Terrorism Preparedness - Research Paper Example

Abstract Fort Bragg an army base in North Carolina has experienced many disastrous problems in the recent times. Notably, Fort Bragg and the areas located nearby had been hit hard by natural calamities such as hurricanes and tornadoes and manmade calamity which includes terrorist activities. Correspondingly, a preparedness model has been developed so as to tackle these issues more effectively. In this regard, it would be more important to design preparedness plan based on the past experiences and knowledge. In addition, use of advanced technologies along with enhancement of training procedure for people involved in disaster management would likely improve the capability of Fort Bragg to deal with the identified threat and vulnerabilities. Introduction In the 1918, General William J. Snow the Chief of Field Artillery decided to establish an area which had sufficient water, railway facilities, appropriate terrain and a perfect climate for yearly training that is presently known called as Fort Bragg. Camp Bragg came into presence on 4th September 1918 which was actually given its name for a Confederate General and North Carolinian, General Braxton Bragg. On 30th September 1922 Camp Bragg changed its name to Fort Bragg, a perpetual Army post that was under the control of General Bowley. From the year 1923 to 1926 Field Artillery battalions made a huge progress as the battalion learnt how to work in extreme difficult conditions. In the later phase 20th century, it was observed that Fort Bragg worked on repetitive power projects in order to counter the aggression of Iraqi’s in the south western region of Asia. In addition, the soldiers participated in warfare and various other operations in many countries worldwide along with providing support particularly to those affected by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and Haiti subsequently after the earthquake in 2010. In the present day Fort Bragg is the hub for special operations that has a workforce of 57,000 military persons along with 11,000 civil staffs and is considered as the one of the leading camps for military in the entire world. The objective of the paper is to identify the possible threats and vulnerabilities for Fort Bragg along with determining a preparedness model which would include various strategies and plan pertaining to the hurricanes, tornadoes, Green Ramp tragedy and Pope Air Force Base crash (U.S. Army Fort Bragg, 2013). Preparedness Model Fort Bragg has extended its mission and increased the number of officers in order to tackle the issues pertaining to terrorism that has been occurring more frequently. Moreover, it plans to tackle the unpredictable disasters that has been caused by humans or has occurred naturally through disaster awareness and emergency management activities with a team of sound, resilient and flexible members that can respond effectively to the various ongoing challenges. In this regard, Fort Bragg has been focused on increasing the military personnel along with building a regiment which comprises of a large group of troops to surge its operation in the Middle East. In order to ensure effective implementation of the preparedness model, the agencies of emergency services and law enforcement within Fort Bragg should provide continuous support for coordination of efforts that has been planned and recruit people for emergency services who are talented along with public safety awareness. Public safety includes avoiding and protecting people from the actions that could jeopardize the safety of common public. The responsibility of public safety is spread among various state, county and federal municipal agencies. In the recent years there has been an upsurge in the security issues that has raised awareness among general public agencies which has increased the requirement for local community concern and cooperation among various related agencies (Fort Bragg Regional Alliance, 2008). The preparedness model comprises of the organized linkages and structures of the various system involved in disaster management that provides support for functioning of the system which involves supportive regulation and general preparedness plan. The important factors to be considered in designing the model are: Focal point: It acts as a vital agency that has adequate control and resources for managing various bodies involved in disaster management activities. This agency needs to have a well-trained personnel and sufficient resources. Besides it should be well-supported by legislation in order to ensure effective decision making before and during the emergency situation. Linkage within operation and policy: The disaster management system should make sure that there is a good relationship between the operational agencies and policy makers which are responsible for making decisions regarding emergency situations Linkage between Center and local body: It is considered very important to have proper flow of communication between the central and the local body in order to ensure that timely flow of information to ensure adequate supply of the required resources Coordination between mitigation and relief program: Proper coordination should be establish between the agencies and other bodies that are accountable for mitigation and relief program. It is essential to make sure that there is an introduction of measures for reducing the risk and preparedness of instant post-disaster circumstances Political Consensus: Consent for management of disaster must be communicated properly to the political parties for ensuring implication of nationwide plans and regulations NGOs: There should be a complete integration of NGO’s for increased coordination and establishment of a broad pattern of responsibility The Nationwide Preparedness Plan: The plan should provide a brief understanding of the approach to disaster management. Moreover, these plans should be continuously reviewed and updated timely to improve the response efficiency and at the same time prime focus need to allocate on operational issues Disaster Planning Scope: Most of the planning is concerned about disaster reduction and the response to disaster but it is essential that the planning is focused on mitigation and preparedness (UNISDR, 1998). Identification of Threats and Vulnerabilities Fayetteville is a city which is situated near the military base of Fort Bragg which is in the Sand hills of North Carolina, in the middle of the piedmont and coastal plain. The most common threat for this city and the military base is tornadoes which usually occur in spring and summer. It has been estimated that the city has a population of 200,564 people wherein the people have ties with the military base. Fayetteville has been experiencing tornadoes on a usual basis which is comparatively more than other regions in the United States. . Moreover, the city along with Fort Bragg military base experiences damages of hurricane which mostly involves rain and storm damages. In addition, the city and the military base are going through moderate droughts but presently only voluntary watering measures have been applied (UNC Institute for the Environment, 2012). According to an investigation conducted on Homeland security, it has been viewed that there has been 16 external conspiracies for terror attacks that has been targeted to demolish the military base along with threats that are directed to the military personnel families. Moreover, it has been determined that more than nine Muslim-Americans military insiders were charged after 2001 for security crimes within the nation. There were two more Muslim-Americans that were convicted to plan terrorist attacks in the military base as they failed to get selected in the police departments. These situations provides evidence of the Al-Qaeda’s continuous efforts in gaining access to US military in order to make them recruit vulnerable staffs who are committed to carry out terrorist activities. Moreover there is also a rumor that in order to avenge Osama Bin Laden’s death which raises the possibility of homegrown violence wherein the offenders are likely to target and attack the US military base camp. There has been a declaration made by Al Qaeda which emphasized that their prime target would be general public and military personnel. Thus, it can be mentioned that there is an upsurge in homegrown terrorism wherein personnel recruited in the Army have been disclosing sensitive and confidential information. It has also been observed that the government has defunded millions of dollars for the Army wherein a huge number of troops are to be eliminated from the military. Due to this reason there has been a widespread of terrorism in the country along with the military base camp which directly poses as a huge threat for Fort Bragg (Time Inc., 2011). Preparedness Plan Fort Bragg in order to tackle and mitigate the effects of tornadoes and hurricanes, preparedness plan should start first consider campaigns for community awareness to educate military workforces and their family members along with the departmental civilians in defense regarding the emergency situation. The primary purpose of the plan is to develop a set of policies for preparation of natural catastrophes and emergencies in reduction of vulnerability. It should comprise actions that need to be taken before the occurrence of disaster, actions to be taken during the disaster and actions that has to be taken after the disaster. The preparedness plan determines certain responsibilities that are classified into four segments which include mitigation, preparation, responsibility and recovery. The plan should contain an emergency kit for the family members of the military which would enable them to sustain for at least 72 hours as it has been observed that the most disastrous time for Fort Bragg is between the months of July and September. Insider threat is considered as one of the major issue being faced by the military departments. Primary sources in determination of insider threats include maliciousness, carelessness in working, being ignorant of the policies and guidelines that need to be followed in the military base camp, improper or frequent use of confidential information by unauthorized members, disregard of the security practices. In order to identify and mitigate these threats certain key components of strategies and plan has to be implemented in Fort Bragg that minimizes these threats. These strategies associated with risk reduction need to include certain generic policies and rules in the military camp which involves termination of staffs for improper use of information and suspension of those staffs that have been unable to follow these guidelines. Developing trustworthiness within the employees will also aid in the reduction of insider threat by establishing a very high level of assertion in the mindset of the staff and by bringing changes in the practices, policies and systems that has been followed earlier in the military personnel. The authority should also focus on strengthening the management practices and security aspects in the camp wherein there is no permission provided to unauthorized personnel to enter the restricted area. The confidential information of the military need to be duly protected and use of unwanted gadgets in the camp should be restricted. Moreover, Fort Bragg should restrict the sharing of information between the staff in order to avoid leakage of information and if the information is shared the concerned authority should consider it as a violation. In addition, if there has been a detection of problems in the information system of the military, the concerned personnel should immediately react to the detection and respond accordingly (Department of Defense, n.d.) The preparedness plan for terrorism includes creating a plan for emergency communication which involves installation of new communication facilities in the camp, establishing a place for meeting and discussing things that are required to tackle terrorism, assembling preparedness kit for emergency situations and devising additional steps through various research in order to find out the positive aspects to tackle terrorism (The American Red Cross, 2014). More importantly, it would be vital to design preparedness plan based on the past experiences and knowledge ascertain therefrom. Conclusion Thus, it can be concluded that Fort Bragg has expanded its mission and increased the number of officers in order to tackle the terrorism that has been occurring more frequently. Moreover, plans to tackle the unpredictable disasters that has been caused either by humans or has occurred naturally need to be effective and in timely manner. In this regard, disaster awareness and emergency management activities with a team of sound, resilient and flexible members that can respond effectively to the various ongoing challenges. It has been observed that Fort Bragg experienced numerous threats in the form of tornadoes and hurricanes which has created greater need for preparedness plan. Correspondingly, it would be vital to recollect knowledge acquired through past experiences and frame the most effectual preparedness plan. The camp is also experiencing terrorist threats in the area which has been a major issue. Conversely, to mitigate these issues it would be vital to implement more advanced technological equipment and form a group who are skilled and highly trained to deal with those kind of emergency situation. It would be vital for Fort Bragg to formulate rules that reduce insider threat and increase the affectivity of the source of communication so that terrorist threats are effectively dealt. References Department of Defense. (n.d.). DoD insider threat mitigation. Form SF298 Citation Data, 1-17. Fort Bragg Regional Alliance. (2008). Public safety and emergency service. Retrieved from http://www.bracrtf.com/documents/06_Public_Safety.pdf The American Red Cross. (2014). Terrorism preparedness. Retrieved from http://www.redcross.org/ Time Inc. (2011). Homegrown terrorism: The threat to military communities inside the United States. US House of Representatives Committee on Homeland Security, 1-14. UNC Institute for the Environment. (2012).City profile. Retrieved from http://www.ie.unc.edu/for_students/courses/capstone/12/fayetteville_capstone_report.pdf UNISDR. (1998). Disaster management model. Retrieved from http://www.preventionweb.net/files/5142_US01MH840-Ft.pdf U.S. Army Fort Bragg. (2013). Fort Bragg history. Retrieved from http://www.bragg.army.mil/Pages/History.aspx Read More