Background: There has been a significant rise in lone-offender terrorism in the United States and abroad over the past decade and post-9/11. The use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) was seen in Afghanistan and Iraq shortly after the War on Terror began in October 2001. In today’s era, individuals are also using vehicle-borne IEDs (VBIEDs) or car bombs/car suicide bombs. These weapons are used globally to target military installations, critical infrastructures, public/private personnel, innocent civilians, and large crowds.

Question: What do you think can be done to better secure critical infrastructures, public gatherings, and military installations from lone-offender terrorists who use IEDs and VBIEDs?

ANSWER THE ABOVE QUESTION AND REPLY TO MY CLASSMATE’S RESPONSE TO THE ABOVE QUESTION AND EXPLAIN WHY YOU AGREE? (A MINIMUM OF 200 WORDS) 

In my opinion, I believe the only way to better secure infrastructure, public gatherings, and military installations is to establish an outside perimeter that serves as a security checkpoint against IED’s and VBIED’s.  One of the thoughts that come to mind is when I worked at the Port in Brunswick, Georgia.  (I know it also works this way in Baltimore, Maryland – the other seaboard on the East Coast.)  You had to possess an identification badge from the division you worked and a government-issued Transportation Work Industries Credentialing (TWIC) badge for which you had to be fingerprinted with a background check.  At the security checkpoint, you were still subject to routine inspection of your vehicle.  The security checkpoint was also strategically located and constructed to where (a) you couldn’t pass through without displaying the proper credentials and (b) far enough away from the ships that were importing goods that a bomb with enough force to conduct damage would have to be very large.  So, I think military installations and critical infrastructures have to construct either a physical perimeter or theoretical perimeter if construction simply isn’t possible.  For example, why not establish security checkpoints at a perimeter where you enforce the rule that no over-sized vehicles capable of carrying a bomb large enough to cause critical damage can pass? 

As far as public gatherings, I think a good example might be New Years’ Eve in Times Square.  I would apply the same concept which is to establish a multi-block perimeter where absolutely no vehicles are allowed.  I believe even at landmarks that are vulnerable (e.g. Golden Gate Bridge, Hoover Dam, Gateway Arch) there should be security cameras that are monitored from a central location just like there are people responsible for monitoring radars at airports to ensure the planes don’t hit each other upon takeoff. 

It seems that suicide bombings offer an advantage to the group responsible for the attack.  “Suicide bombings…are the preferred tactic because they offer an operational and economical advantage, and cause optimal casualties with minimal manpower and financial costs” (Hassan, 2017).  Those people of Middle Eastern descent or those who belong to the Nation of Islam as their religious preference seem to misinterpret classical readings and view violence as the response to perceived attacks whether in the form of military, media, or otherwise.  “Some people think that suicide bombing and other forms of violence against civilian targets are justified in order to defend Islam from its enemies” (Victoroff, Adelman, & Matthews, 2012).   Whatever the reason it seems that the increase in usage and reliance on technology and social media has fostered a psychological discontent with the government resulting in acts of violence.  Even I often hear news stories of Americans converting to Islam or “Iraqi sympathizers” and it seems the method in which a religious message is delivered is through violence and I personally don’t believe there is any religion that advocates violence.  Nonetheless, there has to be due diligence to increase protection for critical infrastructure, religious installations, and public gatherings to prevent acts of terrorism carried out in the name of religion.

REFERENCES

Hassan, M. H. (2017). A Rebuttal of Al-Qaeda and IS’ Theological Justification of Suicide Bombing. Counter Terrorist Trends & Analysis, 9(7), 15–26.

Victoroff, J., Adelman, J. R., & Matthews, M. (2012). Psychological Factors Associated with Support for Suicide Bombing in the Muslim Diaspora. Political Psychology, 33(6), 791–809. https://doi-org.libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/10.1111/j.1467-9221.2012.00913.x