How RAID teams work

July 6, 1999

The potential for terrorists to use weapons of mass destruction within the borders of the U.S. has led to the formation of a special team of experts in every state.

The Department of Defense is creating Rapid Assessment and Initial Detection (RAID) teams to deal with the problem.

The teams are being established in all 54 states and territories as part of the National Guard and will be operational by Jan. 1, 2000, according to a report by Mark E. Gebicke, director of National Security and Preparedness Issues, National Security and International Affairs.

WorldNetDaily has learned from other National Guard sources that concerns are very high that disruptions related to the Y2K computer bug may make the U.S. vulnerable to terrorist attack. Terrorists may try to use the Y2K opportunity to use weapons of mass destruction in major cities. The new RAID teams will be in place by the start of the new year and will be prepared to deal with a potential threat.

Although many local areas have hazardous materials teams (HAZMAT) in place ready to handle chemical and biological threats, the Department of Defense has decided to provide the new National Guard RAID teams as a resource to assist when requested by local authorities, according to Gebicke.

“The National Coordinator for Security, Infrastructure Protection, and Counter-Terrorism, created in May 1998 by Presidential Decision Directive 62 is responsible for coordinating the broad variety of relevant policies and programs, including such areas as counter-terrorism, preparedness, and consequence management for WMD (weapons of mass destruction),” explained Gebicke in his report, which is now in the hands of the House subcommittee on National Security, Veteran’s Affairs, and International Relations.

Although intelligence agencies report that explosives and conventional firearms continue to be the weapons of choice among terrorist groups, there is growing concern that such groups may soon turn to various industrial chemicals and biological agents.

“They believe that terrorists are less likely to use chemical and biological weapons than conventional explosives, at least partly because these materials are more difficult to weaponize and the results are unpredictable,” said Gebicke.

Apparently the possibility that such weapons may be used within the U.S. is significant enough that the Department of Defense is spending $52 million this year and $37 million next year to get the RAID teams up and running.

The RAID teams are dedicated forces intended for domestic incidents. The initial 10 teams are currently forming in Washington, California, Colorado, Texas, Illinois, Missouri, Georgia, Pennsylvania, New York, and Massachusetts. Each location is within a defined FEMA region. Another five states will be added next year. The team will be an asset within the state it is located in, but can be called upon to assist in states nearby.

Until there are full RAID teams in every state, the Army National Guard is concurrently establishing “RAID light” teams in the remaining 44 states and territories, which will provide a limited response capability in those areas.

“The Army Guard is responsible for implementing the concept and has developed the plans for organizing, staffing, training, and equipping the teams for their mission. State National Guard organizations receiving the teams are hiring and training personnel in their individual skills. The 10 RAID teams are scheduled to be operational in January 2000,” stated Gebicke.

Each of the RAID teams will consist of 22 full-time National Guard members organized into six functions. These include command, operations, administration and logistics, communication, medical, and survey. Members of the unit are on call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Members will also be cross-trained so that a full unit can be ready to go at any time, even if some members are absent.

The RAID teams will detect and identify any weapon of mass destruction, in order to properly plan a response effort. Although there are over 600 HAZMAT teams in place throughout the country through civilian agencies, the National Guard RAID teams will fill an important role, according to Gebicke.

Despite the plan, Gebicke acknowledged that not all federal agencies like the RAID team plan. Officials from the FBI and FEMA are concerned about the concept and how it fits into their plans for federal response to a weapons of mass destruction threat. Those officials are concerned about duplication of effort, conflicts between several federal agencies, and command structure.

State officials from Pennsylvania have welcomed the concept, as have other states. Gebicke said that Pennsylvania has already included the RAID team in their response plan for both weapons of mass destruction threats and HAZMAT situations.

The FBI in June placed new HAZMAT teams in 15 of its 56 field offices. Each of those teams has 10 special agents trained at the HAZMAT technician level. They are not established as a full-time team, but they are prepared for quick response.

There are also many military units ready to respond to various terrorist threats, according to Gebicke. These include the Army’s Technical Escort Unit, the Marine Corps Chemical/Biological Incident Response Force, the Army’s 52nd Explosive Ordnance Disposal teams, and military laboratories such as the Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases.

There are also 89 Air National Guard units with 78 Prime Base Engineering Emergency Forces (Prime BEEF) that are trained in handling hazardous materials and weapons of mass destruction. There are a number of other military units and teams which could also be called on to respond to domestic incidents.

The RAID teams will have dedicated vehicles to transport them and their equipment as needed. Military air support would provide assistance if they are unable to drive the vehicles to the incident location quickly.

Despite the apparent concern over terrorist threats, Gebicke does not believe the RAID teams should continue. He said the RAID team program should be stopped and evaluated before continuing.

“The fact that local, state, and federal officials responsible for implementing emergency response plans have differing views regarding the role for the RAID teams suggests that further clarification of their expected role and use is needed. Second, the fact that the RAID teams have capabilities similar to other local, state, and federal emergency response teams suggests that these teams might unnecessarily duplicate existing capabilities,” said Gebicke of his concerns. He also questions the ability of the RAID teams to respond to incidents in a timely manner.

“Obviously someone knows something Mr. Gebicke doesn’t know about the pressing need for this type of unit. The reason for the push is because someone knows what’s coming, and even Gebicke doesn’t appear to be high enough up the chain to be informed about it,” said a National Guard officer currently involved in Y2K consequence planning.

He believes enemies of the United States are planning to use Y2K disruptions as a window of opportunity to launch terrorist attacks domestically. He said the National Guard has taken on many of the responsibilities for Y2K consequence response because of the traditional role the National Guard has played in disaster response.

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