Clinton School to host attack preparation talk

A panel discussion on efforts to counter the threat of weapons of mass destruction and ensure domestic preparation for hazards will be held Thursday at the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service.

The panel is part of Operation Big Rock Thunder, an exercise to allow local, state and federal agencies to test their response andcapabilities for a terrorist attack. It’s sponsored by the National Nuclear Security Administration Office of Counterterrorism and Counterproliferation, the National Nuclear Security Administration Global Threat Reduction Initiative and the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Weapons of Mass Destruction Directorate.

Invited panelists include Deputy Undersecretary of Energy for Counterterrorism and Counterproliferation Steven Aoki; University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences emergency preparedness manager Ronald Crane Jr.; FBI Weapons of Mass Destruction Directorate section chief Barbara Walls; Global Threat Reduction Initiative regional officer Nicholas Butler; Arkansas Department of Emergency Management Director David Maxwell; and KARK, Channel 4, anchor Bob Clausen.

Those attending the noon to 1 p.m. panel discussion in Sturgis Hall may bring lunches. Drinks will be provided. Seats can be reserved by emailing publicprograms@ clintonschool.uasys.edu or by calling (501) 683-5239.