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U.S. International Counterproliferation Program Weapons of Mass Destruction Final Integrated Exercise
October 22, 2003
A joint U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) International Counterproliferation Program (ICP) is holding a final Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) Integrated Exercise together with their Lithuanian colleagues – specialists from all over Lithuania.
The purpose of the Integrated Exercise is to present Lithuanian agencies with the opportunity to test the integration of the training provided in the previous four Counterproliferation courses, and to examine the issues that are unique to WMD response. Additionally, the exercise is intended to examine coordination among the Lithuanian agencies and their resources and to establish a unified command in response to a WMD incident.
Press event: TV and print reporters with camera crews and photographers are invited to the press event at the Nemencine Civil Defense Training Center on Thursday, 23 October 2003, at 09.00 h. Registration required. Please provide your name and agency or publication you are working for by 17.00h on Wednesday, 22 October 2003. Tel. (370 5) 2660330, e-mail andra@usembassy.lt . This is an outside event – hot drinks will be served.
Exercise scene will include participation of the Lithuanian police rapid reaction brigade "Aras" and exercise players establishing an incident command, hazardous materials operations, pursuing the criminal investigation, collecting and decontaminating evidence and using appropriate crime scene documents and protocols. This particular exercise will be based on a situation scenario, but this time the players will work without a prepared plan, as they will not know the situation in advance.
In addition to a number of training events, the joint U.S. DOD/FBI International Counterproliferation Program presented equipment to the Lithuanian institutions, including the evidence collection equipment, equipment needed to find chemical and biological substances, photo equipment, NBC protection suites, etc. Total value of donated equipment is over $250 000. The United States Government is pleased to cooperate so closely with its Lithuanian colleagues on combating the threat of WMD proliferation.
The Republic of Lithuania signed the WMD Agreement in October 2002 and ratified it in April 2003. Ratification of the WMD Agreement allowed ICP to provide equipment to assist Lithuania in its counter-proliferation efforts, supplementing the ongoing training program. The training program began in January 2000 when a group of high level Lithuanian officials attended the WMD Executive Seminar in Budapest, Hungary and agreed to participate in the program.
Since then, the ICP Program has presented the Criminal Investigations Course in December 2001, the Crisis Incident Management Course in January 2003, and WMD Criminal Investigations, WMD Crisis Management, WMD Crime Scene Operations and WMD Crime Scene Management in August 2003.
