WM College July 17 2005

Teaching
Counterterrorism
in the 21st Century
COMBATING TERRORISM CENTER

at West Point
James JF Forest, Ph.D.

Director of Terrorism Studies
Agenda
1.
2.
3.
4.
Advice from Sun Tzu

MIDLIFE (formerly DIME) CT Approach
U.S. Counterterrorism Strategy
Conclusion & Recommendations for Teaching
Notes:
- This presentation is entirely at the unclassified level.
- The views expressed herein are those of the author and do not purport to reflect the
position of the United States Military Academy, the Department of the Army, or the
Department of Defense.

at West Point
1. Understanding the Terrorist Threat

NATO definition of terrorism:
The unlawful use or threatened use of force or violence
against individuals or property in an attempt to coerce
or intimidate governments or societies to achieve
political, religious or ideological objectives
Sun Tzu
Know yourself
Know your allies
Know your enemy
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Sun Tzu: Know Your Enemy

Understanding the Terrorist Threat
What motivates terrorists?

How do they get to a willingness to be a suicide bomber?
What do they want?
What are they capable of?
How do they view this struggle?
You have to be lucky everyday We only have to be lucky once

- IRA Bomber

at West Point
The Terrorists Perspective

For one thing, al Qaedas leaders believes that they have been
tested by two superpowers (Soviets and Americans); they
defeated the first, and survived the second despite
overwhelming military force thus, both are considered
victories
Globally, members of this global religious-inspired insurgency
believe this is an epic struggle that will likely take place beyond
the current generation of fighters
In Iraq, terrorists are developing a new cult of the insurgent by
demonstrating how they, not the once-feared Saddam
Husseins military, can inflict pain and suffering on the mighty
U.S. (and coalition) forces
Rationale for terrorism: perceived as only available means by
which to achieve strategic goal
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Terrorism as Strategy
Terrorism is not new
Terrorism is not merely religious: 1980 Bologna, Munich
attacks; LTTE (Sri Lanka)
Terrorism as weapon in a strategy
Terrorist attacks as a form
of strategic communication

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Terrorism as Strategic Communication

What audiences are they attempting to communicate
with?
What message for each audience?
How are they communicating (beyond acts of violence)?
What are your actions, foreign policies, etc.
communicating, and to whom?
How can you determine the effectiveness of your own
communications?

at West Point
Some Strategic Acts of Terrorism

The terrorist act is generally a symbolic gesture
against a group or national government. Tactics
include:
armed attacks
arson
assassination
bombing
hijacking
hostage-taking
kidnapping, etc.

at West Point
Suicide bombings
Terrorism as means to achieve goals and objectives
Strategic goals include:
Political change (e.g., overthrow govt.)

Social change (e.g., France headscarf ban)
Economic change (e.g., stop resource export)
Religious change (e.g., fundamentalism)
Overall goal: create a better world

at West Point
Some Strategic Objectives of Terrorism
Recognition: Gaining national or international recognition for their

cause; recruiting new personnel; raising funds; demonstrating their
strength
Coercion: Force a desired behavior of an individual or government
Intimidation: Prevent individuals, groups, or governments from acting
Provocation: Provoking overreaction by a government to the attack on

symbolic targets or personnel, thereby gaining sympathy for their cause.
Insurgency support: Forcing the government to overextend itself in

dealing with the threat, thereby allowing the insurgency to gain support
and commit further attacks against the government.

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Marine Barracks Beirut, Lebanon

23 October 1983
241 Dead
105 Injured

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We couldnt stay there and run the

risk of another suicide attack on
the Marines.
-- Ronald Reagan, An American Life
Khobar Towers - Dhahran, Saudi Arabia

25 June 1996
19 Dead
240 Injured

at West Point
New York, World Trade Center

12 October 1993

at West Point
6 Dead
1,042 Injured
Murrah Federal Building

Oklahoma City
19 April 1995
168 Dead
490 Injured
Some religious motivation,
but different religion
Same tactics (ammonium
nitrate truck bomb) as 1993
WTC attack

at West Point
American Embassy Bombings,

Kenya and Tanzania
August 1998
224 Americans, Kenyans,
and Tanzanians dead
Over 4,025 injured

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1999 LAX Attack Plan

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USS Cole, Aden, Yemen

October 12, 2000

at West Point
17 Dead
39 Injured
Increasing interest in soft targets (economically strategic
impact, and less protected) such as:
pubs in Northern Ireland & London UK

open markets & cafes in Israel
international airport, Sri Lanka
bus in Manila, the Philippines
shopping mall in southern Philippines
nightclub in Bali, Indonesia
banks in Istanbul, Turkey
hotel in Jakarta, Indonesia
nightclub in Berlin, Germany
and, of course . . .

at West Point
New York City & Washington, DC

September 11, 2001
2,973 Dead
10,000+ Injured

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Karachi, Pakistan
May 8, 2002
Bus attack
14 Dead, including
11 French engineers

at West Point
June 14, 2002
Attack on U.S. Consulate
12 Dead
50 Injured
Bali, Indonesia
October 12, 2002
202 Dead
350 Injured
Citizens from 21 countries, mostly Western tourists, were killed in the blasts
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Casablanca,
Morocco
May 17, 2003

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44 Dead
107 Injured
Jakarta, Indonesia
August 5, 2003
12 Dead
60 Injured
J.W. Marriott Hotel, Jakarta

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Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

November 8, 2003
3 simultaneous suicide car bomb

attacks on Al-Muhaya apartment
complex
April 21, 2004
Attack on Security
Services Headquarters
4 Dead
148 Injured
17 Dead
122 Injured
at West Point
Istanbul, Turkey
November 20, 2003
27 Dead
400 Injured
Primary Targets: British consulate and the HSBC bank headquarters

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Madrid, Spain
March 11, 2004
191 Dead
1,035 Injured

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Jakarta, Indonesia
September 9, 2004
9 Dead
173 Injured
Australian Embassy was primary target

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London, UK
July 7, 2005
54 Dead
716 Injured

at West Point
Strategy and Recruitment

Terrorism is an individuals strategic choice most often
driven by a combination of:
Intense grievances
Sense of crisis
Address a power imbalance - empower the disenfranchised
The ties that bind: training camps, extended family, social

networks; trusted networks = key
Combination of ideology and psychology
No constraints re: geography, organizational
affiliation, etc.

at West Point
Strategy and Recruitment

Recruit individuals with differing talents
or attributes to offer
Locals with knowledge of customs, culture

Foreigners with passports, language skills
Sleepers or operationalists who can fit in
Individuals who can serve as critical functionaries
Sleeper cells were key for the 9/11, Madrid and

London attacks
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Terrorists as Strategic Actors

Even though its a decentralized network, there are still critical
functions that enable the network to operate
Critical functionary roles can become a hub of multiple networks
weapons procurement
financier (funder or banker) (particularly in Halawa system)
document forgerer
human traffickers
Support individuals (trusted contacts) can and sometimes do support

multiple networks; can provide supplies/facilitate trafficking of weapons
& funds to multiple networks
Example: 60% of day spent moving legitimate charity money around;
20% of day on Hamas transactions, other activity on side
Some may get profit for doing these support/function roles

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Different members
of the network
play support and
action roles
Strategy and Training

at West Point

Establish training camps developing the will to kill and the skill to kill
Operational space: Geographic isolation
Teachers: Experts in relevant knowledge, e.g., military combat experience
Committed learners
Time, money, and basic necessities
Afghanistan
Algeria
Bosnia
Chechnya
Colombia
Egypt
Indonesia
Japan
Kashmir
Lebanon
Libya

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Northern Ireland
Peru
The Philippines
Somalia
Spain
Sri Lanka
Sudan
Syria
Turkey
United States
Uzbekistan

Psychological dimensions
Moral disengagement
Displacement of responsibility
Disregard for/distortion of consequences
Dehumanization
Moral justification
Group power over behavior, personal decisions

Preparation for martyrdom

at West Point

Lessons for new recruits include:
education in explosives and detonators: how to assemble bombs (e.g.,

TNT, C4), mines and grenades, pressure and trip wire booby traps, and
the basic knowledge of electrical engineering
how to mount rocket launchers in the beds of pickup trucks
how and where to launder money
how to successfully conduct a kidnapping
how to conduct target identification, surveillance and reconnaissance
how and where to build camouflage-covered trenches
how to covertly communicate with other members of a group or network
how to fire handguns, machine guns and rocket propelled grenade
launchers
at West Point

Lessons for new recruits include:
the rudiments of chemical and biological warfare
field command and escape tactics
marksmanship and camouflage
the use and employment of Soviet rocket-propelled grenades and

shoulder borne STRELA missiles
sniper rifle skills; how to fine-tune a rifle sight at short range to ensure
accuracy at longer distances
how to direct weapon fire at targets on the ground and in the air
training in four-man unit deployments and formationsincluding wedges,

columns, echelons and linestechniques similar to those used by
U.S. Marines and Army Rangers

at West Point

Increasing use of the Internet
Provide free tactical advice (print or online dissemination of information on
bomb making, computer hacking, etc.)
Advise sleepers on how to adapt to local surroundings (e.g., dress, friendly
relationships with locals, etc.)
Examples of online resources include:
The Terrorists Handbook

How to Make Bombs, Book Two
13 volume Encyclopedia of Jihad
Manual of Jihad
The Green Book (IRA)
The Turner Diaries (US extremists)
Muaskar al-Battar (The Al Battar Training Camp, an Al Qaeda magazine)
The Mujahideen Poisons Handbook
The Anarchist Cookbook
Field Manual for Free Militia
Sabotage Handbook
Special Force first-person shooter game, developed by Hizballah
Cyber-attack tools and instructions

at West Point
Example of Tactics:
Ammonium Nitrate
Millions of tons produced each year for use as fertilizer

Mining companies mix small amounts of explosive grade ammonium nitrate
with fuel oil to create explosives
Used in several IRA bombings

Used in World Trade Center bombing, 1993 (1,200 lbs in truck bomb)
Used in the Oklahoma City bombing, 1995
Used in the U.S. Embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania, 1998
Used in the Bali bombing, 2002
March 30, 2004: More than half a ton of ammonium nitrate fertilizer is found
in a lock-up in West London. Eight British citizens, one American and one
Canadian were arrested on suspicion of being involved in the commission,
preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism.

at West Point

These are Learning Organizations = committed to capturing
knowledge, analyzing it, forming new doctrine and tactics which are
informed by lessons from the past
Learn from each other

Learn from trial and error (IRA example)
Media showcasing best practices to others
Managing public image (PR)
(becoming more sophisticated)
Terrorists are learning many things in Iraq, like:
Manufacturing and concealing IEDs

Urban warfare
Sniper and ambush techniques
Hostage taking
Media manipulation
OVERALL: How to recruit, fund, and execute assymetric warfare

at West Point
Suicide Terrorism as Logical Strategy

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Suicide Terrorism: Who?

Perception:
Reality
The profile is wrong

Terrorists are:
Generalized profile of suicide

terrorists, including:
Young
Single
Male
Uneducated
Religious fanatics

at West Point
Preteen - mid-sixties
Both single and married with families
Both male and female
Both educated and uneducated
Not motivated by religious fanaticism
Worlds leader in suicide terror are
Hindu; Tamil Tigers who are
conducting insurgency against Sri
Lanka
Suicide Terrorism: Why?

Perception:
Reality
Part of a strategy that is:
Seemingly irrational act
Well planned
Logical
Designed to achieve specific political
objectives
Suicide attacks have increased Does two things:

Inflicts immediate punishment
over the past two decades
Why?

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against target society

Threatens more punishment in the
future
Suicide Terror Attacks are . . .
inexpensive and effective; extremely favorable per-casualty cost

benefits for the terrorists
less complicated and compromising no escape plan needed, and

success means no assailant to capture and interrogate
perhaps the ultimate smart bomb this weapon can cleverly

disguise itself, use various modes of deception, and effect last minute
changes in timing, access, and target
a strategic communication device successful attacks are virtually

assured media coverage
effective because the weaker opponent acts as coercer and the

stronger actor is the target
Key difference from other attacks: The target of suicide campaign

cannot easily adjust to minimize future damage
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Suicide Terrorism: Where?

Three types of attacks are most likely to occur:
High value, symbolic targets involving mass casualties
Important government buildings, installations, or landmarks
Major means of personal or commercial transportation
High value, symbolic targets against specific persons

Political assassinations (e.g., head of state, regional governor,
etc.)
Deliberately lethal attacks targeting the public

Bus, train, subway bombings; attacks on shopping malls, cinemas,
sports stadiums, public gathering spaces

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Understanding
Counterterrorism

at West Point
2. MIDLIFE (formerly DIME) CT Approach

Question: Once we understand the threat, how do we address it?
Answer: We employ all the instruments of national power available to us.
Military
Intelligence
Diplomacy
Legal
Information
Financial
Economic

at West Point
Case studies of groups and

events help us learn about
each of these dimensions
Example of the Financial/Economic Dimensions:

How does the LTTE Sustain its Operation Financially?
In Areas heavily dominated by Tamils
Local Enterprises
Taxes from local Population

Taxes from Business
Robbery
Blackmail & Ransom
Taxes from Fishermen

LOCAL
Tax on Liquor
Drug s/ Crime
Investing/ running Local
Business Ventures
Fund raising Projects
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Taxes from Visitors
Taxes on Goods
Playing the Stock Market
INTERNATIONAL FUNDING
Funding from state Parties

Aiding International Criminals
Donations from Supporters

(Tamil Diaspora)
Terrorist training
Credit card Fraud
Foreign residence Tax

International
Propaganda/ Fund raising projects

Asylum Seekers tax
Money laundering/ Forgery
Foreign Investments/Business
Shipping/Gunrunning
Human
Trafficking
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Drug Smuggling
US Counterterrorism Strategy
Helped Sri Lankan military develop 4 key
capabilities
Operate behind enemy lines

Engage in night fighting
SEAL, special boat operations
Psyops capabilities
Helped Sri Lankan banking and commerce

tracking systems locate & disrupt money
laundering networks
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The L in MIDLIFE
Legal/Law Enforcement
Rule of law is vital, both domestically and
internationally
The primary intelligence gatherers and first
responders are local law enforcement officers
Help countries develop their law enforcement
capabilities and legal institutions
Must conduct CT within ethical and legal
frameworks, to avoid exacerbating existing
grievances
at West Point
Intelligence: Learn from our own mistakes

We assumed simultaneous 9/11 attacks in U.S. were
beyond the capabilities of terrorists
Overestimated the significance of past successes & the
terrorists own incompetence
Attention was focused exclusively on opposite ends of
the terrorist technological spectrum
Believed terrorists were still
interested in publicity and not killing

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3. U.S. Strategy for Combating Terrorism

National Strategy for Combating Terrorism (released
in February 2003)
Four main objectives:

defeating terrorist organizations with global
reach
denying sponsorship, support and
sanctuary to terrorists
diminishing the underlying conditions
that terrorists seek to exploit
defending U.S. citizens and interests
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Elements of the National CT Strategy

4 Ds:
Defeat terrorist organizations of a global reach
Deny terrorists the sponsorship, support, and
sanctuary they need to survive
Diminish the underlying conditions that promote
the despair and destructive visions of political
change that lead people to embrace terrorism
Defend against terrorist attacks on the U.S., our
citizens and our interests around the world
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Defeat terrorist organizations of a global reach

Objectives:
Identify the terrorists
(DIMEFIL dimensions: Intelligence, Diplomacy, Information)
Locate the terrorists

(DIMEFIL dimensions: Intelligence, Diplomacy, Information)
Destroy the terrorists

(DIMEFIL dimensions: Military, Financial, Legal)
Requires considerable interagency coordination and multinational cooperation

Particular importance given to organizations with combination of high motivation
and significant capabilities

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Deny terrorists sponsorship, support, & sanctuary

Objectives:
End state sponsorship
(DIMEFIL dimensions: Diplomacy, Intelligence, Economic, Financial, Information, Legal, and in the
most extreme cases, Military)
Establish & maintain international accountability
(DIMEFIL dimensions: Diplomatic, Intelligence, Information, Economic, Financial, Legal)
Strengthen international will to combat terrorism
(DIMEFIL dimensions: Diplomacy, Military, Intelligence, Economic, Financial, Legal)
Interdict & disrupt material support for terrorists
(DIMEFIL dimensions: Diplomacy, Intelligence, Economic, Intelligence, Financial, Legal)
Eliminate terrorist sanctuaries and havens
(DIMEFIL dimensions: Diplomacy, Military, Intelligence, Economic, Intelligence, Financial, Legal)

In particular, we must work with willing and able states, enable weak states, persuade
reluctant states, and compel unwilling states
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Diminish the underlying conditions

Objectives:
Strengthen international capacity to combat terrorism
(DIMEFIL dimensions: Diplomacy, Intelligence, Military, Economic, Financial, Information, Legal)
Win the war of ideas

(DIMEFIL dimensions: Diplomatic, Intelligence, Information, Legal)

Special attention is already being given to developing SOF capabilities in places
like the Philippines, the Horn of Africa, and the Sahel Region (e.g., TSCTI)
We need to focus on strengthening law enforcement/rule of law; intelligence
gathering & sharing; public diplomacy
Local communities must de-legitimize terrorism

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Defend against terrorist attacks

Objectives:
Implement National Strategy for Homeland Security
(DIMEFIL dimensions: Intelligence, Economic, Financial, Information, Legal)
Attain domain awareness

Enhance measures to protect critical infrastructure

Integrate measures to protect U.S. citizens abroad

Ensure an integrated response capability

Based on the mindset that the best defense is a good offense

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U.S. National Security Strategy,

September 2002 (Replaces 2000 Clinton Edition)
Table of Contents
Introduction
I.
Overview of America's International Strategy
II.
Champion Aspirations for Human Dignity
III.
Strengthen Alliances to Defeat Global Terrorism and Work
to Prevent Attacks Against Us and Our Friends
IV.
Work with Others to Defuse Regional Conflicts
V.
Prevent Our Enemies from Threatening Us, Our Allies, and
Our Friends with Weapons of Mass Destruction
VI.
VII.
VIII.
IX.
Ignite a New Era of Global

Economic Growth through Free Markets and Free Trade
Expand the Circle of Development by Opening Societies and
Building the Infrastructure of Democracy
Develop Agendas for Cooperative Action with the Other
Main Centers of Global Power
Transform America's National Security Institutions to Meet
the Challenges and Opportunities of the Twenty-First
Century

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National Strategic Framework for the GWOT

Ends
Overall Goal: Preserve and promote the way of life of free and open societies
based on the rule of law, defeat terrorist extremism as a threat to that way of life, and
create a global environment inhospitable to terrorist extremists.
Ideological support
Comms & Movement
Protect the
Homeland
Ways
Funds
Safe havens
Enemy
Leadership
Weapons
Foot soldiers
Access to Targets
Disrupt and Attack

Terrorist Networks
Counter Ideological
Support for Terrorism
Help create and lead a broad international effort to

deny terrorist networks the resources they need to
operate and survive.
COMBATING TERRORISM
CENTER
National,
partner and international instruments of power
Means
at West Point
UNCLASSIFIED
Ends
Military Strategic Framework for the GWOT
Strategic Goal: Preserve and promote the way of life of free and open societies based on the
rule of law, defeat terrorist extremism as a threat to our way of life, and create a global
environment inhospitable to terrorist extremists.
END-STATE
Termination Objectives from the Contingency Planning Guidance
Ideological support
Comms & Movement
Ways
Military Strategic Objectives
Protect the
Homeland
Funds
Safe havens
Enemy
Leadership
Weapons
Foot soldiers
Access to Targets
Disrupt and Attack

Terrorist Networks
Counter Ideological
Support for Terrorism
Deny terrorists the resources they need to operate and survive.

Enable partner nations to counter terrorism.
Deny WMD/E proliferation, recover and eliminate uncontrolled
materials, and maintain capacity for consequence mgmt.
Defeat terrorists and their organizations.

Persuade, coerce, and when necessary, compel states and non-states to
cease support for terrorists.
Establish conditions that counter ideological support for terrorism.

Means
Combatant Commands, Services, and Combat Support Agencies
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Counterterrorism Strategy
Our strategy must involve denying terrorists sanctuary;
separating terrorists from the population
Must isolate them, take away their support, force them to
continually be on the run
Organizing for force protection based on battle line
mentality wont work
UAVs arent as useful as you might think; over-reliance
on technical wizardry has been a problem in the field
Attrition we must keep after them, never give up, while
making sure they dont recruit new members

at West Point
Human intelligence networks are critical (although non-efficient
use of manpower)
Must have continual presence cannot go into a village looking
for the terrorists
Focus on the enemys ideology, in addition to their tactics
This is a War of Ideas: We need to convince them (potential
supporters and recruits) that we (liberal democracies) offer a
better way than separatist Islamic Jihad (but without attempting
to convert them to our way of life)
We must work to bolster the image of American morals and
values being compatible with those of the Arab and Islamic world,
where we are too often portrayed as greedy, selfish hedonists
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Evaluate trends and potentials, capabilities and intentions,
and provide an operational net assessment
The contemporary terrorist threat involves a series of
adversaries linked in networks. Combating networks requires
an understanding of networked threats
Must not over-react; terrorist strategy may be to provoke overreaction, leading to further alienation and possible supporters
among populace
Tactical level: thwart an attack, pursue and bring to justice
attack perpetrators
Strategic level: build resilient communities

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Information warfare
- We must develop an effective counter-ideological message

- Manage perceptions/be more proactive in the information battlespace
- Undermine the perceived legitimacy among supporters
How well do we invest in and support the extremists whom

we like (a.k.a., moderates) and support ways to amplify
their voices?
We must invest in educational & social institutions; media
organizations
Our National Strategy for Combating Terrorism can only be
achieved through
Multinational partnerships
Interagency coordination

at West Point
Coordination Levels
ALLIES
ALLIES
Coalition
OTHER
AGENCIES
DOD
DOS
Interagency
CIA
Joint
Army
Navy
Air Force
Marines
Army
Combined
Arms
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Interagency Coordination Process

President
Principals
Committee
Deputies
Committee
Counterterrorism
Security Group (CSG)

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Secretary Level
Deputy Secretary Level
Core Group: NSC, DOS, DOJ/FBI, DOD, CIA,

Treasury (Secret Service), and
Department of Homeland Security
The National Security Council
INTEL
Community
Sec of
Home. Sec.
DOHS

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VP
POTUS
DOD
W
CO H
S
SE
I
DC
CS
CJ
JCS
Natl Security
Advisor
EF
CD
SE
DOS
CS
TA
TE
NSC Staff
NSC
Interagency Coordination: Lead Federal Agency Concept

Terrorist Incident Overseas: Department of State
Terrorist Incident in United States: FBI
Consequence Management in United States:
Department of Homeland Security (FEMA)
Terrorist Financing: Department of the Treasury
Military Action*: Department of Defense
*and support lead agency
Intelligence Community Support:
Identifying, locating and tracking terrorists and organizations
CIA, FBI, DIA and DoD Intel Orgs, State INR (plus Allies and Partners)
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National Counterterrorism Center

Addressing the first I in MIDLIFE
NCTC currently has assignees (USG staff) from:

Federal Bureau of Investigation
Department of Defense
Central Intelligence Agency
Department of Homeland Security
Department of State
Others DOE, NRC, HHS, USDA, USCHP
Assignees to NCTC retain authorities of parent entities
In NCTC, key organizations involved in the fight against terrorism are

collectively fulfilling shared responsibilities
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Terrorism Information Access and Integration

Many U.S. Government networks are available in NCTC
Integrated architecture will enable a simultaneous,
federated search capability against the terabytes of data
available to the U.S. government
Advanced analytic tools are facilitating the
automated sourcing and tailoring multi-use products;
enhancing data exploitation and integration
Terrorism information covers an exceptionally
broad array of data
Active information acquisition effort underway

Seeking awareness and integration of non-obvious
terrorism information

at West Point
Terrorism Analysis and CT Requirements

What do we know? What do we need to know?
Providing daily terrorism analysis for the President,
senior policymakers, and the U.S. Government
NCTC produces integrated and coordinated analysis if there are
analytic differences on the nature or seriousness of a particular threat

or issue, they are incorporated into the analysis
Producing special analysis and other in-depth, strategic, and alternative
analyses
Counterterrorism Requirements - Identifying gaps in knowledge;

prioritizing transnational terrorism information needs

at West Point
Toward a Counterterrorism System

Beyond implementing Center responsibilities, the greater goal
is facilitating a counterterrorism system as part of a greater
U.S. Government (USG) system-of-systems
All USG elements need not be centralized; however, a distributed but
integrated framework must be consciously agreed upon and orchestrated
Roles and responsibilities of USG CT elements must be as unambiguous and
straightforward as possible; intentional rather than haphazard redundancy

at West Point
Conclusion
You must thoroughly know your enemy before you can
successfully defeat him
You cannot address terrorism in isolation
Root causes (socioeconomic, religious extremism, etc.)

Facilitators (criminal networks, arms trafficking)
Finances are key
Ideology, other motivators
Information/public diplomacy is vital
All must be done in the context of moral, ethical & legal principles
Bottom line: CT goes way beyond strategy and tactics; we

must focus on environmental factors that facilitate terrorism

at West Point
Suggestions for Teaching Counterterrorism

Use case studies to frame the key issues/challenges (particularly the
moral, legal, tactical dimensions)
Assign National Security Strategy and other White House
documents as required reading
Have students analyze National Strategy for Combating Terrorism
from MIDLIFE perspective, noting that effective CT requires
integration of all dimensions
Assessment (papers, presentations, quizzes) students should
demonstrate
- understanding of threat
- the strategy behind the threat
- dimensions of DIMEFIL model, and
- the integration of DIMEFIL dimensions into holistic CT strategy

at West Point
Suggestions for Teaching Counterterrorism

Integrative Exercise/Capstone Experience:
Complex terrorism scenario

Assign different readings to different groups of students;
integrative exercise should focus on the complex requirements for
information and force collective strategic thinking and action
Questions for groups to answer can include:
What will you recommend?
What are the moral, legal implications of your actions?
Who (what national assets) will you involve?
Overall goal is to integrate lessons learned throughout the course,

and to learn while engaged in the exercise
Outcome should give you a sense of what theyve learned, whether
or not they get it
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Questions?

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Teaching

COMBATING TERRORISM CENTER

James JF Forest, Ph.D.

Advice from Sun Tzu

COMBATING TERRORISM CENTER

1. Understanding the Terrorist Threat

Sun Tzu: Know Your Enemy

What motivates terrorists?

You have to be lucky everyday We only have to be lucky once

COMBATING TERRORISM CENTER

The Terrorists Perspective

COMBATING TERRORISM CENTER

Terrorism as Strategic Communication

COMBATING TERRORISM CENTER

Some Strategic Acts of Terrorism

COMBATING TERRORISM CENTER

Political change (e.g., overthrow govt.)

Overall goal: create a better world

COMBATING TERRORISM CENTER

Some Strategic Objectives of Terrorism

Recognition: Gaining national or international recognition for their

Coercion: Force a desired behavior of an individual or government

Intimidation: Prevent individuals, groups, or governments from acting

Provocation: Provoking overreaction by a government to the attack on

Insurgency support: Forcing the government to overextend itself in

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Marine Barracks Beirut, Lebanon

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We couldnt stay there and run the

Khobar Towers - Dhahran, Saudi Arabia

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New York, World Trade Center

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Murrah Federal Building

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American Embassy Bombings,

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1999 LAX Attack Plan

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USS Cole, Aden, Yemen

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pubs in Northern Ireland & London UK

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New York City & Washington, DC

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June 14, 2002

Attack on U.S. Consulate

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J.W. Marriott Hotel, Jakarta

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

3 simultaneous suicide car bomb

April 21, 2004

Primary Targets: British consulate and the HSBC bank headquarters

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Australian Embassy was primary target

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Strategy and Recruitment

The ties that bind: training camps, extended family, social

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Strategy and Recruitment

Locals with knowledge of customs, culture