On August 29, 2014 U.S. Senators Pat Roberts , Jerry Moran, and Representative Tim Huelskamp received a tour from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security of the future home of the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF) in Manhattan, Kansas on the campus of Kansas State University.
Here is some of Senator Pat Robert’s comments:
“I am glad to see firsthand the ongoing construction,” said Sen. Roberts, Chairman of the NBAF in Kansas Steering Committee. “To see these preparations on site in Kansas is a far cry from where we first came across NBAF when it was merely a line item in a budget proposal.
This lab is a critical investment to our national security, but it also represents a large financial commitment from the taxpayers and our state. We have a dedicated team of folks at all levels of government that are watching this project and are fighting to ensure it is completed and has the funds needed to get the lab up and operating as soon as possible. I am pleased to see the progress so far.”
“I am grateful Under Secretary Brothers accepted our invitation to visit Kansas along with other important officials and tour the NBAF site. Developing these relationships is vitally important to our state as such an essential part of our national security apparatus moves forward,” Sen. Moran said.
“Visiting the NBAF site today not only gave us a chance to get an update on construction – it also let us see firsthand the real opportunities being created for the talented young men and women of Kansas. As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I was committed to making certain NBAF remained a top priority, and there is no longer any question about the project’s future. Kansas will become a research epicenter, and the construction of this modern, world-class facility will ultimately create jobs for Kansans in the fields of engineering, science and technology.”
“It is great today to see the progress on NBAF,” said Congressman Huelskamp. “Since the beginning in 2007, I have been a strong, consistent supporter–from my time in the Kansas Senate to today as a proud representative of the Big First. It is imperative that work continues on this facility to protect our country’s food supply. As a farmer, I understand first-hand the importance of NBAF to the Kansas and U.S. Agriculture community.”
Source: Senator Roberts, Moran & Rep. Huelskamp receive tour of NBAF at KSU http://www.roberts.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=PressReleases&ContentRecord_id=aac81c6d-d5d6-4efe-8b92-b8cdbd05751c&ContentType_id=ae7a6475-a01f-4da5-aa94-0a98973de620&Group_id=d8ddb455-1e23-48dd-addd-949f9b6a4c1f
What the senators and representatives of Kansas fail to realize is that the NBAF is a possible target of more than a dozen foreign intelligence agencies. Including, but not limited to the Russian foreign intelligence agency (SVR) – who undoubtedly have long term operatives in that area now monitoring and gathering intelligence on every aspect of this project.
“During the design and construction phase of this project, you can expect that spies and operatives have already infiltrated the ranks of the companies receiving construction contracts to work on this project”, said one source in Manhattan who is monitoring this situation closely.
“This kind of thing is a given”, he said.
I should add that this individual would not discuss specifics for obvious reasons.
BACKGROUND
Manhattan, Kansas was selected as the NBAF location after an extensive three-year site selection process that included a thorough risk assessment, environmental impact assessment, and security assessment.
The Manhattan location puts the NBAF in proximity to research of NBAF-related missions in veterinary, agriculture, and bio-security research expertise, and resources.
This location also puts NBAF in proximity to a major hub of the veterinary pharmaceutical industry. The NBAF will be built on a site on Kansas State University adjacent to the existing Biosecurity Research Institute.
The NBAF will be a state of the art laboratory with critical research adjacencies for DHS and USDA to carry out their unique and congruent missions. NBAF will contain 574,000 gross square feet of facility space which includes BSL-2, 3, and 4 shared research space for the development of vaccines and other countermeasures. Approximately 10% of the space will be for BSL-4 research.
- Why Build a New Facility? No facility currently meets the requirements identified in Homeland Security Presidential Directive 9.
- Facility Research & Staffing describes diseases that would potentially be studied at the NBAF and staffing plans.
- Facility Design & Construction describes facility space requirements and contracts awarded for design and construction services.
Read more about the laboratory biosafety levels and definition of terms used in the NBAF discussion.
The selection of Manhattan for the NBAF was based also on “collaboration and the proximity to KSU” without much attention to the security risks and challenges this poses.
I remember a few years ago talking with an FBI agent who was talking to me about how to spot out spies. He said:
“One of the best ways to caught spies is to know their targets.”
Among the probable targets of foreign operatives in Kansas include Kansas State University, the home of the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBADF) at Manhattan, Kansas.
The NBADF a state-of-the-art BSL-3 and BSL-4 laboratory bio-containment facility for the study, storage of some of the world’s most deadly foreign animal, emerging and zoonotic (transmitted from animals to humans) diseases that threaten the U.S. animal agriculture and public health. The new facility will research and develop countermeasures to combat high-consequence biological threats involving human, zoonotic (i.e., transmitted from animals to humans), and foreign animal diseases. Included among the diseases to be studied at the research lab are: foot-and-mouth disease, classical swine fever, African swine fever and contagious bovine pleuropneumonia ).
The selection of Manhattan, Kansas as the NBAF site was made by a panel of federal employee experts – career civil servants – from the departments of Agriculture and Homeland Security in 2008.
The decision was based on stated evaluation criteria, environmental impacts, and the threats and risks of operating the NBAF.
In Kansas, the NBAF will be at the center of a “strong partnership” between USDA, DHS, academia, and industry working to protect our Nation from a catastrophe.
The site location near Kansas State University provides proximity to what they call “a critical mass of existing research capabilities and the leading scientific expertise in the Animal Health Corridor.”
The problem with that is a university campus itself is open to all sorts of people, including foreign nationals and students from over a dozen different nations. Many of whom have never been scrutinized in terms of their backgrounds. “That creates a security nightmare for officials trying to prevent or counter espionage”, said one source, who I spoke to recently who asked that we not use his name in this report for fear of losing his job.
“As it sits now KSU is crawling with foreign exchange students, a percentage of them are probably foreign intelligence agents”, says one source in Manhattan, Kansas. “It is a sure bet they are active in gaining intelligence on the activities of the NBAF as we speak.”
See also: China seeding “spies” posing as students to infiltrate major Universities across America https://groundreport.com/china-seeding-spies-posing-as-students-to-infiltrate-major-universities-across-america/
See also: Major American universities and colleges crawling with Chinese spies posing as students and researchers https://groundreport.com/major-american-universities-and-colleges-crawling-with-chinese-spies-posing-as-students-and-researchers/
See: DHS Awards Construction Contract for NBAF Central Utilities Plant http://lynnjenkins.house.gov/press-releases/dhs-awards-construction-contract-for-nbaf-central-utilities-plant
See website: http://mcmjv.com/
Of particular concern is the fact that NBAF security is being “outsourced to private companies” rather than government agencies’, which leaves it vulnerable in terms of security. A matter I have argued is not the most ideal situation for the facility and bio lab moving forward. Especially where it concerns security of the site.
See Guards contracting for NBAF
Curtis Whitten’s Wichita-based firm VendTech Enterprise also has a contract at McConnell. He provides equipment and services such as surveillance cameras. But that’s just a slice of his company’s work, which extends to other military bases and federal facilities outside Kansas. VendTech’s newest contracts is to provide guards for the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility in Manhattan.
Source: Tankers bring host of contracting opportunities to McConnell Air Force http://www.kansas.com/news/business/aviation/article1147721.html
VendTech has its problems – see article:
Security firm employees expected to keep jobs despite layoff notice : http://www.stltoday.com/business/security-firm-employees-expected-to-keep-jobs-despite-layoff-notice/article_eb1f9cd6-7849-11e1-ad14-001a4bcf6878.html
The individual doing much of the hiring for this project is Deon Whitten http://www.linkedin.com/pub/deon-whitten/35/353/79b
Deon Whitten is admittedly no security expert, nor has he been trained in counter espionage – and only has a background in human resources.
This poses some additional concerns as well, that I can’t get into right now.