NCJ Number
194347
Journal
Police: The Law Enforcement Magazine Volume: 26 Issue: 3 Dated: March 2002 Pages: 54-57
Date Published
March 2002
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This article reviewed the training integration of three special operations’ teams in the State of Maryland working together to plan and prepare for a response to a potential terrorist incident at a nuclear power plant.
Abstract
A joint training exercise was presented on the Calvert County Special Operations Team (SOT), the Search and Rescue helicopter crew at the Patuxent River Naval Air Station (PAX-SAR), and the Maryland State Police Special Tactical Assault Team Element (STATE) and their joint response to a potential terrorist attack on the Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant located in Maryland. The training exercise included all three teams working together to plan and prepare for a possible terrorist attack on the nuclear power plant. The exercise combined the operations of all three groups with each group and individual knowing how to work together. It is recommended that joint exercises be mandatory and occur as frequently as possible with high-risk targets including all those agencies playing a role in the response to any attack on that target. One negative aspect of such a joint training is that it does not occur often enough. However, joint training fosters a mutual respect both internally and between the agencies involved in the training. This joint action sets a precedent for future combined operations or training exercises.