OTD first responded by organizing an Anti-Terrorism Network Group last October. Delegates to the first meeting were drawn from every office in Customs involved with anti-terrorism training activities. That first meeting provided a forum for the newly-appointed Director of the Office of Anti-Terrorism, Bill Parrish, to introduce himself and describe his vision and objectives. Since then, OTD has acted as a focal point, keeping the members informed of training activities by periodic messages.

Internally, OTD formed a special team that meets daily to plan strategies, identify training needs, develop curricula, and coordinate all anti-terrorism training activities. The team is also building a database of resources, such as training courses, self-study materials, books, videos, and other items that can contribute to training Customs personnel on anti-terrorism matters. Acting in partnership with the Headquarters Information Resource Center, OTD is working to ensure this database can be shared with Customs training providers and others who need ready access to the most recent information on this topic.

Multi-step training approach
The team is spearheading a multi-step approach to Customs anti-terrorism training. For the first phase, OTD collaborated with the offices of Public Affairs, Field Operations, Investigations, and Information Technology to produce a video, "Combating Terrorism at America's Frontline," designed to help Customs inspectors and canine enforcement officers identify and detect smuggled weapons of mass destruction (WMD). The video shows what materials terrorists might attempt to smuggle across our borders, methods of concealment, and how to respond to WMD incidents. All uniformed officers were instructed to view the video by mid-March.

The second phase involves more in-depth, job-specific training across several Customs disciplines. The Laboratory and Scientific Services Division of OIT was among the first to respond, delivering WMD training to several thousand Customs officers all across the country in October-November 2001 and again in January-February 2002. The Customs Service Academy conducted an anti-terrorism course in early February for inspectors assigned to outbound inspection teams. The program, covering bombs, explosives, and WMD, will probably be expanded and may include related hazardous material topics.

OTD is working with the Office of Field Operations to develop an anti-terrorism training program for Customs inspectors. This training includes practical exercises that will help inspectors identify terrorists and their weapons in both cargo and passenger operations. The training will be tailored to meet the needs of the airport, seaport, and land border environments. Customs has also accepted a proposal from the Department of Energy to conduct training for up to 144 Customs officers. Inspectors and agents would be trained at the Radiation Academy (RADACAD) at the Pacific Northwest Labs and at the HAMMER training facility in Richland, Wash. OTD and the Office of Investigations also have begun work on reviewing existing course materials and identifying additional anti-terrorist training requirements for agents and intelligence analysts.

As part of the second phase of training, the Academy's existing anti-terrorism courses are being extensively reviewed and revised while new ones are being imbedded into the curricula. The Customs Academy's faculty and resident expertise plays a key role in pulling this training plan together. Greater demands on the agency have made it imperative to hire hundreds of more personnel and supplemental funding has made it possible to do so. The Academy is now preparing to accommodate three times the number of new recruits that are typically trained in a fiscal year. Thanks to a six-day training week and extra instructors, the Academy will graduate more inspectors and agents even sooner, bolstering the ranks of the thin blue line stretched along our borders.

The third phase of the plan involves tabletop exercises for Customs managers and supervisors. The exercises will include potential crisis scenarios, identifying and addressing areas of vulnerability for ports and other locations. Participants will have to confront the unthinkable: a car bomb on a busy bridge, nerve gas released in a crowded airport inspection area, or a container of radioactive material unloaded in a dockyard. No nightmarish incident can be ruled out. This training will help participants consider all contingencies and prepare them to react accordingly.

The tabletops are to be followed by the fourth phase, actual field exercises of emergency situations that involve other agencies and local authorities. These exercises serve as dress rehearsals for the real event. They will allow employees to refine and revise procedures outlined in their port's Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) and strengthen relations and communication links with other federal, state, and local authorities.

Together, these training programs are preparing and equipping Customs officers with the knowledge and skills needed to confront the terrorist threat - whether it's intercepting WMD, ensuring a safe and secure supply chain, or responding to emergencies that were unimaginable before September 11.