IIR 6 815 0004 05/CANADIAN ARMY RESERVE UNITS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 OTTAWA 003001

SIPDIS

CONFIDENTIAL NOFORN

SIPDIS

SERIAL: (U) IIR 6 815 0004 05.

COUNTRY: (U) CANADA (CA).

IPSP: (U) IFC2310; IFC2410; IFC2420; IFC1530; IFC1120; IFC1131; IFC113

2.

TAGS: PARM
SUBJECT: IIR 6 815 0004 05/CANADIAN ARMY RESERVE UNITS
CONDUCT COUNTER-TERRORISM TRAINING (U)


WARNING: (U) THIS IS AN INFORMATION REPORT, NOT FINALLY
EVALUATED INTELLIGENCE. REPORT IS CLASSIFIED C O N F I D E N
T I A L/NOFORN.

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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
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DOI: (U) 20041106.

REQS: (U) DHCD204005; DHCD127041; G-TRI-1673-073-03.

SOURCE: (U) //MEMBER USDAO OTTAWA// AS A RESULT OF DIRECT
OBSERVATION.

SUMMARY: (C) CANADIAN ARMY RESERVE ELEMENTS CONDUCTED
COUNTER-TERRORISM TRAINING WITH OTTAWA-BASED CIVILIAN
EMERGENCY FIRST-RESPONDERS ON 20041106. THE EXERCISE,
INCLUDING MORE THAN 150 PARTICIPANTS, SIMULATED RESPONSE TO A
TERRORIST CHEMICAL AGENT ATTACK IN THE OTTAWA CITY HALL.

TEXT. 1. (U) ELEMENTS OF THE GOVERNOR GENERAL'S FOOT
GUARDS, THE REGIMENT DE HULL, AND THE GEOMATICS DETACHMENT OF
THE THIRD FIELD ENGINEERS, ALL CANADIAN ARMY RESERVE UNITS
BASED IN THE NATIONAL CAPITAL REGION OF OTTAWA, PARTICIPATED
IN A COUNTER-TERRORISM TRAINING EXERCISE WITH OTTAWA-BASED
CIVILIAN EMERGENCY FIRST-RESPONDERS FROM THE LOCAL POLICE,
FIRE, AND PARAMEDIC AMBULANCE SERVICES ON 20041106. THE
PURPOSE OF THE EXERCISE FROM THE CANADIAN ARMY'S PERSPECTIVE
WAS TO TEST THE POTENTIAL CAPABILITIES OF RESERVE UNITS TO
AUGMENT CIVILIAN FIRST-RESPONDERS IN THE EVENT OF A NUCLEAR,
BIOLOGICAL, AND CHEMICAL DEFENSE (NBCD) EMERGENCY. MORE THAN
150 PERSONNEL PARTICIPATED IN THE EXERCISE, LASTING
APPROXIMATELY TWO HOURS.


2. (U) THE EXERCISE SCENARIO WAS BASED UPON A MUSTARD GAS
ATTACK WITHIN THE OTTAWA CITY HALL BY AN UNSPECIFIED
TERRORIST ORGANIZATION. THE FOCUS OF THE EXERCISE WAS THE
RECOVERY OF CASUALTIES FROM CITY HALL AND THEIR SUBSEQUENT
DECONTAMINATION, TRIAGE, MEDICAL TREATMENT, AND EVACUATION
FROM THE EXERCISE SITE (THE LARGE LAWN AREA ADJACENT TO CITY
HALL). THE OTTAWA CITY POLICE WERE IN COMMAND OF THE
EXERCISE AND RESPONSIBLE FOR PERIMETER SECURITY. ALL
EXERCISE PARTICIPANTS, EXCLUDING SIMULATED CASUALTIES, WERE
IN FULL PROTECTIVE POSTURE CLOTHING (GAS MASKS, OVERGARMENTS,
GLOVES, AND BOOTS).


3. (U) THE REGIMENT DE HULL, AN ARMORED RECONNAISSANCE UNIT,
WAS TASKED TO CONDUCT NBCD RECONNAISSANCE AND SITE
DECONTAMINATION OF THE EXERCISE AREA. THE RECON TEAM OF THE
REGIMENT WAS EQUIPPED WITH A CHEMICAL AGENT MONITOR (NATO
STOCK NUMBER: 6665-99-420-3628). NBCD RECONNAISSANCE DATA
WAS TRANSMITTED VIA RADIO TO THE GEOMATICS DETACHMENT OF THE
THIRD FIELD ENGINEERS, WHICH PRODUCED REAL-TIME EXERCISE SITE
MAPS FOR USE BY ALL ELEMENTS. THE GOVERNOR GENERAL'S FOOT
GUARDS, AN INFANTRY REGIMENT NORMALLY ASSIGNED CEREMONIAL AND
GUARD DUTIES, WAS TASKED TO ERECT AND OPERATE A PERSONNEL
DECONTAMINATION STATION TO AUGMENT THE ONE OPERATED BY
CIVILIAN PARAMEDICS. THE FOOT GUARDS ACCOMPLISHED THIS
WITHIN TWENTY MINUTES AND THEIR DECONTAMINATION STATION WAS
SUPERIOR TO THE CIVILIAN STATION THROUGH CREATIVE USE OF
MILITARY TENTAGE, FIELD SHOWER PLUMBING, AND SPACE HEATERS.


4. (U) NOTABLES WHO ATTENDED THE TRAINING EXERCISE INCLUDED
MR. GEORGES ((BEDARD)),DEPUTY MAYOR OF OTTAWA; MAJOR GENERAL
MARC ((CARON)),ASSISTANT CHIEF OF THE LAND STAFF; AND MAJOR
GENERAL ED ((FITCH)),PROGRAM MANAGER FOR LAND FORCES RESERVE
RESTRUCTURE. CONSPICUOUS BY THEIR ABSENCE WERE ANY
REPRESENTATIVES OF PUBLIC SAFETY AND EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS
CANADA (PSEPC). SEVERAL MEDIA PHOTOGRAPHERS RECORDED THE
EVENT, BUT NO COVERAGE APPEARED IN THE OTTAWA CITIZEN
NEWSPAPER ON EITHER 20041107 OR 20041108.


COMMENTS: 1. (C/NF) FIELD COMMENTS. THE MILITARY ELEMENTS
THAT PARTICIPATED IN THIS EXERCISE CLEARLY DEMONSTRATED THE
CAPABILITY OF CANADIAN ARMY RESERVE UNITS TO AUGMENT CIVILIAN
FIRST-RESPONDERS IN THE EVENT OF A NBCD EMERGENCY. IN FACT,
AS CIVILIAN FIRST-RESPONDER ASSETS WERE QUICKLY OVERWHELMED
BY A RELATIVELY SMALL NUMBER OF CASUALTIES, AUGMENTATION BY
ARMY RESERVE UNITS, IF PROPERLY EQUIPPED AND TRAINED, COULD
PROVE TO BE ESSENTIAL DURING AN ACTUAL EMERGENCY. ALTHOUGH
THIS TEST WAS OBVIOUSLY SUCCESSFUL FOR THE ARMY, THE ISSUE IS
NOW WHETHER SUCH TASKS BECOME PART OF RESERVE UNIT MISSION
STATEMENTS. THIS WOULD REQUIRE NOT ONLY A POLICY DECISION AT
THE MINISTER OF DEFENCE LEVEL, BUT ALSO THE ALLOCATION OF
RESOURCES TO EQUIP AND TRAIN RESERVE UNITS.

2. (U) SOURCE REMAINS AVAILABLE FOR FURTHER
EXPLOITATION/CONTACT.


3. (U) DHO-1 POINT OF CONTACT, STU III (703) 907-0541; AND
GREY 981-8236.


4. (C) THIS IIR RESPONDS TO PRIORITY 1, PARA 1B, AND
PRIORITY 3, PARA 1A OF USDAO OTTAWA'S OPERATING DIRECTIVE.

COLL: (U) AH; CA; DB.
INSTR: (U) US NO.
PREP: (U) 6-02539.
ACQ: (U) CANADA, OTTAWA, ON (20041106).
DISSEM: (U) FIELD: AMEMB OTTAWA.
WARNING: (U) REPORT CLASSIFIED C O N F I D E N T I A L/NOT
RELEASABLE TO FOREIGN NATIONALS.
DRV FROM: DO HUMINT SCG SEP 2003
DECL ON: X1