http://www.wired.com/news/news/politics/story/18124.html

Big Guns on a Little Bug by Declan McCullagh 3:00 a.m. 25.Feb.99.PST

The US military is beginning war games to simulate Y2K outages in weapons and communications gear, a Pentagon official said Wednesday.

Codenamed "Positive Response," the operation is scheduled to last through September. It simulates the assistance that federal agencies and National Guard units might expect of the nation's defense force.

[...snip...]

-- Declan McCullagh (declan@y2kculture.com), February 25, 1999

Answers

Declan,

'Positive Response' is definately better spin than 'Last Dance'. ;-)

-- Deborah (spindoctors@aok.com), February 25, 1999.

A rose by any other name..........

To paraphrase Daniel Webster:

Now is the time for men to work silently in the fields,

and women to weep quietly in the kitchens,

for the government is in action,

and NO mans property is safe.

-- Greybear (greybear@home.com), February 25, 1999.

I wonder if the Pentagon contracted with Koskinens P.R. firm?

Like the new Marines Urban Warrior one better. (Leska found it). -- Diane

United States Marine Corps Warfighting Lab

http:// www.mcwl.quantico.usmc.mil/mcwl-hot/

Home page

http:// 192.156.75.113/mcwl-hot/home/index.html

Media Center

http:// 192.156.75.113/mcwl-hot/uw/media/index.html

See the ... Press Release: Navy-Marine Corps Event Planned for Oakland and Alameda February 3, 1999

Urban Warrior

http:// www.mcwl.quantico.usmc.mil/mcwl-hot/uw/

By 2020, approximately seventy percent of the world's population will live in cities -- and -- seventy percent of these cities will be located along the world's coastlines.

Urban Warrior examines new concepts, tactics, techniques, procedures, and technologies to meet the challenges of conflict in those urban environments.

To find out more about the Urban Warrior Advanced Warfighting Experiment, select an appropriate link from the menu on the left.

http://www.mcwl.quantico.usmc.mil/mcwl-hot/uw/venue/ index.html

The Urban Warrior Advanced Warfighting Experiment (AWE) will occur from 12th to the 18th of March, 1999, followed by an Exposition from the 19th to the 21st of March, 1999.

The AWE (12-18 March, 1999) will take place at many geographic locations in Monterey and Oakland/Alameda:

Monterey 12-13 March
OME to Oakland 14-15 March
Moffett Field & NWS Concord 14-18 March
San Francisco Embarcadero 15-16 March
Oak Knoll 15-18 March
Forward From the Sea Exposition 19-21 March

Monterey Experiment 12-13 March 1999

http://www.mcwl.quantico.usmc.mil/mcwl-hot/uw/venue/ index2.html

Operational Maneuver Element (OME) Experiment 14-15 March

http://www.mcwl.quantico.usmc.mil/mcwl-hot/uw/venue/ index3.html

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), February 25, 1999.

Kevin found this ancillary little gem.

Theres a great story lurking here for you Declan! Between the Marine's Warefare Lab and all the civilian actors...

Here's an article on the Marines and War Games from the mainstream media...

"Marines Looking for Actors to Assist in War Games"

http://www.abcnews.go.com/sections/us/ DailyNews/urbanwarfare990224.html

... W A S H I N G T O N, Feb. 24  The U.S. Marines are looking for a few good men and womenbut not the types you might think.

The Marines are advertising for somebody who can play the role of Spunky Woman War-Zone Reporter (CNN Christiane Amanpour-type) from the Political Spin News Network (PSNN). The Marines also want an older woman and older man over the age of 40 who can play the role of Furzian Cleric and the Hagi Cleric.

The Marines also want 200 people for six days who are not clean cut and neat nor conservatively dressed. ...

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), February 25, 1999.

Thanks, Diane! There's a good tip--

"The Marines also want 200 people for six days who are 'not clean cut and neat nor conservatively dressed.' ..."

Got soap, hairclippers, buttondowns and khakis? (With thanks to Greybear.)

-- Preppie Old Git (anon@spamproblems.com), February 25, 1999.