Fort Detrick biolabs' disease samples may be missing

[Guest guest]

Alsohttp://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/opinion/display_columnist.htm?StoryID=89276 Katherine HeerbrandtCold comfortOriginally published April 22, 2009The Criminal Investigation Division at Fort Meade has been investigating USAMRIID at Fort Detrick since at least early February. Meade's CID pursues investigations of serious crimes and sensitive subjects of concern to the Army at regional bases like Detrick, which has no internal investigative arm.>>Aside from the obvious -- the possibility that deadly viruses may be floating around out there unsecured -- two events, however, preclude us from taking one iota of comfort in this scenario: 1) the construction of a greatly expanded biolabs, which means more germs, more people, more risk; and 2) the government's own admission that the 2001 anthrax murders were an inside job.Asked whether he supports an expansion of biolabs at USAMRIID, the former BSL-3 worker said "No.""Not knowing what I know now. With that many people there, things get sloppy."A belief that inventory controls, stricter protocols and psychological screenings will protect the public from USAMRIID's dangerous pathogens is na?ve. Even Detrick scientists were reportedly upset at the new controls, according to a Feb. 10 AP story, because they don't suit USAMRIID's operations.Why? Because germ samples can be easily multiplied in the lab and it's difficult to track them.Now that's comforting.<<=============http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/news/display.htm?StoryID=89293Fort Detrick disease samples may be missingOriginally published April 22, 2009By Justin M. Palk News-Post Staff Army criminal investigators are looking into the possibility that disease samples are missing from biolabs at Fort Detrick.As first reported in today's edition of The Frederick News-Post by columnist Katherine Heerbrandt, the investigators are from the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division unit at Fort Meade.Chad Jones, spokesman for Fort Meade, said CID is investigating the possibility of missing virus samples from the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases.He said the only other detail he could provide is that the investigation is ongoing.Fort Detrick does not have its own CID office, Jones said, which is why Fort Meade's CID was brought in.Jones said he could not comment on when the investigation started.CID is responsible for investigating crimes where the Army is, or may be, a party of interest, according to the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command website.USAMRIID is the Army's top biodefense lab, where researchers study pathogens including Ebola, anthrax and plague.In February, USAMRIID halted all its research into these and other diseases, known as "select agents" following the discovery of virus samples that weren't listed in its inventory.The institute's commander, Col. John Skvorak, ordered research halted while workers conducted a complete inventory of the institute's select agents.That inventory is nearly completed, though the exact end date isn't known yet, said Caree Vander Linden, USAMRIID spokeswoman.Vander Linden said she didn't know about the CID investigation and referred questions to the CID's head public affairs office.There is no indication whether the CID investigation is connected to USAMRIID's re-inventorying of its select agent stocks. =====In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.

[Guest guest]

Here is wondering if that is in any way connected to the sudden deaths of

21 polo ponies only a week ago. Don't you just love conspiracy

theories.. but I am serious all the same.

At 03:41 PM 23/04/2009, you wrote:

 

Also

 

http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/opinion/display_columnist.htm?StoryID=89276

 

Katherine Heerbrandt

Cold comfort

Originally published April 22,

2009

The Criminal Investigation Division at Fort

Meade has been investigating USAMRIID at Fort Detrick since at least

early February. Meade's CID pursues investigations of serious crimes and

sensitive subjects of concern to the Army at regional bases like Detrick,

which has no internal investigative arm.

>>Aside from the obvious -- the possibility that deadly viruses may

be floating around out there unsecured -- two events, however, preclude

us from taking one iota of comfort in this scenario: 1) the construction

of a greatly expanded biolabs, which means more germs, more people, more

risk; and 2) the government's own admission that the 2001 anthrax murders

were an inside job.

 

Asked whether he supports an expansion of biolabs at

USAMRIID, the former BSL-3 worker said " No. "

 

" Not knowing what I know now. With that many

people there, things get sloppy. "

 

A belief that inventory controls, stricter protocols

and psychological screenings will protect the public from USAMRIID's

dangerous pathogens is na?ve. Even Detrick scientists were reportedly

upset at the new controls, according to a Feb. 10 AP story, because they

don't suit USAMRIID's operations.

 

Why? Because germ samples can be easily multiplied

in the lab and it's difficult to track them.

 

Now that's comforting.<<

 

=============

 

 

http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/news/display.htm?StoryID=89293

 

Fort Detrick disease

samples may be missing

Originally published April 22,

2009

By

 

 

Justin M. Palk

News-Post Staff

 

Army criminal investigators are looking into the

possibility that disease samples are missing from biolabs at Fort

Detrick.

As first reported in today's edition of The

 

 

Frederick

News-Post

 

 

by columnist Katherine

Heerbrandt, the investigators are

from the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division unit at Fort

Meade.

Chad Jones, spokesman for Fort Meade, said CID is investigating the

possibility of missing virus samples from the U.S. Army Medical Research

Institute of Infectious Diseases.

He said the only other detail he could provide is that the investigation

is ongoing.

Fort Detrick does not have its own CID office, Jones said, which is why

Fort Meade's CID was brought in.

Jones said he could not comment on when the investigation

started.

CID is responsible for investigating crimes where the Army is, or may be,

a party of interest, according to the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation

Command website.

USAMRIID is the Army's top biodefense lab, where researchers study

pathogens including Ebola, anthrax and plague.

In February, USAMRIID halted all its research into these and other

diseases, known as " select agents " following the discovery of

virus samples that weren't listed in its inventory.

The institute's commander, Col. John Skvorak, ordered research halted

while workers conducted a complete inventory of the institute's select

agents.

That inventory is nearly completed, though the exact end date isn't known

yet, said Caree Vander Linden, USAMRIID spokeswoman.

Vander Linden said she didn't know about the CID investigation and

referred questions to the CID's head public affairs office.

There is no indication whether the CID investigation is connected to

USAMRIID's re-inventorying of its select agent stocks.

 

=====

 

 

In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this

material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a

prior interest in receiving the included information for research and

educational purposes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[Guest guest]

This is no good news. Knowing the Govmnt & Military we will probably never know

the whole truth. I was unfamiliar with Ft. Detrick. I looked it up on line and

it's really a scary place.

 

Here is what I found out:

 

Fort Detrick

Fort Detrick is located in Frederick, Maryland, in the heart of Frederick

County, the third fastest growing county in Maryland. Fort Detrick is the center

of the biomedical technology growth that has occurred in the county. Fort

Detrick is located approximately one hours drive from Washington D.C. metro area

and Baltimore, Maryland, easily accessible by major interstate highways. As an

Army Medicine Installation. Fort Detrick is home to the United States Army

Medical Research and Materiel Command (MRMC), the National Cancer Institute

(NCI) and 36 other tenant organizations. The primary missions include biomedical

research and development, medical materiel management and global

telecommunications.

The mission of the U.S. Army Garrison and Fort Detrick is to Command, operate

and administer the use of resources to provide installation support to on-post

Department of Defense and non-Department of Defense tenant organizations; and to

furnish automated data processing, financial management and logistical support

as directed to selected Headquarters, Department of the Army staff and field

operating agencies.

Major tenants located on Fort Detrick are the U.S. Army Medical Research and

Materiel Command, 21st Signal Brigade, and the U.S. Army Medical Materiel

Agency.

Fort Detrick serves four Cabinet-Level agencies, which include: The Department

of Defense, Department of Justice, Department of Agriculture and Department of

Human Services. Fort Detrick's DoD support also includes elements of the U.S.

Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Air Force and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Beyond

that, Fort Detrick supports several Unified and Major Army Commands: Unified

U.S. Army Forces Command, U.S. Army Space Command, U.S. Army InformationSystems

Command, and U.S. Army Health Services Command.

Fort Detrick today is a U.S. Army Medical Command installation supporting a

multi-agency community. Approximately 5,800 military, federal, and contractor

personnel are assigned there. They conduct biomedical research and development,

medical materiel management, and defense communications. Each of the military

services is represented. The Commanding General, U.S. Army Medical Research and

Materiel Command (USAMRMC), is the installation commander. The USAMRMC was

established in 1994 as a major subordinate command of the Army Medical Command

during the reorganization of the Army Medical Department. The reorganization

expanded the former U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command, adding

medical logistics and health facility planning to its mission. Realignment of

the U.S. Army Garrison under the USAMRMC followed, improving management

efficiency and allowing consolidation of support functions.

The USAG, Fort Detrick provides installation support to DoD and non-DoD tenant

organizations. Among its services the Garrison furnishes financial management;

civilian and military personnel; quality of life programs; legal services;

housing management; security, fire, and emergency services; building

maintenance; and logistical support to the USAMRMC and tenant activities.

The USAMRMC is responsible for life cycle management of medical materiel, from

basic laboratory research through advanced development, prototyping,

procurement, delivery to units, maintenance and disposal. The USAMRMC is

responsible for planning, programming, and budgeting for construction of Army

medical facilities and for corporate information management and information

technology requirements of the Army Medical Department.

As the Department of Defense's lead laboratory for medical biological defense,

the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases conducts basic

research leading to the development of vaccines, drugs, diagnostics, and

information to protect U.S. service members from biological warfare threats. The

institute is a world-renowned reference laboratory for definitive identification

of biological threat agents and diagnosis of the diseases they produce. The

U.S. Army Medical Materiel Development Activity manages the advanced development

of new medical products, including the conduct of clinical trials and submission

of applications for approval of new products by the U.S. Food and Drug

Administration.

The U.S. Army Medical Materiel Agency is the Army Surgeon General's executive

agent for strategic medical logistics programs and initiatives. The USAMMA's

mission is to enhance medical logistics readiness throughout the full range of

military health service support missions worldwide, develop and implement

innovative concepts and technologies, and advance medical logistics information

and knowledge. The USAMMA coordinates with the Air Force, Navy, and Joint/DoD

medical logistics agencies that are also located at Fort Detrick.

The Air Force Medical Logistics Office mission is to lead and deliver innovative

solutions to meet the challenges of global health. AFMLO integrates Joint

Service Active and Reserve Air Force Components to deploy and sustain

warfighting capabilities through focused logistics as defined by Joint Vision

2020.

The Naval Medical Logistics Command directs and manages logistical and materiel

systems, and coordinates health care services contracting policy and procedures

for the Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery during peacetime and contingency

conditions. The NMLC's Fleet Hospital Program provides comprehensive medical

support to the Fleet and Fleet Marine Forces engaged in combat operations.

The Joint Readiness Clinical Advisory Board, formerly known as the Defense

Medical Standardization Board, is a joint activity of the DoD. The JRCAB's major

missions include: joint selection and standardization of medical materiel for

in-theater care during the initial 2 months of an armed conflict, and providing

clinical, technical, and logistical expertise to ensure that quality medical

materiel is available to the services.

The Joint Medical Logistics Functional Development Center (JMLFDC) focuses on

modeling and simulation to ensure coordination and integration among the

programs of the JRCAB, the USAMMA, the NMLC, and the AFMLO.

The U.S. Army Medical Information Systems and Services Agency is a subordinate

command of the USAMRMC. The USAMISSA provides full life cycle management for

information systems and information technology services to the AMEDD and other

government clients, from needs assessments to acquisition and/or development,

through operations and sustainment. The organization has offices at Fort

Detrick, Maryland; San Antonio, Texas; Washington, DC; and Falls Church,

Virginia. USAMISSA strives to solve client's information challenges with

leading-edge technology solutions and customer-focused business practices.

The Armed Forces Medical Intelligence Center is a field production activity of

the Defense Intelligence Agency and the sole DoD producer of medical

intelligence. The center provides all-source intelligence on worldwide

infectious diseases and environmental health risks, foreign military and

civilian health care systems and infrastructures, and foreign biomedical

development and life science technologies of military medical significance.

The 21st U.S. Army Signal Brigade, (redesignated from the 1108th U.S. Army

Signal Brigade on October 16, 2003) is a subordinate command of the Network

Command/9th U.S. Army Signal Command. On September 14, 1998, the brigade

headquarters relocated from Fort Ritchie, Maryland to Fort Detrick, due to the

closing of Fort Ritchie under Base Realignment and Closure. The brigade provides

command, control, communications, computer, and visual information systems to

the DoD and other federal agencies supporting the warfighter.

 

Units based at Ft. Detrick

302d U.S. Army Signal Battalion

114th U.S. Army Signal Battalion A Company,

1st SATCON Battalion FDEO (ISEC) (Fort Detrick Engineering Office)

TAO (CECOM Technology Applications Office)

AFMIC (Armed Forces Medical Intelligence Center)

USAMRIID (U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases)

6th MLMC (6th Medical Logistics Management Center)

AFMLO (U.S. Air Force Medical Logistics Office)

JMLFDC (Joint Medical Logistics Functional Development Center)

JRCAB (Joint Readiness Clinical Advisory Board)

JVAPO (Joint Vaccine Acquisition Program Project Management Office)

MC4 (Medical Communications for Combat Casualty Care)

NMLC (U.S. Naval Medical Logistics Command)

TATRC (Telemedicine & Advanced Technology Research Center)

USACEHR (U.S. Army Center of Environmental Health Research)

USAMISSA (U.S. Army Medical Information Systems and Services)

USAMMA (U.S. Army Medical Materiel Agency)

USAMMDA (U.S. Army Medical Material Development Activity)

USAMRAA (U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity)

USDA (U.S. Department of Agriculture)

WAR-MED PSO (HQ USAF/SGXW (Wartime Medical Planning System Office))

Co B, 4th LAR Battalion, 4th Marine Division DCMC (Defense Contract Management

Command)

DPS (Defense Printing Service)

Secret Service Security Force STRICOM (U.S. Army Simulation, Training and

Instrumentation Command)

NCI - Frederick (National Cancer Institute)

========================================================

 

><http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/opinion/display_columnist.htm?StoryI\

D=89276>http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/opinion/display_columnist.htm?\

StoryID=89276

> >

> >Katherine Heerbrandt

> >Cold comfort

> >Originally published April 22, 2009

> >The Criminal Investigation Division at Fort Meade has been

> >investigating USAMRIID at Fort Detrick since at least early

> >February. Meade's CID pursues investigations of serious crimes and

> >sensitive subjects of concern to the Army at regional bases like

> >Detrick, which has no internal investigative arm.

> > >>Aside from the obvious -- the possibility that deadly viruses may

> > be floating around out there unsecured -- two events, however,

> > preclude us from taking one iota of comfort in this scenario: 1)

> > the construction of a greatly expanded biolabs, which means more

> > germs, more people, more risk; and 2) the government's own

> > admission that the 2001 anthrax murders were an inside job.

> >

> >Asked whether he supports an expansion of biolabs at USAMRIID, the

> >former BSL-3 worker said " No. "

> >

> > " Not knowing what I know now. With that many people there, things get

sloppy. "

> >

> >A belief that inventory controls, stricter protocols and

> >psychological screenings will protect the public from USAMRIID's

> >dangerous pathogens is na?ve. Even Detrick scientists were

> >reportedly upset at the new controls, according to a Feb. 10 AP

> >story, because they don't suit USAMRIID's operations.

> >

> >Why? Because germ samples can be easily multiplied in the lab and

> >it's difficult to track them.

> >

> >Now that's comforting.<<

> >

> >=============

>

><http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/news/display.htm?StoryID=89293>http:\

//www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/news/display.htm?StoryID=89293

> >Fort Detrick disease samples may be missing

> >Originally published April 22, 2009

> >By

>

><http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/customer_service/email_reporter.htm?\

writer=Justin%20M.%20Palk>Justin

> >M. Palk

> >News-Post Staff

> >

> >

> >Army criminal investigators are looking into the possibility that

> >disease samples are missing from biolabs at Fort Detrick.

> >

> >As first reported in today's edition of The

>

><http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/local/communities/frederick.htm>Fred\

erick

> >News-Post

>

><http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/opinion/display_columnist.htm?StoryI\

D=89276>by

> >columnist Katherine Heerbrandt, the investigators are from the U.S.

> >Army Criminal Investigation Division unit at Fort Meade.

> >

> >Chad Jones, spokesman for Fort Meade, said CID is investigating the

> >possibility of missing virus samples from the U.S. Army Medical

> >Research Institute of Infectious Diseases.

> >He said the only other detail he could provide is that the

> >investigation is ongoing.

> >

> >Fort Detrick does not have its own CID office, Jones said, which is

> >why Fort Meade's CID was brought in.

> >Jones said he could not comment on when the investigation started.

> >

> >CID is responsible for investigating crimes where the Army is, or

> >may be, a party of interest, according to the U.S. Army Criminal

> >Investigation Command website.

> >

> >USAMRIID is the Army's top biodefense lab, where researchers study

> >pathogens including Ebola, anthrax and plague.

> >In February, USAMRIID halted all its research into these and other

> >diseases, known as " select agents " following the discovery of virus

> >samples that weren't listed in its inventory.

> >

> >The institute's commander, Col. John Skvorak, ordered research

> >halted while workers conducted a complete inventory of the

> >institute's select agents.

> >

> >That inventory is nearly completed, though the exact end date isn't

> >known yet, said Caree Vander Linden, USAMRIID spokeswoman.

> >Vander Linden said she didn't know about the CID investigation and

> >referred questions to the CID's head public affairs office.

> >There is no indication whether the CID investigation is connected to

> >USAMRIID's re-inventorying of its select agent stocks.

> >

> >=====

> >

> >In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is

> >distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior

> >interest in receiving the included information for research and

> >educational purposes.

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >----------

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