Arms control conference looks at 2003 as 'A Time of Endurance'
Air Mobility Command News
Release Date: 8/25/2003
By Master Sgt. Paul Fazzini Air Mobility Command Public Affairs
SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. - More than 120 military, defense civilians and subject matter experts from around the country attended the 2003 Air Mobility Command Arms Control and Counterproliferation Conference held Aug. 11 through 15 at AMC's Global Reach Planning Center.
The conference, titled "2003: A Time of Endurance," brought together unit-level and major command-level representatives from AMC, Air Combat Command, Air Education and Training Command, Pacific Air Forces and Air Force Materiel Command to meet training and education requirements for both the arms control and counterproliferation programs.
Also in attendance were members of the Air Staff and representatives from agencies such as the Transportation Security Agency, Illinois Emergency Management Agency, United States General Accounting Office, Air Force Directorate of Homeland Security and Joint Task Force-Civil Support.
Discussions during the arms control portion of the conference focused on: the Air Staff perspective; the Treaty on Open Skies; The Chemical Weapons Convention; Operational Security, and the threat to our computer systems and networks; the current state of Russia; and cyber-terrorism.
Discussions during the counterproliferation portion of the conference dealt with bioterrorism, with specific sessions focusing in on: nuclear, biological, chemical, radiological and missile threats to U.S. homeland security; development of a DoD decontamination policy; Chemical and Biological Airborne Decontamination Systems; regional bioterrorism planning; legal, public health and public affairs responses to bioterrorism.
Proving their worth in previous year's conferences, organizers held high hopes for this year's event.
"We hoped the attendees would find this conference to be a useful tool for sharing ideas, enhancing treaty implementation and inspection skills, and broadening their knowledge base of the rapidly growing areas of OPSEC and counterproliferation, more specifically chemical and biological warfare," said Tim Trachsel, chief, Arms Control, Treaties and Counterproliferation Branch.
In opening remarks, the AMC Vice Commander, Lt. Gen. John R. Baker, spoke about the importance of the conference in the post-9/11 world.
"Arms control and treaties are still a very important facet of our national defense posture," said General Baker. "Treaties represent extensive and legally binding international commitments, and because of that, good agreements don't come overnight. Verification of agreements is by nature an intrusive business, so we have to pay attention to the treaties we have signed."
"We need to be prepared and vigilant for continued Open Skies Inspection overflights by Russia," said the general. "We need to continue to be sensitive to the operations security, communications security and other security components that are vital to treaty inspections and apply those lessons to all facets of our Air Force mission."
General Baker drove home the point of OPSEC and COMSEC by sharing a story about a strike mission that was called back after it was discussed on open communication lines. "They cancelled the strike and turned around," he said. "We have to pay more attention to this area."
Turning to another topic, General Baker spoke about weapons of mass destruction and the real world threat they pose.
"I was just in the AOR last week . people are concerned," he said. People do worry about chemical and biological threats. "We need to learn how to protect ourselves while maintaining high standards of readiness."
General Baker encouraged the attendees to take the knowledge and insights learned from the conference home and apply it to their unit and mission.
That knowledge came by way of experts like Keith Rhodes, chief technologist for the U.S. GAO, who spoke about the threat to DoD computer systems and networks.
"People are the reason systems are built and people are the reason systems break," he said. "Remember, security is not absolute, so you have to look at the level of acceptable penetration to your network. When we go in and attempt to penetrate a system, we have to ask 'Can we break into a level that bothers the agency?'"
Mr. Rhodes went on to talk about system securities and the fact that "no single security system can meet all the needs. One size does not fit all."
Continuing the conference's focus on security and protection, the efforts to protect the U.S., its territories, and its allies, as well as other countries around the world, through arms control isn't the sole responsibility of this nation. Other countries, such as Russia, have significantly impacted the world in many ways.
"The Russians are some of the best arms controllers in the world," said retired Brig. Gen. John Reppert, executive director for the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. "They were good, very good.
"In fact, the Russians contributed significantly to the Open Skies Treaty created for Europe," he said.
When looking at joint peacekeeping operations around the world, General Reppert said, "The intelligence exchange between the United States and Russia has been and continues to be a tremendous benefit to the U.S."
General Reppert went on to talk about Russia's current political, economic and military state.
"There aren't many political systems like ours, and depending on how long you spend away from it will determine how you appreciate it, or not. The Russians aren't there yet," he said. "The Communist Party still exists . and remains a popular party. Because of that, elections still have a lot of ground to cover."
"While the economy in Russia is steadily improving . the technological advancements in military weapons are not. This is due," he said, "to the fact that the Russians just can't spend the money on the military because they're spending it on improving other economic systems. The outlook doesn't look good for the armed forces."
An area that does look good is the way agencies around the United States have approached the bioterrorism threat to the homeland. Dr. Rasa Silenas, a retired Air Force colonel, spoke about the challenges frequently experienced in the medical community when dealing with bioterrorism training and preparedness.
"There is a lack of funds in the civilian agencies," she said. "When you also deal with patients who keep coming in, training becomes difficult. So you have to start with what you have - you can't buy readiness. One of the biggest advantages to preparedness is competence with existing recourses; that is empowering."
Empowerment is what most, if not all, of the attendees had by the end of the week.
"Through this conference, just talking with each other enhances our nation's homeland security capabilities," said Master Sgt. Scott Stewart, the superintendent of operations at the West Coast Entry Point for the Open Skies Treaty at Travis AFB, Calif. "Prior to 9/11, civic involvement was minimal and people didn't take threats as serious because there was no real crisis affecting them. Now they realize their own state, city or home is a potential battlefield."
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