The United States Shadow Government
Created | Updated Mar 16, 2002
The United States Shadow Government
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“This is serious business… We take the continuity of Government Issue seriously because our nation was under attack. And I still take the threats we receive from al-Qaeda ******* and ********** very seriously… I have an obligation as the president and my administration has an obligation to the American people to put measures in place that should somebody be successful in attacking Washington there is an ongoing government. That is one reason why the vice president was going to undisclosed locations. This is serious business. And we take it seriously.” –President of the United States George W. Bush
A few things in this statement may disturb you (other than the obscene over-usage of the word serious.) The news of this Shadow Government classified the “Continuity of Operations Plan” was first broke in the Friday March 1st 2002 edition of The Washington Post. Don’t get confused though because this “Plan” has been in place since the morning of Sept. 11th, instituting ideas first hypothesized during the Eisenhower administration.
Although details on this “Plan” have been vague at best, some key government officials have leaked information to the press on the condition of anonymity. There are one or two facilities on the East coast; high-ranking representative members of their departments are stationed there with staff bringing the total number of people to between 70 and 150. The number of staff fluctuates when US intelligence deem al Qaeda threats real and likely to manifest. The first of such rotations were made in late October or the early part of November.
Officials who are activated for the duty live and work underground 24 hours a day, away from their families. Friends and family stay in contact with them through a toll-free number. These sites have been confirmed to have generators, televisions, computers and communications as well as private offices and Command Centers. Rations are stacked in warehouses to their ceilings, a very grim reminder of the stakes involved.
“The team, drawn from every Cabinet department and some independent agencies, would seek to prevent the collapse of essential government functions in the event of a disabling blow to Washington,” the post revealed from one source. “The underground government would try to contain disruptions of the nation's food and water supplies, transportation links, energy and telecommunications networks, public health and civil order. Later, it would begin to reconstitute the government.”
Bush issued an executive order in December setting the line of succession for several federal agencies in case a Cabinet secretary is killed or otherwise rendered unable to perform their jobs. The document lists the top six or so officials in order who would take over if an agency's hierarchy were disrupted. At least one Cabinet secretary is kept out of Washington at all times to help maintain the continuity of government.
