SS 474 Terrorism and Counterterrorism Lesson 10 Organizing

SS 474: Terrorism and Counterterrorism Lesson 10: Organizing to Fight Terrorism COMBATING TERRORISM CENTER at West Point

To win the War on Terror, we will: COMBATING TERRORISM CENTER at West Point • Advance effective democracies as the long-term antidote to the ideology of terrorism; • Prevent attacks by terrorist networks; • Deny weapons of mass destruction to rogue states and terrorist allies who seek to use them; • Deny terrorists the support and sanctuary of rogue states; • Deny terrorists control of any nation they would use as a base and launching pad for terror; and • Lay the foundations and build the institutions and structures we need to carry the fight forward against terror and help ensure our ultimate success.

MIDLIFE (formerly DIME) CT Approach • • Military Intelligence Diplomacy Legal Information Financial Economic COMBATING TERRORISM CENTER at West Point

State-Level Challenges in Developing Countries • • Authoritarian governments Corruption & Bribery Lack of national strategies, expertise Lots of “on-the-job” training among government leaders • Tremendous lack of resources to fund antiterrorism/counterterrorism efforts COMBATING TERRORISM CENTER at West Point

Regional Conditions • Criminal activity – Drugs • hard/soft drugs trafficking • Soft drugs use – – – Small arms/light weapons Money laundering Piracy Human trafficking Armed groups, “hold ups” • Other strategic opportunities which terrorists could exploit COMBATING TERRORISM CENTER at West Point

Regional Conditions • • • Refugees Poverty Porous borders Bad neighbors Under-resourced Naval, border security forces Ethnic/religious differences Unregulated financial networks Rebel movements Western presence/globalization – everywhere State-sponsored terrorism COMBATING TERRORISM CENTER at West Point

Regional Needs • • • Strategic guidance Funds Moral support Training & equipment for police & law enforcement Information/intelligence sharing between all governments Legal cooperation Political will to cooperate regionally Money More Money COMBATING TERRORISM CENTER at West Point

Elements of the National CT Strategy 4 D’s: • 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 COMBATING TERRORISM CENTER at West Point

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 COMBATING TERRORISM CENTER at West Point

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) Requires considerable interagency coordination and multinational cooperation In particular, we must work with willing and able states, enable weak states, persuade reluctant states, and compel unwilling states COMBATING TERRORISM CENTER at West Point

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) Requires considerable interagency coordination and multinational cooperation 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 COMBATING TERRORISM CENTER at West Point

Defend against terrorist attacks Objectives: • Implement National Strategy for Homeland Security (DIMEFIL dimensions: Intelligence, Economic, Financial, Information, Legal) • Attain domain awareness (DIMEFIL dimensions: Diplomatic, Intelligence, Information, Economic, Financial, Legal) • Enhance measures to protect critical infrastructure (DIMEFIL dimensions: Diplomatic, Intelligence, Information, Economic, Financial, Legal) • Integrate measures to protect U. S. citizens abroad (DIMEFIL dimensions: Diplomatic, Intelligence, Information, Economic, Financial, Legal) • Ensure an integrated response capability (DIMEFIL dimensions: Diplomatic, Intelligence, Information, Economic, Financial, Legal) Based on the mindset that “the best defense is a good offense” COMBATING TERRORISM CENTER at West Point

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 COMBATING TERRORISM CENTER 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 COMBATING TERRORISM CENTER at West Point

Critical Analysis • According to Schultz, why did we not go after bin Laden prior to 9/11? • What does this mean we need to do in the future? • According to Kilcullen, why should we call this conflict a struggle against a global insurgency? • What elements of traditional COIN does he propose adapting to the global level? COMBATING TERRORISM CENTER at West Point

GWOT VNSAs (Good Guys) (Bad Guys) M I D L I F E COMBATING TERRORISM CENTER at West Point

Issues of Concern / Contested Terrains GWOT VNSA Military Need AW capabilities Can learn much from military manuals Information Official government speeches, messages, efforts to influence public opinion “Any/all source” videos, audios, games, cartoons, etc. for radicalizing and mobilizing Diplomacy Enormous need for international cooperation Can create nightmares for diplomacy by exploiting fissures; For example, get allies (like Spain) to withdraw troops from Iraq Legal U. S. /UN Man-made laws God’s Law (or other mechanism for delegitimizing legal challenges) Intelligence Need HUMINT from communities who may not trust government Open Source intell can be very useful in target surveillance, planning, etc. Finance Need to combat underground financial networks Financial incentives for violence Economics Can impose sanctions Can exploit global trade vulnerabilities COMBATING TERRORISM CENTER at West Point

Counterterrorism Strategy • 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 enemy’s 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 COMBATING TERRORISM CENTER at West Point

Counterterrorism Strategy • 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 COMBATING TERRORISM CENTER at West Point

Counterterrorism Strategy • 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 COMBATING TERRORISM CENTER at West Point