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• TOPOFF: Exercising National Preparedness

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The TOPOFF 3 Full-Scale Exercise

The TOPOFF 3 Full Scale Exercise took place from April 4-8, 2005, and involved more than 10,000 participants representing more than 200 federal, state, local, tribal, private sector, and international agencies and organizations and volunteer groups.  TOPOFF 3 offered agencies and jurisdictions a way to exercise a coordinated national and international response to a large-scale, multipoint terrorist attack. It allowed participants to test plans and skills in a real-time, realistic environment and gain the in-depth knowledge that only experience can provide.  

TOPOFF 3 In Brief:

• Full-scale exercise:  April 2005.
• Five venues:  Interagency, Connecticut, New Jersey, United Kingdom, Canada.
• New Jersey scenario:  Simulated biological attack in Union and Middlesex Counties.
• Connecticut scenario:  Simulated chemical attack in New London.

Exercise Scenario

The TOPOFF 3 scenario depicted a complex terrorist campaign and drove the exercise play through the homeland security system, beginning in Connecticut and New Jersey, and leading to national and international response.  

Over the course of several days fire personnel conducted search and rescue, hospitals treated the injured (played by role players), subject-matter experts analyzed the effects of the attack on public health, and top officials deployed resources and made the difficult decisions needed to save lives.  

An internal Virtual News Network (VNN) and news website provided real-time reporting of the story like an actual TV network would. The mock media kept players up-to-date on unfolding events and enabled decision makers to face the challenge of dealing with the real world media. 

This page was last reviewed/modified on February 21, 2008.