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Public Service Announcement: Engineering America’s Bioterrorism Defense
Another in Understanding Government’s “Public Service Announcement” series profiling the careers and challenges of notable government employees
By Norman Kelley
Einstein once remarked that it is more important to have an imagination than knowledge. In the case of Markham K. Smith, now a program manager with the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA), one led to the other.
As a child, Smith’s imagination was spurred by his mother’s admonishment not to lift the lid of the pot that was cooking rice, his favorite food.
“She would always say, “Don’t lift the lid off the pot! Do not touch the pot!’” he remembers.
Intrigued, Markham wondered why he could not lift the cover to see inside. “So, as a little kid I had the idea that I was going to invent see-through cookware so I could see what going on in that pot while that rice was cooking.”
Little did he know that his mother’s command was actually stirring the pot of his imagination, leading him years later to work for the Defense Dept., managing programs devised to thwart chemical or biological Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs). Working at the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) at Ft. Belvoir, Virginia, Smith is one of the people protecting America’s armed service members from chemical and biological weapons, a job that could have important implications if the U.S. faces a terrorist or military attack.
DTRA was organized in 1998 as part of the U.S. Strategic Command to help face the threat of weapons of mass destruction. The agency’s brief includes detecting, stopping, and providing protection in the event of chemical and biological attacks on American military forces or the US public at large. DTRA’s mission is to think through possible threat scenarios and devise ways to neutralize them.
“We are the science and technology arm of the Chemical and Biological Defense program,” explains Smith. “Our objective and goal is to reduce or make the use of chemical or biological weapons ineffective.”
With the Internet providing so much dangerous information about radioactive, chemical and biological weapons, and given the goal of enemies such as Al Qaeda to use asymmetric warfare against American targets, concealable handheld weapons of mass destruction are far from a remote possibility. One recent example of just such a threat was the post-9/11 anthrax attack, in which some media outlets and Congressional offices were sent spores of the lethal poison and five people were killed (the FBI has closed that case, attributing it to a US Army civilian biologist who killed himself).
Trained as an engineer at Virginia Tech, Smith has been a physical scientist for eleven years. Before he became a program manager at DTRA, he was at Edgewood Chemical and Biological Center (ECBC), Edgewood, Maryland. He has also done a year’s stint at the Office of the Secretary of Defense as Special Assistant to the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Chemical and Biological Defense.
Demonstrating Defenses
As a program manager, Smith says his portfolio includes “planning and establishing what advanced technology demonstrations we need to execute in order to demonstrate a certain capability.” These “advanced technology demonstrations,” or ATDs, are used to show the armed services how to combat dangerous contaminants, biohazards, or other threats. The ATDs, often involving mock attack scenarios and armed service members wearing protective gear, are needed to show decision-makers in the Air Force, Army, Marines, or Navy whether gear and equipment are field-worthy for use against chemical or biological attacks. Smith says these ATDs can range from “table top exercises” to “full-blown demonstrations in the operational environment in the field.”
If a military unit is contaminated with a chemical agent, it may go through three levels of decontamination, the last one being “thorough.” After the last level, if commanders believe conditions justify it, they can order service members to remove part or all of their Mission-Oriented Protective Posture – protective suits also known as “mopp gear.”
Cleaning up from biological or chemical attacks is still “very antiquated,” according to Smith. “It’s very labor intensive, inefficient and may involve the use of mops and brooms.” He noted, for example, that a thorough decontamination process for land vehicles like jeeps or Humvees is now “fifty-plus” years old and could use “a little innovation.”
But DTRA is now working to develop simulation tools to evaluate different technology concepts as a way to speed production of prototypes for field demonstrations. Ideally, the development chain will go from simulation to prototype development to Advanced Technology Demonstration, followed by actual production and use in a branch of the armed services.
Prototyping a Defense Department Engineer
Smith’s see-through cookware idea was more than just a childhood fantasy – it actually pushed him in the direction of materials science. Growing up in Virginia’s Westmoreland County, Smith wondered what sort of job could he obtain that would allow him to invent see-through cookware. Searching the library and talking to guidance counselors, he discovered that ceramic engineering, a discipline in materials engineering would provide him the skill set he needed.
That was enough for Smith; he went on to pursue a degree at Virginia Tech in materials engineering, but while in college he discovered that Corning Cookware had stolen his idea and invented Vision Cookware. Undaunted, he went to a job fair with an interest in materials and industrial operations and planning, and was directed to the “perfect job” at the Aberdeen (MD) Proving Grounds.
“I looked at the private industry side and the government side, just to weigh my options, and was offered two jobs — one in private industry and one in the government — on the same day.” In contrast to the common stereotype of government work as predictable and lacking in creativity, Smith saw the DoD position as providing more flexibility and the chance to do real work in the laboratory. Having “supported the CB defense program in my entire career, in one aspect or another,” Smith has enjoyed his work’s variety as well as his co-workers. “I work with a great team here at DTRA and within the labs,” he notes. No two days are exactly alike. There’s a lot of versatility here.”
Duct Tape, Reporters and the General Public
His work has given Smith a definite point of view about how the news media cover national security issues in his field. “I don’t feel that the press often times reports the right story, the real story or the whole story,” reflects Smith. One the other hand, he sometimes feels that the press shouldn’t report the story at all unless it directly affects someone or the public. “But if you’re going to report it,” says Smith, “tell the whole story.”
He points to “news stories taken from a certain angle, which makes the general public fearful for no reason, or not fearful enough.”
For example, when anthrax was released at the Brentwood Post Office in Washington, D.C., “There were several tips in the media about how to protect yourself,” Smith recalls. “They were talking about duct tape.” The advice provided to individual citizens “didn’t make any sense, once you got to the science behind it. Reporters didn’t get deep enough into the technical details, which Smith calls “kind of irresponsible,” and a case where the media were giving the public a “false sense of security” that it could be thoroughly protected by duct tape alone.
When interacting with the public, Smith finds that the older generations of Americans are more appreciative and respectful of government workers, especially when people learn that he’s a federal employee.
“It seems like the older generations, , appear to respect government employees much more than the younger generations,” says Smith. “When I was younger my aunts and uncles said, ‘Get a good government job.’”
Smith, however, has noticed that there is a sentiment out in the public that falls along the along the lines of “lazy government workers” or “you don’t do anything” or “you don’t have a real job.” But a change occurs when they learn what he actually does.
“I don’t want to say they’re impressed, but they are a little bit more amenable to what I do. It intrigues them and they ask a few questions.” Some people have an exaggerated expectation of what a military scientist knows about the big picture. “They think I know what’s going on in the war, or what are those guys are seeing over there. I’ve even been asked, “What was Agent Orange, really? Or are going to be under a biological attack?”
Vulnerabilities and Protections – in a Life of Public Service
Just how ready is the country for biological attack on U.S. soil? Recently, a special panel convened by Congress concluded that the United States still isn’t adequately prepared (see January 2010 Report Card).
Smith’s view? “We may not be fully prepared, but we are working to get there.” Clearly, Smith and his colleagues at DTRA know the stakes. They examine the full range of in a possible biological attack: the time of day, the actual day chosen for the attack, the weather and atmospheric conditions.
“Several hundred thousands of people could be affected,” says Smith, “particularly with a communicable disease. It could be devastating.”
DTRA’s Chemical and Biological Weapons directorate includes a physical component and a medical component. The physical side tries to figure out ways to respond to an actual chemical or biological attack, including detection and cleanup. The medical side looks at prophylactic steps: quarantines, vaccines, and treatments. As Smith puts it, “we’re trying to push from two different directions.”
As a veteran of twenty years of government service, Smith has developed a public service philosophy that includes communal aspects of public life and service.’
“Throughout my life I’ve always been very involved in community and civic organizations,” says Smith. “I feel that it is everyone’s responsibility to do what they can to uplift others, to support others and make life better for other folks.”
The larger public service aspect of his job is to keep the public safe. “I feel honored to do this. I’m hoping that I’m making a difference in the world. I look at the others who have jobs that I feel don’t add any value to our society, and I hope I’ve chosen a career that has added value to society and makes a difference.”
PSA: Markham K. Smith
Physical Scientist/Defense Threat Reduction Agency
Chemical-Biological Directorate
Dept. of Defense
“Engineering America’s Bioterrorism Defense”
By Norman Kelley
Einstein once remarked that it is more important to have an imagination than knowledge. In the case of Markham K. Smith, now a program manager with the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA), one led to the other.
As a child, Smith’s imagination was spurred by his mother’s admonishment not to lift the lid of the pot that was cooking rice, his favorite food.
“She would always say, “Don’t lift the lid off the pot! Do not touch the pot!’” he remembers.
Intrigued, Markham wondered why he could not lift the cover to see inside. “So, as a little kid I had the idea that I was going to invent see-through cookware so I could see what going on in that pot while that rice was cooking.”
Little did he know that his mother’s command was actually stirring the pot of his imagination, leading him years later to work for the Defense Dept., managing programs devised to thwart chemical or biological Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs). Working at the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) at Ft. Belvoir, Virginia, Smith is one of the people protecting America’s armed service members from chemical and biological weapons, a job that could have important implications if the U.S. faces a terrorist or military attack.
DTRA was organized in 1998 as part of the U.S. Strategic Command to help face the threat of weapons of mass destruction. The agency’s brief includes detecting, stopping, and providing protection in the event of chemical and biological attacks on American military forces or the US public at large. DTRA’s mission is to think through possible threat scenarios and devise ways to neutralize them.
“We are the science and technology arm of the Chemical and Biological Defense program,” explains Smith. “Our objective and goal is to reduce or make the use of chemical or biological weapons ineffective.”
With the Internet providing so much dangerous information about radioactive, chemical and biological weapons, and given the goal of enemies such as Al Qaeda to use asymmetric warfare against American targets, concealable handheld weapons of mass destruction are far from a remote possibility. One recent example of just such a threat was the post-9/11 anthrax attack, in which some media outlets and Congressional offices were sent spores of the lethal poison and five people were killed (the FBI has closed that case, attributing it to a US Army civilian biologist who killed himself).
Trained as an engineer at Virginia Tech, Smith has been a physical scientist for eleven years. Before he became a program manager at DTRA, he was at Edgewood Chemical and Biological Center (ECBC), Edgewood, Maryland. He has also done a year’s stint at the Office of the Secretary of Defense as Special Assistant to the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Chemical and Biological Defense.
Demonstrating Defenses
As a program manager, Smith says his portfolio includes “planning and establishing what advanced technology demonstrations we need to execute in order to demonstrate a certain capability.” These “advanced technology demonstrations,” or ATDs, are used to show the armed services how to combat dangerous contaminants, biohazards, or other threats. The ATDs, often involving mock attack scenarios and armed service members wearing protective gear, are needed to show decision-makers in the Air Force, Army, Marines, or Navy whether gear and equipment are field-worthy for use against chemical or biological attacks. Smith says these ATDs can range from “table top exercises” to “full-blown demonstrations in the operational environment in the field.”
If a military unit is contaminated with a chemical agent, it may go through three levels of decontamination, the last one being “thorough.” After the last level, if commanders believe conditions justify it, they can order service members to remove part or all of their Mission-Oriented Protective Posture – protective suits also known as “mopp gear.”
Cleaning up from biological or chemical attacks is still “very antiquated,” according to Smith. “It’s very labor intensive, inefficient and may involve the use of , mops and brooms.” He noted, for example, that a thorough decontamination process for land vehicles like jeeps or Humvees is now “fifty-plus” years old and could use “a little innovation.”
But DTRA is now working to develop simulation tools to evaluate different technology concepts as a way to speed production of prototypes for field demonstrations. Ideally, the development chain will go from simulation to prototype development to Advanced Technology Demonstration, followed by actual production and use in a branch of the armed services.
Prototyping a Defense Department Engineer
Smith’s see-through cookware idea was more than just a childhood fantasy – it actually pushed him in the direction of materials science. Growing up in Virginia’s Westmoreland County, Smith wondered what sort of job could he obtain that would allow him to invent see-through cookware. Searching the library and talking to guidance counselors, he discovered that ceramic engineering, a discipline in materials engineering would provide him the skill set he needed.
That was enough for Smith; he went on to pursue a degree at Virginia Tech in materials engineering, but while in college he discovered that Corning Cookware had stolen his idea and invented Vision Cookware. Undaunted, he went to a job fair with an interest in materials and industrial operations and planning, and was directed to the “perfect job” at the Aberdeen (MD) Proving Grounds.
“I looked at the private industry side and the government side, just to weigh my options, and was offered two jobs — one in private industry and one in the government — on the same day.” In contrast to the common stereotype of government work as predictable and lacking in creativity, Smith saw the DoD position as providing more flexibility and the chance to do real work in the laboratory. Having “supported the CB defense program in my entire career, in one aspect or another,” Smith has enjoyed his work’s variety as well as his co-workers. “I work with a great team here at DTRA and within the labs,” he notes. No two days are exactly alike. There’s a lot of versatility here.”
Duct Tape, Reporters and the General Public
His work has given Smith a definite point of view about how the news media cover national security issues in his field. “I don’t feel that the press often times reports the right story, the real story or the whole story,” reflects Smith. One the other hand, he sometimes feels that the press shouldn’t report the story at all unless it directly affects someone or the public. “But if you’re going to report it,” says Smith, “tell the whole story.”
He points to “news stories taken from a certain angle, which makes the general public fearful for no reason, or not fearful enough.”
For example, when anthrax was released at the Brentwood Post Office in Washington, D.C., “There were several tips in the media about how to protect yourself,” Smith recalls. “They were talking about duct tape.” The advice provided to individual citizens “didn’t make any sense, once you got to the science behind it. Reporters didn’t get deep enough into the technical details, which Smith calls “kind of irresponsible,” and a case where the media were giving the public a “false sense of security” that it could be thoroughly protected by duct tape alone.
When interacting with the public, Smith finds that the older generations of Americans are more appreciative and respectful of government workers, especially when people learn that he’s a federal employee.
“It seems like the older generations, , appear to respect government employees much more than the younger generations,” says Smith. “When I was younger my aunts and uncles said, ‘Get a good government job.’”
Smith, however, has noticed that there is a sentiment out in the public that falls along the along the lines of “lazy government workers” or “you don’t do anything” or “you don’t have a real job.” But a change occurs when they learn what he actually does.
“I don’t want to say they’re impressed, but they are a little bit more amenable to what I do. It intrigues them and they ask a few questions.” Some people have an exaggerated expectation of what a military scientist knows about the big picture. “They think I know what’s going on in the war, or what are those guys are seeing over there. I’ve even been asked, “What was Agent Orange, really? Or are going to be under a biological attack?”
Vulnerabilities and Protections – in a Life of Public Service
Just how ready is the country for biological attack on U.S. soil? Recently, a special panel convened by Congress concluded that the United States still isn’t adequately prepared (see January 2010 Report Card).
Smith’s view? “We may not be fully prepared, but we are working to get there.” Clearly, Smith and his colleagues at DTRA know the stakes. They examine the full range of in a possible biological attack: the time of day, the actual day chosen for the attack, the weather and atmospheric conditions.
“Several hundred thousands of people could be affected,” says Smith, “particularly with a communicable disease. It could be devastating.”
DTRA’s Chemical and Biological Weapons directorate includes a physical component and a medical component. The physical side tries to figure out ways to respond to an actual chemical or biological attack, including detection and cleanup. The medical side looks at prophylactic steps: quarantines, vaccines, and treatments. As Smith puts it, “we’re trying to push from two different directions.”
As a veteran of twenty years of government service, Smith has developed a public service philosophy that includes communal aspects of public life and service.’
“Throughout my life I’ve always been very involved in community and civic organizations,” says Smith. “I feel that it is everyone’s responsibility to do what they can to uplift others, to support others and make life better for other folks.”
The larger public service aspect of his job is to keep the public safe. “I feel honored to do this. I’m hoping that I’m making a difference in the world. I look at the others who have jobs that I feel don’t add any value to our society, and I hope I’ve chosen a career that has added value to society and makes a difference.”
