Friday, March 23, 2001

By Jim Lea
Osan bureau chief

Jim Lea / Stars and Stripes A military policeman from the 249th Military Police Company at Camp Humphreys searches a vehicle that entered the camp during an antiterrorism/force protection exercise held on Wednesday.

CAMP HUMPHREYS, South Korea — There were long lines as cars tried to get inside this U.S. Army airfield on Wednesday.

Gaining entrance to the post was an hour long process as military police set up roadblocks and thoroughly searched vehicles. Much of the base was sealed up tight.

Inside the camp, "terrorists" were trying to take over key facilities and doing the things terrorists do in the real world: blowing things up and issuing demands and ultimatums.

It was all simulated, of course, as part of an antiterrorism and force-protection drill. The scenarios that were acted out were "no notice," meaning camp officials didn’t know what was going to happen.

The exact scenarios were classified, but Bob Warner, U.S. Army Support Activity command information officer at the camp, said scenarios included infiltrations and terrorist attacks.

"They were designed to test our security measures and how we deal with such threats," Warner said.

Humphreys seems a logical choice for the drill since it’s the busiest Army airfield in the country.

Because AH-64 Apaches and other types of helicopters operate from here and nearly all military helicopters flying around the country stop here to refuel, the camp would be a prime target for infiltrators, Warner said.

The drill was ordered "by higher authority" and similar operations will be conducted at all U.S. military facilities in the country, he added.

The drill began around dawn, with military police thoroughly searching all vehicles entering the gates.

As trunks, engine compartments, interiors and undercarriages were checked, other military policemen took the identification cards of drivers and passengers, asking questions such as, "What’s your Social Security number, date of birth and blood type?"

Once inside the camp, people found just about everything shut down — offices, the Army and Air Force Exchange, commissary, snack bars and clubs.

Many base workers said it was the first time in memory this type of exercise had been conducted at Humphreys. Warner would not confirm that, either.

The drill also caused some traffic confusion in Anjong-ni, the Korean community outside the camp. With a double line of traffic sometimes stretching a half-mile from the main gate, Korean police worked to route civilian traffic away from the gate.

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