Dedication

To my little brother Chris, a ray of sunshine that came and went.

This book could serve as an introductory text for the student new to homeland security, as well as a valuable reference for the experienced security professional.

September 11, 2001 was a watershed moment in our nation's history. The attacks that occurred that day were our first taste of a significant international terrorist attack occurring in our homeland. Much like previous generations that can instantly recall where they were and what they were doing when Pearl Harbor was attacked or President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, many Americans have the same vivid recollections with regard to the September 11 attacks. The images of the World Trade Center Towers first being struck and then collapsing, the Pentagon in flames, and the crater in the Pennsylvania countryside resulting from the crash of United Flight 93 were forever seared in our memories thanks to real-time media reporting. Our way of life was forever changed on that fall morning. From that day forward, security issues now reign paramount in our daily activities. As an example, the most involved reorganization of our government, which led to the creation of the Department of Homeland Security, was a direct result of the September 11 attacks and an indication of the newfound importance of homeland security. Although international terrorism may be a new concept to some in America, terrorism has existed for thousands of years as illustrated in the many examples through this book. As our techniques for protecting the homeland evolve, so do the terrorists. As protective measures are developed and implemented, adversaries continue to come up with new ways to cause harm. For this reason, the field of homeland security will continue to be an important part of the activities the government, private sector, and individual citizens perform every day.

This book was written to assist organizations, both private and public, in identifying what is critical to them and worth protecting from hazards. All organizations must take appropriate actions to reduce risk and protect their critical assets. Although each organization will deem what is important to them, it should be remembered that when they are grouped together with other critical assets in an organization, a municipality, a region, or the nation, they may not maintain that same level of criticality or importance that warrants an expenditure of time, effort, and money to protect.

As this book may be used as a text for academic study, the end of each chapter contains questions and a project. The questions are designed to provoke thought about a particular topic, and can be used as the basis for discussion in a group setting. The project is designed to build on each previous chapter, culminating in a package of customized material that can be used as the basis of a protective program for specific critical assets.

Chapter 1, The Terrorist Threat, reviews the history of terrorism including international and domestic terrorist organizations, along with a selection of attacks that have been perpetrated over the past 50 years. By studying what has happened in the past, we can develop preventative measures against future attacks. Chapter 1 also includes some issues at the forefront today, such as the role of media in terrorism and the protection of citizen's civil liberties in the fight against terror.

Chapter 2, Critical Infrastructure, provides suggestions on how to identify critical infrastructure, key resources, and key assets. The principles and examples in this book apply equally regardless of organization or jurisdiction. Each organization or jurisdiction has a responsibility to identify their critical assets, assess the threat posed against them, and evaluate the risk that those critical assets may be degraded or destroyed. A new section in the second edition discusses how to ascertain how attractive a critical asset may be to a terrorist planning an attack.

In keeping with the all hazards theme of this book, Chapter 3, Types of Terrorist Attacks, introduces the reader to the three types of destruction events and how a critical asset may be adversely affected. However, emphasis is placed on the intentional destructive event that could be perpetrated by an adversary, including their tactics, whether they are an insider, outsider, or one working in collusion with an insider. The target selection processes, including basic screening methodologies that can be used to determine a critical asset's attractiveness as a target, are also provided. The second edition includes an expanded section on cyber terrorism, and the weaponization of the internet, which is rapidly becoming a significant issue that must be addressed.

The premise of this book is that critical assets should be protected from all hazards and all risks, not just terrorism. The principles covered are designed for all threats from minor criminal activity through the use of a weapon of mass destruction by a terrorist. Many of the basic principles that are applied to assessing and protecting a critical asset from being bombed by a terrorist can also be applied to reduce the likelihood of theft. The principles covered in a comprehensive emergency preparedness and response plan that address how to mitigate and recover from a terrorist attack can likewise be used to recover from the damage caused by a hurricane. There are various scenarios and case studies presented to assist in the implementation of an assessment and countermeasure process.

The most horrific attack a terrorist could initiate would involve a weapon of mass destruction, which is covered in Chapter 4, Weapons of Mass Destruction. These weapons, which would involve the use of a biological, chemical, or nuclear/radiological agent, or an incendiary or explosive device, would be truly devastating if executed properly. Therefore, an entire chapter is devoted to describing these weapons, and how a terrorist may go about turning an apparently innocuous or commonly available material into a weapon. Having this understanding will greatly assist in performing the vulnerability and risk assessment processes as well as developing appropriate security countermeasures. Weapons used by terrorists are limited only by the imagination. Commercial products used in our everyday lives can be used as unconventional weapons. The second edition includes a new section on some of these potential weapons.

Chapter 5, The Terrorists Preparation for an Attack, addresses the various pre-attack preparations an adversary may undertake before executing an attack. Included are eight potential indicators of terrorism; these indicators are the core of a training program for personnel to help them recognize that a plot may be afoot. The next logical step after conducting a vulnerability analysis will be to evaluate the risk of adverse consequences, and implement the appropriate level of security countermeasures.

Chapter 6, Risk and Threat Assessment, presents several examples of worksheets that can be used to assess asset criticality, asset value, threat analysis, and consequences of a successful attack. Risk and threat assessment and analysis techniques are also discussed, including examples of both qualitative and quantitative risk analysis.

Chapter 7, The Security Vulnerability Analysis, has been reformatted and expanded in the second edition to present a critical asset screening methodology and the process of conducting a security vulnerability assessment for all types of potential loss. Several examples and sample worksheets are provided.

Just as all organizations and jurisdictions have an obligation to assess their vulnerabilities and risks, they have an obligation to implement effective security countermeasures. These countermeasures can take many forms, and will certainly vary from organization to organization and jurisdiction to jurisdiction based on the threat and risk assessment.

Chapter 8, Principles of Protective Security, details the principles of protective security and introduces the concept of rings of protection. Rings of protection involve the use of several overlapping and complementary security measures that can be implemented to reduce vulnerabilities and hence risk.

Chapter 9, Effective Security Countermeasures, provides some basic guidance, examples, and templates for various security countermeasures that can be customized to fit specific applications. New sections in the second edition have been added to cover active shooter incidents and attacks on transportation systems.

Chapter 10, General Emergency Response Considerations, provides some basic principles of emergency response, including an introduction to the Incident Command System (ICS) and the National Incident Management System (NIMS). These basic principles are valid for any type of emergency situation.

Chapter 11, Emergency Response to a Weapon of Mass Destruction Attack, provides some basic guidance on how to respond to an incident involving the use of a weapon of mass destruction.

A new Chapter 12 has been added to the second edition, Homeland Security Laws, Regulations, and Standards. Information includes an overview of the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards and the Maritime Transportation Security Act.

This second edition is prepared with the latest information concerning the threat and security countermeasures. Homeland security is a very dynamic field, with changes occurring on almost a daily basis. As such, we must never let our guard down, and must constantly maintain situational awareness of the world around us. It is only through the steadfast dedication and commitment of homeland security professionals that major attacks by international terrorist organizations have been thwarted.

There were many who have supported and encouraged me in this endeavor. To these behind-the-scene family and friends whose names do not appear in print, I extend my sincere appreciation and gratitude for their support.

To the practitioners in the field of homeland security, this work is submitted in the hope it will be a useful tool in strengthening our critical infrastructure and in helping to prevent casualties and loss in the future.

Woodbridge, NJ         Brian T. Bennett