DHS: Civil Defense 2009

The question is; What can or will CAP do to help? Analysis below.

U.S. Cities Brace for Mumbai-Style Attack
NewsMax
By: David A. Patten

“U.S. cities are racing to fix security vulnerabilities revealed by the devastating terror attacks in Mumbai,” experts tell Newsmax.”
“Security personnel around the country are intensively reviewing what happened to Mumbai to learn more about terrorists’ shifting tactics, according to Fred Burton, vice president of counter-terrorism at Stratfor, a private intelligence firm located in Austin, Texas.”

“The study has already begun,” Burton tells Newsmax. “I’m seeing that from a lot of our channels, and I am answering a lot of questions myself in that regard.”

“We look at these new kinds of tactics and the way they orchestrated this, and modify our approach,” Michael Downing, the head of the Los Angeles Police Department’s counter-terrorism unit, told the media. “We’re looking at it very closely.”

“On Friday, New York City police conducted the first U.S. training exercise based on the Mumbai experience. “Our goal,” New York Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly told security officials, “is to find out as much as we can about terrorists worldwide, to understand who’s behind them, what motivates them, and what tactics they use.”

“Homeland security expert Dr. James Jay Carafano of the Heritage Foundation tells Newsmax : “It’s something to worry about because most police forces would be really overwhelmed. SWAT teams don’t really train for this.”

“Burton agrees, telling Newsmax: “Think about the D.C. sniper case and the chaos that was caused, due to one two-person team,” Burton says. “Magnify that by say six to eight teams, and place them on the loose in any city in America. Most cities in America have only one SWAT team, so think about how much damage could be caused. It’s a fairly frightening scenario.”

“It is believed that extensive planning and surveillance preceded the Mumbai attack. New York City police are asking all security forces, both public and private, to report any idle visitors or suspicious vehicles.”

“Other cities are responding to the Mumbai threat as well:

• In Boston, police have stepped up surveillance and are keeping an especially close eye on hotels.
• The Department of Homeland Security has warned hotels throughout the country to beef up security.
• Authorities at port cities are particularly concerned, given that the terrorists traveled to Mumbai by boat. “Our great vulnerability is the water,” Miami Police Chief John Timoney told USA Today.
• InterContinental Hotels says it has taken additional, unspecified security precautions in “high-risk markets” nationwide.”

“The nationwide security review triggered by Mumbai includes the U.S. Coast Guard, which would play a vital role in repelling terrorists before they could attack the soft underbelly of America’s cities.”

“Rear Admiral Thomas F. Atkin, who leads the Coast Guard unit responsible for stopping ship-borne terrorists, continually asks himself: “Can we do the mission with our current equipment? We need to evaluate it to determine what the right equipment is. Then we can train appropriately.”

“Atkin tells Newsmax, “We don’t want to give the perception that everything is fine, that we don’t need to change. The Coast Guard is always changing to improve its mission capabilities.”

“Stopping terrorists before they get loose in American cities is the right idea. “The best way to combat this is to make sure attacks like this don’t happen in the first place.”

More here….