LOS ALAMOS SCIENTISTS MAD AS HELL

LOS ALAMOS SCIENTISTS MAD AS HELLKevin Vixie is livid.

He's one of a number of scientists at Los Alamos National Laboratory who are angry with Congress, for launching hearings this week into the allegations of fraud and Swiss cheese security that have already forced the lab's director to resign; with the Department of Energy, for imposing a series of increasingly baroque regulations on their actions; with the media, for continuing to harp on these charges; and with business leaders and former senior managers, whose ethical lapses, they feel, are the root of the lab's ongoing problems.

"I want to be here. I love being here. But I'm out of here, no question, if they continue to make it more difficult to be a scientist," said Vixie, a mathematician in the lab's top-secret X Division.

My Wired News story has more on on why these people are so irate.

LOS ALAMOS SECURITY: FT. HOOD DEFENDER WEIGHS IN

LOS ALAMOS SECURITY: FT. HOOD DEFENDER WEIGHS IN Former Military Police captain Phil Carter served as the anti-terrorism/force protection officer for the 4th Infantry Division. In that job, he helped write the plan to defend Fort Hood, the world's largest military base in the world. Here's what he had to say about Los Alamos' security:

We're not talking about the training area at Fort Hood (or Camp Pendleton). Los Alamos is a national-level asset and it ought to be locked up as tight as a facility befitting the kind of stuff it has. In more concrete terms, Los Alamos should employ some sort of layered security scheme similar in concept to what the Secret Service does for the President. There should be at least three layers of external security for a site like this:

- Outer layer: sensors and armed patrols conducting mounted and dismounted reconnaissance of the area
- Mid layer: perimeter fence, access control, guards walking fenceline, military working dogs
- Inner layer: access control to the most sensitive sites; 24-hour surveillance of those areas; sophisticated detection systems

If done right, a layered system provides some redundancy. It also creates the ability to respond to threats as they're detected by the outer layer. (We infantry guys call this a 'defense in depth') In theory, an intruder like Mr. Shachtman would be detected by the sensors or patrols at the outer layer, and a team would be dispatched to determine whether he's a threat or not.

GI JOE AS SUPERMAN

GI JOE AS SUPERMANThis isn't quite Superman's X-ray vision. But it's close enough to bring giggles to anyone who's ever read a comic book.

The U.S. Air Force and Army are co-funding a project that allows, in a limited way, its troops to see through walls. It won't tell soldiers what color underwear Lois Lane is wearing. But it'll give a good idea of where she is in the next room.

There are a variety of technological approaches being tested in this program, called, imaginatively enough, "Through the Wall Surveillance." The furthest along relies on a modified radar sending out waves that penetrate wood and concrete, but bounce back when they meet flesh.

Check out my Tech Central Station story for more on this program.

FIRED WHISTLEBLOWER NOW LABS' SECURITY CHIEF

FIRED WHISTLEBLOWER NOW LABS' SECURITY CHIEFSteven Doran, one of two former police chiefs fired from Los Alamos National Laboratory after their investigations into fraud went too deep, will now oversee security for the entire University of California system, reports the Contra Costa Times.

The University of California operates Los Alamos and two other labs on behalf of the Energy Department. Doran will supervise security at these three labs, and at all 10 University campuses.

THERE'S MORE: Shortly after his Congressional testimony today, Doran lashed out at Los Alamos officials who have tried to downplay security gaps.

"After 9/11, any time you can go on lab property and not get approached by a guard, that's a serious problem," he said.

Lab officers have said that they area I went into over the weekend wasn't an important facility. To that, Doran replied, "if it's not a big deal, why have a guard at all? Why not just open the gate?"

NUKE LAB FIRES BACK

NUKE LAB FIRES BACKLos Alamos National Laboratory officials have had a variety of responses to my story yesterday in Wired News about sneaking into the lab.

Before the story came out, they said that TA-33 was an secret, secure area; no way could an intruder walk in, they asserted.

After the story broke, these officials then told reporters that TA-33 isn't all that important, on the whole. There's just a tiny area that's secure, and there's no way I could have gotten into that. But the description they gave of this secure area sounds a whole lot like to one I was in.

Lastly, they asserted that the fences I walked around and over didn't even belong to the lab. According to Congressional Quarterly, "the barbed wire Schachtman (sic) reported climbing over, (a lab spokesman) added, was erected years ago by the residents of a neighboring pueblo to keep livestock from wandering onto the government's land."

But if the neighbors put up the fences, what were all those Department of Energy signs doing on them?

LOS ALAMOS IGNORED FRAUD WARNINGS

LOS ALAMOS IGNORED FRAUD WARNINGS"Officials at the troubled Los Alamos National Laboratory allegedly ignored for months the concerns of a lab subcontractor that employees appeared to be using the lab's purchasing system to buy personal items," the Los Angeles Times reports.

The contract employee, identified as Jaret McDonald of Los Alamos, has been subpoenaed to appear today at a hearing before a congressional subcommittee investigating allegations of financial irregularities and mismanagement at the nuclear weapons lab.

McDonald, who works for a laboratory support services company called KSL, tried at least twice between September 2001 and June 2002 to bring his concerns to the attention of lab officials. When they took no action, Johnson said, McDonald sent an anonymous tip to the FBI, which launched an investigation and issued search warrants for the homes and vehicles of several lab employees.

HOW I SNUCK INTO LOS ALAMOS

HOW I SNUCK INTO LOS ALAMOS There are no armed guards to knock out. No sensors to deactivate. No surveillance cameras to cripple. To sneak into Los Alamos National Laboratory, the world's most important nuclear research facility, all you do is step over a few strands of rusted, calf-high barbed wire.

I should know. On Saturday morning, I slipped into and out of a top-secret area of the lab while guards sat, unaware, less than a hundred yards away.

Despite the nation's heightened terror alert status, despite looming congressional hearings into the lab's mismanagement and slack-jawed security, an untrained person -- armed with only the vaguest sense of the facility's layout and slowed by a torn Achilles tendon -- was able to repeatedly gain access to the birthplace of the atom bomb.

For details -- and pictures -- click on over to my Wired News story here.

THERE'S MORE: Los Alamos is separated from Bandelier National Mounment by New Mexico State Road 4. Hikers frequently pull off to the side of the Route 4 to admire the snow-touched Jemez mountains, or to take a walk through the desert's multicolored stones. A Bandelier park ranger tells nature-lovers that they can "go hike on Energy Department lands" if they don't want to pay Bandelier's $10 parking fee.

"You can even bring your dog," she adds.

AND MORE: One reader e-mails in the following story about his experience with the Los Alamos security system:

Doesn't surprise me a bit. I had to work there for a joint project... One of the labs is on the property of the Los Alamos hotel. We were told to meet a few physicists up there after dinner one night to keep working. They assured us that getting in was impossible and we'd need to be escorted. During the day, this was true. We'd be stopped by a guard at the front desk.

Well, the door was propped open by a lazy janitor who was taking out garbage so we marched right in. Right at the door, were several boxes of printed brochures of data. We laughed and took the elevator up ourselves. When we knocked on their door, they just about had a heart attack.

"How'd you get up here?" "Walked in. The door is propped open by your cleaning crew." They admitted to having issues with the cleaning dept.

AND MORE: Los Alamos maintains an inventory of handguns, as well as "rocket-propelled grenade launchers, mortars, cannon, etc., (that) are used in projectile and high-explosives research. The Laboratory also owns a small number of tranquilizer dart guns used in animal studies," according to lab press release.

Until recently, however, Los Alamos couldn't "quickly confirm that all firearms owned by the Laboratory were accounted for." Now, in a statement issued today, Los Alamos said that problem has been fixed.

AND MORE: Many people sent in comments saying that my story wasn't a big deal, because the area into which I went wasn't sufficiently top-secret. If I had walked out with, say, a wheelbarrow full of uranium, then they would have been impressed.

Well, in 1997, during a security training simulation, soldiers were able to do just that. In 2000, during a similar exercise, feaux bad guys "gain(ed) access to the reactor fuelÖ potentially causing a sizable nuclear detonation that would have taken out part of New Mexico and caused havoc downwind."

I'm a scared, out-of-shape lummox without any military training whatsoever, and with no motivation to do anything harmful. Yet I got into an area that I was assured could not be accessed by any outsider ñ an area that no one will even say officially what it's purpose is.

If I could do what I did ñ and these simulated attackers could made such spectacular inroads ñ what could a more determined adversary accomplish? That's the question my story asks.

Several readers of Slashdot said that TA-33 couldnít have been that important, if Bussolini and Alexander stored their allegedly fraudulently-purchased goods there, and if I was able to get in.

To that, one Slashdot reader replied, "I'm not comfortable assuming that the buildings he managed to get into were useless just based on the fact that he was able to access them. It seems like that sort of head-in-the-sand circular logic does not good security practices make."

I agree.

DIALING FOR DICTATORS

DIALING FOR DICTATORS Dropping leaflets is so Gulf War I. Now, when American psychological warfare specialists want to convince Iraq's higher-ups to give up, they call Saddam's men on their private cell phones, according to the New York Times.

This telemarketing barrage follows in the wake of a U.S. effort to sway Iraqi opinion by sending out unsolicited e-mail to Iraq's decision-makers.

A WELL-TESTED EYE IN THE SKY

A WELL-TESTED EYE IN THE SKYWith so much sophisticated spy technology at the ready, why is the U.S. military using a nearly 50 year-old plane to hunt for Saddam's illicit arsenal? Because the venerable U-2 eye in the sky, cruising at 70,000 feet, can do things other spy gear can't, MSNBC reports.

It can peer through clouds, while satellites require clear skies. It captures images nearly in real time, and can maneuver itself to whichever patch of ground that intelligence analysts want to see; satellites operate on a fixed ground track through their orbit, which makes them predictable for those on the ground who want to hide.

All of these arguments could be made about unmanned aircraft, too. But, unlike drones, U-2s fly at 70,000 feet -- higher than most ground-based defenses can reach.

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF SURVEILLANCE

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF SURVEILLANCESpooked by intrusive government database programs, like the CAPPS-II passenger screening system and Total Information Awareness? Not enough. Read this "day-in-the-life" article, which details the many ways that the government will be able to snoop on you. From the DVDs you rent to e-mail you read to the route you take to work, there's frighteningly little that will escape the feds' searching eyes.

"BUGSPLAT" PREDICTS BOMBS' IMPACT

"BUGSPLAT" PREDICTS BOMBS' IMPACT One of the reasons that so many civilians are killed by "precision" munitions is that a bomb's effects are usually estimated by simply drawing a circle around the target.

But the U.S. military has developed new software that more accurately predicts the impact of a bomb, the Washington Post reports. The unfortunately-named "Bugsplat" program takes into account the terrain being struck, the size and shape of the weapon, the altitude from which it's being dropped.

The Post predicts that Bugsplat will be ready for an attack on Iraq.

MORE POLYGRAPHS AT THE PENTAGON

MORE POLYGRAPHS AT THE PENTAGON The Pentagon is clamoring for more lie detector tests.

In a new report, the Defense Department asserts that "the development of information sharing capabilities over the Internet" is one of several new threats to classified information. And these growing perils will likely require more polygraphs. Currently, the Pentagon is bound by a 1991 Congressional dictate to perform only 5,000 of the controversial tests per year.

(via Secrecy News)

HOMELAND SECURITY SITE DOESN'T SHOOT STRAIGHT

HOMELAND SECURITY SITE DOESN'T SHOOT STRAIGHT It's better than a hysterical call for duct tape. But Ready.gov, the Homeland Security Department's new website to help the public prepare ñ and deal with the aftereffects of ñ a biological, chemical or nuclear terrorist attack, still ignores an obvious truth: that such strikes are nearly impossible for al Qaeda-like groups to pull off.

Take biological weapons, for example. As previously noted, there's only been one successful biostrike in the history of modern warfare. All other attempts have fizzled.

Why? First of all, smallpox, anthrax, and the like are hard to spread effectively. There are only so many mysterious packages you can send out. Second, the weapons are pretty fragile. This week's blizzard on the East Coast would have wiped out just about any biological agent.

But there's no mention of this at Ready.gov. Instead, families are told:
If you become aware of an unusual and suspicious release of an unknown substance nearbyÖ Quickly get away. Cover your mouth and nose with layers of fabric that can filter the air but still allow breathing. Examples include two to three layers of cotton such as a t-shirt, handkerchief or towel. Otherwise, several layers of tissue or paper towels may help. Wash with soap and water and contact authorities.
Ready.gov has a measured tone notably lacking from many of the Bush Administration's panting homeland defense pronouncements. But the site still isn't leveling with the anxious American public.

NO "E-BOMB" FOR SADDAM?

NO "E-BOMB" FOR SADDAM?Just weeks ago, the "e-bomb," a high-powered microwave designed to fry the circuits of enemy equipment, was being hailed as the new "wonder weapon" in the forthcoming Iraqi conflict.

But now, the Wall Street Journal reports, top Pentagon officials are shying away from using the "e-bomb" against Saddam.

(These officials) are concerned its use could alienate the Iraqi populace by crippling Baghdad's phone and electrical systems and, hence, the city's hospital and emergency-services infrastructure. Because of the permanent nature of the damage it causes, it would significantly raise the financial cost of rebuilding Iraq's economy once a conflict is over.

There are other practical considerations as well. Military and industry officials say the use of the experimental weapon could burn out electronics on U.S. military equipment in the vicinity. Electronic circuitry on most Air Force systems hasn't yet been redesigned to survive a concentrated onslaught of electromagnetic pulses, according to a February 2000 report by Air Force Col. Eileen Walling. "The U.S. doesn't want the rest of the world to get their hands on something that we're highly vulnerable to," says Loren Thompson, executive director of the Lexington Institute think tank based in Washington.

HAMAS TOYS WITH DEATH

HAMAS TOYS WITH DEATH A leading Palestinian militant has been killed by, of all things, a remote-controlled toy plane. Hamas chieftain Nidal Farahat and others had been working on a way to load explosives onto such toys and use them as weapons of terror.

On Sunday, Farahat appeared to fall victim to his own designs. He and five other Hamas operatives died in a Gaza City car bombing. A toy plane was found inside the vehicle.

"This is an assassination done by Israel," Dr. Mahmoud al-Zahar, a leader of Hamas, told the New York Times.

In January, DebkaFile claimed that Yasser Arafat was arranging for the deployment of new weapons: "Model planes packed with explosives and operated by remote control."

Last month, Palestinian toy importers in Jerusalem and Ramallah were told to order hundreds of these toys for distribution to Palestinian children in hospitals. Subsidies from European Union member-governments could legitimately be allocated to this humanitarian purpose. The model airplanes were purchased in Europe and shipped quite openly to the Palestinian shopkeepers.

According to our sources, not a single toy reached an injured Palestinian child. The model planes were sent to Palestinian workshops for conversion into miniature air bombers with explosive payloads.

DebkaFile estimated that the modified toys could fly for about a kilometer, and an altitude of 300 meters.

GREEN BERETS' QUIET MINDS

GREEN BERETS' QUIET MINDSSpecial forces' brains work differently than regular soldiers' do, New Scientist says. The elite troops have neurological differences that make them more resilient to post-traumatic stress disorder.

In a recent study, soldiers based at Fort Bragg, North Carolina were put through a week of simulated capture and interrogation. Afterwards, Green Berets were much less likely to suffer from stress.

The special forces, in turns out, produced more of a molecule called neuropeptide Y in their blood. This molecule is generated by the body to help calm the brain in times of extreme stress.

(via GeekPress)

OLD CROOKS SNARED BY NEW TECH

OLD CROOKS SNARED BY NEW TECHOne of the FBI's newer databases has been instrumental in cracking cases that are years, even decades, old.

Time reports that the Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System, which helped find sniper suspect John Lee Malvo, was used recently to finally figure out who murdered two El Segundo, California policemen in 1957. The system also helped catch the killer of Joel Klein, slain in upstate New York thirty years ago.

A rare hi-tech win for an agency known for its neanderthal technology.

ISRAELIS WARNED OF AL QAEDA MISINFORMATION PUSH

ISRAELIS WARNED OF AL QAEDA MISINFORMATION PUSHThe Mossad, Israel's intelligence agency, warned the CIA that al Qaeda would mount a misinformation campaign to keep the American government in a state of twichy overreaction, according to Capitol Hill Blue.

In a report nearly five months ago, the Israelis predicted that bin Laden's group would use captured al Qaeda operatives to spread lies designed to make Washington waste time and burn resources preparing for strikes that would never come.

On Friday, an al Qaeda member in custody admitted that his story about the terrorists plotting a "dirty bomb" attack was a lie. The tale was one of the main motivators behind the U.S. government's escalation to a "high" terror alert status.

ìTotally unnecessary,î says an FBI agent who saw the Mossad report and recommended the Department of Homeland Security follow its recommendations. ìWe ignored a valid assessment from an agency that has far more experience dealing with terrorism.î

MISSILES WAIT TO KILL

MISSILES WAIT TO KILLMissiles bring to mind instant carnage. Press a button, and moments later, the weapon has struck. But the Pentagon is now developing a missile that can hang around a battlefield for 45 minutes until it attacks.

According to the Associated Press, the 100-pound loitering attack missile (LAM) sprouts wings and fins, flies to a map coordinate, and then wanders above the area, where it directs a laser radar (LADAR) seeker to search the ground for a target to destroy. If one is found, the missile should be enough to take out anything less than a tank, StrategyPage says. If not, the LAM crashes to the ground.

The weapon, funded by DARPA, has been tested once, in November. Additional tryouts are scheduled for later in the year.

BIOCHEM WEAPONS NO BIGGIE

BIOCHEM WEAPONS NO BIGGIEGregg Easterbrook has a message for the people driving themselves into a frenzy over a possible chemical or biological attack: chill.

"The image of... clouds of biological weapons envelop(ing) a city owes more to science fiction than reality," he writes in the New York Times. "Any one person's odds of harm far less than a million to one. Your risk of dying in a car accident while driving to buy duct tape likely exceeds your risk of dying because you lacked duct tape."

Why? Because, as I've reported previously, it's almost impossible to actually mount a poison strike. Easterbrook notes, "The Japanese use of fleas infected with bubonic plague against Chinese cities in World War II was the only successful instance of bioattacks in contemporary warfare."

BRITS DELPOY NETWORK IN THE SKY

BRITS DELPOY NETWORK IN THE SKY 44,000 feet over London, Royal Air Force's "most complex airborne communications platform is providing a secure network" for spies, soldiers, police officers and counter-terrorist specialists to speak with each other, the Times reports.

Usually, the Nimrod MR2, a communications plan carrying a crew of 13, is sent on missions where regular radios and cell phones don't reach -- like sub-hunting and search and rescue operations. The craft is also being used in "Operation Southern Watch," the allied patrolling of Iraq's southern "no-fly" zone.

This is the first time that the 126 foot-long Nimrod is being deployed domestically, the Times notes.

LIMP CYBERSECURITY PLAN

LIMP CYBERSECURITY PLAN After months of revision, the White House has finaly unveiled its cybersecurity plan -- and it's a tootless tiger. Earlier drafts of the plan called for ISP's to create a centralized system to monitor the Internet, and required the providers to bundle firewalls and antivirus protection with their services. Now, after fevered lobbying from the tech industry, these initiatives are all voluntary.

So are many other points of the plan. For example, the Washington Post notes, "Older versions of the plan suggested halting the use of wireless networks in federal and civilian agencies until their security was improved. The final version says only that federal agencies should follow wireless security guidelines outlined by the National Institute of Standards and Technology."

Of course, it's hard to have federal mandates when there's isn't anyone to enforce them. White House cybersecurity chief Richard Clarke resigned two weeks ago. And other cyberdefense leadership positions at the Homeland Security Department remain unfilled.

"DIRTY BOMB" THREAT A LIE

"DIRTY BOMB" THREAT A LIE"A claim made by a captured al Qaeda member that Washington, New York or Florida would be hit by a 'dirty bomb' sometime this week had proven to be a product of his imagination," ABC News reports.

The "dirty bomb" story was one of the main reasons behind the recent ratcheting up of terror alert levels.

The informant described a detailed plan that an al Qaeda cell operating in either Virginia or Detroit had developed a way to slip past airport scanners with dirty bombs encased in shoes, suitcases, or laptops. The informant reportedly cited specific targets of government buildings and Christian or clerical centers.

"This piece of that puzzle turns out to be fabricated and therefore the reason for a lot of the alarm, particularly in Washington this week, has been dissipated after they found out that this information was not true," said Vince Cannistraro, former CIA counter-terrorism chief and ABC News consultant.

FIREFIGHTERS' MASKS CAN'T STOP GAS

FIREFIGHTERS' MASKS CAN'T STOP GASThe gas masks used by almost every fire department in the country can't keep chemical agents like sarin and mustard gas from getting in. Many firefighters have no idea their equipment is deficient, according to CBS News.

When he received the report (of the masks' shortcomings), the chief of the Arlington Virginia Fire Department, Ed Plaugher, says he was, "devastated - literally devastated."

Plaugher led the Sept. 11 response at the Pentagon. Even though his rescue teams presumed there might be poison gas, they rushed in anyway, certain their gear would protect them. That confidence is gone.

"The failure of the test is a very, very big deal for us, because it means we have to re-evaluate and re-ramp the way that we attack an incident like this," says Plaugher.

What he means is delay. Today, if the alarm rings and a gas attack is suspected, the Arlington teams will not rush in.

"PANDORA'S BOX BOMB" READY TO OPEN

"PANDORA'S BOX BOMB" READY TO OPENThe Associated Press reports that a new "Pandora's Box-like bomb" might be used in the upcoming conflict with Iraq.

When dropped above groups of armored vehicles, the Sensor Fuzed bomb distributes several smaller bomblets that float toward earth on parachutes. Each fires four hockey puck-sized "skeet" that can home in on vehicles using laser seekers, said Steve Butler, engineering director at the Air Armaments Center at Eglin Air Force Base, near Pensacola, Fla.

One bomber toting 30 of the weapons can puncture and blow up vehicles across 30 acres, Butler said.

The Sensor Fuzed bombs were ready for 1999's action in Kosovo, but the American military never found enough Serbian armor on which to test them.

TERRORISTS GOT GAME

TERRORISTS GOT GAMEThe American military has used video games for a long time to train officers and lure new recruits. Now, terrorist groups are beginning to make games of their own.

The Jerusalem Post, replying on a report from Lebanon's Al-Anwar newspaper, says that the "special Internet unit" of the Hizbollah militant organization is building a shoot-em-up game, based on the "achievements of real resistance fighters."

After a quick training mission, players will be able to use 9 mm pistols, Kalashnikov rifles, rocket propelled grenades, knives, and sniper rifles to attack the bases of Israel and her allies.

The idea, says the Post, is to "counter the image of the 'invincible' all-American hero in games sold throughout the world."

The game will go on sale later this month and be available in four languages - Arabic, English, French and Farsi.

NO ID NEEDED TO ENTER

NO ID NEEDED TO ENTER PENTAGON "More than 350 members of the Pentagon Athletic Center no longer need to carry their ID cards to access the facility," reports Federal Computer Week. "All they need are their eyeballs."

A Pentagon pilot program to identify people solely by scanning their irises is now in its final phase. It involves just a small group of people -- and a less than top-secret facility. But the idea is, eventually, to allow "authorized personnel to access Defense Department facilities and information networks around the globe without the use of PINs and passwords."

There's no word from the Pentagon about when such a transition might take place.

WHY THE GYM? "Not so much for security reasons," writes Phil Carter, who worked for the Pentagon's general counsel. "Itís because a lot of officers hate to carry their IDs/badges with them when they run up the Potomac from the Pentagon. ÝNow, you can do it without carrying anything with you.Ý I know that seems sillyÖ but when youíre wearing skimpy shorts and a tanktop, itís a pain to carry these things."

U.S.: PLEASE DON'T HACK IRAQ

U.S.: PLEASE DON'T HACK IRAQ The American government hacking its foes? Great idea, the Bush Administration says. Individual hackers messing with Saddam's computer networks? Now that's a problem.

"The U.S. government does not condone so-called 'patriot hacking' on its behalf," reads an announcement on the National Infrastructure Protection Center (NIPC) website. "Even 'patriotic hackers' can be fooled into launching attacks against their own interests by exploiting malicious code that purports to attack the other side when in fact it is designed to attack the interests of the side sending it. In this and other ways, 'patriotic hackers' risk becoming tools of their enemy.''

So what should the computer-minded do to help out the country?

In a word: worry.

There's likely to be an uptick "in global hacking activities as a result of the increasing tensions between the United States and Iraq," the NIPC tells us. "All users should be aware that malicious code (e.g., worms and viruses) can be introduced to spread rapidly by using patriotic or otherwise catchy titles."

NORTH KOREAN MISSILES CAN HIT U.S.

NORTH KOREAN MISSILES CAN HIT U.S. "North Korea has an untested ballistic missile capable of reaching the western United States," the Associated Press reports.

"The North Korean missile is a three-stage version of the Taepo Dong 2, Vice Adm. Lowell Jacoby, director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, said to reporters. It has not been flight-tested, Jacoby said, leaving some questions about the North Korea's capability to successfully launch the missile."

Early today, Mohammed el-Baradei, the head of the International Atomic Energy, officially declared North Korea in breach of international weapons accords.

S.A.M. MISSILES SURROUND D.C.

S.A.M. MISSILES SURROUND D.C. Surface-to-air missile launchers have been reinstalled around the Washington, D.C. area, WTOP radio reports.

Last put in place during the terror scare surrounding the 9/11 anniversary, the air defenses include so-called "Avenger" systems ñ eight Stinger missiles mounted on a Humvee.

(via Periscope's Daily Defense News)

SOLDIERS' WATER SUPPLY IN DANGER?

SOLDIERS' WATER SUPPLY IN DANGER? A long-ignored flaw in the American military's biochem defenses could lead to mass casualties, if Saddam unleashes poison strikes against U.S. troops.

"Although current protective clothing is designed to protect the troops' skin and respiratory systems from chemical and biological weapons, the troops water supply is not protected," writes Marine Corps Captain Bart Bacon at Soldiers for the Truth. "Troops could end up drinking the very contaminants (that) the (clothing) is designed to protect them (from)."

"Water buffaloes" ñ mobile tanks that troops use to fill their canteens ñ are the weak link. As soldiers take water out, the air from the outside the buffalo displaces the water that is being withdrawn. On a contaminated battlefield, that air will contain toxic elements ñ elements that can make their way into the soldiers' drinking supply.

There are no biochem filters on the buffaloes, Bacon reports. Nor are there plans to install them.

PETS SAFE IN ANTI-CHEM TENT

PETS SAFE IN ANTI-CHEM TENT Pet owners, relax. We know that you were extremely concerned that your furry pals might suffer terribly in a biological or chemical weapons attack. Fortunately, an Israeli defense contractor, Supergum, Inc., has developed "How Meow," a translucent plastic tent specially designed to protect pets from weapons of mass destruction.

The shelter comes equipped with the same specialized air filters and blowers found in the protective suits the company sells to the Israeli army. It's been successfully tested on dogs, cats, and parrots, too.

(via Global Security Newswire).

TERROR THREAT LEVELS DON'T MEAN MUCH

TERROR THREAT LEVELS DON'T MEAN MUCHThe Bush Administration has raised its terror threat level to orange, the second-highest ranking. Too bad it doesnít mean a whole lot to national defense, experts say.

Local authorities and private companies are often the ones most directly responsible for maintaining the peace and preventing terrorist attacks. But when the risk judged by so-called "Homeland Security Advisory System" goes up, these groups aren't obligated in any way to alter their defenses against a possible threat, according to David Heyman, with the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

For more on the real significance of these threat levels, check out my latest Tech Central Station story.

PREDATOR PILOT TOURS EXTENDED

PREDATOR PILOT TOURS EXTENDED The Air Force knows it has a problem: its Predator drones are crashing way too often. Now, the service is starting to take some steps to keep the drones from going down.

Air Force Times reports:

With a handful of exceptions, the four dozen Air Force pilots assigned to fly the 24 Predators have less than two years experience handling the plane.

And once they reach the two-year mark, they are reassigned and likely will never fly the Predator again.

The two-year mark traditionally is the time a new fighter pilot has shown he has enough experience to start preparing to lead a four-jet formation. Itís not the time a new fighter pilot is told to change aircraft.

The two-year Predator tour is about to change. Starting this spring, Predator pilots will serve three-year tours, the same time they would typically spend at other flying assignments.

(article unavailable to non-subscribers)

In fiscal 2002, the Predator had an accident rate about 30 times higher than manned aircraft ñ and that figure doesn't include drones that were shot down.

DEFENSE LABS DISAPPEARING?

DEFENSE LABS DISAPPEARING? The Defense Department's network of laboratories ñ- responsible for innovations from the global positioning system to handheld drones to thermobaric bombs ñ are in deep trouble, and in danger of dying a not-so-slow death.

As I've reported previously, the labs are having a difficult time retaining top scientific talent ñ despite the soft civilian economy and the emphasis on defense research.

Now, a new report by Don DeYoung -- a National Defense University researcher, currently working with the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) ñ details how key lab programs are being swallowed up by commercial interests.

In 18 months, private industry recruited away 20 of 26 NRL researchers working on important fiber optics studies. After 25 years of scientific work, the Defense Department no longer has a center studying this area.

"The death of this 'canary' sends warning that an ill wind is blowing for the Defense Laboratories," DeYoung writes. "Without reform, their loss of expertise will worsen, eventually to the point where it affects good government and poses significant risks to national security."

(via Secrecy News)

NEVER TOO HOT TO ATTACK

NEVER TOO HOT TO ATTACK IRAQ The idea that American forces have to attack Iraq before it gets too hot in the desert is a myth, according to Jane's Defense Weekly (article unavailable to non-subscribers).

Although, ideally, the UK and the USA would prefer not to have to fight in the hot summer months, they are capable of doing so. In a 23 January discussion with reporters, Gen Richard Myers, Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, (said) that "weather is not a factor [in our war plans]. We've talked about this a great deal... there is no doubt that no matter what time of year, we can fight and prevail in that environment. We will do better in that environment than any potential adversary will.".

Both the U.S. Army and Marine Corps regularly train in the California desert, where temperatures approaching the Dante-esque levels of the Middle East. The U.S. will also likely fight at night, if there's a summertime battle.

Gen Myers said, "We are as good at night as we are in the daytime. That is not true of most forces. It gives us a tremendous edge."

Obviously, soldiers' suits protecting against chemical weapons are especially burdensome when the heat's turned up. But Jane's notes that "studies have found that even small measures such as placing the extremities in cold water can considerably transfer a lot of heat out of the suit(s)."

NORTH KOREA THREATENS FIRST STRIKE

NORTH KOREA THREATENS FIRST STRIKE "The United States says that after Iraq, we are next," a North Korean foreign ministry official says, "but we have our own countermeasures. Pre-emptive attacks are not the exclusive right of the U.S."

The statement comes as North Korea announced it was putting its nuclear reactors on a "normal footing." Experts fear these words indicate a resumption of the Stalinist state's atom weapons program.

U.S. SETTING RULES FOR CYBER ASSAULTS

U.S. SETTING RULES FOR CYBER ASSAULTS "President Bush has signed a secret directive ordering the government to develop (a plan) for when and how the United States would launch cyber-attacks against enemy computer networks," reports the Washington Post.

RUMSFELD WANTS OK FOR U.S. CHEMICAL STRIKES

RUMSFELD WANTS OK FOR U.S. CHEMICAL STRIKESIraq using poison gas? That's a reason for war. The U.S. military using it against the Iraqis? That's just fine and dandy, according to Defense Secretary Rumsfeld.

Global Security Newswire reports that Rumsfeld is pushing to allow the use of chemical agents ñ similar to the fentanyl gas employed by the Russians to take out Chechen hostage takers last year -- in an upcoming strike on Iraq. The agent is a "non-lethal" narcotic, supposedly. But in the U.S., doctors use it to stop patients from breathing. And 118 people died in the Moscow fentanyl gas attack.

CHEMICAL REACTIONS: Several Defense Tech readers think the comparison between American "non-lethal" gases and Iraqi chemical weapons like VX is overblown. "Maybe they should be called less-lethal than non-lethal, since (any of them) can kill under the right circumstances," one reader says.

Another believes that Rumsfeld doesn't want to use fentanyl at all; instead, he's after irritants and vomit-inducing agents, like the ones listed here.

POWELL GIVES INTEL PEEK

POWELL GIVES INTEL PEEK In his U.N. presenation on Wednesday, Colin Powell provided a snippet of a phone call, ordering an Iraqi soldier to clam up about the regime's nerve agents. How did the U.S. intercept that conversation? A geostationary satellite, positioned over Baghdad, is the most likely answer, the Los Angeles Times reports.

The tapped conversation is one of several ways in which Powell's briefing shed a few, fleeting rays of light on American intelligence capabilities ñ and how the U.S. interprets the information that it collects.

In satellite images of purported weapons labs, for instance, Powell pointed to ancillary buildings and circling decontamination vehicles that analysts consider "signatures" of illegal weapons work, a tip the Iraqis are certain to note.

One thing Powell's show-and-tell did not reveal, the Times says, was the true capability of American satellite imagery. The pictures Powell showed were pretty poor quality, on par with snapshots taken from commercial satellites. Perhaps, the paper suggests, those images were deliberately dumbed down, to keep other countries guessing about just how good the U.S.' eyes in the sky really are.

U.S.: IRAQ EXTENDING DRONE PROGRAM

U.S.: IRAQ EXTENDING DRONE PROGRAM It's long been known that Iraq has been developing unmanned aerial vehicles based on Russian and Czech training jets. But Colin Powell, in his presentation to the U.N. Wednesday, made a new allegation about Iraq's drone program, according to the Washington Post: that Saddam's regime had flight tested robotic planes that could fly up to 310 miles without refueling. In it's December 7 declaration to the U.N., Iraq claimed its drones had a range of only 50 miles.

ONE MAN, MANY ROBOTS

ONE MAN, MANY ROBOTS Currently, there's a person on the ground for every Predator drone in the air. But if unmanned vehicles are going to fulfill their expectations as a central component of military operations, a single person has to be able to control a whole team of drones at once. A few remote-controlled spies ñ that's nice. But a mostly autonomous, robotic fleet ñ now that is revolutionary.

In a first-of-its-kind test in the California desert, a lone pilot was able to operate three robotic planes at the same time. The maneuvers made by the 16 foot, 200 pound UAVs were pretty basic. But their implications were enormous.

NASA: NUKES TO POWER SPACECRAFT

NASA: NUKES TO POWER SPACECRAFT Putting radioactive uranium aboard a spaceship may not seem like the most sensible move after Saturday's shuttle tragedy.

But that's exactly what NASA plans to do. And experts in the space community are applauding the agency for the effort.

NASA has earmarked $279 million for 2004 -- and $3 billion over the next five years -- for its nuclear efforts, collectively known as Project Prometheus. The centerpiece of the program: developing a nuclear-powered, electric engine that will put an unmanned probe in orbit around three of Jupiter's moons sometime after 2011.

But Prometheus is more than a one-time exploratory effort, experts said. With its use of nuclear power, it is the critical first step in detailing the solar system's outer reaches -- and, eventually, in sending people to other planets.

"Nuclear power is essential to a long-range, committed space program," said Dr. Louis Friedman, executive director of the Planetary Society. "You can't do a thorough examination of the outer planets without it."

My latest Wired News story has more on NASA's nuclear effort -- and why it's so crucial.

ARMIES SET TO SWARM

ARMIES SET TO SWARM The fighting force of the future won't be a tightly-structured, disciplined, hierarchical army. It'll be a swirling, speeding, polymorphous swarm, gathering into teams at a moment's notice, and breaking apart even quicker.

A recent conference in Virginia delved deep into how militaries can harness the swarm. Dozens of presentations were given. And they were all pretty cool, judging from the materials online.

Army intelligence officer Sean Edwards examined the military history of swarming -- from the Macedonians to the Mongols to the militias of Mogadishu; Dr. Van Parunak, of the Altarum Institute, showed how ants, wolves -- even taxi cabs -- provide insights into the swarming armies of the future; Dr Mario Gerla, of UCLA, described how swarms of unmanned vehicles might one day communicate with one another.

PowerPoint slides from twenty or so of the presentations can be found here.

ELEVATOR UP?

ELEVATOR UP? Wired News examines research into the space elevator -- "a meter-wide 'ribbon' that would start on a mobile ocean platform at the equator, west of Ecuador, and extend 62,000 miles up into space."

SPACE STATION, SLOWLY SINKING

SPACE STATION, SLOWLY SINKINGRussian space freighters can bring food and fuel to the International Space Station -- one is supposed to do just that later on today. But with the fleet of space shuttles grounded, the New York Times asks: what will keep the 200-ton station "from sinking out of orbit altogether and incinerating as Columbia did?"

Usually, when a shuttle visits the station, the orbiting platform gets a boost of "about eight miles upward, countering the steady sinking caused as the station's broad surfaces encounter drag exerted by diffuse molecules of air," the Times notes. "The Russian Progress (cargo ships) can haul fuel to boost the station, as well, but they will not be visiting nearly enough this year to compensate for the absence of space shuttles, five of which were to have docked before 2004."

THREAD-BEAR PROGRAM In a separate article, the Times details the "poverty-stricken" Russian space effort, which has a budget that's less than 2 percent of NASA's and "barely half of what India spends." The bare-bones program is reliable, however; no Russian cosmonaut has died on a mission in over 30 years.

UPDATE: The Russian cargo ship has successfully docked with the International Space Station, Reuters reports.

BULLET TESTS OFF TARGET?

BULLET TESTS OFF TARGET? For thirty years, the FBI has used a chemical "fingerprint" test to match bullets and the boxes of ammunition they came from. Hundreds of people have been jailed as a result of these tests. But now, the Los Angeles Times reports, "emerging scientific evidence has called the technique into question."

One former FBI specialist said he had long been "concerned that the premises used to support the (bullet testing) practice seemed to contradict basic principles of metallurgy."

Several people, previously convicted on the tests' strengths, are now moving to re-open their cases. Others accused of wrongdoing are now successfully challenging the tests in court.

NEW TECH'S LONG HISTORY

NEW TECH'S LONG HISTORY Most of the "brand new" military technology being rolled out for the second Gulf War is actually decades old, says StrategyPage. Take "guided bombs," for example. They've been around, in one form or another, since World War II, as Defense Tech dad Tom Shachtman details in his book Terrors and Marvels. Both the Axis and the Allies had radio-controlled bombs. The weapons took out bridges -- and even sunk a battleship.

HELLFIRES IN PURGATORY

HELLFIRES IN PURGATORYHellfire air-to-ground missiles have been used to off Al Qaeda operatives in Yemen, and to destroy Iraqi radar stations during the Gulf War. But there may not be many of the missiles ready for the next conflict in Iraq, according to DefenseWatch. Two-thirds of the U.S Army's stock of Hellfires have flawed rocket motor assemblies. And repairs on the missiles won't begin 'til the second quarter of this year -- at least.

SHUTTLE FINGERPOINTING, SOUL SEARCHING BEGINS

SHUTTLE FINGERPOINTING, SOUL SEARCHING BEGINS Barely a day after Columbia's fiery, tragic end, a chorus of whistleblowers, naysayers, and I-told-you-so-ers have begun their critiques of the space shuttle program.

"As recently as last April, the chairman of the Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel warned Congress that NASA's management of the shuttle program had drawn 'the strongest safety concern the panel has voiced' in 15 years," the Washington Post reports.

In 2001, NASA considered retiring Columbia, CNN reveals.

Don Nelson, a 36-year veteran space engineer, says his repeated warnings about Columbia and the other shuttles' safety were ignored.

Instapundit Glenn Reynolds, a former executive chairman of the National Space Society, insists that "the real problem goes back to the original design decisions for the Shuttle, made in the early 1970s, in which the desire to save a few billion dollars up front imposed long term costs, and dangers, on the nation down the line."

Gregg Easterbrook, who has been critical of the shuttle program since shortly after its inception, writes in Time, "For 20 years, the American space program has been wedded to a space-shuttle system that is too expensive, too risky, too big for most of the ways it is used."

He argues that the shuttles should be mothballed, and that NASA should be "completely restructuredóif not abolished and replaced."

SpaceDaily's Bruce Moomaw goes even further, with the contention "that manned spaceflight, at this point in history, is not remotely worth either its cost or its risk of lives."

Let the arguments begin.

SUPPLY SHIP HEADS FOR SPACE STATION

SUPPLY SHIP HEADS FOR SPACE STATION A Russian unmanned space freighter has taken off for the International Space Station, bringing food and fuel to the three astronauts on board.

The crew of the so-called "Expedition Six" was supposed to be replaced in March. This previously-scheduled launch carries enough supplies to keep them going for an extra two months.

The Progress 10 cargo ship, launched from Kazakhstan's Baikonur Cosmodrome, is due to dock with the Station on Monday morning.

SHUTTLE DESTROYED, SEVEN ASTRONAUTS FEARED DEAD

SHUTTLE DESTROYED, SEVEN ASTRONAUTS FEARED DEAD The space shuttle Columbia burst into flames and disintegrated over central Texas today at approximately 9 a.m. EST. Six Americans and Ilan Ramon, Israel's first astronaut, were on board.

Cruising at a speed of 12,500 miles per hour and an altitude of more than 200,000 feet, Columbia was preparing for a 9:16 a.m. landing at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida when NASA lost contact with the craft. People as far away as Shreveport, Louisiana, reported seeing an explosion. Local TV cameras captured images of what appeared to be falling debris.

This was the 113th flight in the 22 years of the shuttle program, and the 28th flight for Columbia, NASA's oldest shuttle. The tragedy comes nearly seventeen years to the day after the space shuttle Challenger was engulfed by fire in the Florida skies.

Spaceflight Now has ongoing updates on the situation. MSNBC is carrying live video.

WHAT HAPPENS TO THE SPACE STATION CREW?

WHAT HAPPENS TO THE SPACE STATION CREW? There are three astronauts, two Americans and one Russian, currently in the International Space Station. Crew members have been using the American shuttle fleet to travel between Earth and space. What happens to them now? Does the next shuttle flight to the Station, scheduled for March, proceed? Do they use a Russian escape pod to leave? Do they just sit there and wait?