TO: Major General Arthur J. Logan
Director of Emergency
Management (HI-EMA)
FROM: Brigadier General [Ret] Bruce E. Oliveira
Investigating Officer
DATE: January 29,2018
SUBJECT: FALSE BALLISTIC
MISSILE ALERT INVESTIGATION FOR JANUARY 13, 2018
ASSIGNMENT:
On January 15, 2018, Major General Arthur J. Logan, the Director of HI-EMA for the State of Hawaii, assigned
me to investigate this incident
to determine by a
preponderance of the evidence the following:
a. What was the exact chain of events
that led to the issuance
of a state wide ballistic
missile alert (BMA) message, initiated during the course of the HI EMA State Warning Point (SWP) change of shift at approximately 0805 hours on January 13, 2018?
b. What was the established protocol that HI-EMA SWP members
were to follow during the change of shift BMA Checklist simulation and who established
the BMA checklist?
c. How many times had HI-EMA SWP
members previously practiced
the BMA checklist that led to the issuance
of the false alert message,
and what, if any, training records exist?
d. Did the established BMA checklist
during the simulated
test include a response protocol in the event a false state-wide BMA message
was issued, and if so, did HI-EMA SWP members follow BMA response protocol
on January 13,
2018?
SYNOPSIS:
At approximately 8:06 am, the SWP mistakenly issued a BMA. As the investigating officer and carefully
considering the facts, I find a preponderance of evidence exists that insufficient management controls, poor computer software
design, and human factors contributed to the real-world BMA and the delayed false BMA correction message that was issued over the WEA/EAS
on January
13,2018.
DATE/TIME OF OCCURRENCE:
January 13, 2018
LOCATION OCCURRED:
The incident occurred
at the State Warning Point of the Hawaii
Emergency Management Agency located within the State Emergency Operating Center in Diamond Head.