Sniper Attack on Powergrid...practice run, or a sign of things to come?

SSG(P) Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 13 May 2015 22:42:39 -0400

I didn't see this any where on RP. The date was Feb 2014. NPR reports that a single sniper shelled 100 .50 cal rounds into 14 transformers from an unknown location. This seems to be a brilliant use of resources and demonstrates that we have weaknesses. Is this the future of terrorism? Was this an isolated event?
Can you imagine if this was done simultaneously in key locations throughout the US, how it might cripple our electrical grid? How can we prevent future attacks? What resources do we have that might be able to bring these vandals to justice?
Drones come to mind, National Guard OPs, cameras, and insider information...is it a worthy use of resources?

Here is an excerpt of the NPR article:
The top of the Journal's story grabs your attention:

"The attack began just before 1 a.m. on April 16 last year, when someone slipped into an underground vault not far from a busy freeway and cut telephone cables.
"Within half an hour, snipers opened fire on a nearby electrical substation. Shooting for 19 minutes, they surgically knocked out 17 giant transformers that funnel power to Silicon Valley. A minute before a police car arrived, the shooters disappeared into the night.
"To avoid a blackout, electric-grid officials rerouted power around the site and asked power plants in Silicon Valley to produce more electricity. But it took utility workers 27 days to make repairs and bring the substation back to life."
According to Foreign Policy, which was less definitive about whether the attack was the work of more than one person, at least 100 rounds were fired from at least one high-powered rifle.

No one has been arrested in connection with the attack.

Response by SGT Michael Touchet made May 13 at 2015 10:48 PM

SGT Michael Touchet — Wed, 13 May 2015 22:48:11 -0400

There should always be a plan to protect against infrastructure sabotage.

Response by SGT Mark Stogner made May 13 at 2015 11:25 PM

SGT Mark Stogner — Wed, 13 May 2015 23:25:34 -0400

We had the same type of attack on transformers here in the bay area of California, you think they are probing?

Response by SSG(P) Private RallyPoint Member made May 14 at 2015 12:23 AM

SSG(P) Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 14 May 2015 00:23:41 -0400

SGT Mark Stogner can you post a link or two to the attack in your area? This cannot be an isolated event.

Response by SFC Joseph James made May 14 at 2015 12:50 AM

SFC Joseph James — Thu, 14 May 2015 00:50:18 -0400

Our infrastructure is hard to protect. I just hope this isn't a start to something crazy. Great question!

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made May 14 at 2015 1:49 AM

SPC Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 14 May 2015 01:49:03 -0400

I hadn't heard about this. It's concerning, because I can tell you from eight years of law enforcement experience that the police are trained that power grids are a juicy target for terrorists. That said, they can't watch them 24/7, and not much they can do against a .50 cal. It smells like probing to me. The enemy knows some of our weaknesses, but they know they need more if they plan on putting up a decent fight. Now they know taking out one substation isn't enough, but on the other hand, they know they can take down one, next they'll want to see what happens when they take down two, and so on, until the desired effect (major blackout) is achieved.

Response by 1SG Michael Blount made May 14 at 2015 10:26 AM

1SG Michael Blount — Thu, 14 May 2015 10:26:29 -0400

I've long thought if we had an Achilles' heel, the power grid was it. Take out electricity and the US goes to hell in a handbasket