STATE OF ALASKA
DIVISION OF HOMELAND SECURITY AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT SITUATION REPORT 03-357 (as of 11:00 AM December 23, 2003) Homeland Security Advisory System – National Level: Orange-High U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Homeland Security Advisory System – Alaska Level: Orange-High Alaska Division of Homeland Security
State Emergency Coordination Center Preparedness Level: 2-Heightened Sense of Awareness Alaska Division of Emergency Services
Military installations in Alaska are at FPCON B.
Current Internet Threat Level: 1-Regular Vigilance Internet Security Systems
State Emergency Coordination Center (SECC) Operations: To reach the SECC dial (907) 428-7100 or 1-888-462-7100, 24 hours per day. The Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management has a web site available for information on emergency topics at http://www.ak-prepared.com and Homeland Security information at http://www.ak-prepared.com/homelandsecurity/. For further information: Countries: U.S. State Department Background Notes. Maps: United Nations Cartographic Section Terrorist Groups: Background Information on Foreign Terrorist Organizations Background Information on Other Terrorist Groups. State of Alaska Situation · In Alaska, Gov. Frank Murkowski on Monday raised the state's security alert level to coincide with the directive from the federal government. "We urge all Alaskans and holiday travelers to our state to be cautious and vigilant and to report suspicious persons or vehicles in an 'area not normally of interest to a visitor or tourist,' or in areas where security interests may be jeopardized, and report these sightings to local authorities," Murkowski said. The U.S. Coast Guard stepped up air and water patrols around the Port of Valdez, where tankers depart carrying Prudhoe Bay oil to the Lower 48, and other waterways. With the increased threat level, armed Coast Guard patrol boats will be more visible and vessel boardings will increase. Armed sea marshals ride aboard many of the cargo ships and tankers that call on Alaska ports. More... Port Heiden Erosion United States Air Force's Major Hewett said that grave exposure due to erosion and tidal surge has been eliminated for now. Approximately ten grave sites have been located, none in imminent threat. The ground penetrating radar (GPR) has worked well in assisting in locating grave sites. Of the grave sites identified, all appear to be in caskets. The USAF team is scheduled to return from Port Heiden today. They will return to Port Heiden on January 2, 2004. National Situation · The United Nations put its security staff on "high alert" Monday following the U.S. government's decision to raise the threat of a terrorist attack to its second-highest level. Assistant Secretary-General Andrew Toh, who is in charge of security, sent an e-mail to some 5,000 staff at U.N. headquarters in New York urging them to go about their normal business but remain vigilant. The U.N. headquarters overlooking Manhattan's East River was a terrorist target after the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center. More... · The United States has credible information, including some that prompted this week's rise in the national terror threat level, that al-Qaeda continues to study potential weaknesses in America's revamped aviation security net looking for ways to strike again through the air. The information has been gleaned from sources as diverse as al-Qaeda mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and low-level terror network members in Saudi Arabia and has led U.S. officials to quickly adapt security procedures several times in recent months. For instance, U.S. officials have been discreetly working with their counterparts in Canada and Mexico on improved security measures after intelligence indicated al-Qaeda might stage an attack using an international airliner that simply passes over U.S. soil. More... · The Pentagon this morning is scheduled to conduct a so-called "continuity-of-government" exercise, scheduled as a direct result of the heightened terror threat level. During the exercise, key Pentagon officials are to be notified that they are to move immediately to secret locations where the government has established alternative facilities. The exercise involves only high-level Pentagon officials, although Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is not expected to participate. The drill is designed to protect Pentagon authorities in the event of an attack. More... · Hundreds of families came forward in the final days before the deadline to register for the unprecedented government compensation offered as a result of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. As of the midnight Monday deadline, a total of 2,823 death claims, representing 95 percent of the eligible families, were filed with the Victims Compensation Fund. In the past week alone, more than 550 families applied for the tax-free, lump sum awards, which have averaged $1.8 million per death claim. Dozens of claims were brought into fund offices Monday in New York, Washington, New Jersey, Virginia, Connecticut and Massachusetts, which remained open right until the deadline. In addition, a total of 3,517 claims for injuries have been received. More... International Situation · German authorities on Monday pardoned and released a former terrorist convicted of killing three people in a 1975 attack on an OPEC oil ministers' meeting. A Frankfurt court convicted Hans-Joachim Klein in 2001 of three counts of murder and three of attempted murder and hostage-taking after a trial in which German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer - a friend of Klein's from their student radical days 30 years ago - appeared as a witness. Klein was sentenced to nine years in prison. Klein admitted participating in the December 21, 1975, attack on the OPEC headquarters in Vienna, Austria, but denied shooting anyone. The attack allegedly was led by Carlos the Jackal, the Venezuelan terrorist whose real name is Ilich Ramirez Sanchez. The victims were an OPEC employee, an Iraqi bodyguard and an Austrian policeman. More... · Persian Gulf Arab leaders said yesterday they had agreed on new measures to combat terrorism, including purging rhetoric from school textbooks that Washington says fuels anti-Christian and anti-Jewish sentiment. The announcement came at the end of an annual meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council, or GCC -- a political and military alliance grouping heavyweight Saudi Arabia with Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates. More... Significant Dates Dec 23, 1956 Egypt: Victory Day; Celebrates the withdrawal of British, French and Israeli forces from Port Said and the Suez Canal Zone.
Dec 23, 1975 Greece: U.S. Embassy Official Killed; U.S. embassy official Richard Welch was killed outside of his home in Athens. The Greek terrorist organization "November 17" subsequently took credit for his assassination. Dec 25, 1979 Afghanistan, Russia: Invasion by Soviet Troops. Dec 25, 1982 Senegal: Casamance Movement Founded; MFDC, the Casamance Separatist Movement, was founded. Armed attacks by the group have occurred on this date, to mark the anniversary of the founding of the MFDC. Dec 26, 1893 China (People's Republic of): Birthday of Mao Ze Dong. The birthday of Chinese communist leader Mao Zedong has been marked by the Sendero Luminoso (SL) guerrilla organization by terrorist attacks. Dec 26, 1968 Philippines: Founding of the CPP; Founding of the Maoist Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) by Jose Maria Sison. The next Situation Report will be published as of 11:00 AM, December 24, 2003. If there is significant change in the situation or the threat level, a report will be published when the change occurs. Direct questions regarding this report to Jerry J. Koenig at 907-428-7049 or jerry_koenig@ak-prepared.com. |