Anti-Terror Training in New Mexico

Those events, which read like some of today's grim headlines, are actually real-life training scenarios that are part of a new program developed by SAIC and New Mexico Tech — a suicide bombing detection and response course for police, firefighters, and other first responders.

Adding to the realism, the training takes place in the real town of Playas, New Mexico, that now serves as a special operations training facility for federal, state, local, and foreign police and military organizations preparing to respond to terrorist attacks.

Town turned training center

Built by a mining company in the 1970s to accommodate workers of its nearby copper smelter, the town was virtually abandoned in the late 1990s. New Mexico Tech recently purchased the remote town and 1,200 surrounding acres for $5 million, and transformed it into an antiterrorism training center.

"The town has about 250 homes, an apartment complex, a community center with a post office, a gas station, a fire station, and a grocery store, which makes it an ideal environment for realistic training," says Richard Priem, SAIC's program manager at New Mexico Tech.

A unique opening day

Using lessons learned from bombings in Israel and other locations overseas, SAIC and New Mexico Tech developed the program and conducted the first training using the facility last year.

For the opening ceremony, homeland security dignitaries looked on as a small explosive device was used to cut a ribbon at the town entrance and the first exercises began. Black Hawk helicopters swooped down, delivering a SWAT team that "wounded" and successfully subdued a would-be suicide bomber at a fictitious gathering. In another part of town, rescue workers responded to a deadly bus explosion, carefully approaching to make sure there were no other bombs or toxic substances.

Meeting the challenge

According to Priem, the wide-ranging course teaches methods "from A to Z" for gathering critical police intelligence concerning potential threats, as well as for identifying and deterring suicide bombers.

"This is one of the most difficult law enforcement challenges there is," says Dennis Hunter, New Mexico Tech's training program manager, noting that responders must not only make split-second decisions, but must also understand the strict standards of when they can use lethal force to stop a suicide bomber.

Students who successfully finish the course are certified to provide training concerning how to best handle the suicide bombing threat in their home jurisdictions.

Applying first-hand experience

The new course is an addition to the Incident Response to Terrorist Bombings Course that SAIC and New Mexico Tech developed more than five years ago to address dealing with improvised explosive devices, from small pipe bombs to truck bombs and other large explosive devices. More than 130,000 local and state first responders have participated in these programs.

The SAIC trainers base their instruction on first-hand experience with terrorist incidents, such as the Murrah Federal Building bombing in Oklahoma City and the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.