1. What is Top Officials 3 (TOPOFF 3)?
Top Officials 3 (TOPOFF 3) is the most comprehensive terrorism response exercise ever conducted in the United States. Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Office of State and Local Government Coordination and Preparedness (SLGCP), TOPOFF 3 is the third exercise in the TOPOFF series, a congressionally mandated exercise series designed to strengthen the nation’s capacity to prevent, protect against, respond to, and recover from terrorist attacks involving Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs). The TOPOFF 3 full-scale exercise, taking place from April 4-8, 2005, is the culmination of a two-year cycle of seminars, planning events, and exercises. The exercise will involve participants from the federal government, state, local, tribal, and private sector agencies and organizations, the United Kingdom, and Canada. In the United States, participants will respond to simulated, simultaneous, and multi-point attacks taking place in Connecticut and New Jersey.

2. What is the Top Officials Exercise Series (TOPOFF)?
TOPOFF is a two-year cycle of seminars, planning events, and exercises designed to strengthen the nation’s capacity to prevent, prepare for, respond to, and recover from terrorist attacks involving Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs). The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Office for State and Local Government Coordination and Preparedness (SLGCP), sponsors the TOPOFF series.

3. When is the TOPOFF 3 Full-Scale exercise taking place?
TOPOFF 3 is the culmination of a series of events of increasing complexity leading up to the full-scale exercise. These events include seminars, exercise workshops, and a large-scale game. These events have been and will be occurring over the life of the exercise program. The TOPOFF 3 full-scale exercise will be held from April 4-8, 2005.

4. Where will the TOPOFF 3 Full-Scale Exercise take place?
Simulated terrorist incidents will originate in New London, Connecticut, (chemical incident) and Union and Middlesex Counties, New Jersey (biological incident). States request participation, and two states are selected for each TOPOFF cycle. Numerous federal departments and agencies, as well as representatives from the private sector, will actively participate in the exercise as well. Related activities will take place in the United Kingdom and Canada.

5. How were the venues selected?
States request to participate in TOPOFF, and two are selected for each cycle. Both Connecticut and New Jersey volunteered to host TOPOFF 3, in order to support its national goals and enhance their own preparedness.

6. How many agencies are participating?
There will be approximately 10,000 participants from more than 275 government and private sector organizations in TOPOFF 3, more than in any other exercise. (Approximately 8,500 participated in TOPOFF 2 in 2003.) Twenty-seven Federal agencies, along with more than 150 private sector and non-government organizations, in cooperation with participants in Connecticut, New Jersey, Canada, and the United Kingdom, will take part in TOPOFF 3. Venue participants include New London, Connecticut, Union and Middlesex Counties, New Jersey, all 21 New Jersey counties and 22 LINCS agencies, the state of Connecticut, the state of New Jersey, the governments of Canada and the United Kingdom.

7. How much does TOPOFF 3 cost?
The TOPOFF Exercise Series provides approximately $16 million for each two-year exercise cycle.

8. What is the purpose of TOPOFF 3?
TOPOFF 3 is designed to test and strengthen the nation’s capacity to prevent, respond to, and recover from extreme events, especially terrorism. TOPOFF planning events and the full-scale exercise will expand the knowledge and capabilities of participants through a building block approach. The knowledge gained from each TOPOFF is built into the design of the next TOPOFF, as well as into the overall homeland security system. While the threat of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) terrorism is real, the nation is working toward the improvement of federal, state, and local preparedness and response mechanisms in order to mitigate the consequences of any WMD incident.

9. What are the overarching goals of TOPOFF 3?
The stated goals of TOPOFF 3 are to test the full range of existing procedures for domestic incident management of a WMD terrorist event and to improve, through evaluation and practice, top officials’ capabilities in affected countries to respond in partnership; to test the handling and flow of operational and time-critical intelligence; and to practice strategic coordination of media relations and public information issues.

10. Who participates in TOPOFF training?
The exercise engages participants at all levels of government, from Cabinet Secretaries to governors, mayors, and city managers; to local fire, police, and search-and-rescue personnel; to professionals in law enforcement, public health, and public communications; to the private sector.

11. What will be gained from TOPOFF training?
Top officials from all levels of government will gain valuable knowledge and experience dealing with complex issues related to terrorism prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery. The Full-Scale Exercise offers participants a way to test plans and skills in a real-time, realistic environment and to gain the in-depth learning that only experience can provide. Training activities are based on the objectives of participating departments and agencies.

12. How does TOPOFF influence federal, state, and local preparedness capabilities?
TOPOFF is an important component of the President’s National Preparedness Strategy to build an integrated federal-state-local capability of prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery for extreme events, including terrorism. The exercise cycle, from planning to full-scale exercise, provides the impetus for federal departments and agencies to define their missions and tasks for incident management, and to organize their resources under the National Response Plan.

13. What kinds of simulated terrorist attacks will take place? How and why were they chosen?
TOPOFF 3 will simulate a series of attacks by a terrorist organization—using biological and chemical weapons. The attack scenario was developed to stress the Nation’s response system at multiple points. The initial attacks occur in Connecticut and New Jersey, and lead to a coordinated national and international response. Although the government views both of these types of threat as credible, the weapons were not chosen on the basis of intelligence regarding specific terrorist plans. Though the scenario is plausible, it does contain artificialities to ensure conformance with the specific training objectives of the participating federal, state, and local agencies and the first responders at the exercise venues.

14. How is the TOPOFF 3 scenario developed?
A team of exercise planners experienced in WMD, war gaming, law enforcement, intelligence, and international terrorist networks develop the scenario. The team also works with planners in the participating nations, states local jurisdictions, private sector entities, and federal departments and agencies to ensure that the scenario can sufficiently sustain the exercise and meet participants’ specific training objectives.

15. How relevant is the TOPOFF 3 scenario to the war on terrorism?
The TOPOFF 3 scenario is based on research of actual terrorist organizations’ capabilities and news accounts of events that have transpired since September 11, 2001. The scenario is plausible, but purely fictional. It is not based on specific military or government intelligence and is not intended as a forecast of future terrorist activities. The scenario contains some artificiality to ensure conformance with agencies’ and jurisdictions’ training objectives.

16. Will real weapons be used?
Real weapons will not be used. That being said, participants will respond as if the exercise was a real attack with real weapons and real consequences.

17. What kinds of capabilities will be tested in the Full-Scale Exercise?
The exercise will test a full range of capabilities. Some examples include WMD response, incident command, integration with private sector entities, emergency medical response, cross-jurisdictional coordination, risk communication, and the implementation of international protocols and policies. Participants will also exercise the intelligence gathering function, which is critical to preventing terrorist attacks. As the scenario unfolds, exercise players and observers will assess the extent of departments’ and agencies’ preparedness, identify problems, and obtain valuable insights to guide future planning.

18. What happens if there is a real terrorist attack while the exercise is taking place?
The exercise will be halted immediately. No essential personnel will be diverted from any type of actual emergency response effort to respond to simulated events, nor will ongoing preparedness efforts be compromised.

19. How will ordinary citizens be affected by exercise play? Will traffic be disrupted?
Day-to-day disruption will be minimal in each TOPOFF 3 venue. Extensive planning efforts have been made to minimize the effect of simulated exercise play on the general public. TOPOFF 3 events will be focused into specific areas and should have little impact on the public at large.

20. What top officials are playing?
TOPOFF 3 will enable top officials and relevant personnel to practice different courses of action, gain and maintain situational awareness, and deploy appropriate resources. Top federal officials, state governors, county executives, mayors, and city managers, along with state and local personnel, will be key participants and play active roles throughout the exercise.

21. What will happen in Connecticut, in New Jersey during TOPOFF 3? In Washington, DC?
During TOPOFF 3, simulated terrorist incidents will originate in New London, Connecticut, (chemical incident) and Union and Middlesex Counties, New Jersey (biological incident), leading to a coordinated national and international response. The New Jersey Venue play will begin with the recovery of a vehicle used as a Biological Dispersal Device. The Strategic National Stockpile is deployed as sick patients turn up at hospitals. Every county in New Jersey will have a point of distribution set-up for prophylaxis to victim-actors. The Connecticut Venue play is centered around a single exercise site, the site of a chemical attack and explosion. Response by numerous agencies to a chemical attack and explosion, triage and decontamination of victim actors, urban search and rescue, and crime scene investigation will develop as the scenario unfolds. Hospitals will be overwhelmed with victims as the site transitions from response to recovery to decontamination. Federal activities during the Full-Scale Exercise (FSE) will consist of various agencies and departments establishing their Emergency Operations Centers. The Master Control Cell (MCC), the nucleus of the exercise, is located in Washington, DC and manages the exercise injects over the course of exercise play.

22. Will the U.S. Department of Defense participate in TOPOFF 3?
The U.S. Department of Defense will exercise its Northern Command’s (Northcom) Quick Response Force (QRF) during the TOPOFF 3 exercise. Northcom will conduct an exercise in coordination with TOPOFF 3, primarily in the Connecticut Venue. The focus of QRF activities will be on critical infrastructure protection, civil protection and support, decontamination, and state and local assistance.

23. What is the extent of international play in TOPOFF 3?
Both Canada and the United Kingdom are participating in U.S.-led counterterrorism exercise, TOPOFF 3. The Canadian component of the exercise is called TRIPLE PLAY and the United Kingdom component is called Atlantic Blue. TRIPLE PLAY and Atlantic Blue will be played at command post exercise (CPX) level only. The Canadian component of the exercise, TRIPLE PLAY, is an exercise series with events of increasing complexity to better match participants’ growing knowledge and awareness. The series of events includes seminars, planning conferences, and tabletop exercises. TRIPLE PLAY, will exercise, test, and validate protocols and procedures that support and are used by select Federal and Provincial top officials in response to a terrorist event. In the United Kingdom, the Metropolitan Police Service is the host force for Atlantic Blue, working closely with the Home Office and other government departments and London agencies on planning and delivery. Atlantic Blue is an opportunity for the United Kingdom to enhance their domestic exercise program by working with their US and Canadian counterparts.

24. Why are there international participants in TOPOFF 3?
The main international objective of TOPOFF 3 is to help Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom improve domestic and international responses to the incident and consequence management aspects of a terrorist incident. The first TOPOFF was a United States domestic exercise held in May 2000. It involved federal, state, and local authorities and responders in full-scale simulations of chemical, biological, and radiological attacks. TOPOFF 2, an exercise of similar complexity and scope, was started initially as a domestic United States exercise until the attacks of September 11th brought home the international ramifications of a major terrorist incident. Following September 11th, Canada and the United States made a commitment, under Point 30 of the Smart Border Declaration, to engage in more frequent cross-border counterterrorism training activities. Canadian participation in Triple Play is part of this commitment.

25. What is VNN?
An internal Virtual News Network (VNN) and news Website will provide real-time reporting of the story like an actual TV network would. The mock media will keep players up-to-date on unfolding events and enable decision makers to face the challenge of dealing with the real-world media. Only participating agencies can view the VNN broadcast.

26. TOPOFF 3 includes an Opposition Force (OPFOR) or “RED TEAM.” What is the “RED TEAM”?
RED TEAM is the term for a group of subject matter experts (SMEs) with various appropriate disciplinary backgrounds that provides independent peer review of plans, policies, procedures, and processes, acts as a devil’s advocate, and knowledgeably role-plays the enemy. During TOPOFF 3, RED TEAM will simulate terrorists planning for and executing weapons of mass destruction (WMD) attacks in Connecticut and New Jersey.

27. What is the Universal Adversary?
TOPOFF 3 utilizes a data source (Universal Adversary) that replicates actual terrorist networks down to names, photos, and drivers license numbers. The data enable exercise players to simulate intelligence gathering and analysis.

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Department of Homeland Security Press Room