DMX7
02-08-2010, 11:41 PM
San Antonio is an emerging city that is home to some important national security assets. It has a growing population, an evolving military role and bioscience presence, as well as a growing cyber technology industry.
These are some of the factors that have helped San Antonio escape the worst effects of a national recession. But they are also some of the reasons that former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani believes that the Alamo City may now be a bigger target for terrorists.
Giuliani was mayor of New York when terrorists flew aircraft into the World Trade Center towers on Sept. 11, 2001. In 2008, he made a run at the White House and at present he is a partner in the law firm of Bracewell & Giuliani, which has an office in San Antonio.
“It is a city (San Antonio) that has grown dramatically in a short period of time,” says Giuliani, who was in San Antonio recently for an economic conference.
It’s also a city that has attracted increased attention over the last few years because of that growth and because of some important economic wins — including the federal government’s decision to invest more than $2 billion at Fort Sam Houston.
San Antonio is also home to Randolph and Lackland Air Force bases and to a National Security Agency campus. At one point it was in the hunt for a Department of Homeland Security National Bio Agro Defense Facility.
“Every major city in America should consider itself a target,” Giuliani says. “And San Antonio has a couple of reasons why it might want to put itself even further up that list.”
Congressman Ciro Rodriguez, D-San Antonio, suggests that the Alamo City should be aware of the possibilities.
“Unfortunately, in this day and age, we all have to be prepared for the unthinkable,” he says. “As the seventh largest city in the country with significant national security assets, San Antonio especially has to be ready to deal with potential attacks.”
Top notch
Giuliani’s tenure as mayor of New York ended in December of 2001. But some of the scars of 9/11 remain.
“I look at life very differently since Sept. 11,” he says. “The reality is that you can’t go through something like that without an enormous impact. I think about it every day.”
Giuliani says some people may believe that the resources invested to protect a city against the possibilities of a terrorist attack are wasted. But he says that preparedness can benefit a city in other ways.
“If you build up a good emergency response system for terrorism, that system works really well if you have to deal with a natural disaster,” Giuliani contends. “If you are prepared, it means your firefighters are better trained. It means your hospitals are better trained.”
San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro says Alamo City leaders have worked to put preparedness plans in place that address a multitude of potential disasters.
“We have an emergency operations center that is absolutely top-notch and has been recognized as such,” he says. “We have taken a lead role in disaster relief.”
Giuliani says San Antonio and Texas have shown during events such as Hurricane Katrina that they were better prepared than some other cities and states.
As for the possibility of a terrorist attack, Castro agrees that San Antonio may be a bigger target now than it once was.
“That is a legitimate concern, and one I’m confident that the military has considered,” he says. “We do have important assets to protect.”
http://sanantonio.bizjournals.com/sanantonio/stories/2010/02/01/story2.html?b=1265000400%5E2800921
These are some of the factors that have helped San Antonio escape the worst effects of a national recession. But they are also some of the reasons that former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani believes that the Alamo City may now be a bigger target for terrorists.
Giuliani was mayor of New York when terrorists flew aircraft into the World Trade Center towers on Sept. 11, 2001. In 2008, he made a run at the White House and at present he is a partner in the law firm of Bracewell & Giuliani, which has an office in San Antonio.
“It is a city (San Antonio) that has grown dramatically in a short period of time,” says Giuliani, who was in San Antonio recently for an economic conference.
It’s also a city that has attracted increased attention over the last few years because of that growth and because of some important economic wins — including the federal government’s decision to invest more than $2 billion at Fort Sam Houston.
San Antonio is also home to Randolph and Lackland Air Force bases and to a National Security Agency campus. At one point it was in the hunt for a Department of Homeland Security National Bio Agro Defense Facility.
“Every major city in America should consider itself a target,” Giuliani says. “And San Antonio has a couple of reasons why it might want to put itself even further up that list.”
Congressman Ciro Rodriguez, D-San Antonio, suggests that the Alamo City should be aware of the possibilities.
“Unfortunately, in this day and age, we all have to be prepared for the unthinkable,” he says. “As the seventh largest city in the country with significant national security assets, San Antonio especially has to be ready to deal with potential attacks.”
Top notch
Giuliani’s tenure as mayor of New York ended in December of 2001. But some of the scars of 9/11 remain.
“I look at life very differently since Sept. 11,” he says. “The reality is that you can’t go through something like that without an enormous impact. I think about it every day.”
Giuliani says some people may believe that the resources invested to protect a city against the possibilities of a terrorist attack are wasted. But he says that preparedness can benefit a city in other ways.
“If you build up a good emergency response system for terrorism, that system works really well if you have to deal with a natural disaster,” Giuliani contends. “If you are prepared, it means your firefighters are better trained. It means your hospitals are better trained.”
San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro says Alamo City leaders have worked to put preparedness plans in place that address a multitude of potential disasters.
“We have an emergency operations center that is absolutely top-notch and has been recognized as such,” he says. “We have taken a lead role in disaster relief.”
Giuliani says San Antonio and Texas have shown during events such as Hurricane Katrina that they were better prepared than some other cities and states.
As for the possibility of a terrorist attack, Castro agrees that San Antonio may be a bigger target now than it once was.
“That is a legitimate concern, and one I’m confident that the military has considered,” he says. “We do have important assets to protect.”
http://sanantonio.bizjournals.com/sanantonio/stories/2010/02/01/story2.html?b=1265000400%5E2800921