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White Sands Missile Range residents and employees are encouraged to stay vigilant against threats to the installation.
While there are no specific threats to WSMR from terrorist or criminal elements at this time, members of the Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization, and Security want WSMR residents and employees to be prepared and on the lookout for signs that terrorists may be planning an attack, both on and around WSMR. “We at the grassroots level need to get it out to the local population that they need to be more vigilant, not just at work, but at home too,” said Don Nixon an antiterrorism officer with DPTMS.
Nixon explained that even though criminals and terrorists have different goals and motivations, the strategies behind preparing to execute a terrorist act and preparing to execute a crime is often very similar. Being on the lookout for the indicators can therefore help prevent either one.
Preventing a terrorist act or crime requires that people be on the lookout for specific indicators and Nixon lists seven signs that something illegal may be about to take place.
Surveillance
Terrorists and criminals will often observe a location they have targeted in an attempt to determine any strengths and weaknesses the target might have; including the number of personnel and the work schedules, security practices and equipment, emergency response time, and more general information about the target such as its floor plan and building design. It’s important to note any indication of surveillance and report it immediately. Nothing is too menial.
Elicitation
Terrorists and criminals may attempt to gain specific information about the target that can’t be gained through surveillance. They could attempt to contact the target directly by asking personnel about it, or even attempt to place members of their organization inside work locations.
Tests of Security
In order to determine how to best penetrate the security of a facility when executing an attack, terrorists and criminals may attempt to actually test the security of an area. This could include moving into a sensitive area and seeing how long it takes security to respond and what routes they take to get there. It could also mean attempting to breach physical security barriers, both to determine weaknesses and to assess the response and repair time. Often they may even attempt to gain legitimate employment at their target sites as a way of studying the security from the inside and learning about the day to day operation of the target.
Acquiring Supplies
Special equipment may be required for an attack. Special equipment includes, but is not limited to: explosives, weapons and ammunition, harmful chemicals and chemicals that can be combined to form a more dangerous chemical or gas. Law enforcement and military equipment, uniforms, decals, and identification can also be useful when planning and executing an attack. Terrorist and criminals may attempt to buy or steal such items, and if unable to do so, may also try to photograph or photocopy them as part of an attempt to create forgeries.
Suspicious People
Who Don’t Belong
Another pre-incident indicator is observing suspicious people who just “don’t belong.” This does not mean we should profile individuals, but we should profile behaviors. This includes suspicious border crossings, but could also mean having someone in a workplace, building, neighborhood or business establishment that does not fit in because of demeanor, language usage or unusual questions they are asking.
Dry Runs
Another sign to watch for is dry runs. Before executing an attack the perpetrators may try and conduct a practice attack to work out any flaws and find unanticipated problems with their plan. If you find someone monitoring a police radio frequency and recording emergency response times, you may be observing a dry run. Multiple dry runs are normally conducted at or near the target area.
Deploying Assets/Getting into Position
The seventh and final sign to look for is someone deploying assets or getting into position. This is a person’s last chance to alert authorities before the terrorist or criminal act occurs.
While many WSMR residents and employees may think of this kind of prevention at work, Nixon suggests that they also think of it at home. “If you see someone in your neighborhood that doesn’t belong, watching when you come and go, they could be planning something; so you should report that,” Nixon said.
These indicators can come weeks and even months apart, so it is important to document everything you can. “Write the information down,” Nixon said. Adding that, “What we see all the time is we’ll have ten witnesses and ten different descriptions.” Valuable information includes:
•Physical descriptions, including any unique features like tattoos
•Vehicle make and model
•License plate number Therefore, it is extremely important to document every fragment of information, no matter how
insignificant it may appear, and forward this information to the WSMR Police at (575) 678-4100 or the 902nd Military Intelligence at (575) 678-1920 or 24 hours at (575) 658-0045 or (575) 658-0046.
If someone sees something suspicious they should record and report it to a proper authority. Nixon advises that no one should ever try and confront a suspicious person.
While there aren’t any specific threats against WSMR at this time, the possibility of attack or other kind of illegal activity does exist. “We have no information there is any terrorist activity in our area, but we do have universities in our area and (since terrorists and foreign agents like to pose as students) there is the possibility of a sleeper agent. There is a lot of gang related activity in both Las Cruces and El Paso so look out for gang activity and report it,” Nixon said.
Increased violence caused by warring drug cartels has also caused some tension in the region. While Nixon has no information that the violence and cartel activities have moved across the border and into the United States, Nixon said there is a possibility that it could.
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