World's top bomb squads get training at Sandia

Media contact: John German, 505-844-5199, [email protected]

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. ó Disabling sophisticated bombs without getting hurt is what a small team of researchers at Sandia National Laboratories knows how to do best. Now Sandia is sharing its technology and expertise in the occult art of bomb disablement with members of the worldís most elite bomb squads during an eight-day, hands-on training conference in Albuquerque Aug. 11-18.

Operation Albuquerque í97, as the event is called, focuses on the science and methodology of bomb disablement, with emphasis on emerging technologies that keep ìbomb techsî out of harmís way as they protect the public from criminals and terrorists whose devices grow more sophisticated and dangerous every day. Only members of the most advanced bomb squads are invited to participate.

Sandia hosted the first Operation Albuquerque in 1994 after Chris Cherry of Sandiaís Explosives Applications Department recognized a need to put tomorrowís bomb disablement technologies into the arsenals of the nationís busiest bomb squads. The first event received wide acclaim from its participants. This is the third Operation Albuquerque, and the list of invitees has become more cosmopolitan.

Operation Albuquerque í97 is expected to include 48 bomb techs representing the police departments of major U.S. cities like New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Houston, and Los Angeles; state police departments; federal law enforcement agencies including the FBI and Secret Service; and anti-terrorist and law enforcement agencies from England, the Republic of Ireland, Canada, Norway, Germany, and Australia (host country for the 2000 Summer Olympic Games). Sandia, the Department of Energy, the National Institute of Justice, and the Albuquerque Police Department are sponsoring this yearís event. To stay ahead of the increasingly sophisticated anti-tamper and explosives devices being encountered in the world today, Cherry and his team research and develop some of the worldís most technically advanced and versatile ìrender-safeî technologies, along with reconnaissance technologies to help categorize complex, terrorist-type bombs and assess their potential threats remotely.

Since 1992, Sandia has developed and licensed a family of bomb disablers for a variety of situations. Foremost among these is the Percussion Actuated Nonelectric Disrupter, which has become the primary tool used by bomb squads nationwide to disable conventional, handmade-type bombs remotely, says Cherry. The PAN Disrupter was instrumental in safely disabling numerous suspect devices in Atlanta during the í96 Summer Olympic Games. How Sandiaís disrupters work cannot be disclosed for security reasons, but each is designed to disrupt a bombís internal gadgetry so instantaneously that it never has a chance to detonate. During Operation Albuquerque, the PAN Disrupter and a variety of other Sandia disablers ó with cryptic names like the ìBlack Boxî and ìMagic Cubeî ó will be deployed in realistic bomb disablement scenarios by small teams of bomb tech ìplayersî as they practice using the technologies to defeat mock bombs, many of which are booby trapped or have small charges that go off if players accidentally trip the devices. ìThese arenít your run-of-the-mill pipe bombs,î says Cherry. ìThe bomb techs who come here are concerned about more complex devices. Our goal is to give them the training theyíll need to deal with the kinds of terrorist-type devices we think theyíll encounter in the next 10 to 20 years.î In past Operation Albuquerque scenarios, teams were dispatched to locate and defeat sophisticated bombs hidden in public places, such as at shopping malls and on the front seats of cars, and disable ìbody bombsî wired to hostages, for example. This year, participants will respond to more than 48 scenarios throughout Albuquerque. Following each round of scenarios, players and observers from Sandia and the FBIís Bomb Data Center will discuss and evaluate the teamsí tactical approaches. Sandia also is a world leader in robotics, and Cherryís team is adapting a variety of commercial robots to carry out some of the bomb techís most risky jobs, such as delivering a disrupter to a bombís location. The conference includes training in the use of robotics technologies, as well as classroom instruction and technical presentations on advanced disablement strategies, vehicle bombs, and other issues associated with current terrorist-type threats. John OíConnor, FBI Deputy Assistant Director for Counter Terrorism; U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici (R-N.M.); U.S. Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.); U.S. Rep. Bill Redmond (R-N.M.); and David Boyd, Director of the National Institute of Justiceís Office of Science and Technology are expected to attend a kickoff ceremony and media demonstration on Monday morning, Aug. 11 (see below). Sandia is a multiprogram Department of Energy laboratory operated by a subsidiary of Lockheed Martin Corp. With main facilities in Albuquerque and Livermore, Calif., Sandia has broad-based research and development programs contributing to national security, energy and environmental technologies, and economic competitiveness. ó30ó

Black-and-white photos available

Media contact: John German, 505-844-5199, [email protected]

Media are invited to a demonstration of current bomb disablement technologies on Monday, Aug. 11, 11:00-11:45 a.m., at the Albuquerque Police Academy (5412 2nd Street NW). The demonstration will feature a mock terrorist-type bomb being energetically destroyed by a Sandia disabler. The disabler will be delivered to the bombís side by a mobile robot. Other attractions include live explosions and bomb techs outfitted with special protective gear. Bomb techs participating in Operation Albuquerque í97 will be available for interviews following the demonstration.