Que Pasa?

Between now and May 18, the U.S. military is conducting a huge "preparedness exercise" called Ardent Sentry-Northern Edge 07. Read more in Rosebud #94 and #89, below.

The last time the United States conducted war games on this scale was in the months prior to, and on 911 (see "Military Exercises" in "The Complete 911 Timeline" at www.CooperativeResearch.org).

From North Command News:

Major preparedness exercise begins today
April 30, 2007
The Department of Defense in cooperation with the Department of Homeland Security, the Canadian Department of National Defence (Canada Command) and multiple state and local officials will conduct a major preparedness exercise from April 30 to May 18.
Major events will take place in New England, Indiana, Alaska and adjacent waters and along the Western U.S. – Canadian border.
Ardent Sentry-Northern Edge 07 is a Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS) directed, U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) sponsored Homeland Defense (HLD) and Defense Support of Civil Authorities (DSCA) exercise.
The Homeland Security Council has designated Ardent Sentry and associated exercises (Northern Edge, Vigilant Guard, 2007 National Hurricane Preparedness Exercise, Blue Flag, Positive Response and Alaska Shield) as a national level exercise for 2007. This exercise will be the largest and most complex exercise undertaken by USNORTHCOM.
The exercise will include a hurricane scenario, the 2007 National Hurricane Preparedness Exercise, in the northeastern United States. Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine and New York as well as the Federal Emergency Management Agency will be involved in the event. Most activity will be centered in the Providence, R.I., area.
In Indiana, National Planning Scenario One, a detonation of an improvised nuclear device, will drive the deployment of more than 2,000 active duty military personnel and nearly 1,000 National Guard personnel to Camp Atterbury and the Muscatatuck Urban Training Center. U.S. Northern Command’s Joint Task Force – Civil Support will deploy to Indiana.
The state of Alaska, in coordination with U. S. Northern Command’s Joint Task Force – Alaska, will respond to a series of simulated terrorist related events throughout the state. Maritime events will take place in the waters adjacent to Alaska, and several events involving aircraft will unfold in the state.
“Exercises like this provide an excellent opportunity for federal, state, and local agencies to review processes and techniques and build relationships,” said Mike Perini, the NORAD and US Northern Command director of Public Affairs. “This exercise is designed to be challenging and complex. It allows participants to challenge their people and resources and look at new options and solutions.”
For this exercise, participants developed various training objectives. Exercise planners then designed situations where the participants would have an opportunity to meet those objectives.
“This exercise is not the culmination of training. It is only part of an on-going cycle of training that prepares people to face real challenge,” added Perini.
The exercise also provides the reserve components with a unique opportunity to exercise with USNORTHCOM, other federal agencies, and representatives from state, local and non-governmental organizations involved in homeland security.
U.S. Northern Command was established Oct. 1, 2002, to provide command and control of Department of Defense homeland defense efforts and to coordinate defense support of civil authorities. NORAD is a bi-national United States and Canadian organization charged with the missions of aerospace warning and aerospace control for North America.

Here is the attached Fact Sheet:

Fact Sheet - Exercise ARDENT SENTRY - NORTHERN EDGE 07

Background: ARDENT SENTRY-NORTHERN EDGE 07 (AS-NE 07) is a Joint Chiefs of Staff-
directed, U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) sponsored homeland defense and
Defense Support of Civil Authorities (DSCA) exercise that is taking place 30 April – 17 May
2007. The Homeland Security Council has designated ARDENT SENTRY-NORTHERN EDGE
(and associated exercises VIGILANT GUARD, ALASKA SHIELD, INDIANA SENTRY, BLUE
FLAG, POSITIVE RESPONSE, and the 2007 National Hurricane Preparedness Exercise) as a
National Level Exercise for 2007. This exercise includes Canada Command as a full partner,
and is the largest (number of personnel, length of exercise, number of venues, and cost) and
most complex exercise undertaken in the exercise series.
Purpose: To provide local, state, federal, Department of Defense (DOD), and non-
governmental organizations and agencies involved in homeland security emergency
management the opportunity to participate in a full range of training scenarios that will better
prepare participants to respond to a national crisis. The participating organizations will conduct
a multi-layered, civilian-led response to a national crisis
Objectives:
• Demonstrate multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional unity of effort in support of a civilian-led
response to a national crisis through collaboration with local, state, and federal responders.
• State leaders are provided an opportunity to orchestrate and lead response efforts within
their state to include the use of state assets, emergency management assistance compacts,
and support from federal resources, including active duty military forces.
• The National Guard is provided with an opportunity to exercise with USNORTHCOM, other
federal agencies, and representatives from local, state, and non-governmental organizations
involved in homeland security.
• USNORTHCOM is provided an opportunity to exercise support of civil authorities in the
execution of DOD Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, or High-yield Explosive
(CBRNE) response plans and Joint Task Force operations.
• North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) will exercise against a variety of
threats.
• Improve coordination with Canadian partners in cross-border events.
• Explore seams in homeland defense and DSCA processes with DOD, U.S. Pacific
Command, U.S. Strategic Command, and non-DOD government agencies.
• Build on previous exercises and real-world lessons learned.

Actions: AS-NE 07 is a full-scale exercise involving the strategic and operational coordination
between key incident management centers at the local, state, regional, national, and
international levels, as well as the deployment of tactical response forces. To provide training
for the DOD, USNORTHCOM will deploy a Joint Task Force headquarters to each of the main
exercise venues to command and control active duty military forces in support of the state and
federal response. Specifically, DOD involvement includes:

• Joint Task Force Civil Support deploying to a catastrophic CBRNE Consequence
Management event.
• Joint Task Force Alaska deploying within in the state of Alaska in response to a variety of
scenarios.
• One U.S. Army North Operational Command Post deploying to prepare for a catastrophic
hurricane event.
• U.S. Pacific Fleet and U.S. Coast Guard Pacific Area vessels along with the Canadian Navy
conducting operations in the Gulf of Alaska.

The primary exercise events take place in Indiana and New England, as well as Alaska and its
adjacent waters. NORAD events (simulated and live-fly) take place over multiple locations in
the United States and Canada. With the exception of Indiana, there will be minimal deployment
of active duty forces with little to no direct impact on local communities. There will be no cross-
border deployments.

National Planning Scenario One (detonation of a 10-kiloton improvised nuclear device) provides
the scenario where local, state, and federal responders have the opportunity to work together to
handle a national crisis. Several local and state organizations will provide the initial response to
the event. The National Guard of Indiana, Illinois and Ohio will be part of the state response
and more than 2,000 active duty military personnel will assist with the federal response. All
exercise events for this scenario take place at Camp Atterbury and the Muscatatuck Urban
Training Center. This exercise presents an opportunity for federal active duty and State
National Guard forces to work together. Other participants in the federal support of local and
state efforts include the Department of Homeland Security and Federal Emergency
Management Agency (FEMA) Region V.

AS-NE 07 includes a hurricane scenario - impacting the New England area - that is the
capstone event for hurricane season preparations. Participants include the six New England
states, New York, FEMA Regions I and II, and numerous federal agencies. The event is
intended to test the full range of domestic incident management procedures in response to a
hurricane under the National Response Plan and 2007 Hurricane Concept of Operations Plan.
This event is co-sponsored by the Department of Homeland Security/FEMA and DOD.

The state of Alaska, in coordination with Joint Task Force Alaska, is conducting multiple
homeland defense, homeland security, and critical infrastructure protection events throughout
the state. Major participants include the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of
Homeland Security, and FEMA Region X along with state, local and private sector
organizations. Maritime events take place in the waters adjacent to Alaska and include U.S.
Coast Guard, U.S. Navy, and Canadian Navy forces.

Aerospace events are taking place across all the exercise venues, exercising the ability to
mobilize resources for aerospace defense, aerospace control, maritime warning, drug
interdiction, and coordination of air operations in a disaster area.

For additional information about the exercise visit: www.northcom.mil