USCG hosts full-scale antiterrorism exercise at its training center
Several dozen law enforcement, emergency management and military organizations participated in the first full-scale, antiterrorism exercise aboard a Coast Guard training center Tuesday at 10 a.m., the USCG said in a media release.
The Coast Guard partnered with more than a dozen local, state, and federal law enforcement and emergency management agencies to test their response to a simulated suicide bomber attacking the facility injuring dozens of recruits and staff. More than 41,000 people visit Coast Guard Training Center Cape May each year. Federal, state and local law enforcement and EMS officials wanted to ensure the community could respond in the event of terrorist attack at the facility.
Numerous military, law enforcement and EMS personnel participated in the exercise, which encompassed much of Training Center Cape May and several blocks in the neighborhoods adjacent to the facility.
Exercise participants responded to a simulated attack on the dining area at Training Center Cape May, which sits about 200 recruits per meal. The training center also exercised gaining rapid personnel accountability, establishing a call center for concerned loved ones, and making simulated next of kin notifications for those injured or killed.
The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's seven uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the U.S. military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission.
