LA NUEVA CUBA

Army to simulate chem-bio attack near Key West

Associated Press

Army Times

Abril 12, 2002

Army researchers are planning to simulate a biological and chemical

attack off the coast here to determine if weather radar systems can

detect weapons agents dispersed by crop-dusters.

During the four-day test scheduled to begin Monday, a small plane

will release harmless agents, similar in composition to biological

and chemical weapons, above the Gulf of Mexico, between six and 13

miles off Key West.

Army engineers want to know if the long-range radars used for

weather forecasts can distinguish between rain clouds and weapons

like anthrax, which could be released into the air.

“What we hope to gain from this is to basically provide the country

with a chemical and biological detection umbrella across the U.S.,”

said Maj. Vince Johnston, deputy product manager for the Army’s

Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Point Detection Systems.

If this test is successful, the Army could possibly have the

detection network running in 18 to 24 months, Johnston told The

Miami Herald.

The $400,000 test is being conducted in consultation with a host of

federal, state, and local agencies, he said.

The experiment will gauge the capabilities of four different radars,

including a National Weather Service Doppler radar controlled from

Key West, and an Aerostat Radar System operated by the U.S. Air

Force and mounted in blimps that hover off Cudjoe Key.

“It’s one potential threat where somebody could fly a plane off in

international waters and try to disseminate this stuff,” Johnston

said. “This gives us a chance to find out what happens over water.”

The Army will delay the experiment next week if winds are not moving

away from Key West, Johnston said.

Several months ago, the Army conducted a similar detection test over

land with a Doppler radar system currently used by the Special

Forces for ground surveillance. The success of that experiment led

the Pentagon to accelerate plans to test a civilian Doppler over

water, Johnston said.

He said a system that flags biological and chemical attacks could be

used without disrupting current weather forecasting operations.