Fri, Apr 30, 2004
Brass Wants Them To Search For Aerosol Attacks
The Army believes we
already have the elements of a biochemical weapons detection system
up and running in the US -- the FAA's Doppler radar network.
Testing got underway last year, but the Army's project leader,
Arne Johnson, isn't saying much about it. "They show the radar does
have the capability of this type of event detection," is about all
he'll tell reporters. But he will say that he's confident retasking
Doppler radars will provide an effective early warning system in
the event of an biological or chemical attack where agents are
released from aircraft.
So far, Congress has authorized $15 million to develop the
existing Doppler radar net into the Homeland Defense Chemical
Biological Umbrella.
When it's up and running, the Army's system will eventually use
45 sites set up by the FAA to monitor airport windshear to identify
the release of aerosol agents, then track the poisonous cloud to
help emergency responders better prepare.
But while Johnson is confident the system will work, other
experts aren't so sure. Dr. Tara O'Toole, who runs the Center for
Biosecurity at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, is
worried about the tremendous drain on resources that such a
detection system would require.
"You get a lot of false positives if you're monitoring the area
24 hours a day, seven days a week," she said. "Each of those false
alarms uses up a lot of resources."
Retired Lt. Gen. William Odom (USA) agrees. "Proving that this
is technically feasible is the first step. Whether it's financially
practical is another question," he said.
The Army already has a testing program in place, involving five
sites in the Midwest. Last year, the military sprayed a concoction
of water and polyethylene glycol on crops in Oklahoma. Another
release is scheduled for next month.
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