This is the type of questioning that is lacking in the general press...

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DoD News Briefing P.J. Crowley, PDASD PA Tuesday, November 09, 1999 - 1:45 p.m.

[snip]

Q: The people at Peterson Air Force Base are putting on sort of a demonstration today of the U.S.-Russian Y2K confidence-building center, whatever the name of the center us.

CROWLEY: Center for Y2K Strategic Stability, might that be what you are asking about?

Q: That's the place.

As originally envisioned, there was also supposed to be an equivalent center in Russia that would be staffed by Russian officers and U.S. officers, where we would share early-warning information and, I believe, signals, as originally envisioned.

As it turns out, there is only one center. It's in the United States. There is no center in Russia.

How is this going to work under the new configuration if we don't have a center in Russia with U.S. officers observing? And will Peterson be taking in a signal or a live feed of Russian early-warning pictures?

CROWLEY: Obviously, we want to be sure that the millennium passes without incident. And we have set up, very cooperatively with the Russians, a mechanism so that we will have total transparency in our early-warning systems, as we transition to the millennium. You know, this will involve continuous information and links back and forth between Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, and Moscow. The Russians will have personnel in the Springs; we will have personnel in Moscow.

And we will be sharing information derived from our ballistic early-warning systems, on launches of ballistic missiles. We'll also have the opportunity, in case there are any other incidents involving aircraft that might lose navigational aids -- for example, we don't expect that there will be a problem -- but we will have connectivity between Moscow and Colorado Springs so that we could have total transparency in the information that we both have available so that we both can have confidence that we can celebrate the New Year appropriately.

Q: But it's my understanding that there is no center in Russia. Is that still correct?

CROWLEY: Well, we will have personnel in Russia. I think most of the information that will be used, and shared, will have actually come from our systems in Colorado Springs.

But we will have connectivity back to Russia, so if they have concerns they can relay those concerns to us in Colorado Springs. As we have information that might be of importance to them, we'll relay them back. But this will be a transparent operation with Russian and U.S. personnel sitting side-by-side to make sure that in the event that any incidents take place, they can be fully explained based on the information that we both have available.

Now, this is separate from the agreement that President Clinton and President Yeltsin signed a year ago in September where we would work towards a shared early warning center that we both would have. This is something that's set up for the Y2K. Our countries have worked very closely together, they have worked extensively to work through our mutual concerns and make sure that our systems, we think, are properly safeguarded for the new year.

But there will be personnel in Moscow -- you know, you want to call it a center -- I think there will be personnel there connected to our folks in Colorado Springs and that kind of connectivity, I think, will help us with whatever dialogue we need to be sure that anything that takes place can be shared with both sides.

Q: I don't necessarily want to call it a center. In fact, the last time I was told about this, I was told that there would be no center in Russia. Has that changed?

CROWLEY: There will be personnel. Let me try --

Q: Well, there are personnel in Russia now.

CROWLEY: There will be personnel in Russia.

Q: Yeah, but just saying that there will be personnel in Russia doesn't mean anything.

CROWLEY: They will have open lines to personnel in Colorado Springs.

Q: Where will the U.S. personnel in Russia be?

CROWLEY: I don't know.

Q: Not in the Russian strategic command center, I'm assuming?

CROWLEY: Obviously, they will be near Russian authorities so that those who are monitoring what's going on around the world will be able to share information very quickly, but the information that will be shared will primarily be based on information that comes from our systems.

Q: Now, the people, the Russian officers at Peterson are going to be looking at the U.S. early warning picture?

CROWLEY: We will be sharing information based on our early warning picture with them.

Q: So they're not going to be sitting in front of the screens, is that what you're saying is the difference here?

CROWLEY: Obviously, the particular mechanism -- that's why you're having a briefing out there for your personnel, to make sure they understand exactly how this is going to work. But we will take information from our various systems, share pertinent information with our Russian counterparts; they will, in fact, have connectivity with folks back in Moscow, so this will be a very transparent process as we make the transition to the next millennium.

Q: There's still only the one center?

CROWLEY: The Center for Y2K Strategic Stability will be in Colorado Springs.

Q: And are we going to look at pictures of Russian early warning systems --

CROWLEY: The data that will be shared will be coming from our systems, not theirs.

-- Roland (nottelling@nowhere.com), December 01, 1999

Answers

link...

http://pdq2.usia.gov/scripts/cqcgi.exe/@pdqtest1.env?CQ_SESSION_KEY=WM QBIVCKMKBM&CQ_QUERY_HANDLE=124189&CQ_CUR_DOCUMENT=88&CQ_PDQ_DOCUMENT_V IEW=1&CQSUBMIT=View&CQRETURN=&CQPAGE=9

-- Roland (nottelling@nowhere.com), December 01, 1999.

link

-- TA (sea_spur@yahoo.com), December 01, 1999.

Well, let's try again...

link

-- TA (sea_spur@yahoo.com), December 01, 1999.

Geeze.. shoulda tested first, huh? Linda, Linmeister, anybody wanna create a link that works?

-- TA (sea_spur@yahoo.com), December 01, 1999.

BBBWWWWAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHA

Thanks for this nugget, Roland

Ask Y2K questions, clear out the Spin, and you get NOTHING !!

Lies, lies, lies, lies, lies

This one is QUITE a revelation! But not surprising. Anybody remember that little promise the Russkies made to nuke us under cover of Y2K "mistakes" if we didn't stay away from Yugoslavia and Iraq?

We know this fact drives certain posters insane but every once in a while the PATTERN is confirmed by real-life factual developments. Or non-developments as this Q & A demonstrates ...

-- Ashton & Leska in Cascadia (allaha@earthlink.net), December 01, 1999.

THIS IS YOUR DISTANT EARLY WARNING...

Have you ever conducted a long-term research project, only to find a few key pieces of information missing--making your clear understanding of the issue a little foggy?

11 years of study for me just got perfectly clear.

Get out of harms way before the end of the year.

-- (Kurt.Borzel@gems8.gov.bc.ca), December 01, 1999.

Yep, Kurt, you see it too.

-- Ashton & Leska in Cascadia (allaha@earthlink.net), December 01, 1999.

Now it appears there ARE 2 centers. Hmmmmm....what to believe...

U.S., Russia open nuclear command centers to prevent Y2K mishaps December 2, 1999 Web posted at: 8:19 a.m. EST (1319 GMT)

From Producer Ted Barrett

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The United States and Russia Wednesday unveiled joint video-linked command centers to oversee both countries' 132 atomic reactors in an effort to prevent a nuclear mishap during the Y2K rollover.

"While we don't expect major problems, major accidents, there may be glitches and we have to be ready on both sides, in the United States and Russia," U.S. Energy Secretary Bill Richardson cautioned.

"What this facility will do is keep us in constant communication with Russia on potential Y2K problems as well as any other nuclear emergencies or any other types of emergencies between the two countries," he said.

Richardson spoke from a room in the basement of the Energy Department's headquarters, surrounded by dozens of video monitors showing live pictures of nuclear reactors from across the United States.

He said the relative crudeness of the Russian reactors may help Russia avoid a Y2K problem because they have less reliance on digital technology, which is susceptible to the so-called "millennium bug."

Russian Atomic Energy Minister Yevgeny Adamov, speaking via videoconference from the MinAtom Situation and Crisis Center in Moscow, said his country recently conducted two safety drills and a third is scheduled December 8. He described the response to the drills as "proficient and professional."

Richardson said, "The emphasis of this facility is on the joint monitoring of Russian power plants and American power plants. In addition, at these joint command centers we will have American specialists in Russia and Russian specialists here in case there are some emergencies."

Of greater concern to Richardson is the sole remaining reactor at the ill-fated Chernobyl plant in the Ukraine.

"The Ukraine has experienced some computer problems. And we have joint programs to work with the Ukraine on the Chernobyl reactor. We had hoped the Chernobyl reactor could be closed soon. But the Ukrainians have decided to hold off on that," Richardson said.

The United States budgeted about $6 million over the past two years to assist the countries of the former Soviet Union make their plants Y2K compliant.

Much of that money has been spent upgrading the computer systems that monitor plant activity at the 65 operating Soviet-designed nuclear power reactors in nine countries.

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-- Roland (nottelling@nowhere.com), December 02, 1999.