after the Alliance has suffered a WMD attack or CBRN incident.

Cooperation between these individual pillars is shown in the top figure below. terrorists can use more than one agent at once in the same place – which seriously complicates response for victims and puts civilians in further danger, as well as first responders.

Many experts think that terrorist attacks will continue to be implemented with the use of conventional explosives, but it has long been feared that these will be accompanied by toxic, radioactive and biological agents.

Victims of terrorist attacks are either direct or indirect: the former are victims killed and injured, and the latter, the bereaved and the public at large. The broad civilian public are increasingly targets of terrorists, as shown in numerous attacks over the years. If future attacks include the use of CBRN, especially on crowded transit systems, this will greatly increase psychological effects on the public as well as injuries and fatalities, and the need to decontaminate infrastructure and property, some of which will have already been damaged by explosion.

It is therefore vital to pay close attention to CBRN threats for population protection in the Czech Republic as new terrorist threats will not avoid our country. If the proposed management system described here saves one single human life, it would undoubtedly have been worth it. At present, there are sufficient mechanisms in the Czech Republic to ensure the control of CBRN materials in accordance with international requirements.

This includes not only applying the legislation, but also the many institutions and laboratories in the national system applying their skills to prevent the misuse of CBRN, respond to attacks involving CBRN materials, and lessen the consequences of a CBRN attack. ❚❙ Jozef Sabol, DrSc is an Associate Professor engaged in lecturing and research in radiation protection, nuclear safety and CBRN. He has participated in three EU-coordinated CBRN projects. Dr Otakar J. Mika is an Associate Professor (LTC-Ret.) teaching at two universities in CBRN protection, chemical safety, and population protection, and has contributed to security projects in the Czech Republic.

56 CBNW 2017/01

ROBOTICS

Robot system for a RN scenario takes a sweep sample of the environment.

Robots for Frank E. Schneider, Bastian Gaspers and Dennis Wildermuth describe critical infrastructure protection against radiological and nuclear threats 58 CBNW 2017/01

ROBOTICS

A robot system for a RN scenario shows a detailed view of the manipulator and camera equipment.

There is significant potential for the use of unmanned vehicles in scenarios involving radiological and nuclear (RN) threats. In 2016, the European Land Robot Trial (ELROB) was hosted by the Austrian Army for a very special scenario: reconnoitring of urban structures with focus on radiological and nuclear measuring and mapping.

RADIATION T he European Reference Network for Critical Infrastructure Protection (ERNCIP) has established a thematic group on the protection of critical infrastructure from these threats. The ERNCIP looks at issues such as certification of radiation detectors, standardization of deployment protocols, response procedures and the use of unmanned systems. Possible threats involve measurement and sampling scenarios that are too risky for humans to carry out and also in the event of criminal or unauthorised acts involving nuclear or other radioactive material.

Advantages of robots

Lessons learned from the Fukushima and Chernobyl disasters and from decommissioning of old nuclear power plants show that robots have certain advantages. Robots can operate in areas with high radiation or danger of explosions, collapsing structures, or extreme heat. Additionally, they can manipulate the environment and take samples. Robots can also be used for long-time surveillance of contaminated areas and for monitoring the movements of a threat, using real-time data from mobile sensors.

In order to systematically analyze the field, the ERNCIP radiological and nuclear threats (RNTs) group conducted a survey to assess the state-of-the-art of unmanned systems with potential to be used for radiation measurements and

All photos ©Fraunhofer FKIE

sampling. Search and rescue (SAR) robotics is probably the research domain closest to the above-mentioned scenarios.

Therefore, the RNTs group reviewed deployment scenarios for SAR robots, outlining case studies of major emergencies at which robots have been used – with special assessment of their value to the emergency services.

Additionally, research and development (R&D) in SAR robotics, including current projects, testing environments and SAR robotics competitions, was reviewed. Furthermore, we found out that no standards, best practices or norms for sampling or taking measurements with unmanned systems  have been developed so far.

WE FURTHER IDENTIFIED THREE MAIN TASKS FOR UNMANNED SYSTEMS: 1 Spatial mapping of RN sensor data (exploration, change detection)

2 Searching for RN sources (active sensing, isocurves, hotspots)

3 Sampling (air, sweep or material sampling).

CBNW 2017/01 59

ROBOTICS Applying unmanned systems

The RNTs group then focused on possible applications. The identified scenarios can be separated in two categories. First, there are prevention scenarios where unmanned systems can be used to prevent incidents involving radioactive material and deterrence. Second, response scenarios where unmanned systems gather information after incidents with radioactive material have occurred.

In addition, a first set of potential standards for unmanned systems in RN measurement scenarios was generated. A widely accepted standard collection of frameworks for robot software development is the Robot Operating System (ROS). Further important standards concerning communication with robots and control of unmanned systems are Battle Management Language (BML), InterOperability Profile (IOP) and Joint

A robot system participating in the ELROB 2016 RN scenario is shown equipped with a handmade relay communication system.

The ELROB 2016 competition was staged at the Tritolwerk training facility in Austria.

Architecture for Unmanned Systems (JAUS). Furthermore, there are efforts for standardization in the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) regarding international standards for RN measurements with unmanned systems.

Raising public interest

This robot system can take samples in a possible RN scenario.

60 CBNW 2017/01

To raise public interest in this topic and to get more insight as well as additional feedback from experts, the group started a worldwide questionnaire. The questions were designed for experts from the RN materials and robotics communities, and were circulated through different channels, such as mailing lists and professional social media groups. The questionnaire delivered information from scientists, especially from the robotics community, as they are well represented in the answers – but it lacks answers from industries and end-user communities.

Most of the respondents agreed on the above-mentioned tasks and scenarios. Regarding additional sensors, most people suggested including position and time to radiation measurements. The answers on bottlenecks and future topics point to robots’ manoeuvrability, autonomy and communication as well as decontamination and human-robot interaction.

The results of the ENRCIP RNTs group revealed an inherent need for a practical element shaping the standardization process in the robotics community. There was also no or only little interest of the academic robotics community in the RN field. Robotic competitions are, however, an effective means to address large robotic communities. Since robots usable in RN scenarios probably have to be outdoor/off-road systems, the RNT group therefore decided to set up a RN scenario  at a popular outdoor robotics competition.

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In the 2017 trial participants will create a map and search for RN sources in the engine room and the control rod drive room at the Zwentendorf nuclear power plant.

Robot trial – with real radiation

The Tritolwerk in Eggendorf – an old ordnance factory now used for CBRNE training and training for emergency services – provided the perfect setting for the European Land Robot Trial – the first ever real-world live scenario in a robotics competition with strong radiation sources (Cobalt-60, 2.8GBq each)! The task was to detect an unknown number of hidden radiation sources to foster standardization. The robotic systems had to measure the radiation, display measurements to the operator, acquire imagery, and mark the sources in an online map representation.

About ten teams participated. Since this was the first attempt at such a scenario, expectations were limited. However, the teams performed reasonably well, and most presented some RN readings. It turned out that many teams did not have enough background knowledge on radiation detection to produce better results, but this will hopefully improve at future events.

The ERNCIP RNTs task group is planning a workshop in June 2017 on the use of unmanned systems in the RNTs domain.

To be held at a disused nuclear power plant at Zwentendorf, Austria, the workshop will focus on standards for unmanned systems through a robotic trial similar to the RN scenario at ELROB. The teams will get free detectors as well as the necessary interface software. Again, they will have to search sources and map the radiation as well as the environment. All information will be passed on to a reach-back team for further evaluation.

Another task will be mobile manipulation on this Hazardous Materials Incident Response Operations (HAZOPER) mission.

Working through obstacles

The problems of robots in hazardous operations and emergency response, especially involving RN components, are diverse.

Trials like ELROB show up remaining technical challenges in communication, sensors, situational awareness, mobility/ locomotion and robustness when these systems have not been sufficiently tested. So there are many lessons to be learned.

The ERNCIP thematic group on RNTs also identified a huge gap between what the R&D community is able to deliver and the existing industry state of the art, as well as the user requirements, if properly determined. There was a complete absence, non-observance or non-compliance of standards, best practices and norms.

Currently, the R&D community does not have sufficient focus on standardization, manageability, sustainability, robustness or reliability. But the robot trials can be used to bring together users, academia and industry. The users can visualize their needs in the form of real-world scenarios to be tackled by the R&D community and industry, and industry can collaborate with the R&D community.

Thus, the utilization of trials and challenges is a constructive way to push forward unmanned systems in RN scenarios. ❚❙

An added RN measuring device is shown in detail on a robot system at ELROB 2016.

At Fraunhofer FKIE Dr Frank E. Schneider is Deputy Head of the Cognitive Mobile Systems department, founding the European Robotics group in 2004 and the European Land Robot Trials (ELROB) in 2005. Bastian Gaspers is a research associate in the Cognitive Mobile Systems department with research interests in mobile manipulation, motion planning and 3D sensing.

Dennis Wildermuth works in the company’s Cognitive Mobile Systems department conducting research into communication and coordination in multi-robot systems and robotic metrics and benchmarks.

62 CBNW 2017/01

PANDEMICS

THE LAST WORD All images ©CDC Public Health Image Library

Zygmunt F. Dembek asks: is the world ready for the next global pandemic?

In 2016, the Commission on a Global Health Risk Framework for the Future published a report, The Neglected Dimension of Global Security: A Framework to Counter Infectious Disease Crises. It was prefaced with the following ominous quote from Louis Pasteur, the renowned 19th-century French microbiologist who discovered vaccination, microbial fermentation and pasteurization, and who invented vaccines for rabies and anthrax:

“Messieurs, c’est les microbes qui auront le dernier mot.” (“Gentlemen, it is the microbes who will have the last word.”)

G

By February, 2015 in Freetown, Sierra Leone, the burial process included the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) to stifle the spread of Ebola.

iven the media attention paid during this year to Brexit, the US election, and the misadventures of the Kardashian clan, is it at all surprising that scant news was afforded the recent findings of this prominent international Commission on global health? Who even knew that such a Commission existed, and has laboured to recommend a proposed coordinated international solution to the scourge of global pandemics?

After Ebola

The Commission has an international membership, with contributors from



CBNW 2017/01 63

PANDEMICS The Commission’s final recommendations encompass three broad areas: Reinforcing national public health capabilities and infrastructure to prepare the world’s nations for the next global pandemic Reinforcing international leadership and coordination for preparedness and response Accelerating infectious disease research and development Bangladesh, Chile, China, Ghana, India, Japan, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Thailand, the UK and US, and a charter through the US National Academy of Medicine to provide a comprehensive, rigorous, and objective peer-reviewed consensus recommendation for global preparedness for infectious disease.

It was formed by eight philanthropic and national sponsors that followed the 2014 West African Ebola crisis, and correctly recognized the underlying neglect of global health systems and associated risk for global economies and health security. Evidence was presented to the Commission by over 250 invited presenters at public meetings which were held in Accra, Ghana, Hong Kong,

64 CBNW 2017/01

Above: In January 2010, three weeks after the Haiti earthquake, a UN relief helicopter makes a precarious landing to deliver much needed supplies.

Senior leaders from the Centre for Global Health tour a clinic site set up to care for patients with drug-resistant tuberculosis in Port au Prince, Haiti.

London, and Washington, D.C. The economic issues affecting failed states have caused little concern for the rest of the world. However, the 2014 West African Ebola crisis was simply the latest reminder that infectious disease outbreaks in such areas of the world can provide ideal incubators for a global pandemic. If this epidemic had affected large numbers of individuals in a West African country’s population centre (Conakry, Monrovia, or Freetown), and Ebola had then spread to other large international cities lacking a comprehensive public health infrastructure (e.g., Karachi or Lagos), a global Ebola pandemic could have rapidly occurred.

The SARS example

The quick global spread of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in 2003 previously provided additional evidence,

PANDEMICS tuberculosis (XDR-TB), or a more lethal Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), which leads to AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome)?

Can we prevent a pandemic?

should any be needed, of how such an event could occur.

Initially unrecognized, this new, severe form of pneumonia originated in southern China and spread worldwide in months.

SARS caused over 500 deaths and thousands of cases of illness prior to the WHO taking direct action, and almost 8,100 cases and 774 deaths before the outbreak ended. What could then occur with the rapid global spread of a new and more deadly form of an extensively drug-resistant form of

Rapid Response. pRoven peRfoRmance.

Afghan public health workers attend a Rapid Response Team Training session in the capital, Kabul, in 2009.

As a world community, not enough has been done to prevent a future disastrous global pandemic. At least 15,000 cases and 11,000 deaths from the Ebola crisis occurred solely in the three West African nations of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. This was due in part to the months-long delayed recognition and response of the international community to this deadly outbreak, which occurred in these resource-poor nations.

According to the Commission, the Ebola outbreak should serve as an international wake-up call. Deficiencies occurred in most aspects of global health security: alerts were escalated too slowly, local health systems were overwhelmed, local populations lost trust in their governments, and other nations and international organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO) reacted unevenly and lacked a  coordinated response.

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MEET us aT:IDEX, Abu Dhabi, Stand 06-A33, UK Pavillion, 19th-23rd February 2017 / Security and Policing, Farnborough, Stand E21, 7th - 9th March 2017

PANDEMICS and UN capacities to react and respond rapidly to a global health crisis.

The report’s authors admit that the realization of their proposed initiatives would be dependent upon additional reforms yet to be made within the UN and the WHO. Financing $4.5 billion annually to achieve global pandemic preparedness is not a trivial undertaking, and the cost alone may cause many nations to avoid a more active participation in the Commissions’ recommendations.

Recommendations for huge increases Above: In Monrovia during the 2014 Ebola outbreak, a Médecins Sans Frontières staff member secures the face mask of the CDC Team Lead of the Ebola Response Team before he enters the treatment unit.

What can be done to better prepare the world for the next global pandemic?

How can global health security be improved such that it won’t take months for a response to a deadly outbreak that could quickly spread to all corners of the globe?

“These actions have a price tag”

Within these three broad areas, a further 23 comprehensive recommendations were made in the Commission’s report. It was also pointed out that an independent assessment should be made of the progress in implementing these global goals in 2017, and then for every three years thereafter.

It was frankly acknowledged that “these actions have a price tag.” This is around $4.5 billion per year for full implementation, to include $1.9-$3.4 billion for upgrading national pandemic preparedness capacity, $1 billion per year for infectious disease prevention and response research and development, and over $155 million annually earmarked for the WHO for pandemic emergencies.

Most of these funds should be used to improve healthcare systems in resourcepoor nations. Such an investment could prevent a considerably greater financial loss of up to $60 billion a year, which would almost certainly occur with the advent of a global pandemic.

Two US Public Health Service practitioners at the Canadian emergency response post in an Internal Displaced Persons camp in Haiti following the country’s devastating 2010 earthquake.

in R&D for new drugs and vaccines to combat infectious diseases would not likely be seamlessly implemented by international drug manufacturers. Pharmaceutical firms may not financially benefit from such research on ‘orphan drugs’ (a pharmaceutical which has limited commercial profitability for the manufacturer), to be designed for potential mass distribution at far less than the cost of development and manufacturing the drug.

But the alternatives to the ‘business as usual’ delayed response to a global epidemic, as had occurred during the Ebola epidemic, need to be seriously considered by the world community. The findings of the Commission should be well publicized, discussed, and thoroughly examined by the world’s health and disaster preparedness authorities – at all levels of government. Methods for implementation of the reforms presented by the Commission should be considered a global priority by the world’s leaders. Otherwise, Louis Pasteur’s macabre 19th-century prediction about microbes may yet become a reality in the 21st century. The microbes may indeed have the last word, but, as the Commission certainly recognized in their work, this will only occur if we permit the microbes to win this battle. ❚❙

Strengthening the organizations

Many difficulties lie in following the recommendations as outlined by the Committee to implement improved world heath security. Much of the future success from the proposals found in this report relies upon the strengthening of the WHO Col (Ret) Zygmunt F. Dembek, PhD, MS, MPH is an epidemiologist and biochemist and has written extensively on biodefence and conducted international biosecurity training on five continents.

66 CBNW 2017/01

DETECTION Hazmat, EOD and forensics teams around the world have invested heavily in detection technologies to help identify homemade explosives (HME) and other threats. These technologies do a great job at identifying a finished product, but a finished product, HME or otherwise, may often not be found when investigating a suspected clandestine laboratory – as the end product has not yet been made.

Detecting and deciding

Raman, FT/IR (Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy/infrared and IMS (ion-mobility spectrometry), along with more traditional and low-cost colorimetric test kits, can identify a range of industrial chemicals that may also be potential precursors for HME (homemade explosive), narcotics, and chemical warfare agents/improvised warfare agents (CWAs/IWAs). But in these everyday scenarios, what does it operationally mean to a decision maker when the detector identifies hexamethylenetetramine, citric acid and hydrogen peroxide?

Science identifies ‘what is’, whereas

analytics and decision support can help answer ‘what could be’ – that is, what could most likely be made from the above set of sample results identified by the detection equipment?

Decision support

Advanced decision support tools available today that work closely with detectors can help answer the above questions – along with providing other key insights in real time directly at the point of need. And questions like, what key ingredients in an HME formulation are missing, or what substitute ingredients could be used in a synthesis process, if a preferred set of ingredients

can’t be obtained? Or whether or not it even makes sense to find a given chemical in a given setting, or how much of a given formulation could be made from the identified source ingredients?

These and many other key insights are answered on the spot by the right decision support software – used in conjunction with the right detector.

The virtual mixture engine

In the above scenario, an operator deployed with Alluviam’s HazMasterG3 decision support software could take the three identified samples from their detectors, and virtually mix these

“So what does that Mixing selected chemicals can model formulation outcomes. The Mixtures screen permits an operator in real time to virtually mix chemicals found on scene to answer “so what does that mean?” questions – such as, what is being made from the highlighted chemicals.

A typical clandestine lab: no finished product is present. Sampling with an appropriate detector provides chemical names that can then be virtually mixed in the HazMasterG3 to predict which finished products are most likely being made.

68 CBNW 2017/01

>>

DETECTION Physical indicators and warnings found in clandestine labs can be combined to indicate the likely intent of the lab.

mean?” chemicals to model what are the critical health, safety, and handling hazards that responders working an incident involving these chemicals need to know up front to keep them safe.

For anyone involved in a scenario like this, health and safety are always an operational top priority. Once these have been addressed, the system can model what are the most likely HME/CWA and narcotic formulations that could likely be made with these ingredients.

By virtually mixing the chemicals identified by the detector, HazMasterG3 can instantly model the specific formulation and quantity of the completed formulation being made – key actionable insights that today are often unavailable in the field – or may only become available after the fact by leveraging reach-back subject matter experts (SMEs). Delay between observations to action jeopardizes the ability to effectively disrupt, dismantle and interdict across the entire network of HME, CWA and narcotics actors.

Advanced decision support software like HazMasterG3’s mixture engine

Greg Ouzounian shows how to fill the blind spots left by HME detection

indicates what is most likely to be made from the set of ingredients identified by a detector. In the above scenario, with the highlighted chemicals, it becomes clear that the sensitive primary explosive referred to as HMTD is likely being made.

Collapsing the cycle time

How long does it take to come to this conclusion today, and how many SMEs are even available to help us get these answers? Decision support software that can draw upon a large database of materials, when used with the right detector, becomes a huge force multiplier for operators on the front lines of terrorism response. By collapsing the cycle time from sample collection to actionable insights can also be decisive in determining how operators process a scenario, and whether or not they have sufficient grounds to detain individuals found at the scenario.

Making crucial decisions

By answering the above, and many other what-if types of questions on scene,

operators are provided key “so what does that mean?” answers that are often unavailable in the field that hinder critical decision making. One popular configuration is a ruggedized tablet that can fit into a cargo pocket – as seen in the picture – although the software just as effectively resides on a smartphone.

With the software running locally on the device, it means that no Internet access, which is likely to fail in an emergency, is needed to operate the system.

Putting effective decision support capabilities into the hands of those that need it the most also means that when a question does warrant the attention of reach-back SMEs, it is more likely these scarce experts will have the time to answer these more advanced questions.

One thing that helps make HazMasterG3 effective, and an important consideration when assessing any decision support system, is that its core database contains 167,000+ materials and trade names – key when trying to mix a broad range of precursors that may be found in the field to model  formulation outcomes.

CBNW 2017/01 69

DETECTION Left of the boom

In the fight against IEDs, our tools and tactics over the years have become more sophisticated. Initially, there was a lot of focus on identifying technologies that would allow for the identification of roadside bombs. We soon realized that focusing on a device on the side of a road, while critical for a vehicle or convoy, was similar to playing the whack-a-mole game at a carnival.

While this tactic provided relief to the immediate threat, it didn’t really do anything to lessen the overall IED threat.

Later, the realization came that to truly get ahead of the IED problem – and lessen the threat – we needed to focus our efforts on ‘left of the boom.’ In fact, the farther left we can focus, the more opportunity exists to successfully disrupt, dismantle and interdict the networks involved in what eventually would lead to an IED incident.

The challenge of course is that the farther the ‘left of the boom’, the indicators become less obvious, and more sophisticated investigative and intelligence work is required to interdict the network. Outside of conflict zones, the counter-IED end-game leads to the successful prosecution of attempted perpetrators in a court of law.

Combining decision support with detection technologies puts advanced tools into the hands of investigators that need to build successful prosecution packages to achieve convictions in court, before an incident occurs. HazMasterG3,

A military WMD team sampling in an industrial setting, with the detection results from the detector used in the HazMasterG3 to indicate which likely finished products are being synthesized.

Alluviam’s flagship product earned US DHS Certification and Designation as an approved counter-terrorism technology in 2006. It is the only mobile technology commercially available that has earned this certification, is deployed into several programmes of record, and is taught at training centres both in the US and with NATO. ❚❙

Above: HazMasterG3 on a ruggedized tablet: one popular mobile HazMasterG3 configuration is a 7-inch (18-cm) MILSPEC 810G Android tablet that can fit easily into a cargo pocket or rucksack.

Left: A military WMD team sampling in an industrial setting, with the detection results from the detector used in the HazMasterG3 to indicate which likely finished products are being synthesized.

Greg Ouzounian is the Director of Business Development at Alluviam LLC. He spent over twelve years in the US intelligence community working on terrorism, trans-national, narcotics and other special collection problems.

70 CBNW 2017/01

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TRAINING The International CBRNE Institute (ICI) in Les Bons Villers, Belgium was established in 2013 as an International Non-Profit Organisation (INPO). The ICI is an independent source of CBRNE expertise and home to members from throughout the CBRNE community.

T

he ICI has two Knowledge Centres – the Explosive Knowledge Centre and the CBRN Knowledge Centre – each with its own activities, experts, task forces, research and workshops. Members of each Knowledge Centre are CBRNE professionals from all backgrounds including international organizations, universities, armed forces, first responders, scientists, and equipment providers who are ready to assist, inform and advise on best practices in CBRNE matters.

The ICI operates from Hotzone Solution’s Training Centre in Belgium on its 5,000 sq m site, including the training hall, exterior training grounds, and conference facilities.

All photos ©International CBRNE Institute

EU-funded projects

Over the past year, two EU-funded R&D projects on the development of tools for humanitarian demining operations have come to term. One was coordinated by the Royal Military Academy of Belgium (TIRAMISU 2012-2015) and the other

by Airbus Defence and Space SAS (D-BOX 2013-2016). Many European partners were involved in the project, including government organizations, NGOs, universities, subject matter experts (SMEs) and industrial partners.

When such projects come to an end – with the cooperation, in these cases, of over 50 Academy, industry, and SME expert bodies – final conclusions are made, papers written, and funding stops. The question always arises, what next? Now, more than ever, we have to find ways of communicating, sharing expertise, and working together against threats that recognize no borders.

Keeping up expert momentum

After the TIRAMISU and D-BOX projects Professor Emeritus



Knowledge is Power ICI Information Day, 17 October 2016, where 50 participants from 14 nations gathered to hear experts on the European Support of Research (European Commission), IED threats (Belgian military), counter-IED Stategy (NATO) and tools for facing IED threats.

The Community Awareness Programme familiarizes schoolchildren and families with CBRNE and the activities of the ICI.

The Training Centre in Les Bons Villers, close to Brussels South Charleroi airport.

Linda Nisbet describes the invaluable work of the International CBRNE Institute 72 CBNW 2017/01

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“Spreading knowledge is the best weapon against ignorance generating fear and panic, given the invisible nature of the new emerging threats.”

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Radiation decon testing is performed for an ICI sponsor by Hotzone Solutions.

Yvan Baudoin, who retired from the Royal Military Academy of Belgium, set out to ensure continuity of collaboration of experts. From this objective the ICI’s Explosive Knowledge Centre (EKC) was born, with Prof Baudoin as Manager. Partners from previous European projects continue to work together in ensuring a sustained impact on the demining community, giving value to the general public and in supporting EU security in the face of CBRNE threats.

The first objective of the EKC lies in the exploitation of the tools developed for humanitarian demining, including some tools for Counter-IED. The tools included in the Tiramisu Toolbox were demonstrated in Belgium in September 2015 at the Demining Service of the Belgian Defence. The D-Box tools were demonstrated in March 2016 at the Finmeccanica (Selex-ES) premises in Naples.

74 CBNW 2017/01

Horizon 2020

In August 2016 Prof Baudoin, on behalf of the EKC members, co-ordinated and introduced a proposal for the Security section of the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 – the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation.

Horizon 2020 is the biggest EU research and innovation programme ever, with nearly €80 billion of funding available over seven years (2014-2020).

Prof Baudoin was the Executive Director of the Unmanned Vehicle Centre at Belgium’s Royal Military Academy and has extensive experience in coordinating

Above: The ICI’s Inauguration stone unveiled in 2013 by the Director of the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS), Mrs Agnes Marcaillou.

TRAINING

Above: The ICI team with the town mayor: from left, Prof Yvan Baudoin; Brig Gen John Galatas; Mayor of Les Bons Villers Emmanual Wart; and Managing Director of the International CBRNE Institute, Yves Dubucq.

large consortia at international level, including the International Advanced Robotics Programme (IARP) working group HU (-manitarian) DEM (-ining) and, until his retirement, NATO TG 175 – which focuses on intelligent assistance for autonomous vehicles.

Centre for Security Studies (KEMEA) in Athens, was recently called upon to assist a Belgian hospital in assessing their chemical decontamination infrastructure and processes.

The newly built hospital, serving a highly industrialised area, called in the expert after completion. Decontamination best practices for any CBRNE incident at an emergency installation need to be considered at the project planning stage with the architects and civil engineers – before the foundations are set.

Brig Gen Galatas is therefore planning a series of masterclasses where architects, civil engineers, hospital representatives and health professionals meet with groups of CBRN first responders and industry representatives to explore issues of common interest. It is essential that CBRN preparedness is discussed with professionals throughout society to address issues relevant to CBRN operations in an urban environment.

A pilot course on CBRNE Medicine is planned for introduction to Belgian medical and nursing schools to prepare future frontline health professionals. If well accepted by both students and academia, these modules will be replicated in other universities Europe-wide, in collaboration with partners and supporters. ❚❙

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The expertise of Brig Gen (ret’d) Ioannis Galatas, Manager of the CBRN KC and Senior CBRN Research Associate at the

Linda Nisbet is Administrator for the International CBRNE Institute (ICI) and Hotzone Solutions Training Centre in Belgium and is on the ICI Board of Directors. As a previous business owner and marketing and events specialist, she worked in the hospitality and telecoms industries. www.ici-belgium.be/info@ici-belgium.be

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CBNW 2017/01 75

DETECTION

DIAL 4G for detection When you ask CBRN experts across the globe what they think about stand-off

detection, a typical answer is: “I don’t believe in stand-off detection!” or “Stand-off detection doesn’t work!” Our company’s mission is to make people believe in it again.

U

All photos ©SEC Technologies

nder stand-off detection, we can understand detection of even small quantities of an agent from a distance as great as 6 km – in a real environment. Our R&D team has developed Falcon 4G – an active DIAL (differential absorption light detection and ranging – LIDAR) stand-off detector that uses two tunable CO2 (carbon dioxide) lasers.

The lasers enable Falcon 4G to detect, identify and also evaluate concentrations of chemical warfare agents (CWAs) at long range without the need of physical contact with the agents.

A laser at the heart At the heart of Falcon 4G is a tunable CO2 laser with a wavelength of 9.6 µm-11.3 µm. The two lasers allow for detection range of 6 km and unmatched sensitivity.

Stand-off detection relies on the absorption of infrared radiation by molecules of a gas. The key difference between active and passive stand-off detection systems is the utilization of an integrated source of infrared radiation for the active stand-off detection system.

Active and passive The operation of a typical passive stand-off detection system can be explained as: → The background emits infrared radiation. → The emitted radiation passes through 76 CBNW 2017/01

an agent, which causes partial absorption of the infrared radiation. → Infrared radiation that passes through the cloud is received by a passive stand-off detector. → Finally, the detector evaluates the received optical radiation.

A typical active stand-off detector is equipped with a dedicated source of infrared radiation and operates as follows: → The active stand-off detector emits short pulses of infrared radiation that pass thought investigated volume of air. → The transmitted infrared pulse is reflected off the background, passes through the cloud second time, and finally, is received by the active stand-off detector.

Advantages of stand-off The key differences of active stand-off detectors compared with passive detectors are: → An integrated tunable source of infrared radiation (e.g. a CO2 laser) → Infrared radiation passes through the cloud twice – producing a stronger signature of the cloud on the received infrared radiation → The field of view of an active stand-off detector can be far smaller and results in a correspondingly higher effective range for the detection of heavy gases like CWAs → The possibility to eliminate influences of typical atmospheric constituencies,

especially water vapours and CO2.

These differences result in better sensitivity and a bigger detection range for active stand-off detectors compared with passive stand-off detectors.

The tunable CO2 laser enables the Falcon 4G to select which wavelengths (laser lines) are utilized for the detection of CWAs. Falcon 4G does not use laser lines absorbed by water vapours; therefore, the negative impact of water in the atmosphere is negligible. Also, adverse effects of atmospheric CO2 can be minimized using the effective strategy of choosing detection laser lines.

Extra capabilities Falcon 4G’s other capabilities through utilizing two pulsed tunable CO2 lasers are detection of biological warfare agents (BWAs) and evaluation of concentration profiles. The usage of DISC (differential scattering) makes Falcon 4G capable of evaluating the particle size distribution

EYE SAFETY Because of used wavelengths, low pulse energies, and the large diameter of laser beams, the lasers utilized in Falcon 4G are eye safe. The infrared radiation emitted by the CO2 laser is absorbed by the eye’s vitreous humor (the clear jelly that fills the middle of the eye).

DETECTION

A passive stand-off detector uses background emitted infrared radiation (such as a thermal camera).

The active stand-off detector uses infrared radiation generated by built-in lasers; therefore, the detector’s instantaneous field of view can be very small. Lasers generate enough power for the range of the detector to be very large and the operation is not affected by noise.

The Falcon 4G active CWA stand-off detector has a detection range of 6km with unmatched sensitivity.

The concertation profile allows us to measure the distance of a CWA cloud.

of an aerosol. Keeping in mind that dangerous aerosols are approximately 5 µm in size, Falcon 4G can trigger an alarm in response to a potential BWA threat.

Falcon 4G is also capable of receiving back-scattered radiation from natural aerosols in the air such as water droplets, dust particles, and pollens. The reflected laser radiation enables a concertation profile of the CWA cloud along the measurement path to be evaluated.

Testing in scenarios We have tested Falcon 4G in various conditions and scenarios – urban areas, deserts, high-humidity environments and snow, and have hosted a number of end-users from several countries at

our R&D facility to demonstrate its performance. Recently, TNO (the independent Organization for Applied Scientific Research in the Netherlands) visited our R&D facility to observe Falcon 4G in operation. TNO confirmed Falcon 4G had very good sensitivity and detection range using sulphur hexafluoride (SF6). The full report from this activity can be downloaded from our website (www.sec-technologies.com).

We have also invited a number of end users, mainly from Europe, for a demonstration of Falcon 4G. The weather conditions turned out to be challenging: snowing and cloudy. In these conditions Falcon 4G successfully detected SF6 in various concentrations, at a range of 4.6 km, and with SF6 releases as small as 150 g.

Active CWA stand-off detection offers new possibilities in detection, identification and evaluation of concentrations of agents from large distances. Falcon 4G has proven that the technology is ready for the market. Falcon 4G is capable to detect CWA vapours with sensitivities close to physical limits at large distances, due to the usage of tunable CO2 lasers.

Our company’s mission is to make people believe in stand-off detection again. With Falcon 4G, SEC Technologies is one step closer to achieving this mission. ❚❙ Dr Michal Simko is Business Development Director at SEC Technologies. He has a PhD in signal processing and ten years of R&D experience in the field.

CBNW 2017/01 77

RADIATION

Dishing the

Eleonora Pacciani outlines the effects of radiological weapons on human health

DIRT

C

Much speculation abounds about terrorists

M

already adept in deploying improvised

Y

explosive devices (IEDs) also being able to

CM

MY

build and use bombs made with a mixture

CY

of explosives and radioactive substances.

CMY

Radiological dispersal devices (RDDs) – dubbed

K

‘dirty bombs’ by the media and others – would spread radioactive materials, causing distress, fear and anxiety among the population

©US Navy

78 CBNW 2017/01

Emergency Response Team (ERT) personnel carry victims away from a simulated bomb explosion during Exercise Desert Sailor 2004 at Naval Support Activity Bahrain.

A

n RDD would not only cause acute physical traumas, but would also contaminate affected persons externally and internally. This is due to radioactive isotopes spreading through the area around the bomb, meaning that the explosion of an RDD will always be a complex event for rescue/healthcare systems to deal with – as well as radiation protection authorities, police and the joint command chain.

Decontamination of substantial parts of a city, its buildings and those exposed to such an attack would be mandatory in some countries, and would cause considerable economic disruption as well as health effects that are difficult to quantify. Such weapons have therefore been called ‘weapons of mass disruption’, but their effects may be more than merely  disruptive.

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RADIATION ©Wikipedia

Brain: May cause seizures

ACUTE RADIATION SYNDROME ARS follows four predictable phases:

Thyroid gland: Absorbs radioactive iodine increasing thyroid cancer risk

1 Prodromal (2-4 days): Nausea, vomiting, anorexia, prostration, fever, respiratory symptoms, conjunctivitis, erythema and excitability

Lungs: Inflammation, scarring, and possible cancer risk

2 Latent (2-3 weeks): Lymphocytes, neutrophils, platelets and epithelial cells of the gut decrease, although the initial symptoms regress

GI Tract: Internal bleeding

3 Illness Infections and bleeding

Bone marrow and blood vessels: Loss of white blood cells increasing risk of infection

4 Recovery (weeks or months): The prognosis for ARS is dependent on the dose, an early precise diagnosis and the close collaboration between radiation medicine, haematology and intensive care expertise

Skin: Burns from acute exposure

Death occurs if the dose is lethal – > 8 Gy. Left: Chart showing symptoms and risks from acute radiation sickness.

Below: A US Navy ER General Medical Officer provides trauma training to a team of Emergency Medical Technicians.

Selected Risks from Radiation Sickness

EXTERNAL AND INTERNAL RADIATION  External radiation: a radiological material outside the body emits ionizing radiation that directly hits a person.  Internal radiation: the radioactive isotope enters the body via the respiratory or gastrointestinal tracts or through a wound – here ionizing radiation penetrates the body.  External contamination: radioactive material in the form of dust or liquids, solid particles or aerosols contaminates the skin and the person’s clothes. The involved persons must be decontaminated as soon as possible to avoid secondary contamination outside the red zone – the immediate area affected by the explosion or other form of dispersal.  Internal contamination: a radionuclide is incorporated within the body via inhalation, ingestion, or absorption through open wounds, intact skin or mucosa. The material can be transferred and deposited to other organs such as bone marrow or kidneys, causing localized toxic damage.

80 CBNW 2017/01

©US Navy

Possible radiological sources

Hospitals, nuclear medicine department or pharmaceutical organizations are places from which terrorists could steal radioactive materials to build an RDD. The ideal candidates for radiological sources are commonly used in the industrial sector or for medical therapy, such as cesium-137, usually in salt form; cobalt-60, which is found as metallic rods, ribbons or pellets; or iridium-192, in metallic form. The fact that RDDs are generally more ‘high-tech’ and dangerous to construct than most IEDs may explain why they have not so far have been used in terrorist attacks.

The radioactive sources interact with the human body in two different ways: by radiation or by contamination – and both phenomena can be external or internal.

The harm caused depends on the type of radioisotope used and the type of

ionizing radiation emitted.

Gamma emitters (such as cesium-137) penetrate body tissue and may be lethal; beta emitters (such as strontium-90) can penetrate and burn the skin; and alpha emitters (such as plutonium-239 and polonium-210) have to be ingested or inhaled, and once they are, they are often lethal.

Radiation injuries

The acute effect of a radiological dispersal event (RDE) on the human body is known as Acute Radiation Sickness or Syndrome (ARS). ARS symptoms and clinical findings depend on the absorbed dose – the amount of energy deposited by a radioactive isotope in a mass of tissue, usually expressed in the Gray unit (Gy).

A high dose (4-6 Gy) would cause severe symptoms within the first hours, as opposed to a moderate (2-4 Gy) or

RADIATION ©US Navy

Above: The decontamination team at the US Naval Hospital in Yokosuka, Japan decontaminates a mannequin ‘patient’ with simulated injuries during a training session.

Left: A decontamination team prepares for the arrival of emergency units as part of Exercise Idassa 2007 staged in Croatia by the Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre (EADRCC).

©NATO

mild (1-2 Gy) dose within a couple of days or weeks.

Unfortunately, the body senses cannot detect radiation in the absence of available instruments. It boggles the mind how people can receive a lethal dose without realizing it and how the initial symptoms are difficult to recognize, because they are similar to acute gastroenteritis. However, as with many presenting ailments, the skin can be a good indicator of the dose – as it may show depilation (hair loss), erythema

(redness), dry or moist desquamation (peeling) or necrosis (cell death).

Planning and preparedness

The Radiation Emergency Medical Preparedness and Assistance Network (REMPAN) provide support to the World Health Organization in research and development, countermeasures, diagnostics, and treatment of acute radiation injuries and delayed health consequences after radiological emergencies. But the use of even an

improvised radiological weapon could affect an entire country or region for a long time, both psychologically and physically.

It is therefore vital for healthcare services to develop comprehensive planning, organization, equipment, education and training – not only on local community level, but also on regional, national and international levels, with a concomitant need for increased collaboration between members of the international community. ❚❙ Eleonora Pacciani is a biomedical engineer and consultant. She has contributed to civil-military cooperation courses at the Centre for High Defence Studies, Rome, the Italian Army’s National Interagency Institute, and EU projects dealing with health preparedness and response.

CBNW 2017/01 81

COUNTRY FOCUS

FOLLOW THE

NorthStar

Ilja M. Bonsen outlines Singapore’s CBRN defence capabilities

Photos ©Wikimedia

As an international finance, transport and commerce hub, the island city-state of Singapore has become a strategic centre in Asia. In comparison to its neighbours, Malaysia and Indonesia, Singapore has not witnessed any terrorist attacks on its territory in recent years. The state is considered to be a likely target, however – and has therefore invested a lot in improving counter-terrorist measures on all levels, including CBRN.

I

n Singapore, just like in many other states, several agencies are involved in CBRN defence. Within the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), the Chemical Biological Radiological and Explosive (CBRE) Defence Group was formed in 2004 and has since been involved in managing counter-terrorist CBRNE development. The group is composed of combat engineers who are part of the chemical, biological and radiological defence team or who are EOD specialists, as well as a Medical Response Force which has expertise in

82 CBNW 2017/01

treating casualties of chemical and biological agents.

Under the wing of the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) has also been strengthening its CBRN defence capabilities, seeing as they are the emergency first-responders in CBRN-related incidents. Within their  ranks, they have HazMat experts who

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Casualty and Personnel

Decontamination

by OWR

Chosen by Bundeswehr Joint Medical Service.

OWR GmbH

74834 Elztal-Rittersbach · Germany

welcome@owrgroup.com · www.owrgroup.com

COUNTRY FOCUS specialize in detection and containment of hazardous chemicals and toxins. The SCDF also provides fire-fighting, rescue and emergency medical services.

R&D for CBRN

To further support Singapore’s CBRN defence capabilities, DSO National Laboratories complement both the SAF and the SCDF through research and development. DSO’s Defence Medical and Environmental Research Institute (DMERI) is responsible for improving technological defence capabilities in the field of CBRN. The DMERI has been a designated verification laboratory by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) since 2003, meaning they can conduct off-site analyses of chemical samples to provide forensic proof in cases of violation of the Chemical Weapons Convention, for instance.

In recent years, DSO’s chemical defence programme has been focusing on research in protective equipment, new decontamination solutions, and the development of an operational sampling kit, among others.

Exercise NorthStar

Marine Firefighting Vessel of the SCDF Marine Command participating in a chemical spill simulation exercise.

Since 1997, exercises to test Singapore’s multi-agency response to large-scale emergencies, more commonly known as Exercise NorthStar, have been held on a semi-regular basis. Exercise NorthStar V held in 2006 was based on terrorist attacks in public transport networks and simulated bomb blasts at various locations on Singapore’s Mass Rapid Transit network, as well as the release of a chemical agent. Some 22 different agencies including the SAF, the SCDF and the Singapore Police Force (SPF) participated in the highly successful exercise.

Further multi-agency exercises have since taken place.

NorthStar VI in 2008 saw twelve different agencies respond to a mock fire aboard a cruise ship, NorthStar VII, in 2009 and re-created coordinated attacks of a 15-man terrorist group in locations such as hotels and shopping malls.

NorthStar VIII in 2011 followed a tanker-hijacking scenario.

Last year, NorthStar IX enacted a terrorist attack with explosives and chemical agents in the context of a mass event, such as an international opening ceremony in a stadium. The

SAF’s CBRE defence group was deployed along with the SCDF, the SPF, a medical team from Army Medical Services HQ, and the Island Defence Task Force.

This was the latest NorthStar exercise so far and has been considered a success by the agencies involved as well as the government officials who observed the exercise. These exercises test Singapore’s ability to properly coordinate the various agencies that would be involved in responding to a range of terrorist threats which have become increasingly likely in the last few years.

SISPAT 2017

From 21 to 23 March 2017, DSO National Laboratories will be hosting the 8th International Symposium on Protection against Toxic Substances (SISPAT), in collaboration with IB Consultancy’s NCT Asia conferences, CBRNe Asia and eXplosive Asia. International experts and professionals will be giving presentations

The Merlion is a noted symbol of Singapore, created in 1964.

©Thomas Liebert/Wikimedia

on topics such as CBRNe terrorism, UXOs, nuclear accidents and counter-IED measures in areas such as mass events, public transport and aviation.

All three conferences will have a shared exhibition showcasing the latest equipment from the global CBRN and C-IED/EOD industries, as well as joint opening and closing plenaries with notable speakers H.E. Ahmet Üzümcü, Director General of the OPCW, and Dr Ronald Hann, Director of the Chemical and Biological Technologies Department of the US Defense Threat Reduction Agency. zy Ilja M. Bonsen is CEO of IB Consultancy, an independent defence and security consultancy firm based in The Netherlands. Before establishing the consultancy Ilja worked as a project manager at TNO. With both organizations he has participated in EU-funded projects and has a special insight into the inner workings of EU-funded CBRN research.

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d

security industry

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defence NBC-SYS Today, from design to production, all the way through to customer support, NBC-Sys masters many technologies to combat chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats (CBRN). Our products are in service throughout the world in the fields of defence, security and industry. NBC-Sys is an expert in individual protection equipment, filtration systems, chemical and biological detection and decontamination.

PROVIDING CBRN SOLUTIONS IS OUR COMMITMENT WWW.NBC-SYS.COM sales@nbc-sys.com +33 (0) 477.191.921

BOOK REVIEW David Oliver reviews Chemical Warfare Toxicology Chemical Warfare Toxicology Volume 1: Fundamental Aspects Series

Issues in Toxicology

Editors

Franz Worek, John Jenner, Horst Thiermann

Published by

The Royal Society of Chemistry

Price £179

Volume I covers the fundamentals of the toxicology of nerve agents and vesicants.

D

espite ongoing efforts to prohibit the production, storage and use of chemical warfare agents (CWAs), recent world events highlight the enduring threat to the population from these agents. Research efforts in various countries have resulted in novel insights into chemical warfare toxicology that has enabled the development of new approaches for the diagnosis and treatment of chemical warfare poisoning.

Chemical Warfare Toxicology provides an up-to-date treatise on the ongoing research into the toxicology of CWAs, the diagnosis and verification of exposure, and the pre- and post-exposure treatment of poisoning. Volume 1 focuses on the fundamentals of the toxicology of nerve agents and vesicants, and aims to give the reader a comprehensive overview of the many different aspects of chemical warfare agent toxicology.

Experts covering the broad range of topics related to CWAs author the chapters of this book. The authors are regarded as authorities in the fields of toxicology and military medicine, presenting state-of-the-art information for academic, clinical and governmental audiences.

One of a series addressing issues in toxicology, Chemical Warfare Toxicology is edited by Prof Diana Anderson, University of Bradford; Dr Michael D. Waters, Michael Waters Consulting; and Dr Timothy C. Marrs, Edentox Associates. However, there are few details of the Chemical Warfare Toxicology volume editors apart from stating that Franz Worek and Horst Thiermann are both from the Bundeswehr Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology in Munich, Germany, and John Jenner is from the Biomedical Sciences Department of the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) at Porton Down in Salisbury, UK. The stated intention of this multi-authored book is to provide an overview of the toxicological properties of relevant CWAs, including nerve, blistering and lung agents, and opioids.

The main focus is to give an update on recent findings for a

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Volume II: Management of Poisoning will be reviewed in the next issue of CBNW and describes aspects of the treatment after exposure to these and other CWAs.

broad range of topics related to CWAs. This includes chapters on new insight into the toxicology and pathophysiology of nerve, blistering and lung agents, established and experimental means of diagnosis and verification of exposure to CWAs, novel approaches for the treatment of nerve agent poisoning, and an update on the use of, and human exposure to, CWAs. Divided into nine chapters starting with ‘Development, Historical Use and Properties of Chemical Warfare Agents’

by Robin Black, and ending with ‘Allometric Modeling of Mammalian Cyanogen Chloride Inhalation Lethality’

by Douglas R. Sommerville, each ends with comprehensive sections on conclusions, acknowledgements and references. Copious figures and tables plus a small number of low-resolution images support the text. This volume will appeal to toxicologists, biochemists and weapons specialists working in industry, academia and the military, and anyone with an interest in chemical warfare toxicology or exposure. ❚❙

ADVERTORIAL: ARGON

PlumeSIM-Smart Does your organization want to reduce the time and money spent

planning and implementing table-top and field exercises to practice, test and validate your local, onsite and offsite HazMat and CBRN emergency response procedures?

All photos ©Argon

Left: Multi-Gas simulator configured for a table-top exercise indicating HCN. Main: Exercise Dakota involved an aircraft crash with illicit radioactive cargo.

W

ith heightened concern and an ever-increasing regulatory environment emphasizing the need for demonstrable emergency preparedness, organizations and their associated stakeholders have a duty to demonstrate that effective measures exist in the event of a natural disaster, industrial accident, technical failure, or malicious act.

Since 1987, I have been privileged to meet people responsible for dealing with incidents involving CBRN or HazMat to understand their training challenges. I have a wonderful team of dedicated engineers and together, we love working with our customers to devise solutions that deliver world-class, affordable training resources they can be proud to use.

Our latest solution, based upon a customer request to enhance onsite and large-scale offsite release emergency response training, incorporates some special requirements; a wide range of scenarios, operation over an extensive geographic area, flexibility, discrete to

use and low cost of ownership.

PlumeSIM-Smart

The result is PlumeSIM-Smart: a powerful, flexible, easy-to-use CBRN/HazMat training system that enables you to implement a variety of scenarios incorporating individual or multiple HazMat, chemical warfare, and radiological releases (including dispersion devices) that evolve in real time according to the meteorological and threat parameters you apply - such as deposition, persistency, evaporation and release type.

PlumeSIM-Smart has a powerful real-time scenario generator that is wirelessly linked to handheld Smart-SIM multi detector simulators, which enable you to deliver highly engaging table-top and field exercises while you track, monitor and verify the readings reported by participants as they manoeuvre throughout the exercise area.

After-Action Review functionality helps you demonstrate, review and verify the veracity of your response teams, prediction modellers, commanders, decision processes, doses and survey

routes to exercise participants and relevant stakeholders, including evaluators and regulatory authorities.

We have devised an innovative commercial package to provide you with this highly effective training capability, complete with product training and support, at a price so affordable you will find it easy to develop a convincing business case that justifies why your organization should invest in PlumeSIM-Smart.

As with all Argon products, you will benefit from an exciting pipeline of future enhancements, our proven track record of listening to and implementing suggestions for new capabilities, and a flexible architecture that will support your training needs for many years to come.

I invite you to contact us, without obligation, to experience how our simulation systems have helped organizations such as your own throughout the world enhance learning outcomes and CBRN/HazMat preparedness. ❚❙ Regards, Steven Pike Founder, Argon Electronics (UK) Ltd. CBNW 2017/01 87

ADVERTORIAL: AIRBOSS / BATTELLE

The Ultimate Protection

A

irBoss Defense is a world leader in the design, manufacturing and supply of Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), emergency preparedness disaster relief, healthcare and decontamination.

Renowned internationally for our CBRN hand wear, footwear and gas mask,

our range of products also includes Powered Air Purifying Respirators (PAPR), respirator filters, Extreme Cold Weather Mukluk (ECWM), rapid deployable shelters and mass casualty decontamination systems as well as individual patient isolation and transportation systems (ISO-PODs).

AirBoss Defense has been at the forefront of manufacturing ISO-PODs to

contain the threat of contamination from patients who may have been exposed to an infectious disease or toxic chemicals.

For over ten years, our engineers have helped develop new and advanced models that provide unique capabilities found nowhere else in the industry.

We have worked with hospitals, EMS units and first responders to ensure our ISO-PODs have the technology and safety features they need to care for a patient and assure the safety of these critical caregivers.

AirBoss Defense is a prime provider for a variety of emergency decontamination systems, incorporating all the equipment required to perform personnel decontamination including the infrastructure, multiple water supply options, complete power generation and consumables dedicated to ambulatory and non-ambulatory casualties.

We commit ourselves to developing products using the most advanced research and innovative technologies to help protect the people that value life above their own.

When it comes to safety and security, AirBoss Defense offers The Ultimate Protection. ❚❙

Battelle presents critical reasons to introduce live-agent testing early in product development

L

ive-agent testing is the ultimate standard for validating the performance of chemical and biological (CB) defense material, equipment, and

systems.

Here are 4 critical reasons to introduce live-agent testing early in the CB product development process.

1. Validates technology performance Live-agent testing is far better than surrogate testing using CB simulants.

That’s because of the critical nature of the end use of the items.

2. Reduces product development costs

Often, the live-agent test data can provide critical input into the development process to identify limitations that need to be addressed or areas where development efforts should be focused.

3. Helps manufacturers meet government customer requirements Live-agent testing can help a manufacturer’s product ascend the ladder of technology readiness levels, which can result in a product that is more attractive to a government buyer.

4. Gives manufacturers a marketing advantage Obtaining live-agent performance data for developmental and existing technologies creates market potential 88 CBNW 2017/01

that would not otherwise exist for a CB defence technology. ❚❙ LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS TYPE OF TESTING BY DOWNLOADING OUR WHITEPAPER “Early Live Agent Testing: The Competitive Edge for Manufacturers Specializing in Chemical & Biological Defense Equipment” at http://www.battelle.org/latwhite-paper/ Inside, you’ll learn why live-agent testing is the gold standard for validating equipment performance, why testing with CB stimulants isn’t good enough, and what you need to look for in a testing partner.

001.800.201.2011 solutions@battelle.org www.battelle.org

ADVERTORIAL: CQC / FLIR

CQC protective garments

C

QC have over 30 years’ experience in the CBRN garment manufacturing industry, and are the UK’s only manufacturer of specialist CBRN protective garment systems.

With its in-house design capability, CQC works with material manufacturers from around the world to design, integrate and test our garment systems to the highest NATO standards.

We work with all the world’s CBRN ancillary manufacturers (masks, gloves, boots, etc.) to ensure that our systems offer compatibility across the range, and are the only CBRN garment manufacturers to offer different hood seals to suit different CBRN respirators.

With an emphasis on lightweight and breathable fabrics, ALL our garment systems are low burden and offer the wearer extra comfort while working in challenging environments.

Offering 24-hour protection to NATO standards, CQC’s systems also offer the customer low through-life costs due to

their 15-year shelf life and their ability to be laundered 20 times.

Designed for multi- agency use, CQC currently offer three systems, each offering unique features dependent on the application: → Rapid Intervention Range – one-piece lightweight garment systems, being quick to don and perfect for first responders → Adaptable Mission Range – two-piece lightweight garment systems, aimed more at pre-planned incidents and general CBRN/Special Forces → Chemical protective undergarment (CPU) range – one-piece or two-piece lightweight undergarment system.

All our systems are available in a range of plain colours and camo prints and are able to be supplied as a garment system only, OR as a complete CBRN ensemble, including gloves, boots, respirator etc.

For more information on our lightweight CBRN protective garment systems, please visit www.cqc.co.uk

FLIR Radiation Detectors:

T

One Size Doesn’t Fit All

hrough years of working with our customers, FLIR has learned that no single radiation detector can meet all the various applications for handheld systems. Different applications require different detector sizes and sensitivities. Some applications require smaller, more rugged devices while at other times, increased sensitivity outweighs the importance of deploying a compact, lightweight instrument. It can be a complicated decision, but it doesn’t have to be!

Download FLIR’s FREE Guidebook ‘10 Things to Consider before Buying a Handheld or Belt-Worn Radiation Detector’, which contains helpful tips for evaluating and investing in the right tool for a deployment programme. The key word is deployment, as the instrument itself is only one part of a much larger strategy. www.flir.com/all10

Contact: Jim O’Hara joh@cqc.co.uk Caroline Noonan ctn@cqc.co.uk ❚❙

radiation sources. They contain on-board Bluetooth, web server, and GPS technologies and produce rapid visible, audible, and tactile alerts that expedite response measures. The common operating interface reduces training time and costs, while increasing operator confidence and interoperability between agencies using FLIR products.

The newest R-Series product is the rugged FLIR identiFINDER R100 personal radiation detector (PRD). It delivers immediate threat alarms to keep front-line responders safe and features integrated Bluetooth connectivity that enables situational awareness beyond the front line and up the chain of command. Learn more at www.flir.com/winr100. ❚❙

FLIR identiFINDER R-Series

The FLIR identiFINDER R-Series products are easy-to-use handheld instruments that quickly detect, locate, and identify CBNW 2017/01 89

ADVERTORIAL: I-BODI / RIGAKU

i-bodi i-bodi is an innovative leader in project research, development and manufacture.

We are specialists in developing bespoke products from customer-defined specifications, with particular experience in computer-controlled test platforms for CBRN protective clothing and respirator evaluation. i-bodi has developed heated and sweating, anthropometrically correct mannequins that can bend, walk and run; head-forms with soft polymer skins that fully articulate and breathe, and can be heated and sweat; and they can have internal cameras for fogging evaluation and can mimic speech.

With over 20 years of industry experience, we specialize in providing intelligent solutions for both industry and large government organizations by developing products from initial concepts through to prototyping and manufacture. zy

Contact: i-bodi Technology, Unit 8 Swan Business Centre, Osier Way Buckingham MK18 1TB, UK

Phone: +44 (0)1280 815300 info@i-bodi.com www.i-bodi.com

Progeny ResQ: respond with even greater confidence

www.rigakuanalytical.com +1 781-328-1024

P

rogeny ResQ is a purposebuilt 1064 nm handheld Raman chemical detection system for advanced onsite threat response. Progeny ResQ provides rapid and comprehensive identification of the largest number of unknown substances. By utilizing a 1064 nm excitation wavelength, Progeny ResQ reduces sample-induced fluorescence interference, commonly experienced by users of previous generation handheld Raman systems

90 CBNW 2017/01

when analyzing coloured substances or through coloured containers.

When response time is mission critical, this rugged device delivers easy-to-interpret actionable results to detect, identify and respond to chemical threats, explosives, illegal drugs, household chemicals and hazardous materials spills with the touch of a button.

Progeny ResQ also has features that provide logistical support to first responders. Progeny ResQ is the only handheld chemical detection tool with an

integrated digital camera that can capture a photograph of the sample. The photo is embedded into the identification report, which streamlines evidence collection and incident documentation.

In addition, Progeny ResQ allows users to quickly create custom sub-libraries and add newly discovered narcotics or hazardous substances.

Custom libraries are easily exported and shared with other Progeny ResQ users worldwide - so that the new threat can be rapidly identified before it proliferates.

These unique capabilities allow Progeny ResQ users to stay at the forefront of continuously evolving threats.

New 4C Technology further expands the benefits of Progeny ResQ 1064 nm handheld Raman. Combined with the ability to identify coloured substances or through coloured packaging, 4C Technology assists in piecing together the overall threat level by automatically monitoring individual chemical results for precursors. Respond with even greater confidence. zy

HERE TO HELP ENHANCE YOUR CBRN EXCELLENCE We can help you deliver your teams memorable CBRN / HazMat exercises You can simulate:

Use Simulators:

• Chemical warfare agents and TICs • HazMat • Persistency • False positives • Alpha, Beta and Gamma • Contamination • Decontamination

• Individually • in groups - to train multi detector usage • with PlumeSIM - our Live / Virtual instrumented CBRN / HazMat training system

Contact us today to learn how our simulators have helped organisations like yours transform their CBRN / HazMat exercises and improve student learning outcomes!

Visit us at: CBRN International Coventry, HAZARD EX Cheshire, NCT Singapore, CBRN Convergence Europe

UK: +44 (0)1582 491616 USA: 1 571 210 1258 (EST AM) www.argonelectronics.com info@argonelectronics.com

2017 | 01

CBNW – Chemical, Biological & Nuclear Warfare

Protecting our troops Detecting chem-bio threats

Ensuring sensor and PPE efficacy Eradicating deadly disease Improving medical countermeasures

2017 | 01

Robots for radiation

EXCLUSIVE: CHEMICAL WEAPONS IN SYRIA battelle.org/chem-bio

™

STATIONARY WMD Avoiding another Bhopal

STRONG TOWER Live training in London

ANTHRAX IN AFRICA The biothreat from ISIS