Scenario: Jumbo Jet Used as a WeaponScenarioHijack a jumbo jet containing 20,000 gallons of jet fuel and then slam it into a building or other target. Description The massive destructive power of this scenario was made plainly visible to everyone on September 11, 2001, when four hijacked jets reached three significant targets. The ultimate result of this attack was on the order of $50 billion in direct damage to buildings in New York city, and up to $1 trillion in total economic damage across the U.S. from layoffs, the resulting recession, cleanup costs and so on. Repeating this sort of hijacking remains within the realm of possibility today. Not all airplanes have reinforced cockpit doors yet, and not all flights have air marshals on board. In addition, passenger jets leaving from passenger terminals are only one type of jet. A Fedex airplane or a charter airplane is just as valuable as a weapon. Once in possession of a plane, the terrorists can fly it into any number of targets:
Damage Potential As Demonstrated on December 11, 20,000 gallons of jet fuel has quite a bit of destructive potential. A fully fueled jumbo jet can destroy just about any man-made structure in existence today, including nuclear reactors at commercial power plants. In a highly populated area, the death toll could easily rise above ten thousand. In the case of September 11, the two jumbo jets in NY City did something on the order of $50 billion in damage to real estate and killed 3,000 people. However, the effect on the economy overall was much greater. For example, the attack shut down the airline industry for a week and crippled it for years, causing economic losses measured in the tens of billions of dollars and eliminating over 100,000 jobs. If you count the effects on the stock market, the overall effects of the loss of consumer confidence on the economy, the effects on the travel and tourism industries, the cost of the cleanup, the massive loss of jobs and the ripple effect of them, the loss of tax revenues, the cost of government bailout and stimulus packages and so on, total economic losses associated with the attack probably may approach one trillion dollars. A coordinated attack on Washington DC or the financial markets (for example, the NYSE and NASDAQ), a nuclear power plant near an urban area, a major sporting event (killing tens of thousands), or even on a major theme park during the busy season could have similar effects on the economy. Progress we have made This scenario is one where we have made progress toward a solution. We have seen:
Potential Solutions
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