Session CT14/CT15: Prevention vs. Post-Mortem Debrief: The Need for Intelligence 101 and Insightful Terrorist Red Teaming
February 18, 14:00 - 15:45
Abstract:
Are we really satisfied to review a horrific event content in the knowledge that we reacted as we were trained to do; that
we managed the crisis with as little death and destruction as possible or ... would we rather reflect back on the
situation later, realizing what a horrible disaster we avoided, and how we saved a country from despair? Which
one of these choices really deserves to be called a celebration?
Post-mortem (after the fact) debriefing is an effort to identify and learn from mistakes that may have been made in
responding to an event. But what comfort can be found in literally dissecting the dead to discover the cause of death ... what
comfort is there in counting the dead and wounded, and finding out how they were killed and injured?
Terrorist attacks are almost never impulsive. Conscious or unconscious actions that reveal future plans of an attack, or
indicators, are observable if one is trained to look for them and understands where to look. Plans have been made;
someone has been told; someone already knows it might happen; preparatory behavior, such as surveillance and reconnaissance,
has been observed; equipment has been acquired (or plans made for acquisition); and the plan has been rehearsed.
Unfortunately these indicators often go unnoticed or unrecorded due to lack of awareness and/or training.
Therefore a method of prevention that works is required. Intelligence 101 uses a method of red-teaming analyses of terrorist
psychologies, mindsets, behaviors, strategic threat landscapes, group modus operandi, and likely attack scenarios that help
the student to identify the warning and operational indicators of a terrorist threat; and then employ methods of intervention
and follow-up. While it is true, indicators can be misleading and sometimes counterintuitive, refuting the indicators
will result in lowering the threat potential.
Intelligence training in this regard can take many forms, from developing red-teaming analytic frameworks and skills,
to intensive, immersive role playing in terrorist mindsets, strategies, and tactics such as that found in the Terrorism
Research Center's (TRC) Mirror Image Training Program.
The proposed session to be conducted during the Intelligence Summit would provide participants with a small taste of TRC's
Mirror Image Training Program and SRA's condensed classroom counterpart, the Perspective: Red.
The session will begin with a terrorist indoctrination as would-be "terrorist trainees" arrive at "camp". They will
then move through one or more planning phases from the terrorist perspective, such as target selection, weapons
acquisition, attack planning and execution. During the session, participants will receive insight into the mindset and
rationale of the terrorist through hands-on experience of the methods and means they use, and education about the ideologies
that motivate them and cultural dimensions that influence their decision making process. Military, law enforcement,
intelligence and security professionals will, in turn, be able to see themselves as the terrorists see them, and understand
the weaknesses in their own environment that the terrorists will see, and which all too often they miss. Armed with these
insights, participants will leave the course better able to anticipate, prevent and respond to multiple terrorist threats.
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Selina Hayes is currently serving as a Homeland Security Analyst and with SRA International assisting in the implementation and planning of the Homeland Security Emergency Preparedness Exercise Programs for the Los Angeles, Orange County and San Diego County Operational Areas. Ms. Hayes has traveled extensively and has cultural awareness and diplomatic skills acquired from a number of cultural immersion experiences. Previous to her current position Ms. Hayes held a position at the Embassy of Australia, Washington DC and the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office.
