The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) established ring vaccination (selective epidemiological control [5] ), a strategy in which contacts of cases are identified and vaccinated, as the preferred control measure in the event of a smallpox outbreak (interim plan). The successful use of ring vaccination during the smallpox eradication campaign and its logical emphasis of case-contacts for immediate vaccination support its use (though the attribution of the success of the eradication program to ring vaccination has been challenged [6] ). Health Officers should initiate ring vaccination upon identification of the first cases of smallpox. However, there are legitimate concerns regarding the ability of public health practitioners to mount a quick, comprehensive and successful ring vaccination program, particularly in the face of a moderatesized or large smallpox outbreak. To guide preparation efforts and inform incident decision-making, we attempt to identify outbreak characteristics and response capacities that significantly impact the ability of ring vaccination to control a smallpox outbreak and to determine whether ring vaccination is useful in the presence of a mass vaccination campaign. Our analysis uses a newly developed mathematical model: a continuous-time, event-driven network simulation model of smallpox ring vaccination.