Test Site proposed as anti-terrorism training school

Benjamin Grove and Mary Manning

Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2001 | 10:57 a.m.

The Nevada Test Site -- once a Cold War proving ground for nuclear weapons -- should be developed as a next-generation training camp in the nation's "new war" on terrorism, Nevada's House lawmakers said.

In the wake of last week's terrorist attacks, counterterrorism training courses held periodically each year at the Test Site could be expanded into a permanent, established academy, they said.

Nevada's congressional delegation has long argued the Test Site -- the secure, Rhode Island-sized former testing area for the nation's nuclear weapons -- is a suitable home for such a center.

"It's perfect," said Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., who plans to lobby for the proposal in the remaining weeks of this year's session. Rep. Jim Gibbons, R-Nev., also supports the proposal, especially because of the open space and infrastructure that already exists at the site, he said.

As lawmakers in Congress are searching for innovative ways to prevent and respond to terrorist threats, the attacks in New York and Washington may renew interest in creating a better network of national counterterrorism training schools, several experts said.

Government officials are already talking about developing more centers that teach combat skills, encourage strategic planning and foster more terrorism research, said Stephen Bowers, director of the Nelson Institute at James Madison University, which focuses on terrorism studies.

"It's what the government calls 'consequence management' (training) and there is a great need for that," Bowers said.

Congress considered one bill last year that would have established a national Office of Terrorism Preparedness and increased counterterrorism training centers. But the legislation died without lawmaker action.

No nuclear weapons have been tested since 1992 at the remote, 1,375-square-mile desert Test Site, 65 miles northwest of Las Vegas. It is the focus of proposals for windmill farms and a space shuttle launch pad.

The Test Site since 1999 also has been the home of anti-terrorism training courses, coordinated by Bechtel Nevada, managing contractor for the Department of Energy at the Test Site.

Congress last year allocated $4 million for training courses for local, state and federal law enforcement and emergency response teams. The courses, held four times last year, focused mostly on hazardous materials response to chemical, biological and nuclear terrorism, officials said.

Police, firefighters, paramedics and other crews go through classroom and field simulations of exploding bombs, discharging weapons, and scenarios of biological weapons release, Bechtel officials said. Emergency workers have learned how to decontaminate victims after exposure to a radioactive or toxic substance.

The Senate last week allocated $7 million for more courses next year, although lawmakers have not finalized that figure. The budget increase would both increase the number of courses and the number of people trained, Bechtel Nevada spokeswoman Cheryl Oar said.

While the courses at the Test Site have been effective in mostly hazardous materials training, Nevada leaders envision a permanent, established center that one day could offer a broader array of counterterrorism training, Nevada officials said.

An anti-terrorism school would be a natural fit for the Test Site, said Kevin Rohrer, a spokesman for the the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration.

Not everyone agrees the nation needs a counterterrorism academy. The nation already has plenty of training sites for private citizens as well as emergency responders, the military and special operations CIA and State Department officials, said Neil Livingstone, CEO of Washington-based GlobalOptions. The company offers counterterrorism training to businesses and foreign officials.

The United States may need more trained people but not training facilities, he said.

"We don't need a West Point of counterterrorism training," Livingstone said. "It'll be a huge waste of government money."