Defence Against Terrorism Case Study: Simulation-Based Technical Framework to Address Changes in Capability Deficiency

The events of 9/11, subsequent anthrax incidents, as well as attacks in London, Spain and elsewhere, have brought increasing attention to the probability of NATO nations becoming a target of a terrorist threat. While telecommunications infrastructures may not be a specific target for attack, the consequences of a Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosive (CBRNE) incident on such Critical Infrastructures (CI) are debilitating, in part due to interdependencies with other CI. Improving CBRNE emergency preparedness, readiness and response capabilities is critical for both defence and security partners involved in domestic security. This report documents the results of a simulation based – framework for capability assessment of the emergency response Capability to a CBRNE threat at a Telecommunications CI location in Canada. The assessment reviewed the options for address a capability deficiency related to ensuring business continuity of a highly technical environment that would become a contained site after a biological attack, while still requiring maintenance tasks to be performed due to its CI nature. An agile analytical/technical framework methodology associated with Capability options was developed and tested. The assessment captured the as-is emergency response architecture which helped stakeholders understand their role in the incident and displayed the variety of emergency response organizations and levels of government would play a role durin