1 cbrne-terrorism newsletter – august 2012 · 2012-08-28 · 4 cbrne-terrorism newsletter –...

1CBRNE-Terrorism Newsletter – August 2012

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Forensics New method uses gunshot residue to determinecaliber, type of weapon used in crimeSource: http://www.homelandsecuritynewswire.com/srlet20120619-new-method-uses-gunshot-residue-to-determine-caliber-type-of-weapon-used-in-crime

University at Albany researchers havedeveloped a method to determine the caliberand type of weapon used in a crime by

analyzing gunshot residue (GSR). Using near-infrared (NIR) Raman microspectroscopy andadvanced statistics, the new technique mayplay a pivotal role in law enforcement casesand forensic investigations. The research washighlighted in a recent issue of AnalyticalChemistry.A University of Albany release reports thatgunshot residue comprises particles from theparts of the ammunition and firearm thatexplode or reside near points of explosionincluding the primer, propellant, and tinyparticles of the cartridge case and gun itself.Since residue can be recovered from severallocations in the crime scene, it may be utilizedfor both physical and chemical evidence: GSRestablishes that the shooting took place and aperson participated in the shooting.“If a crime is committed that involves a gun, wecan examine the gunshot residue to help

determine the size and type of ammunitionused,” said UAlbany professor of chemistry andlead researcher Igor Lednev. “Then through

comparisons and elimination,it is quite likely to determinewhat kind of a gun was usedin the crime.”Lednev, a member of theWhite House Subcommitteeon Forensic Science,explained, “In the absence ofa weapon and discernibleammunition remainders at acrime scene, the ability toanalyze and positivelyidentify ammunition andfirearms would have a

significant impact on the efficiency of acriminal investigation.”The release notes that the research teamcombined GSR with Raman spectroscopy, inwhich laser light of a specific wavelength isshined on a sample, sending its moleculesvibrating. Well-suited for forensic analysis,spectroscopy does not destroy evidence,requires limited sample preparation, and has arange of applications including the identificationof explosives, paint, textile dyes, drugs, andbodily fluids.Lednev concludes that more analysis isneeded before CSI teams employ the methodin a courtroom. One day, investigators mighteven be able to flip through a database ofRaman spectra of different ammunitions tomore quickly link that crime-scene residue to aspecific kind of gun.

— Read more in Justin Bueno et al., “Raman Spectroscopic Analysis of Gunshot ResidueOffering Great Potential for Caliber Differentiation,” Analytical Chemistry 84, no. 10 (13March 2012): 4334–39.





















Homeland Security’s new smartphone application for bombthreatsSource: http://www.dhs.gov/files/programs/st-smartphone-app-bomb-threats.shtm

At approximately 6:30 pm on Saturday, May 1,

2010, a smoking SUV in Times Square wasreported by alert street vendors. Acting quickly,NYPD evacuated vast stretches on 7th and 8th

Avenues, including Broadway theatres andseveral other buildings and hotels in the area.The entire area was barricaded. Times Squareon a Saturday evening before the shows isteaming with people, and the terrorist knewthat. The bomb failed, but had it detonated, itwould have killed and wounded many,according to NYPD.In the first chaotic moments after suspicion of abomb threat, first responders have a myriad ofquestions, assessments, and decisions tomake, all at once, and all the while the scenecould be changing rapidly. Is the bomb real?How large is the potential blast radius? Wherewill we evacuate people? Are there any criticalinfrastructure or special-needs populationcenters in the vicinity? Any schools, hospitalsnearby? What roads should be closed? Which

roads should stay open for evacuees? And onand on....What if they could get all this information in oneplace?Now they can: The U.S. Department ofHomeland Security's (DHS) Science andTechnology Directorate (S&T) and its publicand private sector partners have developed amust-have "app": the First Responder SupportTools (FiRST) for computers and smartphones.The FiRST application was developed inpartnership with the DHS National Protectionand Programs Directorate's (NPPD) Office ofInfrastructure Protection (IP) along with itsOffice for Bombing Prevention (OBP), andApplied Research Associates, Inc. (ARA). TheFiRST app provides information directly to firstresponders on their smartphones or laptopcomputers in order to quickly define safe

distances to cordon-off around apotential bomb location, calculaterough damage and injury contours,



















suggest appropriate roadblocks, determinewhen mandatory evacuation or shelter-in-placecircumstances apply, and to identify nearbyareas of particular concern: schools, hospitals,care centers. The application also provides thegeospatial information regarding potentialinjury, glass, or structural damage impact area."That's why it works," said Christine Lee,FIRST program manager in S&T's FirstResponders Group. "Bomb threat scenarios donot reflect a one-size-fits-all approach, and thisapp allows users to customize information tohelp them make informed decisions forresponse."The FiRST application also includes HAZMATresponse information based on the EmergencyResponse Guidebook (ERG) which includesinformation on over 3,000 hazardous materials.In addition to providing health precautions andresponse guidance, FiRST also retrievescurrent and forecast weather to showdownwind protection zones for over 600materials that are inhalation hazards.FiRST is available to first responders for anominal fee (about $12 for mobile devices and$100 for Window PC version). The app will beof interest and applicable to anyone who mightneed to address a potential bomb or HAZMATspill response, such as industry, HAZMATtransport, or security personnel. HAZMATinformation is available to all users.Specifically defined DHS bomb standoff data

is considered sensitive and is automaticallymade available to those that register theapplication with a .gov, .mil, or .us emailaddress. Users without a .gov, .mil, or .us emailaddress can be approved for access on acase-by-case basis in coordination with theOffice of Bomb Protection. (However, anyuser can input into the app and define his owncustom bomb and standoff distances, whichmight be applicable to certain jurisdictionsand/or localities.)The FiRST app uses services readily availablewith current smartphones: email, phone,Google Maps, Google Search, and weatherand road network data. "We use existing

hardware that responders are already familiarwith because responders can't waste timenavigating a complex interface during thechaos of an incident," said Carl Jerrett, ARAprogram manager. "No longer will they have tocarry additional tools such as hard-copy blaststandoff guidance cards, rulers, or maps."Sergeant Thomas Sharkey, the District ofColumbia Metro Transit Police Bomb SquadCommander, said "Unlike other confusingsoftware on desktop computers, thisapplication is easy to purchase, easy to install,and even easier to use."Once a first responder enters a generaldefinition and location of the bomb or HAZMATincident into the FiRST app, the results areinstantaneous. They can run a roadblockanalysis to identify which roads are best suitedfor closure in order to isolate a bomb threatwithin that specific region. Google Searchfeatures are available to identify and displaylocations where increased numbers of thepublic may be at potential risk. "FiRST allowsresponders to label a map with criticalinformation, and this information not only helpsfirst responders better understand an incident,but these maps can then be shared with otherresponders," said Jerrett. Users can quicklysend results to colleagues via email, whichincludes a text summary, a map image, andGIS file attachments that are viewable inapplications like Google Earth or WebEOC¨.The FiRST app is available for iPhones andiPads, Androids, and Windows personalcomputers. The application is available forpurchase at a nominal fee on iTunes, theGoogle Play, and ARA's e-commerce website.FiRST field evaluations were conducted lastyear by the Washington Metropolitan AreaTransit Authority, bomb squad, police, EMT,firefighter, and hazmat units. United StatesSecret Service personnel observed theevaluations as well. After the application testingand evaluation phases were completed,Sharkey said, "This app is a must-have forbomb technicians and first responders."

Advanced IED detectors save livesSource: http://www.homelandsecuritynewswire.com/dr20120706-advanced-ied-detectors-save-lives

The other day a joint Afghan National Army(ANA)-U.S. forces counter improvisedexplosive device (C-IED) team of seven

soldiers walked down the dusty ruralroad in Shamulzai District,Afghanistan, ahead of their convoy;



















scanning the route with their eyes for subtleclues that might help them visually identify anIED hidden on the road. When they seenothing, they make sure by sweeping the area

with their VMR-2 Minehound and VMC-1Gizmo metal detectors in a slow precisemanner before walking ahead.“We walked a good four and a half (kilometers)in front of the whole convoy because we hadjust recently been hit with an IED on the routeback (to Forward Operating Base Sweeney),”said Staff Sgt. Antonio Barajas, 3rd Platoon,5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, TaskForce 1st Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment,out of Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington.“All seven of us had Gizmos and Minehounds(and were) out there clearing the whole road sothe rest of the convoy could make it back toFOB Sweeney safely.”“The Gizmo is just an easy (to use) metaldetector used to identify metal or you canswitch it to minerals,” explained Barajas whenasked to describe the two devices usedthat day.“It’s a lot like the metal detectors you see menon the beach with, but on steroids,” said one ofhis soldiers, Pfc. Niko Williams, also from 3rdPlatoon, 5-20 Infantry, Task Force 1-14 Cavalry.DVIDS reports that the use of such gadgetryhas been a blessing to both ANA andInternational Security Assistance Forces inAfghanistan. For Barajas and his team, theMineHound’s ground penetrating radar enabledthem to discover a secondary IED earlier in theday, before the IED strike on their convoy. ThatIED was only a hundred meters forward of theone that hit them. Without the MineHound,Barajas’ team might have missed thatroadside bomb.

The Minehound and Gizmo metal detectors, byVallon, are “the current state-of-the-arttechnology dual sensor detectors capable ofdetecting command wires, non-metallic and

low-metallic signature IEDs usingground penetrating radar,” accordingtheir product description online. “Inaddition to GPR, the Minehound usesVallon’s advanced metal detectorsensor, which is the same sensor usedin Vallon’s VMC-1 Gizmo detector tofind both metallic and non-metallic threats.”

U.S. military vehicle destroyed by IEDplaced by Afghan militants // Source:khayma.com

Vallon claims to have more than 2,000Minehound detectors currently in use in

Afghanistan. They, along with the Gizmo, havebecome an invaluable item in finding IEDs andweapons caches before they can be usedagainst ANA or ISAF forces.DVIDS notes that the use of the Minehoundand Gizmo detectors started with combatengineers and explosive ordnance disposal

personnel, but they are now issued tonon-EOD units such as BattleCompany 5-20 Infantry to aid in the























discovery of IEDs and weapons caches.Since the onset of the Afghan War in 2001,homemade bombs have increasingly become

the insurgent’s weapon of choice here inAfghanistan and certainly their most effectiveweapon. Almost 60 percent of all coalitionforces wounded or killed in Afghanistan sincethe start of the war in 2001 have been due toIEDs, according to a May 2011 report from theJoint Improvised Explosive Device DefeatOrganization, a U.S. Department ofDefense organization.To complicate matters, insurgents inAfghanistan have been increasinglyconstructing IEDs to circumvent simple metaldetectors. Some IEDs contain rudimentarymaterials such as wooden boards, foamrubber, and plastic containers. The finishedproduct contains very little metal making itdifficult for a traditional metal detector to pickup, but not for the Minehound with its groundpenetrating radar.Increasingly compact, collapsible, light-weightmetal detectors, such as the MineHound andGizmo, are finding IEDs with more frequency

than ever before, all of which has reduced thenumber of injuries or deaths to Afghan civilians,ANA, and ISAF troops. In the hands of an

infantry platoon, or similar-type unit, they arealso being used to find weapons caches whichoften provide the insurgency with ample armsto fight for weeks or months.“In the orchards (the Minehound and Gizmoare) good because that’s where they often hidethe caches,” said Barajas. “So far we’ve foundtwo caches with the Gizmo and Minehounds,and also with the ANA helping us out withtheir resources.”Improved technological devices such as theVMR-2 Minehound and VMC-1 Gizmo metaldetectors are helping coalition troops acrossAfghanistan. “It helps a lot when we’re in theorchards or going through the towns when weuse the Gizmos and Minehounds because italso allows if something does get missed bysight it will pick it up,” said Williams. “That’swhat makes the Gizmo and Mine Hound soimportant,” said Williams. “It helps make surepeople are not being taken out of the fight …(that) you’re keeping them in,” he said.

If One Storm Can Turn D.C. Dark For Several Days, What WouldA Massive EMP Burst Do?Source:http://world.hawaiinewsdaily.com/2012/07/if-one-storm-can-turn-d-c-dark-for-several-days-what-would-a-massive-emp-burst-do/

Sometimes we all get a little reminder of justhow completely and totally dependent we areon the power grid. Massive thunderstorms thatripped through Ohio, West Virginia, Maryland,Washington D.C. and Virginia left millionswithout power over the weekend. At this point

it is being projected that some people may notget power back until the end of the week. The"super derecho" storm that poundedthe Washington D.C. area on Fridaynight with hurricane-force winds isbeing called unprecedented. But the





















truth is that there are other events that couldhappen that would be far more damaging toour power grid. For example, a substantialEMP burst over a major U.S. city would fryvirtually all of the electronics in the city andtake the power grid in the area downindefinitely. A gigantic EMP burst over theentire country (caused by a massive solarstorm or a very large nuclear explosion high inthe atmosphere) could theoretically take downthe entire national power grid. Just try to

imagine a world where nobody has anyelectricity, nobody can pump gas, nobody canuse their credit cards or get any more money,where most vehicles won't start, where nobodyhas the Internet, where all cell phones aredead and where nobody can heat or cool theirhomes. That is how serious an EMP burstcould potentially be. We are talking about anevent that could be millions of times worse than9/11.Hopefully this latest storm has remindedAmericans about how vulnerable our powergrid really is and about how close we really areto being knocked back to the late 1800s.Let's review some of the damage that this"super derecho" storm caused to the D.C.area....

-Thousands of businesses have been forced toclose temporarily because they cannot operatewithout electricity-Many federal agencies were closed onMonday because there was no power-Many 911 call centers throughout NorthernVirginia were down over the weekend andcould not respond to emergencies-Without electricity, many families have notbeen able to cook warm meals-Without warm water, many families have not

been able to take hot showers-A "boil water advisory" was putinto effect for several areas ofnorthern Virginia-Many families that still do nothave power are in danger oflosing much of the food in theirrefrigerators and freezers-Many gas stations were not ableto operate because of a lack ofelectricity and so this has madefilling up the gas tank a majorhassle for many families-Hundreds of traffic lights are stillout and this is makingcommuting a major problem insome areas-Without air conditioning manyfamilies are absolutely swelteringas high temperatures remain wellabove 90 degrees-During the power outage somepeople have been without cellphone service because manycell phone towers wereinoperable-Without electricity, thousands

upon thousands of people have not been ableto use their computers for several days and thisis causing a lot of frustration-Several major websites were totally knockedoffline by the storms as Robert McMillan ofWired Magazine explained....Hurricane-like storms knocked an Amazon datacenter in Ashburn, Virginia, offline last night,and a chunk of the internet felt it. The six-hourincident temporarily cut off a number of popularinternet services, including Netflix, Pinterest,Heroku, and Instagram.But to be honest this was not a majordisaster.After a few days the damage will befixed and people will start to forgetwhat just happened.

















Well, what if the damage was permanent andthe entire nation had to go without electricity forthe foreseeable future? The following is from aUSA Today article by Dan Vergano....The sky erupts. Cities darken, food spoils andhomes fall silent. Civilization collapses.End-of-the-world novel? A video game? Orcould such a scenario loom in America'sfuture?There is talk of catastrophe ahead, dependingon whom you believe, because of the threat ofan electromagnetic pulse triggered by either asupersized solar storm or terrorist A-bomb,both capable of disabling the electric grid thatpowers modern life.As I have written about previously, an EMPattack could fundamentally change life inAmerica in a single instant.What would you do if such a scenariohappened?Would you try to go somewhere? Even if theelectronics in your car were not totally fried,you would not be able to pump more gasanywhere.Would you try to call someone? Most phoneswould be totally dead and all normalcommunications networks would be down. Sowho would you call?Would you bunker down and try to survive onwhat you have at home? Most of the food inyour refrigerator and freezer would rapidly gobad and most Americans only have enoughfood to last a few days or a few weeks. Inaddition, most Americans would no longer beable to heat or cool their homes, so extremecold and extreme heat would become hugeproblems very quickly.How in the world would any of us survive in aworld without electricity?In past centuries our forefathers knew how tosurvive in such a world, but most of us do nothave the same skills or resources that theyhad.The following is how an article in the WallStreet Journal once described what a massiveEMP burst would do to this nation....No American would necessarily die in the initialattack, but what comes next is potentiallycatastrophic. The pulse would wipe out mostelectronics and telecommunications, includingthe power grid. Millions could die for want ofmodern medical care or even of starvationsince farmers wouldn't be able to harvest cropsand distributors wouldn't be able to get food tosupermarkets. Commissioner Lowell Wood

calls EMP attack a "giant continental timemachine" that would move us back more than acentury in technology to the late 1800s.What would you do if you were suddenly cut offfrom all electricity, all money, all modern formsof communication, all modern forms oftransportation and all modern forms ofshopping?Don't think that it can't happen.Scientists tell us that massive EMP burstsgenerated by gigantic solar storms have hit ourplanet in the past and that it is inevitable that itwill happen again.In addition, nations all over the planet areaware of what an EMP burst can do and havebeen developing "Super-EMP" weapons thatcan take power grids down in a single strike.The following is a short excerpt from astatement by Dr. Peter Vincent Pry to theUnited States Senate Subcommittee onTerrorism, Technology and Homeland Securityon March 8th, 2005....Russian and Chinese military scientists in opensource writings describe the basic principles ofnuclear weapons designed specifically togenerate an enhanced-EMP effect, that theyterm "Super-EMP" weapons. "Super-EMP"weapons, according to these foreign opensource writings, can destroy even the bestprotected U.S. military and civilian electronicsystems.That doesn't sound good.But perhaps even more troubling is that NorthKorea has been reportedly developing this typeof weapon. In fact, it has been reported thatNorth Korea may have tested a "Super-EMP"weapon all the way back in 2009....North Korea’s last round of tests, conducted inMay 2009, appear to have included a “super-EMP” weapon, capable of emitting enoughgamma rays to disable the electric power gridacross most of the lower 48 statesIn time, these kinds of weapons will get intomore and more hands.Will someone try to use this kind of weapon atsome point?Frank Gaffney, the president of the Center forSecurity Policy, believes that a single EMPburst could potentially end up killing the vastmajority of the population of the UnitedStates...."Within a year of that attack, nine outof 10 Americans would be dead,because we can't support apopulation of the present size in











urban centers and the like without electricity"

Once you understand these kinds of threats, itmakes it a lot easier to understand whypreppers are so busy preparing for the future.Our world is becoming incredibly unstable.Another major economic crisis could hit us atany time, war in the Middle East could eruptwithout warning, earthquakes and other naturaldisasters are becoming more frequent and

society seems to get a little crazier with each

passing day.The era of tremendous peace and prosperitythat we have all been enjoying is rapidlycoming to an end. In a world filled withinstability and chaos, it only seems prudent totake some precautions.You might want to get prepared while you stillhave time.

Improving landmine detection – and air travel safetySource: http://today.uconn.edu/blog/2012/05/improving-the-detection-of-landmines/

Each year as many as 25,000 people aremaimed or killed by landmines around theworld, including large numbers of civilians.

While landmines are inexpensive to produce —about $3-$30 each, depending on the model —finding and clearing them can cost as much as

$1,000 per mine. It is a slow and deliberativeprocess. Specially trained dogs are the goldstandard, but they can be distracted by larger

mine fields and eventually tire. Metaldetectors are good, but they are oftentoo sensitive, causing lengthy andexpensive delays for the removal of anobject that may turn out to be merely aburied tin can.A University of Connecticut releasereports that a UConn chemicalengineering doctoral student hopes tohelp. Ying Wang, working in conjunctionwith her advisor, associate professor YuLei, has developed a prototype portablesensing system that can be used todetect hidden explosives likelandmines accurately,

efficiently, and at little cost.The key to the sensing system is anadvanced chemically treated film



























which, when applied to the ground and viewedunder ultraviolet light, can detect even theslightest traces of explosive chemical vapor. Ifthere is no explosive, the film retains a brightfluorescent color. If a landmine or otherexplosive device is present, a dark circleidentifying the threat forms within minutes.One of the world’s top private landmineclearing companies, located in South Sudan, iscurrently working with Lei and Wang inarranging a large-scale field test. The results ofthe field test could be of interest to the UnitedNations, which has worked to make war zonesplagued by old landmines safer through itsUnited Nations Mine Action Service. It isestimated that there are about 110 millionactive landmines lurking underground in sixty-four countries across the globe. The mines notonly threaten people’s lives, they can paralyzecommunities by limiting the use of land forfarming and roads for trade.“Our initial results have been very promising,”says Wang, who receives her UConn Ph.D. on5 May. “If the field test goes well, that is a realworld application. I’m very excited about it.”Doing work that has real world applications andthat will help improve people’s lives is animportant part of what drives Wang in herresearch. “When I started working withlandmines, I was thrilled,” says Wang, whoreceived her bachelor’s degree in chemicalengineering from Xiamen University in China in2004 and her master’s degree in biochemicalengineering from Xiamen University in 2007. “Iknew this would be a really good application ofour work. It can save lives.”Wang and Lei are currently working withUConn’s Center for Science and TechnologyCommercialization (CSTC) in obtaining a U.S.patent for their explosive detection systems.

Besides the sensing method for explosivesvapor, the pair has also developed a novel testfor detecting TNT and other explosives inwater. They recently presented their results atthe 243rd National Meeting & Exposition of theAmerican Chemical Society (ACS) in SanDiego, California. That research is also thesubject of a U.S. provisional patent.The latter application can be used to detectpotential groundwater contamination in areaswhere explosives were used in construction. Itcan also be used in airports to help thwartpossible terrorist threats.Most airlines currently limit passengers toabout three ounces of liquids or gels whenboarding a plane because of the potentialthreat of carry-on explosives. That may changeif Wang and Lei’s new sensing system isadopted. The pair have developed anultrasensitive real-time sensor system thatquickly detects both minute and large amountsof 2, 4, 6-trinitrotoluene or TNT. Whensearching for trace amounts of explosives, apaper test strip with the sensing chemicals on itcan be dipped into liquid samples to test forsmall molecules of explosive. Wang and Lei’ssensor can detect TNT concentrations rangingfrom about thirty-three parts per trillion (theequivalent of one drop in twenty Olympic-sizedswimming pools) to 225 parts per million.“Our new sensor based on a recentlydeveloped fluorescent polymer for explosivesin aqueous samples has two sensingmechanisms in one sensing material, which isvery unique,” says Lei. “The sensor can easilybe incorporated into a paper test strip similar tothose used for pregnancy tests, which means itcan be produced and used at a very low cost.”

— Read more in Ying Wang et al., “Novel Signal-Amplifying Fluorescent Nanofibers forNaked-Eye-Based Ultrasensitive Detection of Buried Explosives and Explosive Vapors,”Advanced Functional Materials (11 May 2012)













IRA: The Bombs and the BulletsA History of Deadly IngenuityA R OppenheimerForeword by Richard English

In this groundbreaking title, A R Oppenheimer tells how the Irish Republican Army became the mostadept and experienced insurgency group the world has ever seen through their bombing expertise –and how, after generations of conflict, it all came to an end. The book is a comprehensive account of

more than 150 years of Irish republicanstrategic, tactical, and operational details,and analysis of the IRA's mission,doctrine, targeting, and acquisition ofweapons and explosives. As a leadingexpert on non-conventional weapons andexplosives, Oppenheimer vividly presentsthe story behind the bombs – those whobuilt and deployed them; those who had todeal with and dismantle them; and thosewho suffered or died from them. Heanalyses where, how, and why the IRA's19,000 bombs were built, targeted anddeployed and explores what the IRA washoping to accomplish in its unrivalledcampaign of violence and insurgencythrough covert acquisition, training,intelligence and counter-intelligence.

Beginning with the Fenian 'Dynamiters' inthe second half of the 19th century,Oppenheimer fully describes andassesses the impact of the pre-1970sbombing campaigns in Northern Irelandand England and the evolution ofstrategies and tactics during the‘Troubles’. He concludes with thedecommissioning of an arsenal bigenough to arm several battalions – whichincluded an entire home-crafted missilesystem, an unsurpassed range ofimprovised explosive devices (IEDs), andenough explosives to blow up severalurban centres. The author scrutinises the

level of deadly improvisation that became the hallmark of the Provisional IRA’s expertise and ingenuityin its pioneering IED timing, delay and disguise technologies, and follows the arms race it carried onwith the British Army and security services in a Long War of Mutual Assured Disruption. He alsoprovides an insight into the bombing equipment and guns in the vast IRA inventory held at Irish PoliceHQ in Dublin.

October 2008 288 pages illus 978 0 7165 2894 4 cloth €60.00 / £50.00 / $74.95978 0 7165 2895 1 paper €24.95 / £19.95 / $32.95

I R I S H A C A D E M I C P R E S S





















EOD AthleticsSource: http://www.navy.mil/view_single.asp?id=126178

Malaysia (June 16, 2012) Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician 3rd Class Rendel Mews, assignedto Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit (EODMU) 5, performs pull-ups while wearing an EOD

bomb suit during demolition materials, procedures and unexploded ordnance training. The event is partof Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) 2012 Malaysia. CARAT is a series of bilateralmilitary exercises between the U.S. Navy and the armed forces of Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia,Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand. Timor Leste joins the exercise for thefirst time in 2012. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Gregory A. HardenII/Released)

Donkey bombSource: http://ibnlive.in.com/news/donkey-bomb-new-trick-by-afghan-militants-kills-cop/279338-2.html

A new tactic of using an innocent donkey as a bomb carrier inAfghanistan took everyone by surprise on Monday when ablast killed a police officer and injured three others in awestern province.The bombing took place in Charsadda district in Ghorprovince, 360 km from Kabul, Xinhua reported.Militants planted a mine on a donkey and tied it near the gateof the district headquarters building. When the district policechief arrived at his office, the mine was exploded by remote

control, killing the senior policeman on the spot, officials said.The new tactic also killed the donkey. Three more policemen were injured in the blast.Police blamed the attack on the Taliban, but the outfit did not make any comment.Police said the trick exposed Taliban cruelty against both humans and animals.



















Animal-borne bomb attacksSource: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal-borne_bomb_attacks

Animal-borne bomb attacks are the use of animals as delivery systems for explosives. The explosivesare strapped to a pack animal such as a horse, mule or donkey and set off in a crowd.

IncidentsAfghanistanIn 2009, the Taliban strapped an improvisedexplosive device to a donkey. The gate guardnoticed something suspicious when a group ofmen let the donkey go a short way from thecamp and then hurried off. The donkey wasstopped with a rifle shot. One soldier set fire tothe hay with a flare provoking a "considerableexplosion".

IraqOn 21 November 2003, eight rockets were firedfrom donkey carts at the Iraqi oil ministry andtwo hotels in downtown Baghdad, injuring oneman and causing some damage. In 2004 adonkey in Ramadi was loaded with explosivesand set off towards a US-run checkpoint. Itexploded before it was able to injure or killanyone but itself. The incident, along with anumber of similar incidents involving dogs,fueled fears of terrorist practices of using livinganimals as weapons, a change from an olderpractice of using the bodies of dead animals tohold explosives. The use of improvisedexplosive devices concealed in animal'scarcasses was also a common practice amongthe Iraqi Insurgency.

LebanonMalia Sufangi, a young Lebanese woman, wascaught in the Security Zone in November 1985with an explosive device mounted on a donkeywith which she had failed to carry out an attack.She claimed that she had been recruited anddispatched by Syrian Brigadier-General GhaziKanaan who supplied the explosives andinstructions on how the attack was to becarried out from his headquarters in the town ofAnjer in the Bekaa Valley.

United StatesIn 1862, during the New Mexico Campaign ofthe American Civil War a Confederate forceapproached the ford at Valverde, six milesnorth of Fort Craig, hoping to cut Unioncommunications between the fort and theirheadquarters in Santa Fe. About midnight,

Union Captain James Craydon tried to blow upa few rebel picket posts by sending mulesloaded with barrels of fused gunpowder into theConfederate lines, but the faithful old armymules insisted on wandering back toward theUnion camp before blowing to bits. Althoughthe only casualties were two mules, theexplosions stampeded a herd of Confederatebeef cattle and horses into the Union's lines, sodepriving the Confederate troops of somemuch-needed provisions and horses.In the Wall Street bombing of 1920, one of the1919 United States anarchist bombings,anarchists used a bomb carried by horse-drawn cart.

West Bank and Gaza Strip June 25, 1995 - At approximately 11 a.m., a

Palestinian rode a booby-trapped donkeycart to an Israeli army base west of KhanYunis in the Gaza Strip and detonated it.The Palestinian and the donkey were killed,but no soldiers were wounded. Hamasclaimed responsibility for the attack. Threesoldiers were treated for minor shock.

June 17, 2001 - A Palestinian man rode abomb-laden donkey cart up to an Israeliposition in the southern Gaza Strip and setoff a small explosion. Israeli soldiersdestroyed the cart, and no soldiers werewounded. The Palestinian man wascaptured by the soldiers.

January 26, 2003 - Palestinian fightersstrapped a bomb to a donkey and thenexploded it remotely on the road betweenJerusalem and Gush Etzion. No humanswere injured in the attack. PETA directorIngrid Newkirk wrote to PLO ChairmanYasser Arafat asking him to keep animalsout of the conflict. PETA was criticized fornot objecting to killing of humans in thecontext.

June 8, 2009 - Palestinian gunmenapproached the Karni crossing between theGaza Strip and Israel with severaltrucks and at least five horsesloaded with explosive devices andmines. The gunmen fired on IDF































troops who observed them, and at leastfour gunmen were killed in the ensuingbattle. A previously unknown organizationcalled "the army of Allah's supporters"claimed responsibility for the foiled attack.The IDF estimated that the gunmen hadplanned to kidnap an Israeli soldier.

May 25, 2010 - A small Syrian-backedmilitant group in the Gaza Strip blew up adonkey cart laden with explosives close tothe border with Israel. According to aspokesman for the group, more than 200kilograms of dynamite were heaped on theanimal-drawn cart. The explosives weredetonated several dozen meters from theborder fence with Israel. The animal was

killed in the blast but no human injuries ordamage was reported.

MilitaryDuring World War II the U.S. investigated theuse of "bat bombs", or bats carrying smallincendiary bombs. During the same war,Project Pigeon (later Project Orcon , for"organic control") was American behaviorist B.F. Skinner's attempt to develop a pigeon-guided missile. At the same time the SovietUnion developed the "anti-tank dog" for useagainst German tanks. Other attempts haveincluded the attempt by Iran to developkamikaze dolphins, intended to seek out anddestroy submarines and enemy warships.

New book offers useful information about explosivesSource:http://www.ilmpublications.com/en-gb/Book/35921/Field_Detection_Technologies_for_Explosives.html

Explosives are historically the weapons that have been most frequently used against civilians byterrorist organizations. In the past few years, the use of explosives by terrorist groups has cost the lives

of more people than the combination of all other attacks,including the use of weapons of mass destruction. Earlydetection of these substances is one of the most effective waysto prevent attacks using explosives from occurring.Fast and reliable equipment to detect the presence ofexplosives and explosive devices is critical to fighting terrorism.An ILMBookstore release reports that their new book, FieldDetection Technologies for Explosives, covers the principles,instrumentation, and applications of current technologies usedto detect explosives in the field. Both trace detectiontechnologies and bulk detection technologies are discussed.The section on trace detection technologies includes chapterson ion mobility spectrometry, piezoelectric sensors,chemiluminescence-based detectors, polymer-basedtechnologies, and mass spectrometry. It also discussesdetection requirements, methodologies used for detectorevaluation, and sampling technologies. The section on bulkdetection contains chapters on X-ray, millimeter wave imaging,

neutron and nuclear quadrupole resonance technologies.The volume introduces the basic concepts of commonly used explosives detection technologies and is aresource for novice or more experienced personnel working in the explosives detection field as well asthose with a general interest in this important subject.

The publisher notes that the book: Discusses all aspects of commonly used field detection technologies. Reviews detection requirements and explosives sampling methods. Describes specific instruments used for field detection applications, such as at airports,

harbors, and border crossings. Includes a summary of common explosives and their important properties for

easy reference.













easy reference.













easy reference.



Provides an introduction to data fusion and receiver operating characteristic methods, both ofwhich have recently received significant attention in the field of explosives detection.

Dr Yin Sun was born in XuZhou, JiangSu, China. He studied for his BS degree at NanJingUniversity, his MS degree at ChengDu University of Technology and his PhD at theUniversity of Connecticut. Dr Sun has worked in the fields of analytical chemistry,environmental chemistry, and analytical instrumentation for more than 20 years. During thepast 10 years, his main research has focused on the research and development of anti-terrorism detection technologies. He has significant knowledge and experience of thedetection technologies for chemical warfare, explosives and toxic industrial compounds. Hehas tested and evaluated many different field explosives and chemical warfare detectors.

IEDs: the home-made bombs that changed modern warSource: http://www.iiss.org/publications/strategic-comments/past-issues/volume-18-2012/august/ieds-the-home-made-bombs-that-changed-modern-war/

Cheap, simple to use and effective,improvised explosive devices (IEDs) havebeen the weapon of choice for insurgents inIraq and Afghanistan – and their use isincreasingly reported in the civil war in Syria.

Sometimes called ‘the artillery of the twenty-first century’, these home-made bombs havebeen responsible for the majority (nearly70%) of foreign military casualties in Iraq andAfghanistan, in the same way that mostbattlefield casualties in the twentieth centurywere inflicted by artillery.Tens of billions of dollars have been spent intrying to neutralise the major threat IEDspose. Yet, they remain likely to create furtherproblems in future. For less than $30 in raw

materials each, roadside bombs and otherIEDs can wreak disproportionate damage anddisruption. They can be strategic, not justtactical, weapons, by sowing fear, loweringtroop morale, limiting freedom of movement

and undermining public support for combatoperations.‘No other widely available terror weapon hasmore potential for mass media attention andstrategic influence,’ says the Joint IED DefeatOrganisation (JIEDDO), a dedicatedPentagon agency established in 2006.As the operation in Afghanistan windsdown, the US and its allies may find ita challenge to retain hard-wonexpertise in countering IEDs.





















However, IEDs’ role in civilian deaths andincreasing use off the battlefield meanscounter-IED measures will remain vital. In thepast decade, insurgents have used a weapononce overlooked by many military planners toblunt advanced armies’ superior firepowerand technological advantage; in the processthe IED has fundamentally changedcontemporary conflict.

Response in IraqFollowing the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003large amounts of ammunition abandoned bythe disbanded Iraqi Army – and not securedby over-stretched coalition troops – made iteasy for insurgents to manufacture IEDs.Their capabilities improved rapidly and byAugust 2003 US casualties from IEDsovertook those from small arms and rocket-propelled grenades. By the end of the year,IEDs were producing two-thirds of USfatalities.As casualties grew, UK forces in southernIraq applied the tactical approaches that theyhad used to counter IEDs during the longconflict in Northern Ireland. This wasgenerally successful, even though someintelligence skills and capabilities that hadbeen used with great effect against IRAbombers had been allowed to atrophy andhad to be relearned. The British Army wasslow to recognise the vulnerability of its lightlyarmoured ‘Snatch’ Land Rovers in Iraq, withresulting British casualties underminingpopular support for the war.The United States did not have the benefit ofthis experience, but the problem was quicklyrecognised. In December 2003 General JohnAbizaid, the CENTCOM commander, askedDefense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld tocommission a major response to the threat.The initial Pentagon response had been bothad-hoc and insufficiently resourced. But by2006, a 12-strong Joint IED Defeat TaskForce with a budget of $20 million hadevolved into JIEDDO. That organisation hassince acquired several thousand dedicatedgovernment, military and contract personnel –and spent more than $18bn.Countering the new threats not only requiredan array of armoured vehicles, high-techsurveillance kit, electronic jammers andremote-controlled robots; it also requiredclose cooperation between intelligence andoperations staff, scientists and industry,

placing great demands on the flexibility andagility of military procurement bodies anddefence ministries of all the coalition nations.A major part of the early US response wasincreasing physical protection. Improvedpersonal body armour was provided, thoughits weight reduced the agility and enduranceof infantry. Increased protection was added toexisting Abrams tanks, Bradley fightingvehicles and Stryker armoured personnelcarriers. But support and logistics troops hadfew armoured vehicles. In the first two yearsof the war they struggled, with troopsresorting to desperate expedients, such asadding makeshift ‘hillbilly’ armour, made fromscrap metal, to soft-skinned vehicles.Although many armoured high mobilitymultipurpose wheeled vehicles (HMMWVs)were fielded in 2004–05, they were in turnquickly overmatched by insurgent IEDs and itwas not until November 2006 that therequirement was identified for the moreheavily armoured mine-resistant protectedarmoured vehicle (MRAP).This programme benefited from the energeticinvolvement of new Defense Secretary RobertGates and US forces in Iraq and Afghanistanreceived 15,000 MRAPs by 2010. By the timeof the security transition in Afghanistan at theend of 2014, US forces will have procuredabout 28,000 MRAPs and similar vehicles,some of which will have been gifted to USallies. This is estimated to cost $47bn.But despite the application of sophisticatedintelligence, scientific, industrial and militaryresources to the problem, the battle to defeatIEDs remained one of cat and mousebetween military and insurgents. The manyways of configuring bombs and the complex,cutting-edge technologies required to counterthem meant that it could often take six to 12months between emergence of a new type ofIED and the fielding of a sufficient technicalcountermeasure by trained troops.

Shifting ‘left of boom’Eventually in Iraq, the military began – asWashington Post reporter Rick Atkinson hasdescribed it – widening the focus from ‘right ofboom’ (ie. mitigating the blast with betterarmour and medical care) to ‘left of boom’(preventing insurgent networks frombuilding and laying IEDs). A counter-IED approach, developed by UK andUS forces but adopted by all coalition















troops, was applied across Iraq, and later inAfghanistan. This had three planks: 'defeatthe device', 'attack the network' and 'train theforce'. All three needed to be integrated byrapid information exchange across forces, sothat counter-IED action could quickly beinitiated.· Defeat the device: Great effort was putinto detecting devices. Methods includedhand-held detectors, sniffer dogs andsophisticated searching techniques andequipment. There was intense technologicaland tactical struggle between insurgentbombers and coalition troops, scientists andengineers. In Iraq many roadside bombs wereremotely detonated by electrical signalspassed over specially laid wires. Other deviceswere triggered over a radio link, which couldbe detected and then jammed electronically.So electronic jammers were fitted to vehiclesand carried by troops on the ground.These measures were complemented byattempts to disrupt the laying of IEDs,principally by patrols. Other tactics includedrigorous controls over road movement. Thesehad some effect, but unless there weresufficient troops on the ground to continuouslydominate an area and prevent emplacement ofIEDs, the initiative remained with theinsurgents. This presence was not achieved inIraq until the peak of the US surge in 2007.Moving troops and supplies by air partiallycircumvented the threat, although somehelicopters and transport aircraft struck IEDsplaced on field landing sites. Many countriesbought more helicopters and isolated unitswere supplied by parachute, but not even theUS had enough helicopters to move largenumbers of troops and high quantities ofsupplies by air. So previously soft-skinnedtrucks also had armour and jammers added.Considerable effort was also devoted toneutralising devices that were detected beforedetonation. Although they could often besimply destroyed with explosives, recoveringthem instead for forensic analysis improvedintelligence. Effort was also put intodeveloping the specialist equipment used byexplosive ordnance disposal (EOD) experts.

Attack the network: ‘Most of thepress we get is what we are doing about thedevices’, said JIEDDO commander LieutenantGeneral Michael Barbero, speaking at the IISSin London this year, ‘but really the decisive

effort is attacking the network and going afterthe network, because otherwise you’re playingwhat we call ‘whack-a-mole’, playing defence.’In Iraq, many extra intelligence resources weredeployed to identify insurgents involved in IEDconstruction and supply, as well as thoseplanning bomb attacks and planting andoperating the devices.Airborne surveillance, particularly longendurance unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs),proved particularly useful in identifyinginsurgent teams planting devices, which couldthen be attacked, or in following thosesuspected of making or moving bombs.Although precision weapons were often usedto attack insurgent networks, coalition forcespreferred to detain insurgents and seize bomb-making material and other evidence forforensic and technical analysis and thedevelopment of further intelligence. Suchoperations were often, but not exclusively,conducted by special forces. From 2008onwards the US fielding of biometrictechnology across Iraq greatly improved theirability to link bomb components to bombmakers.· Train the force: No less important wastraining and preparing troops before theyarrived in theatre. Ideally, troops were able totrain with the specialist counter IED equipmentthey would employ on the battlefield. However,there was often insufficient equipment for pre-operational training, and troops had to learn onthe job. In the case of British forces in Iraq,casualties tended to be suffered during thefirst weeks of tours of duty as troops learnedon operations, though adequate equipmentwas later provided for pre-deployment training.

Intense effort in AfghanistanThe signature weapon in Iraq was the powerfulexplosively formed penetrator; the typical IEDin Afghanistan has been a home-madefertiliser bomb with a so-called ‘victim-operated’ pressure plate. But despite their lesssophisticated nature, IEDs have been laideven more widely in Afghanistan, with theiruse increasing dramatically in recent years. In2009 9,304 IED explosions were recorded, butthis rose to 15,225 in 2010 and 16,554 in2011.Countering IEDs is a key activity forall troops deployed as part of theNATO-led International SecurityAssistance Force (ISAF). All infantry















units are supplied with hand-held metaldetectors. In the southern provinces ofHelmand and Kandahar the density of IEDshas approached that of minefields previouslylaid in state-on-state warfare. At the height ofOperation Moshtarak in 2010, US and Britishforces used heavy-armoured engineer tanks toclear routes through dense belts of IEDs byfiring rocket-propelled explosive hoses thatdestroyed or damaged the devices.US and UK forces have formed specialist unitsto clear routes at high risk from roadsidebombs. The British ‘Talisman’ capability is aspecially equipped team of armoured vehiclesand expert personnel with powerfulsurveillance systems, small unmanned aerialvehicles, ground robots and a speciallydesigned armoured vehicle, the Buffalo, with along remotely operated arm. The US hassimilar ‘route-opening detachments’. Bothteams also include high mobility armouredexcavators to repair damage caused by IEDblasts.Techniques used to attack IED networks inIraq have also been refined. Dedicatedsurveillance systems have been fielded,including specially modified surveillanceaircraft. However, NATO pays an operationalprice for the measures taken to protectsoldiers: they have to carry very heavy weights– body armour, jamming equipment and minedetectors – and their mobility iscorrespondingly reduced. In addition, the largenumbers and types of protected vehiclescreate logistical challenges and reduceoperational flexibility. In addition, the need forprotection limits the opportunities that NATOsoldiers have to interact with the Afghanpeople. Increased protection has thereforesaved lives, but has reduced the effectivenessof NATO forces.

Beyond AfghanistanIf IEDs are the artillery of the twenty-firstcentury, Western militaries have discoveredthat twenty-first-century technology can help inthe battle, but does not offer a definitivesolution. With UAV-borne sensors to detectwires in IEDs, JIEDDO claims that the numberof bombs found before they explode hasincreased to 64%, after stubbornly hoveringaround 50% for years. However, expertsrepeatedly say that the best tools remainsniffer dogs with handlers, a well-trainedsoldier’s eye and local informants. Using such

tools, teams on foot patrol have an average80% detection rate.While counter-measures mean that fewertroops are now killed or injured by roadsidebombs, IEDs remain the single largest sourceof civilian deaths. In 2011, according to UnitedNations figures, ‘anti-personnel landmine-likeIEDs’ killed nearly 1,000 civilians, almost one-third of all civilian fatalities. Most of thesedeaths were caused by civilians accidentallytriggering devices that the insurgents hadplanted to attack NATO troops.JIEDDO’s Lt-Gen Barbero admits there is nosilver bullet for combating the IED threat. ‘Weare not going to be able to armour our way outof this, with better protected, heavier vehicles,’he says. He argues that the threat is an‘enduring and global’ one, which will require a‘whole-of-government’ response, as part ofwider counter-insurgency efforts.In 2011, almost 600 IED incidents per monthoccurred outside of Iraq and Afghanistan,particularly in Mexico, Somalia, Nigeria,Thailand, Iran, India and Pakistan. Anti-government forces have made increasing useof them in Syria in roadside bombs and suicidecar bombs, and in assassination attempts. TheSyrian government claimed that there wereover 700 IED incidents in May 2012 alone. ByAugust 2012, it was clear that Syrian rebelswere successfully destroying Syriangovernment tanks and armoured vehicles withIEDs.To counter this widening threat, greaternational and international co-operation will berequired among intelligence agencies, policeand security forces, scientists and the defenceand security industries. However, funding forsuch efforts could be under pressure as NATOcombat troops are withdrawn fromAfghanistan. In addition, at least 30 armiesnow have stocks of MRAPs and otherprotected vehicles, which are useful incountering IED but of limited utility otherwisebecause of a lack of off-road mobility. Keepinginventories will be expensive, but some armiesmay well retain a pool of such vehicles inanticipation of future counter-insurgencyoperations.Countering IEDs will remain a corerequirement for land forces. Any force –whether state or irregular – seeking tocombat Western forces will haveobserved the advantages that IEDhave given to insurgents in Iraq and













Afghanistan. As IED are often similar incapability and employment to conventionalland mines, armies may merge counter-IEDefforts with broader counter-mine capabilities.

It will be important for them to institutionaliseapproaches to countering IEDs, keepingknowledge and expertise current even in theabsence of major operations.

Al Shabaab 'promised kidnapped kids paradise to becomesuicide bombers'Source:http://www.hiiraan.com/news4/2012/aug/25498/al_shabaab_promised_kidnapped_kids_paradise_to_become_suicide_bombers.aspx

Al-Qaeda inspired Somali terrorist group AlShabaab kidnapped young children in thetroubled country and brainwashed them tobecome suicide bombers to launch futureattacks on the West, it has emerged.

The group was running 'terrorist schools' tokeep the children, some as young as seven,

chained on to beds while they were taught anextreme version of Islam.The kids, all under 10-years-old, were taughtabout suicide bombings and told they would goto paradise if they killed themselves in

'martyrdom-operations,' theDaily Mail reports.According to the paper, terrorinvestigator Neil Doylerevealed the pictures of thelocked-up children afterauthorities carried out a raidon a school in Mogadishu.

'Terrorist school': A Somaliboy sits with his legs chainedat a religious school in WaxarAde district, north of capitalMogadishu

The raid was one of a numberof operations sanctioned by the government in

recent months and led to thearrest of 200 people.

Punishment: The schoolclaimed the boys' legs werechained as punishment forskipping school

The paper quoted a teacher, assaying that the children were inchains because they missedclasses.The latest revelation comes justdays after Al Shabaab claimedresponsibility for a remote-controlled bomb that killed at

least eight Somali government troops when ithit their vehicle in Mogadishu.

































Advanced explosives detector sniffs out previouslyundetectable amounts of TNTSource: http://www.homelandsecuritynewswire.com/dr20120813-advanced-explosives-detector-sniffs-out-previously-undetectable-amounts-of-tnt

With the best explosive detectors often unableto sniff out the tiny amounts of TNT released

from terrorist bombs at airports and otherpublic places, scientists are reporting apotential solution. Their research in theAmerican Chemical Society’s (ACS) journalAnalytical Chemistry describes development ofa device that concentrates TNT vapors in theair so that they become more detectable.An ACS release reports that Yushan Yan andcolleagues point out that TNT and otherconventional explosives are the mainstays ofterrorist bombs and the anti-personnel minesthat kill or injure more than 15,000 peopleannually in war-torn countries. In large, open-air environments, such as airports, train

stations, and minefields, concentrations ofthese explosives can be vanishingly small — a

few parts of TNT, for instance, per trillion partsof air. That can make it impossible forconventional bomb and mine detectors todetect the explosives and save lives.They describe development of apreconcentrator that increases the levels ofTNT and related explosives by 1,000 times inless than one minute. The scientists made a“molecular sieve” membrane on the surface ofholes about as big as a speck of dust.Molecules of explosives get trapped in theseholes and concentrated enough that securityagents could detect previously undetectablelevels of explosives.

— Read more in Jie Zhao et al., “Highly Selective Zeolite Membranes as ExplosivePreconcentrators,” Analytical Chemistry 84, no. 15 (18 July 2012): 6303–07

ABSTRACTHighly selective thin zeolite MFI membranes are synthesized on porous stainless steel and α-aluminasupports using a seeded growth method. An ultraviolet (UV) light treatment is employed as a lowtemperature alternative to remove the organic structure-directing agent (SDA) to avoid membranecracking. The feasibility of the use of the MFI membranes as an explosive preconcentrator is examinedby measuring the permeation of nitrogen (N2, an air surrogate) and 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene (TMB) (a2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) surrogate) in a mixture of N2 and TMB. High N2/TMB selectivity (>10 000)and reasonable N2 flux (13.5 mmol/m2·s) are observed. On the basis of the flux, a hollow fiber arraybased preconcentrator is proposed and estimated to provide 1000× concentration within about 1 minusing a hollow fiber with a 50 μm internal radius. This high performance explosive preconcentrator mayopen a new venue for the detection of subppb or lower level of explosives simply in conjunction withconventional explosives detectors.





















U.S. soldiers wired to record blast effectsSource: http://www.gizmag.com/i-bess-army-blast-data/23499/

Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) havebeen a major hazard for Coalition and NATOforces in Afghanistan for over the past decade.The toll that they’ve taken in lives andequipment has been terrible, but the U.S. Armyhopes to alleviate some of this with new vehicleand body blast sensors shipping to Afghanistanin August 2012. These sensors, built jointlywith Georgia Tech ResearchInstitute and the Army’s RapidEquipping Force are part of wirelessinformation network designed to aiddoctors and engineers by collectingblast and pressure data from thevehicles and soldiers themselves.IEDs are a major problem for themilitary because even though theyare very widely used and a lot isknown about the sort of damagethey can do, there’s not muchconsistent data on how blasts affecta particular individual in a particularsituation. Part of the reason for thisis that the only time and place to getthat data is when an IED actually goes off inthe field.That’s the idea behind the new sensors beingdeployed in Afghanistan. They’re part of the

Integrated Blast Effect Sensor Suite (I-BESS).This is a system of smart, wireless sensorsinstalled in a combat vehicle’s body along withfour worn on each soldier’s torso (two front, twoback) called the Soldier Body Unit and one in

the helmet called HEADs II. These sensorsdetect pressure and acceleration, but they’renot simply measuring instruments. Each ofthese are “smart” devices that talk to oneanother and respond depending on thesituation.For example, if a group of soldiers is travelingin a vehicle and it runs over a bomb, the

sensors in the vehicle will record the blast dataand store it in a black box recorder for laterdownload and analysis. So far so good, but thevehicle is also aware of the sensors the

soldiers are carrying anddownloads their datathrough their seats. If thesoldiers leave the vehicle,their sensor packs “wakeup” and will record data inthe event of a blast. Whenthe soldiers return to thevehicle, the data isdownloaded when they sitdown and the sensors goback to sleep.

A Stryker lies on its sidefollowing a buried IEDblast in Iraq in 2007

The goal of the I-BESSsystem is not just that it can collect data, butthat it doesn’t interfere with combatoperations, is easy for soldiers tounderstand, can be easily installed inall existing vehicles and is























upgradable. In addition, the systemcomponents have to be robust and rely ongovernment-owned, standard software andinterfaces.One thousand Soldier Body Units arescheduled to be deployed along with sensorsfor forty two combat vehicles. The Army hopes

that the data collected will lead to moreeffective countermeasures and medicaltreatment. This data may be of importanceeven outside of the combat zone becausevehicle accidents, such as rollovers, involvesimilar force.

►See the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ZsPHMS4PSYI

Homeland Security releases an app for bomb threat responseSource: http://www.gizmag.com/homeland-security-first-bomb-threat-app/23091/

Imagine if you were a police officer whosuddenly realized that the abandoned vehicle

you wereassessing

contained abomb. While youmight have hadsome training inhow to handlesuch situations,would it all easilycome back toyou in the heatof the moment?Well, even if itwouldn’t, youmight still knowwhat to do ... ifyou were usingthe FiRST app.The U.S.Department of

HomelandSecurity developed the application foremergency response personnel, to serve as astep-by-step guide for managing bomb threats.FiRST (First Responder Support Tools) utilizestools that first responders will already befamiliar with, such as Google Maps, GoogleSearch, email, phone, plus road and weatherdata – this saves users from having to learnnew systems while under pressure.Users start by entering what they know aboutthe (possible) bomb, including its geographicallocation. The app will then advise them onfactors such as the distance around the bombthat should be cordoned off, the best locationsfor road blocks, what buildings should beevacuated or serve as shelter sites, and whatsome of the local “areas of concern” are –places such as schools, for instance, or other

areas where large numbers of people are atrisk. It will also estimate what to expect in theway of structural damage and injuries, shouldthe bomb go off.Because no two bomb threat scenarios areidentical, there are many opportunities forusers to provide information on their ownunique situation, so the output of the app will

be custom-tailored to them. Maps ofthe area can then be labelled by the








you wereassessing












you wereassessing







user, and shared by email with otherpersonnel.The app can also be used in the event of toxic

substance spills, as it includes information onthe handling of over 3,000 hazardousmaterials. Using its weather feature, users canadditionally determine the likely route that

airborne substances will be carried byprevailing winds, and then warn or evacuatepeople accordingly.

FiRST works on iOS and Android devices,along with PCs. It is available to firstresponders only, at a price of US$12 for themobile version, or $100 for the desktop.















SAPER app turns a smartphone into a mobile bomb snifferSource: http://www.gizmag.com/saper-explosives-detector-app/22614/

With unexploded ordnance and land minesremaining a serious global problem, we’veseen many efforts to develop new technologyto detect these dangers, such as usingterahertz waves and inkjet-printable sensors.But instead of relying on the development ofnew technology, some students at the MilitaryUniversity of Technology in Warsaw havesought to use an existing one in a new waywith the development of their SAPERexplosives detection app for smartphones.“Saper” is the Polish term for “minesweeper”and, at the same time, an acronym for “SensorAmplified Perception For ExplosivesRecognition.” The aptly named applicationuses the magnetometer - normally responsible

for your phone’s compass-like functionality - todetect minute disturbances in the magneticfield around an explosive material. Fortydifferent kinds of explosive materials can besniffed out from 30 cm (11.8 inches) away.Before the suspected area can be inspected,the application, which has been successfullyfield tested, needs a short while to calibrate tothe environment. Once that’s done, all youneed to do is wave the phone in the air as ifpainting a grid measuring a maximum of 30 cmby 30 cm, no further than 30 cm away from the

potential threat source (the distance can beincreased with an outstretched arm - or with astick, for that matter).The app connects to a cloud-based server andcompares the recorded magnetic disturbancesignature with other signatures in the database.If a threat is detected, the app returns awarning message and identifies the likelihoodof there being a certain type of explosivematerial in the sampled area. GPS connectivityis used to pinpoint the site and to immediatelyalert the authorities. The threat alert messagecan also be automatically pushed to socialnetworks.“We do not intend for SAPER to replace minedetection devices, but only to provide additional

help when none areavailable”, saysMariusz Chmielewski,the mentor of thestudent team behindthe app.A Polish entry toMicrosoft’s ImagineCup competition, theapplication has beendeveloped exclusivelyfor the WindowsPhone operatingsystem, but it is to bemade available onother platforms

shortly. Other planned developments includean external wireless magnetometer that willallow for the remote detection distance to beincreased to one meter (3.28 feet).The team also plans to explore the possibilitiesof using the magnetometer to track other kindsof magnetic field disturbances, with potentialuses including the detection of wires within awall and pinpointing foreign objects in thehuman body. Meanwhile, see the Imagine Cupentry video below for more details about thecurrent version of SAPER.

►See the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ybqQkMgRCpI





















New inflatable tourniquet designed to reduce battlefielddeathsSource: http://www.gizmag.com/abdominal-aortic-tourniquet/21094/

Insurgents are commonly taught to aim justbelow a soldier's body armor, which is wherethe abdominal area meets the legs. When abullet hits this area it causes massive internalbleeding which often proves fatal in a matter ofminutes. Two physicians specializing inemergency medicine have now developed atool designed to treat rapid lethal war injuries.The device, which is known as the abdominalaortic tourniquet effectively slows bleeding andgives much needed time to stop the flow ofblood which could save a soldier's life.

Dr. Richard Schwartz and Dr. John Croushorn,both having served in the military, developedthe inflatable abdominal aortic tourniquet foruse in combat situations after witnessing first-hand what kind of damage a well-placed bulletcould do.Before now, no instrument existed to combatthis injury, so soldiers were often forced tocompress the injury by pressing a knee into themid-abdominal area to slow bleeding. Thisoften did as much harm as good, as it slowedbleeding, but blocked the passage of blood tothe legs.

"There is no way to put a tourniquet around it,so soldiers are getting shot in this area anddying within several minutes," said Dr. RichardSchwartz, Chairman of the Department ofEmergency Medicine in the Medical College ofGeorgia at Georgia Health Sciences University.Compressing the injury proves difficult due tothe inability to compress the aorta from behind.The aorta runs parallel to the spine, so it can'tbe approached from the back and the injury isoften several inches inside the abdomen ofeven the thinnest soldiers, which makes a

traditional tourniquet all but useless.The wedge-shaped device is designed to bewrapped around the abdomen and inflated viahand pump. Once inflated, the tourniquet slowsblood flow by compressing the damaged bloodvessels, giving the medical crew much-neededtime to stop the bleeding."By effectively cross-clamping the aorta withthe abdominal aortic tourniquet, you areessentially turning the faucet off," saidDr. John Croushorn, Chairman of theDepartment of Emergency Medicineat Trinity Medical Center in

















Birmingham, Alabama. "You are stopping theloss of blood from the broken and damagedblood vessels. You are buying the patient anadditional hour of survival time based on bloodloss."Schwartz and Croushorn first tested theprototype device, which was funded by theU.S. Department of Defense, on pigs byinflating it to the point in which there was noblood flow from the aorta to the femoralarteries. Once blood flow was adequatelyrestricted, they left the pigs constricted for anhour and documented the results. After anhour, they saw no potentially deadly increase inpotassium levels in the blood and the tissue inthe leg remained healthy. The next trial was onhumans, albeit for a shorter duration, whichyielded the same results.The Food and Drug Administration (FDA ) hasgiven premarket clearance for the abdominal

aortic tourniquet and Schwartz and Croushornhave a manufacturer lined up. Currently theyare receiving orders from the U.S. Military aswell as law enforcement agencies worldwide.Physicians are also interested in the productfor its potential in helping CPR recipients.When giving CPR, the chest compression isdesigned to push blood away from the internalorgans and into the extremities. This devicemay prove to be a more effective tool inachieving this goal."With this device, you could, in theory, doublethe blood flow to the kidneys, heart and brain,"Schwartz said. Schwartz also believes thedevice could help focus drugs given duringCPR to the location in which they are needed."Now when a medic pushes a cardiac drugduring cardiac arrest, the drug is circulatedthrough the toes before it reaches steady stateconcentrations in the heart," Croushorn said.

Toy planes and miniature bombs: How al-Qaeda plots terrorSource: http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/08/14/232236.html

Lethal ‘play time’: A remote controlled modelof the U.S. Navy’s 1950s Sabre jet fighter thatallegedly belonged to a man inspired by al-Qaeda ideology. (Photo courtesy of CNN)

Picture this: Members of a terrorist cell meet toplot attacks. Shrouded in secrecy, they schemeto wreak chaos and protect themselves fromenemy advances.We assume the fighters huddle together in arural area, drawing vast plans using complexbomb technology in underground laboratories.But it’s more simple than that.A video reportedly shot by al-Qaeda this weekshows how members of the group used

“dumbed down” mock upsfor attacks. A toy planedepicts a drone. Aminiature package depictsa real bomb.The grainy video, believedto be shot in southernSpain and recovered andreleased by Spanishsecurity services, shows al-Qaeda members trainingfor an attack that would usea model plane andexplosives.A colorful remote-controlled

plastic plane, which is about three meters long,is seen taking off and dropping two smallobjects from either wing. The objects fall to theground and a man enters the frame to retrievethem.CNN reported that Spanish officials believe thisvideo was “made not by an enthusiastichobbyist, but by a committed terrorist trying toconvert a toy plane into a potentially deadlybomber.”"Terrorists innovate and adapt tosecurity measures. We have toalways keep this in mind," Spanishterrorism analyst Fernando Reinares





















told the news channel, stirring concern that atoy plane carrying out terror attack may not befar-fetched.Security officials are well aware pilotlessdrones could deliver a fatal attack -- modelplanes have been used before in terroristplans.In July, Rezwan Ferdaus, a Muslim-AmericanMassachusetts resident, admitted that heplotted to use remote-controlled model planespacked with explosives to blow up thePentagon and U.S. Capitol. The plot would alsoinvolve using improvised explosive devicesdetonated by modified cellphones.In the plan, a small model of the F-86 Sabre, afighter jet used in the Korean War, was amongthe those to be packed with C-4 explosives ,court documents stated.According to media reports, Ferdaus, 26, wasinspired by al-Qaeda’s ideology.“Al-Qaeda could plan something smarter than

the September 11th, 2001 attacks with thistechnology,” Pakistan-based risk and securityanalyst Shaukat Qadir told Al Arabiya English.“It may be less dramatic and damaging thanthe 9/11 attacks, but it would be smarter inregards to their technological capabilities.”However, “these plans are not from the mothership,” said Mustafa Alani, Director of Securityand Defense Studies at the Gulf ResearchCenter told Al Arabiya English, implying thatthe al-Qaeda associates using toy planes to

visualize their attacks were not necessarilycarrying out orders from top al-Qaeda leaders.A U.S. State Department report on terrorismreleased earlier this month said the killing ofbin Laden has sent al-Qaeda’s core leadershipinto a downward spiral “that will be difficult toreverse.” But the report also noted that regionalaffiliates of the terror network remain a threat.While the death of its leader and other topoperatives has weakened al-Qaeda’sleadership particularly in Western Pakistan,affiliates in Yemen, Iraq and northern Africahave made advances.“They have shown resilience; retain thecapability to conduct regional and transnationalattacks; and, thus, constitute an enduring andserious threat to our national security.“As al-Qaeda’s core has gotten weaker, wehave seen the rise of affiliated groups aroundthe world,” the report reads.

Handout photo released by the Spanish InteriorMinistry shows a remote controlled airplane ina video confiscated from Turkish CenzigYalcin, one of three alleged al-Qaedamembers, who were arrested in Spain.

For these fractured affiliate groups,analysts said, planning an attack witha toy plane guided by GPS would berelatively simple.

















Model versions of the plane - between 5 feetand 6 feet, and capable of speeds greater than100 mph - can be acquired “for less than $200from websites serving model planeenthusiasts,” reported CNN.A promotional statement for the model on onewebsite reads: "Provides authoritative ruddercontrol so you can execute point rolls andknife-edge flight with precision."“There is nothing surprising about this,” saidsecurity analyst Qadir. “The U.S. has beenusing drones with regularity. It is about timethat we expect that somebody imitates them.”

Sophisticated terrorism

Dubai police released photos of the printerbomb, with a cartridge stuffed with PETNwhite powder. U.S. authorities say it originatedin Yemen and was bound for Jewish sites inChicago.

Qadir noted that with the global spread of al-Qaeda, high-end technological advancementsare becoming more viable.“[Al-Qaeda] was mostly concentrated inAfghanistan and Pakistan, but now the group’smembers are appearing in Western regions,where technology is more accessible.“They may not have all the gadgetry availablefor the research and development phases that,say, the U.S. goes through, but they’ve gotgood engineers, with innovative minds whothink of ways to defend themselves,” addedQadir.As terror tactics evolve to new heights,concerns are now swarming over al-Qaeda’stechnical capabilities. Bomb-making

developments and advances in disguisingdetection.In recent years, two bomb designs havedefined al-Qaeda’s “ingenious” technologicalcapabilities, according to counterterrorismanalysts: The “Christmas Day” bomb and the“printer bomb."A bomb smuggled aboard a U.S.-bound planeon Christmas Day 2009 by a young Nigerian,Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, was speciallysewn into a pouch in his underwear. Itcontained the main PETN explosive charge,which was connected to a detonator.“PETN is a white, odorless powder that cannotbe detected by most X-ray machines. An

explosives expert says that alikely explanation for thefailure of the underweardevice to fully detonate waswear and tear duringAbdulmutallab's lengthytransit through Africa,”explained a report from CNNciting U.S. officials.Meanwhile, printer bombsdelivered to UPS and FedExoffices in the Yemini capital ofSana’a in October 2010 wereanother sign of al-Qaeda’samplified technologicalsophistication. Inside the ink

cartridge, 400 grams of PETN was found – abomb that was not detected by speciallytrained dogs or an X-ray scanner.“They proved to the world their hightechnological abilities – the underwear andprinter bombers could not be discovered,”Mustafa Alani, Director of Security andDefense Studies at the Gulf Research Centertold Al Arabiya English.Qadir said that improvised explosive deviceswere also being regularly improved by al-Qaeda, noting in May the FBI announced itwas analyzing a device that was similar to oneused in a failed attempt to kill a senior Saudisecurity official, Muhammad bin Nayef, inAugust 2009.U.S. officials believed the device, an improvedversion with a better detonation system, to bebuilt by al-Qaeda's affiliate in Yemen in aneffort to target Western aircraft."It is clear that AQAP [al-Qaeda in theArabian Peninsula] is revamping itsbomb techniques to try to avoid thecauses of the failure of the 2009





















device," an unnamed US intelligence officialtold US media in response to the FBI analysis.

Al-Qaeda ‘videography’

Osama bin Laden had frequently publicized al-Qaeda's plans in videos and messages to theworld. (Reuters)

Alani said al-Qaeda had made good use ofremote-controlled planes to spy on U.S. basesin Iraq, but the videos of toy plane enactments

managed to create the “fear factor,” even ifsuch an attack would not be as large at the oneon the World Trade Center.“These videos create imaginative publicity.

After the death of Osama bin-Laden, al-Qaeda leaders arenot doing much to publicizetheir strength and threats.They do not appear in videosas much, for instance,” hesaid.“This is an image al-Qaedawants to create in the mindsof the public. Another attackby air, which may not havemuch operational value – butthe publicity is immense.”Meanwhile, the threat of anairborne remote-controlledattack would bear similarhallmarks as the 9/11 attack,

noted Alani.“This sort of plane,” explained Alani, “could dosome damage if in fact an attack is carried outthis way [by loading with explosives], butissues with accuracy and the size of bombwould make this attack not entirely feasible.”

U.S. Army trains rats in explosives detectionSource: http://www.homelandsecuritynewswire.com/dr20120816-u-s-army-trains-rats-in-explosives-detection

A rat may never be man’s best friend, but theRugged Automated Training System (RATS)research sponsored by scientists with the U.S.Army Research Laboratory, in collaboration

with engineers at West Point and the CounterExplosives Hazards Center, will determinewhether and how these animals can be trained

to save Soldiers’ lives. A U.S. Army ResearchLaboratory release quotes Micheline Strand,chief of the Army Research Office’s LifeSciences Division, which manages the

program, to say that in July, BarronAssociates Inc., of Charlottesville,Virginia was selected for an awardunder the Small Business TechnologyTransfer, or STTR, program to developand test a rugged, automated, and low-cost system for training rats to detectimprovised explosive devices (IEDs)and mines.

Rat being trained for mine detection //Source: laguia2000.com

“The automated system we’redeveloping is designed toinexpensively train rats to detectburied explosives to solve an



































immediate Army need for safer and lower-costmine removal,” said William Gressick, senior

research engineer and the project’s principalinvestigator at Barron Associates.“Beyond this application, the system will

facilitate the use of rats in other search taskssuch as homeland security and search-and-rescue operations. In the long-term, the systemis likely to benefit both official andhumanitarian organizations.”“If we can demonstrate that rats can be trainedinexpensively to be reliable detectors, then thismethod would not only lower costs for the Armybut would also create new opportunities forusing animals to detect anything from mines to

humans buried in earthquake rubble,”Strand said.

The release notes that it is wellestablished that animals arecapable of identifying explosivesat lower concentrations thanabiotic systems. The Departmentof Defense currently relies ondogs as the animal of choice forexplosives detection. The goal ofthis STTR program is not toreplace the use of dogs, but toexpand the Army’sdetection capabilities.“Training dogs is very expensive. If

we can significantly reduce the cost of a trainedanimal, then we could provide more animals toprotect soldiers.” Strand explained.Trained rats would also create newopportunities; rats can search smaller spacesthan a dog can, and are easier to transport.Landmines kill between 15,000 and 20,000people a year, and continue to kill adults andchildren decades after a conflict ends. Anautomated system to train rats to find minescould accelerate worldwide efforts to clearmined areas and return mined land to farmingor other productive uses.

Lifelike, cost-effective robotic hand disables IEDsSource: http://www.homelandsecuritynewswire.com/dr20120817-lifelike-costeffective-robotic-hand-disables-ieds

Sandia National Laboratories has developed acost-effective robotic hand that can be used indisarming improvised explosive devices,or IEDs.The Sandia Hand addresses challenges whichhave prevented widespread adoption of otherrobotic hands, such as cost, durability,dexterity, and modularity.“Current iterations of robotic hands can costmore than $250,000. We need the flexibilityand capability of a robotic hand to save humanlives, and it needs to be priced for widedistribution to troops,” said Sandia seniormanager Philip Heermann.A Sandia Lab release reports that the SandiaHand project is funded by the DefenseAdvanced Research ProjectsAgency (DARPA).

Principal investigator Curt Salisbury said thegoal was to build a capable but affordablerobotic system.“Hands are considered the most difficult part ofthe robotic system, and are also the leastavailable due to the need for high dexterity at alow cost,” Salisbury said.The Sandia Hand is modular, so different typesof fingers can be attached with magnets andquickly plugged into the hand frame. Theoperator has the flexibility to quickly and easilyattach additional fingers or other tools, such asflashlights, screwdrivers or cameras.Modularity also gives the Sandia Hand aunique durability. The fingers are designed tofall off should the operator accidentally run thehand into a wall or another object.

























“Rather than breaking the hand, thisconfiguration allows the user to recover very

quickly, and fingers can easily be put back intheir sockets,” Salisbury said. “In addition, if afinger pops off, the robot can actually pick it upwith the remaining fingers, move into positionand resocket the finger by itself.”The operator controls the robot with a glove,and the lifelike design allows even first-timeusers to manipulate the robot easily. Therobot’s tough outer skin covers a gel-like layerto mimic human tissue, giving the Sandia Handthe additional advantage of securely grabbingand manipulating objects, like a human hand.

Using Sandia’s robotic hand to disable IEDsalso might lead investigators to the bomb

makers themselves. Often, bombs aredisarmed simply by blowing them up.While effective, that destroys evidenceand presents a challenge toinvestigators trying to catch the bombmaker. A robotic hand that can handlethe delicate disarming operation whilepreserving the evidence could lead tomore arrests, and fewer bombs.The release notes that Sandiapartnered with researchers at StanfordUniversity to develop the hardware andworked with consulting firm LUNAR todrive costs down drastically. In currentcommercially available robotic hands,each independently actuated degree offreedom costs roughly $10,000.“The Sandia Hand has 12 degrees offreedom, and is estimated to retail forabout $800 per degree of freedom —$10,000 total — in low-volumeproduction. This 90 percent costreduction is really a breakthrough,” saidSalisbury. Additionally, because muchof the technology resides in theindividual finger modules, hands with

custom numbers and arrangements of fingerswill be quite affordable.“At this price point, the Sandia Hand has thepotential to be a disruptive technology,” addedHeermann. “Computers, calculators and cellphones became part of daily life and drasticallychanged how we do things when the pricebecame affordable. This hand has the samepotential, especially given that high-volumeproduction can further reduce the cost.”DARPA is funding a separate software effort ina parallel track to the hardware work.

New device dismantles pipe bombs safely, preserving forensicevidenceSource: http://www.homelandsecuritynewswire.com/dr20120821-new-device-dismantles-pipe-bombs-safely-preserving-forensic-evidence



















DHS Science and Technology Directorate’s(S&T) new low-cost device for dismantling

dangerous pipe bombs may look like atinkerer’s project, but this is no accident. TheSemi Autonomous Pipe Bomb End-capRemover (SAPBER) is unassuming inappearance, but sophisticated enough topreserve the forensic evidence needed to trackdown the perpetrator. “From ten paces away,you might mistake the contraption for apressure washer,” says S&T program managerChristine Lee. “But step closer and you’ll findan ingenious device bristling with four videocameras, radios, a telescoping mast, cuttingwheels, a twisting wrist, an electric motor, anda chain-driven gear, all powered by a pair of12-volt batteries.”

Eurekalert, citing a DHS S&T release, reportsthat thousands of pipe bombs are made eachyear, and thousands of pipe bomb threats arecalled into local police and FBI authoritiesacross the country. Many are false alarms, butthose that are not can be deadly.

Dismantling a pipe bomb is tricky and seriousbusiness, and missteps during the dismantling

process can produce catastrophic results. Lawenforcement authorities ideally would like topreserve all evidence related to pipe bombattacks, but the main focus of responders is thesafety of the public and current pipe bombrender-safe techniques often limit the amountof evidence that can be collected. Not so withSAPBER (say-ber).S&T says that pipe bombs can be constructedfrom many different pipe materials, and filledwith many different explosive materials. Makingit even more challenging, they can also beconstructed with shrapnel on the outside.SAPBER is designed to carefully disassemblethe pipe bomb without disturbing the deadly

explosive materials inside. Once the pipebomb is dismantled, the filler explosivematerials can then be emptied, and bothmaterials and the pipe itself can bepreserved as evidence. The SAPBERsystem is able to use these specialtechniques on a wide variety of pipesincluding straight steel, galvanized steel,copper, and PVC plumbing plastic.

The SAPBER pipe bomb dismantlertakes the pipe bomb from a bomb-disposal robot, disassembles it, emptiesthe pipe, makes a video, and carefullypreserves all of the evidence.

The prototype and its remote-controlsoftware were developed by RE2 Inc., ofPittsburgh, Pennsylvania. As an operator

controls the device from a distance, SAPBERtakes the pipe bomb from a bomb-disposalrobot, disassembles it, empties thepipe, makes a video, and carefullypreserves all of the evidence.

























The 140-pound (64-kg) 2-wheeler is smallenough to squeeze into a current bomb-squadtruck while sharing space with a bomb-disposalrobot. Once off the truck, SAPBER is towedinto place by hand or by the robot. On-scene,the robot lifts the pipe bomb and gently lays itonto SAPBER’s transfer tray to be cleanlydisassembled. When the pipe is opened, thematerial inside — powder, detonator, shrapnel,and all — fall into SAPBER’s collection trough,to be studied later and used as evidence.In May SAPBER underwent trials conducted bythe S&T Bomb Squad Test Bed at the Army’sFort Meade.During these trials, the Bureau of Alcohol,Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF)fabricated “live” pipe bombs for the BaltimoreCounty Police Department Bomb Squad to testin four different, operational scenarios andeach operator had to control SAPBERremotely, using the tool’s video feed. TheSAPBER system has also been tested using“live” explosives and has gone through anextensive evaluation by several bomb squadsincluding the Allegheny County and FairfaxCounty Bomb Squads.“To keep it affordable (currently around$12,000) and easy to maintain, RE2 Inc.designed and built the device from provencommercial parts that are mass-produced andeasily replaced,” says Lee.S&T notes that everything that S&T’s FirstResponders Group (FRG/R-Tech) funds mustappeal to cash-strapped, cost efficient

responders. If SAPBER looks more like a boy’sgo-cart, and not a sleek racecar, this is nomatter to them. Cost saving is a practiceencouraged by S&T’s First Responders Group(FRG), whose R-Tech program fundedSAPBER’s development. The final design wasshown to the National Bomb SquadCommander’s Advisory Board and municipalbomb squads, and SAPBER proved its mettle— at the conclusion of the user evaluation, twoSAPBER prototypes were transferred to ATF todisarm the scores of pipe bombs its agentshave confiscated.Bomb Squad Commander Corporal RobertConroy of the Baltimore County PoliceDepartment-Hazardous Devices Team says:“The most unique feature of the SAPBER is itssimplicity and ease of use. Personally, I likedthat the operating system was computer basedand didn’t require any extra hardware outsideof a standard modem and Wi-Fi hotspot(included with the SAPBER). In addition, theability of the SAPBER to remotely dismantlepipe bombs in various ways is very unique.”According to Cathy Parker, RE2’s manager ofbusiness development, “With the SAPBERsystem, bomb squads will be able to replacedangerous pipe bomb disassembly tools andtechniques with a totally remote solution. Thistool ushers in a new era of capability fordealing with pipe bombs.”“This means disarming a pipe bomb safely isno longer a pipe dream,” says Lee.

CUTLASS next generation Bomb Disposal RobotSource: http://www.gizmag.com/go/7533/

June 28, 2007 Northrop Grummandemonstrated its CUTLASS unmannedexplosive ordnance disposal (EOD) vehicle tothe U.K. Under-Secretary of State for Defencelast week. The CUTLASS system offers thelatest technology in a modular design, enablingthe user to deal with the full range of bothmilitary and improvised explosive devices. Itshighly versatile design means that it is capableof accommodating a wide range of payloads,sensors and tools. The manipulator arm isequipped with a state-of-the-art gripper and

has nine degrees of freedom for greatermovement and agility inside limited spaces,such as the interior of a car. The robot is ableto creep along at deliberately slow speeds fordelicate operations and may accelerate to highspeeds to enable rapid travel. The six-wheeleddesign offers mobility on all types of hard andsoft terrain and in all weather conditions.The impressively large and robust-lookingprototype robot will soon replace theWheelbarrow as the next generation bombdisposal vehicle for the U.K. military.

















Northrop Grumman is providing 80 CUTLASSvehicles to the U.K. Ministry of Defence (MoD)under a contract awarded to its Remotecsubsidiary in December 2006. The CUTLASS

unmanned bomb disposal vehicle will be usedby the MoD for anti-terrorism operationsworldwide.











India’s ‘CBR’ Security ChallengeBy Rajeswari Pillai RajagopalanSource: http://thediplomat.com/indian-decade/2012/08/21/indias-cbr-security-challenge/

The use of ammonium nitrate in the recentPune blast signifies yet again India’svulnerabilities in the Chemical-Biological-Radiological (CBR) security domain.Trafficking and trading of chemicals such asammonium nitrate, which are used inexplosives, have become common amongterrorist groups and criminal gangs.

Amending India’s Explosives Act is longoverdue. The law must take into account thechanging circumstances and the morechallenging ways in which state and non-stateactors are aiding and abetting terrorism. Oneof the major shortcomings of the act is its solefocus on the safety of these materials in termsof managing the handling and storage. Thesecurity of such materials is often overlooked.India’s small- and medium-scale industrieshave continued to argue that any theft ofchemicals is done only for pecuniary reasons,which would mean that the security of thesematerials – the material falling into the wronghands – is often overlooked. Pilferage is oftenrubbished as stolen material for commercialpurposes; simply put, to earn some extramoney. But they do pose serious securitythreats to India’s internal security, as wasevident in the Pune blast. India has nowwitnessed several recent incidents of suchsecurity breaches, including the July 2011Mumbai attacks.

In an effort to arrest criminal use and to controlthe easy and unrestricted availability of thechemical, the government in 2011 categorizedammonium nitrate as an “explosive.” However,the catch was that ammonium nitrate is inlarge-scale use in the agricultural sector andtherefore, the government loosened theregulation to say that “its possession and use

would invoke penal action only if thecomposition had 45% or more ammoniumnitrate content.” Terrorists and criminal groupshave been able to exploit this loopholeeffectively, which has allowed them torepeatedly use it in major and minor terroristincidents in India.Recently, a committee set up by the centralgovernment to look into the distribution andhandling of explosives suggested that theHome Ministry may be better suited to regulatethe flow and trading of these chemicals insteadof the Department of Industries, Policy andPlanning, as is the case currently. However,the Home Ministry’s already much toooverstretched to be assigned additional tasks.Regardless, one agency must be invested withthe sole responsibility to lead on this issue.A separate internal security ministry with adepartment focused on CBR securitywith adequate manpower is trulyneeded. With India’s expansive andexpanding network of educational

















institutions and associated labs as well asprivate industrial units, the use of ammoniumnitrate and other chemicals is likely to growmanifold.Consequentially, India should be monitoringand addressing the weaknesses in the currentapproach of controlling the material technicalknow-how of the product. The need for anintegrated approach cannot be overstated.India’s ancient rules are another set of issuesthat need urgent attention. The Explosives Actof 1884, which was last amended in 2002 needto be overhauled again in the face of newchallenges.A recent study by ORF and RUSI on thesubject, India & Non-State Actors: Chemical,Biological & Radiological Threats, which waslargely based on primary research, highlightedsome of these loopholes while also suggestingways to remedy some of the gaps.While the central government-appointedcommittee is looking into some of theserecommendations, it appears to be focusing agreat deal on coordination between differentdepartments handling these chemicals. This isby no means unimportant; indeed, as notedabove, a whole-of-government approach isneeded to properly address the threat.Nonetheless, a host of other issues alsorequire greater attention.For example, transportation remains asignificant weakness. Additionally, industryrarely considers the dangers of these materialsfrom falling into the hands of terrorists,criminals, and third parties who may sell thematerials to terrorist groups.The huge variation between the large, mediumand small-scale industries in their approach tosecurity of these dangerous materials is

significant. The government has to deviseinnovative measures to control and streamlinethe production and distribution of suchmaterials. The wide-scale disparity in thetraining and security provisions and the lack ofstandardization of private security agenciesputs India at serious risk. An accreditation andaudit mechanism, with periodic security auditsand a reporting structure for audit findings to besigned off by a designated regulator, shouldbecome standard practice in industries.Industries also have to be alert to insiderthreats that go undetected by and largebecause of inadequate background threats.A related issue is the lack of threatcommunication and training at the grassrootslevel among ordinary security agencies. Whilesenior-level officers may be aware of CBRthreats, the forces that form most of the front-line security layers are not adequately aware ofthe dangerous materials they deal with. Incases where they are alert, moreover, they arenot adequately equipped with in-house securityforces and certainly cannot afford to pay for aCentral Industrial Security Force (CISF)contingent. Also small, profit-driven units arenot as concerned about the security of thesematerials. Addressing this effectively could bedone by encouraging greater resource-poolingamong smaller units to employ good securityoutfits as a way to reduce costs whilestrengthening the impact of security spending.Lastly, India’s mindset about havingprecedents before strengthening measuresneeds to undergo change. We have tobecome sensitive to threats as they evolverather than wait for incidents to happen andreact thereafter.

Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan is a Senior Fellow at the Observer Research Foundation, NewDelhi. She served in the National Security Council Secretariat, Government of India, from2003 to 2007.

New era in camouflage makeup: Shielding soldiers fromsearing heat of bomb blastsSource:http://portal.acs.org/portal/acs/corg/content?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=PP_ARTICLEMAIN&node_id=222&content_id=CNBP_030567&use_sec=true&sec_url_var=region1&__uuid=8df7418b-b049-472c-95e8-39d7af1cb59c

Camouflage face makeup for warfare isundergoing one of the most fundamentalchanges in thousands of years, as scientiststoday described a new face paint that both

hides soldiers from the enemy andshields their faces from the searingheat of bomb blasts. Firefighters alsocould benefit from the new heat-



















resistant makeup, according to the report.It was part of a broader symposium oninnovations in ingredients for personal careproducts held during the 244th National Meeting& Exposition of the American ChemicalSociety, the world’s largest scientific society.The meeting, which includes almost 8,600reports on new discoveries in science andother topics, continues through Thursday. Theother reports (abstracts appear below) includednew hairsprays, mousses, denture adhesives,tartar-control toothpastes, mouthwashes andpersonal cleansing products.Robert Lochhead, Ph.D., who presented thereport, explained that soldiers have used facepaint for centuries for one kind of protection ―to help their skin blend in with the naturalenvironment and shield them from enemies.The new material continues that tradition, butalso provides protection from the searing heatof roadside bomb blasts and other explosionsthat have claimed a terrible toll in Iraq,Afghanistan and other conflicts.“The detonation of a roadside bomb or anyother powerful explosive produces twodangerous blasts,” Lochhead said. “Firstcomes a blast wave of high pressure thatspreads out at supersonic speeds and cancause devastating internal injuries. A thermalblast follows almost instantaneously. It is awave of heat that exceeds 1,112 degreesFahrenheit. That’s as hot as a burningcigarette. The thermal blast lasts only twoseconds, but it can literally cook the face,hands and other exposed skin.”In an effort to protect soldiers from this threat,the U.S. Department of Defense has beenseeking a solution that Lochhead initiallyregarded as an impossibility: A material thatsoldiers could smear on their faces like suntanlotion, leaving a coating that although thinnerthan a sheet of paper, could protect againstthat intense heat. Dr. Paige Buchanan, KelliBooth, Michelle McClusky, Laura Andersonand Lochhead were the team that tackled thechallenge. Not only did they succeed, but theydiscovered a formulation that protects inlaboratory experiments way beyond the 2-second heat-wave threat from improvisedexplosive devices and other bombs.The new camouflage makeup protects the faceand hands for up to 15 seconds before its owntemperature rises to the point where a first-degree burn, which is a mild burn, might occur.In some tests, the new face paint can protect

for up to 60 seconds, which could be importantin giving soldiers time to move away from blast-related fires and also for use by civilianfirefighters.

The makeup had to meet several key criteria: Ithad to reflect intense heat; have camouflagecolors suitable for day and night use; be easyto apply and remove; be waterproof; and benon-irritating to the eyes, nose and mouth.The trickiest part was that the University ofSouthern Mississippi team had to avoid the useof mineral oil, mineral spirits, fatty substancesand other traditional hydrocarbon makeupingredients. Hydrocarbons can burn in contactwith intense heat in the flame spectrum. Theteam turned to silicones, which are not asflammable because they absorb radiation atwavelengths outside of the intense heatspectrum. Silicones have been replacinghydrocarbons in many commercial cosmeticmakeup products as cosmetics companiesimprove products to confer better feelproperties and transfer-resistance.Another challenge was adding DEET, an insectrepellent. The military mandates that allcamouflage makeups contain 35 percentDEET. “DEET also is flammable, so when theDepartment of Defense asked us to incorporateit, we didn’t think we could do it,” Lochheadnoted. But the team successfullyincluded DEET by encapsulating it in













a hydrogel substance, a water-rich materialthat prevented DEET from catching fire.It already has passed the preliminarylaboratory tests needed to determine whetherdevelopment should continue. Lochhead’s

team also plans tests of the material on othersurfaces to try to protect clothing, tents andother items from burning, and a colorlessversion is being developed for firefighters.









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