The U.S. Department of Homeland Security will conduct the largest and most comprehensive counterterrorism exercise to date from Oct. 15-19 in Guam, Arizona and Oregon.  Top Officials 4 (TOPOFF 4) is the fourth in a series of congressionally-mandated exercises and involves various federal agencies and well as the governments of Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom.

"Our geographic isolation and proximity to many international trouble
spots make it critical for us to be prepared to respond to any threats
to the health and safety of the people of Guam and the citizens of the
United States," Governor Felix P. Camacho said. "We will test our
response capabilities, strengthen preparedness and learn what needs to
be improved by simulating an actual situation.  This exercise will be
very valuable to responding to a real-life situation."

TOPOFF 4 will involve more than 15,000 participants in Guam, Arizona
and Oregon from all levels of government, international partners and
the private sector in a full-scale, simulated response to radiological
dispersal device attacks.  About 1,000 people will be participating in
the Guam TOPOFF event.  Between 200-250 of those participants are from
off-island

"TOPOFF will educate our island about the need for community
preparedness and involvement whenever our security is threatened,"
Governor Camacho said.  "We will strengthen important relationships
with federal and local agencies, emergency management communities, the
private sector and all residents.  This is an exercise in assessing
our strengths and weaknesses and bringing homeland security issues to
the forefront of our homes and neighborhoods."

To reach the overarching goal and objectives to enhance interagency
coordination, planning and preparedness, TOPOFF 4 will focus on five
key areas:
➢       Prevention: To test the handling and flow of operational and
time-critical intelligence between agencies to prevent a terrorist
attack.
➢       Intelligence/investigation: To test the handling and flow of
operational and time-critical intelligence between agencies prior to,
and in response to, a linked terrorist incident.
➢       Incident management: To test the full range of existing procedures
for domestic incident management of a terrorist weapon of mass
destruction event and to improve the top officials' capabilities to
respond consistent with the National Response Plan and the National
Incident Management System.
➢       Public Information: To practice the strategic coordination of media
relations and public information in the context of a terrorist weapon
of mass destruction event or incident of national significance.
➢       Evaluation: To identify lessons learned and promote best practices.

TOPOFF 4 builds on experiences from previous exercises as well as real
world emergencies, and also will prioritize increased coordination
with U.S. Department of Defense and the private sector, an expanded
emphasis on prevention, a deeper focus on mass decontamination,
long-term recovery and remediation issues, and strengthened
partnerships and communications with international allies.

"This is uncharted territory for our first responders because they
have yet to confront a manmade disaster, which can be radiological,
biological, chemical or nuclear in nature," Guam Homeland Security
Advisor Dennis Santo Tomas, Col. (Ret.) said.  "More over, the people
of Guam should focus on their individual preparedness and stay
vigilant should an event of this nature ever become a reality.

In addition to TOPOFF 4 objectives, each supporting and partnering
agency, state, territory and local entity has developed a set of
specific objectives to further assist them in preparing for emergency
situations.

For more information on TOPOFF 4, visit the Department of Homeland
Security Web site at www.dhs.gov/topoff4.  You may also call Shawn
Gumataotao at 483-0789 or visit the Guam Homeland Security Web site at
www.guamhs.org.