#Soft_Target #Terrorism 15 Takeaways Explained numbers 8 - 15

The first “Priority of Work” in any Military Operation is SECURITY; The last is EATING AND SLEEPING – Military Operations Priorities of Work

The Supreme Art of War is subduing the Enemy without Fighting --- Sun Tzu

Today, we will cover the last 8 of the 15 Takeaways from Soft Target Hardening. Although the explanations and opinions listed in the first posting and this posting do not necessarily reflect those of the book’s Author; Dr. (COL ret USAF) Jennifer Hesterman; but are of my own after years in the protection field. Again, the main reference of these considerations, is Chapter 10 “Soft Target Hardening – Protecting People from Attack” by the aforementioned Author.

8.  Consider the deterrent effect of security officers and vehicles on your property –

Just having a Professional Appearance and Groomed Security Force, with Cleaned, Maintained, and defective free looking vehicles can lead to the perception of a robust security team. Another why to have an “appearance” of security would be to find a vehicle that is in relatively good shape and “clone” it, meaning label as a security vehicle and park it in front of your facility. Some of these suggestions, in it of itself, could be enough of a deterrent for an attack. Now I am not saying that this alone will prevent an attack, but the presence of security could make those that wish you harm to look elsewhere.

9.  Remember as we harden facilities, the insider threat will grow –

This seems pretty self-explanatory; But as facilities are hardened; those that mean to do us harm will have to adjust their tactics. That adjustment could include “infiltrating” organizations with those that are already radicalized or contacting those that could become radicalized. One way terrorist organizations have learned to recruit those to their ideology, especially in recent years, has been through the use of Social Media. If this transformation is completed this of course opens up the doors for a Lonewolf attack. Examples of Lonewolf Terror attacks that have affected the work place, almost to the extent that is blurred the lines between Terrorism and Workplace Violence, were the Fort Hood Attack on 2009 and the recent San Bernardino Attack. In both attacks, to the extent allowed by law, the attackers were “vetted” by their respective employers. Although after further investigations, there were signs of problems before the attacks that lead investigators to believe the attackers were radicalized. 

10.  Fight the five emotional states that increase your vulnerability

Hopelessness – “There is so much we have to do to prevent or mitigate the threat” There is a lot that has to be accomplished, but with some creative thought, there is a lot you can do. Consider what I like to call passive measures.

• Train your employees to be Force Multipliers
• Train them to be Safety and Security/Protection cognizant or as I like to say “Keep a Situational Awareness Mind Set”
• Keep your employees informed of changes to policies and protocols
• Keep your employees informed of both new hires and terminations
• Now acceptable laws may prevent you from disclosing the reason for terminations, you can still inform your employees of those that are “no longer employed by the company”
• Hold your employees to established safety and security/protection policies
• Have an open line of communication between your leadership and your employees; if need be, establish an anonymous reporting system, should an employee have a concern about a certain co-worker
• As you see, most of these approaches are inexpensive but effective

Infallibility – “It will never happen here” I’m sure there are a lot of organizations that felt the same way before they experienced a catastrophic incident.

• The following point doesn’t necessarily only relate to terror attacks, but S. Department of Labor estimates over 40% of businesses never reopen following a disaster. Of the remaining companies, at least 25% will close within 2 years. Over 60% of businesses confronted by a major disaster close by two years
• Although an attack may never directly impact your organization, there could be indirect results
• Those that are in your supply chain could be effected
• Your employees could be effected
• Routes to and from your place of business could be effected
• Those organizations close to your place of business could be effected, which through the domino effect could affect you
• Your organization could be affected if one of your employees is under suspicion or investigation for terrorism

Inescapability – “It is destiny or unavoidable, so why even try?” The answer to this question is easy; It’s called leadership and it is your responsibility not only to ensure the economic viability of your company, it is also your responsibility to not only protect those that work for you but to also protect your stakeholders.

Invulnerability – “It could never happen to me” Never assume that something could “never happen” to you or your organization. Again the direct impact maybe minimal, but the indirect results could be catastrophic to your organization. Always plan for the worst and hope for the best. Consider establishing a Continuity of Operations Plan, and Emergency Action/Response Plan; these plans don’t have to cover just terrorist attacks or active shooter but should cover all possible adverse effects to your operations.

Inevitability – “if it is going to happen, there is nothing I can do about it anyway”. There is a lot you can do to mitigate an attack or at the very least mitigate the impact if you are directly or indirectly affected.

11.  When faced with a budget dilemma consider the question; “What is the cost of not protecting our people” --

We tend to get wrapped up around “How much will this cost me”, with a little out of the box thinking you don’t need to spend a lot on planning, training, response and recovery. The question is, can you afford the litigation costs if you or your organization is found fault in not preparing and protecting your facilities or organization? There will be some associated cost, don’t be fooled, but again by properly training your employees that cost can be greatly reduced. Establishing and developing a Situational Mindset in your employees can pay great dividends should you ever need to “Activate” your security/protection plan.

12.  Focus on Vulnerability no probability –

You own the “ground” you stand on; you and your employees know the building better than anyone else; Capitalize on that! You know the weaknesses, you know the strengths; You should also know your own strengths and weaknesses and those of your staff.

13.  Invest in preparedness not prediction –

You can’t predict when, if, or where, an attack can happen anymore than you can predict the final outcome of a sports playoff. Oh, sure you can have a very reasonable speculation, but nothing is 100% predictable. Invest in preparing. Even if you only have to use your plan once, it will pay for itself!

14.  Understand that we can paint an accurate picture of consequences even if we can’t predict how likely they are to occur –

We all know, based on our own past experiences and on the final results of what has already occurred the consequences of most actions. But what we can't predict how likely they will occur. Will it be a shooting, a bomb, a hostage situation, an IT compromise, or just a hoax, that throws everything into flux. But what we do today, or not do today, will certainly paint the picture of a relatively easy outcome, or a catastrophic one. Like the old saying “We can lose small or we can lose big”. For me if I have to lose, I would prefer the score to be as close as possible. “Show the Bastards that they had a fight on their hands”

15.  There is a desire for balance between normalcy and vigilance –

You have to find that balance; don’t be so over powering in your overt show of protection that those that interact with you or your company are feeling “jailed”. Again, go back to the more passive approaches that I have mentioned. Use available technologies to add those layers of protection. Of course that should be parts of your infrastructure that are more hardened than others. Remember that receptionist at the front door holds the initial "keys" to your protection program. If something doesn’t feel right to him/her, then maybe it is worth taking another look at. Remember that nothing is “route” anymore.

I hope that the last three posts were helpful to you. If there is ever any assistance I can give you feel free to contact me.

Ralph R. Fisk ATO, MEMS

Director, Principal Consultant

Fisk Consulting

fiskcg at gmail dot com