Counter Ied Tactics

It was and is a sensible use of our comparative advantage in technology. It enables us to collect information that human intelligence has been unable to provide, given our difficulty of penetrating cells of radical Islamists, at home or abroad (Zuckerman para 3).

List the characteristics discussed in the book that are most effective in distinguishing likely terrorists from the more general population. In addition, use this information to explain the chapter’s title, i.e., explain why terrorists should buy life insurance.

has used forensics to demonstrate how the government has made progress with “connecting the dots” in finding and stopping a bomb making terrorist-- an example that took millions of dollars and man hours to catch one man and send him to jail for 40 years. The story “To Catch a Bombmaker” is sketchy even though the author seems to have a surplus of facts and dates to share with his readers. Dillow’s article fails to bring an in-depth understanding of what catching a bomber is about. He omits major pieces of the story while focusing on well-known cops and robbers techniques featured on popular television shows. While at certain points Dillow’s story is compelling, the article looks at off-the-shelf forensic but lacks the insight to shed light on the human drama and so the real driving force beneath Dillow’s facts and figures require unexplored and unexplained in this

During the war in Iraq roadside bombs were common, to help the war effort, what is now known as the Persistent Surveillance System, came up with a solution called Project Angel Fire to figure out where these bombs were coming from and how to prevent them. Thirty eight students worked on Project Angel Fire, in this project cameras

It is important to understand the steps to prepare and counter terrorist tactics because the threat of terrorist attacks are a real possibility. “Despite our security consciousness, if terrorists intend to wreak havoc it will be difficult to stop them.” (FEMA, 1999, P. 7) By identifying and raising awareness of things that may seem out of place, such as unattended packages, bags, or suspicious individuals we will be able to mitigate terrorist threats. Although this is a small step for non-first responders to take, it could make the difference in one life lost, or several lives lost. In Emergency Response to Terrorism: A Self-Study, the FBI reports, “When public safety agencies know of the presence of a device, they have only a 20 percent chance of finding it.” However, if as an aware citizen you see something suspicious you can call first responders and provide details about the device or suspicious behavior.

In response to the tragic events of September 11, 2001, there has been renewed interest in the creation of a national identification system, typically embodied in a "smart" ID card, as a component of a national counter-terrorism strategy. National ID cards have been advocated as a means to enhance national security, unmask potential terrorists, and guard against illegal immigrants. "The core issue can be expressed as a question: What actions should the federal government take to certify the identity of its citizens and other persons in its jurisdiction, and what role should computing technology play in that process? To deal with questions like this, lawmakers, leaders, and government agencies often begin the policymaking

Today the Transportation Security Administration has advanced airport technology with bottle liquid scanners, an explosive detection system and baggage security. In response to an underwear bombing the Transportation Security Administration instituted more rigorous passenger screening methods (Liberman,

In response to the threat on American allies and partners in the regions of Iraq and Syria, the U.S. and over 60 nations and partner organizations created a U.S.-led global coalition, OPERATION INHERENT RESOLVE (OIR), aimed at degrading and destroying threats posed by ISIL. Combat operations alone will not result in the degradation and destruction of ISIL. Operation Desert Storm was viewed by military strategists as the first of a new generation of conflicts where victory is no longer ensured only by physical force, but also by the ability to win the information war and to secure information dominance. Given the long-war aspect of irregular warfare, enhancing and strengthening information operations is the key to mission success and

The emergence of terrorist groups has influenced the way the DHS operates and functions. There is an increased amount of funding associated with countermeasures against terrorists; the Transportation Security Administration was a direct response in regulating and screening passengers in airports, mainly. The countermeasures now include: applicant screening, background checks, in-depth analysis of social media accounts affiliated with terrorist groups, surveillance cameras, and much more. These methods have minimized the occurrence of a terrorism, but, haven’t fully resolved these issues for good. In recent events, the world has seen the threat of ISIS/ISIL as the main threat. The terrorist group has managed to discreetly assimilate

The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq presented a new problem for the military they would be fighting an insurgency in both of these countries. The question how to fight small bands of often unidentified combatants led to the adoption of many practices and techniques from law enforcement agencies around the United States. The techniques and practices were somewhat refined the technology used to track individuals was still in its infancy and most was not user friendly or robust enough to handle the challenge of tracking hundreds to thousands of people and places with any detail. The other factor that was lacking was how to get the local populous to trust outsiders. These three separate but connected areas needed a quick upgrade.

Iraq’s Security Forces have been under scrutiny since ISIS began controlling Iraqi cities. The Iraqi Security Forces had 1,000,000 million personnel and had received $100 billion dollars in aid since 2006 (Al-Ali, 2014). However, ISIS is smaller in force and funds. ISIS has an estimated 20,000 troops and makes an estimated $1-4 million everyday (Gollom, 2014). The Iraqi Security Forces should have the ability and force to crush this terrorist cell, but astonishingly are being overrun by this terrorist cell. The Iraqi Security Forces face interior issues that cripple its ability to deal with military threats, and make the state vulnerable to internal and external attacks. Some of the most prominent issues affecting the power of Iraqi Security Forces is the early exiting of United States soldiers, Prime Minister Maliki’s policies, deep sectarian, and massive corruption throughout the military.

The fifth chapter of the book by Dyson (2015) is titled “An Overview of Investigative Techniques as They Apply to Terrorism.” The chapter focuses on the psychological and behavioral features of terrorists and offers several recommendations on the use of investigative techniques in their case. The chapter is insightful, and its recommendations, however scarce, are rooted in the specifics of the work of terrorists’ minds, which, in turn, can be supported by relevant literature and appear to be valid. Overall, the chapter does not suggest using specific investigative techniques with the terrorists, but it calls for greater caution in the process.

Terrorist organizations have become more decentralized. This prevents counter terrorism organizations from detecting individual cells and has made the task of intelligence agencies extremely complicated. This decentralization with more focus on “lone wolf” terrorists, allows attacks to be less complicated and more cost effective as less resources are needed. Even small successes can achieve a broader psychological effect. (Maras, 2013)

The soldiers of 2-16 first arrive at the forward operating base (FOB) of Rustamiyah around midnight. They had learned about the location of the FOB back in America while learning about how ‘IEDs were often hidden in piles of trash. At the time it didn’t overly worry them’ (Finkel 17). When they get up in the morning, some soldiers climb the guard tower to check on their surroundings. They ‘were startled to see a vast landscape of trash, much of it on fire’. Worry, then, started to creep up on then. Jay March, one of the soldiers on the guard tower, said ‘”[w]e ain’t ever gonna be able to find an IED in all this shit[.]” (…) He said this quietly, and he said it nervously, too’

Identifying terrorists at airports is a very difficult task for homeland security professionals since terrorists can blend in very well with the more than 650 million law abiding passengers that travel every year via U.S. airports (United States Government Accountability Office, 2014). The security layered approach is a security strategy that helps reduce the risk of a terrorist infiltrating into an airport by employing a wide range of tools and programs that can enhance airport security (Hoggan, 2012). The numerous layers of security are designed to be able to prevent, identify, and stop a terrorist attack in case one of the previous security layers failed to do so (Cason, Lu, & Schreckengast, 2010, pg. 88). Each security layer has their