That evening the city's police were flooded with more than 130 telephone calls about four explosions that were part of the exercises. The police informed those who called that soldiers were conducting a training exercise at an undisclosed location.

"They were very, very loud and it was very, very frightening," said Barbara and Edward Neminski. "We were sitting trying to get our children in bed. After [the explosion], they wouldn't go to sleep."

"The house shook, the windows shook, the chandeliers shook," said John McKenna, whose home is less than a half-mile from the building where the mock assault took place. "Why they would want to do it so close to a residential area, I can't understand. Why at least don't you tell people in the area?"

According to an article in the New Jersey Star-Ledger, "This and a similar exercise in Woodbridge were the first of a week's worth of training operations planned in Middlesex and Union counties, officials said. Unlike Wednesday night, the other exercises may involve soldiers in helicopters."

Walker Sokalski, deputy public affairs officer for the Army Special Operations Command at Fort Bragg, said that the unit at the fort conducts similar field training four times a year. "It's a changing world and we have to be prepared to meet any challenge we see," he stated.

Under the administration of former president William Clinton, the Pentagon changed its structure to include for the first time a North American command and began training its military forces for use inside the United States. Congress in 1999 authorized the Pentagon to place specially trained National Guard units in the largest population centers for possible deployment throughout the country.  
 
 
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