US embassy cable - 04OTTAWA3001

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 OTTAWA 003001 
 
SIPDIS 
 
CONFIDENTIAL NOFORN 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SERIAL:  (U)  IIR 6 815 0004 05. 
 
COUNTRY:  (U) CANADA (CA). 
 
IPSP:  (U) IFC2310; IFC2410; IFC2420; IFC1530; IFC1120; IFC1131; IFC113 
2. 
 
TAGS: PARM 
SUBJECT: IIR 6 815 0004 05/CANADIAN ARMY RESERVE UNITS 
CONDUCT COUNTER-TERRORISM TRAINING (U) 
 
 
WARNING:  (U)  THIS IS AN INFORMATION REPORT, NOT FINALLY 
EVALUATED INTELLIGENCE.  REPORT IS CLASSIFIED C O N F I D E N 
T I A L/NOFORN. 
 
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                  DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 
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DOI:  (U) 20041106. 
 
REQS:  (U) DHCD204005; DHCD127041; G-TRI-1673-073-03. 
 
SOURCE:   (U) //MEMBER USDAO OTTAWA// AS A RESULT OF DIRECT 
OBSERVATION. 
 
SUMMARY:  (C)  CANADIAN ARMY RESERVE ELEMENTS CONDUCTED 
COUNTER-TERRORISM TRAINING WITH OTTAWA-BASED CIVILIAN 
EMERGENCY FIRST-RESPONDERS ON 20041106.  THE EXERCISE, 
INCLUDING MORE THAN 150 PARTICIPANTS, SIMULATED RESPONSE TO A 
TERRORIST CHEMICAL AGENT ATTACK IN THE OTTAWA CITY HALL. 
 
TEXT.  1.  (U)  ELEMENTS OF THE GOVERNOR GENERAL'S FOOT 
GUARDS, THE REGIMENT DE HULL, AND THE GEOMATICS DETACHMENT OF 
THE THIRD FIELD ENGINEERS, ALL CANADIAN ARMY RESERVE  UNITS 
BASED IN THE NATIONAL CAPITAL REGION OF OTTAWA, PARTICIPATED 
IN A COUNTER-TERRORISM TRAINING EXERCISE WITH OTTAWA-BASED 
CIVILIAN EMERGENCY FIRST-RESPONDERS FROM THE LOCAL POLICE, 
FIRE, AND PARAMEDIC AMBULANCE SERVICES ON 20041106.  THE 
PURPOSE OF THE EXERCISE FROM THE CANADIAN ARMY'S PERSPECTIVE 
WAS TO TEST THE POTENTIAL CAPABILITIES OF RESERVE UNITS TO 
AUGMENT CIVILIAN FIRST-RESPONDERS IN THE EVENT OF A NUCLEAR, 
BIOLOGICAL, AND CHEMICAL DEFENSE (NBCD) EMERGENCY.  MORE THAN 
150 PERSONNEL PARTICIPATED IN THE EXERCISE, LASTING 
APPROXIMATELY TWO HOURS. 
 
2. (U)  THE EXERCISE SCENARIO WAS BASED UPON A MUSTARD GAS 
ATTACK WITHIN THE OTTAWA CITY HALL BY AN UNSPECIFIED 
TERRORIST ORGANIZATION.  THE FOCUS OF THE EXERCISE WAS THE 
RECOVERY OF CASUALTIES FROM CITY HALL AND THEIR SUBSEQUENT 
DECONTAMINATION, TRIAGE, MEDICAL TREATMENT, AND EVACUATION 
FROM THE EXERCISE SITE (THE LARGE LAWN AREA ADJACENT TO CITY 
HALL).  THE OTTAWA CITY POLICE WERE IN COMMAND OF THE 
EXERCISE AND RESPONSIBLE FOR PERIMETER SECURITY.  ALL 
EXERCISE PARTICIPANTS, EXCLUDING SIMULATED CASUALTIES, WERE 
IN FULL PROTECTIVE POSTURE CLOTHING (GAS MASKS, OVERGARMENTS, 
GLOVES, AND BOOTS). 
 
3. (U)  THE REGIMENT DE HULL, AN ARMORED RECONNAISSANCE UNIT, 
WAS TASKED TO CONDUCT NBCD RECONNAISSANCE AND SITE 
DECONTAMINATION OF THE EXERCISE AREA.  THE RECON TEAM OF THE 
REGIMENT WAS EQUIPPED WITH A CHEMICAL AGENT MONITOR (NATO 
STOCK NUMBER:  6665-99-420-3628).  NBCD RECONNAISSANCE DATA 
WAS TRANSMITTED VIA RADIO TO THE GEOMATICS DETACHMENT OF THE 
THIRD FIELD ENGINEERS, WHICH PRODUCED REAL-TIME EXERCISE SITE 
MAPS FOR USE BY ALL ELEMENTS.  THE GOVERNOR GENERAL'S FOOT 
GUARDS, AN INFANTRY REGIMENT NORMALLY ASSIGNED CEREMONIAL AND 
GUARD DUTIES, WAS TASKED TO ERECT AND OPERATE A PERSONNEL 
DECONTAMINATION STATION TO AUGMENT THE ONE OPERATED BY 
CIVILIAN PARAMEDICS.  THE FOOT GUARDS ACCOMPLISHED THIS 
WITHIN TWENTY MINUTES AND THEIR DECONTAMINATION STATION WAS 
SUPERIOR TO THE CIVILIAN STATION THROUGH CREATIVE USE OF 
MILITARY TENTAGE, FIELD SHOWER PLUMBING, AND SPACE HEATERS. 
 
4. (U)  NOTABLES WHO ATTENDED THE TRAINING EXERCISE INCLUDED 
MR. GEORGES ((BEDARD)), DEPUTY MAYOR OF OTTAWA; MAJOR GENERAL 
MARC ((CARON)), ASSISTANT CHIEF OF THE LAND STAFF; AND MAJOR 
GENERAL ED ((FITCH)), PROGRAM MANAGER FOR LAND FORCES RESERVE 
RESTRUCTURE.  CONSPICUOUS BY THEIR ABSENCE WERE ANY 
REPRESENTATIVES OF PUBLIC SAFETY AND EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS 
CANADA (PSEPC).  SEVERAL MEDIA PHOTOGRAPHERS RECORDED THE 
EVENT, BUT NO COVERAGE APPEARED IN THE OTTAWA CITIZEN 
NEWSPAPER ON EITHER 20041107 OR 20041108. 
 
 
COMMENTS:  1.  (C/NF)  FIELD COMMENTS.  THE MILITARY ELEMENTS 
THAT PARTICIPATED IN THIS EXERCISE CLEARLY DEMONSTRATED THE 
CAPABILITY OF CANADIAN ARMY RESERVE UNITS TO AUGMENT CIVILIAN 
FIRST-RESPONDERS IN THE EVENT OF A NBCD EMERGENCY.  IN FACT, 
AS CIVILIAN FIRST-RESPONDER ASSETS WERE QUICKLY OVERWHELMED 
BY A RELATIVELY SMALL NUMBER OF CASUALTIES, AUGMENTATION BY 
ARMY RESERVE UNITS, IF PROPERLY EQUIPPED AND TRAINED, COULD 
PROVE TO BE ESSENTIAL DURING AN ACTUAL EMERGENCY.  ALTHOUGH 
THIS TEST WAS OBVIOUSLY SUCCESSFUL FOR THE ARMY, THE ISSUE IS 
NOW WHETHER SUCH TASKS BECOME PART OF RESERVE UNIT MISSION 
STATEMENTS.  THIS WOULD REQUIRE NOT ONLY A POLICY DECISION AT 
THE MINISTER OF DEFENCE LEVEL, BUT ALSO THE ALLOCATION OF 
RESOURCES TO EQUIP AND TRAIN RESERVE UNITS. 
2.  (U)  SOURCE REMAINS AVAILABLE FOR FURTHER 
EXPLOITATION/CONTACT. 
 
3.  (U)  DHO-1 POINT OF CONTACT, STU III (703) 907-0541; AND 
GREY 981-8236. 
 
4.  (C) THIS IIR RESPONDS TO PRIORITY 1, PARA 1B, AND 
PRIORITY 3, PARA 1A OF USDAO OTTAWA'S OPERATING DIRECTIVE. 
 
COLL:  (U) AH; CA; DB. 
INSTR:  (U) US NO. 
PREP:  (U) 6-02539. 
ACQ:  (U)  CANADA, OTTAWA, ON (20041106). 
DISSEM:  (U) FIELD:  AMEMB OTTAWA. 
WARNING: (U) REPORT CLASSIFIED C O N F I D E N T I A L/NOT 
RELEASABLE TO FOREIGN NATIONALS. 
DRV FROM:  DO HUMINT SCG SEP 2003 
DECL ON:  X1