Operational Planning at the Local Level for Encountering Potential Terrorist Threats - Research Paper Example

Operational Planning at the Local Level for Encountering Potential Terrorist Threats Affiliation withmore information about affiliation, research grants, conflict of interest and how to contact Abstract: This paper explores the threat of terrorism to countries such as the US and UK especially in the wake of the terrorist attacks of 9/11 and the London bombings. It also examines in detail the current state of preparedness in the US for countering terrorist attacks as well as to respond to major incidents including terrorist attacks. The paper discusses the establishment of National Incident Management Systems (NIMS) for incorporating the activities of local, tribal, state and federal agencies. It also illustrates the development of NIMS training and its components and how it incorporates adult training as well as school and college students into the training system to maximize the human resources to undertake response activities. In addition, the paper also discusses the involvement of Saint Leo University in community activities and how its students can be potential tools in response activities. Overall, the paper shows that with the incorporation of the unified NIMS command system and training will improve the efficiency and effectiveness of incident response system. It also analyses how such systems and training can enhance the basic capabilities of the local authorities to encounter terrorist threat. Operational Planning at the Local Level for Encountering Potential Terrorist Threats Introduction: Terrorism and the consequent violence is the most serious threat for every nation across the world in the present day. The situation particularly has reached alarming proportions for the countries such as the US and UK, especially in the wake of 9/11 and the London bombings. In the recent decades, many terrorist outfits have emerged, particularly those with such religious ideologies that make them consider the US, UK and India as potential enemies. The trends in the recent past also suggest of the involvement of many nations, especially those in the Middle East, in sponsoring terrorism and helping the militants with unlimited flow of funding. Most of the people who join terrorism are led by blind faith and they remain extremely committed to their so called cause. They are prepared to go to any extent in wreaking havoc in the nations that they consider as their enemies. The different instances of suicide bombings that have caused extensive loss to life and property in many nations in the past are examples for this trend. Terrorists often act as maniacs without any sympathy or consideration for human values and they do not even spare women, children or the elderly. Evidence points to difficulties in comprehensively defining terrorism from a universal perspective, which has remained an “ongoing obstacle” for the UN to properly implement universal treaties on counterterrorism (Setty, 2011, p.7). Therefore, many researchers feel that antiterrorist initiatives by the UN and different nations have not been able to attain complete effectiveness in framing appropriate laws to fight the menace of terrorism while “fulfilling human rights obligations” (p.7). The UN Security Council, however, offers a general description of acts that can be treated as falling within the “rubric of terrorist activity” through Resolution 1566 in 2004 (p.15). This definition considers terrorism as “criminal acts” committed with the intention of causing death or grave physical injury to people including civilians or taking humans as hostages for the purpose of terrorizing the public or governments (p.16). The UN Security Council also obligates all member nations to regularly report acts of terrorism as well as to take precautionary measures so as to ensure the security and safety of all the citizens in a country as well as to protect the human rights. Creation of National Incident Management Systems: In the aftermath of 9/11 and taking into account the emerging requirements of incident management systems, the US government has set up the National Incident Management Systems (NIMS). The NIMS encompasses a basic transformation in the concept of incident management from a discipline specific system into a “multi agency approach” that integrates the functioning of various hazard intervention agencies, healthcare and other emergency services both in private and public sectors (Walsh et al, 2012, p.4). Besides, this system also seeks to align the activities of all local, state and federal agencies for handling “incident response activities” and seeks to attain maximum effectiveness by these coordinated endeavors (p.4). The most significant part of the NIMS is the Incident Command System (ICS) which manages the domestic incidents and a major part of such incidents are “managed locally” by the local dispatch centers (p.12). NIMS also provide continuous training to the personnel involved in incident management activities to develop in them the core competencies. The Emergency Operation Plan (EOP) of the NIMS determines the responsibilities and duties of the personnel participating in activities relating to incident management. Besides, additional documents such as the Standard Operating Procedures and Emergency Operating Procedures dictate the “steps to follow” when incidents or act of terrorism occur, which warrant intervention (National Incident Management System, 2006, p.6). Under the NIMS concept, when any event including natural calamities or man-made disasters occurs, the system coordinates all the resources within a county such as fire, police, Homeland Security, emergency services Health, Transportation, Public Works and other services as well as schools and other agencies to act. Thus, with adequate preparedness and training, the personnel within the local resources will be able to manage incidents such as terrorist attacks and take necessary remedial measures to address various issues. The NIMS Training Program: The NIMS training program is intended to offer the guidelines for the NIMS training that addresses the components of “Preparedness, Communication and Information Management” apart from the management of resources and command (National Incident Management System, 2011, p.3). It also defines the responsibilities of NIC and other stakeholders and offer training to the concerned based on their roles apart from “maintaining and sustaining” the training activities (p.3). In addition, the program also defines the “core curriculum” for NIMS training besides offering the course description and guidance for training (p.3). On the other hand, NIMS training also envisages the educating of adult population in emergency management that aims engaging adult learners as “self-directed participants” in the learning process (p.4). The training also takes into account the “work environments” of the learners and offers learning that matches their work so that the students remain motivated towards the training (p.5). By providing NIMS training to the citizens, the efficiency and effectiveness of crisis management at local level can be improved considerably and incident response operations can produce best outcomes. Presently, the NIMS training program is continuing at “various stages” of implementation in the local, tribal, state and national level (p.7). The NIC, as part of the training programs, has also a assembled a “multi-disciplined” team for the purpose of developing the guidelines for addressing the hazards of all types and impart training accordingly (p.12). The NIMS further encompasses specific training modules for school and college students such as incident management, earthquake safety, multi-hazard emergency planning etc. Operational Planning and Preparedness: The planning or plotting for a terrorist attack and its actual execution usually will occur within a community inside a “state or tribal area” (Bjelopera, 2011, p.3). Therefore, the “initial response” to the event will also have to come from the local agencies within the framework of the NIMS directives. Thus, the local authorities will have to remain prepared for such events and in conjunction with state and federal agencies as well as other resources within the community will have to undertake the incident management activities. It is also significant to have proper intelligence about various activities of the terrorists and for this purpose the local authorities need to devise a regular intelligence sharing system with state and federal agencies. This will enable them to gain access to the movements of terrorists within the community and also to take necessary precautions in the event of any incident. Response to terrorist activities or incident management involves two significant functions such as “crisis management and consequence management” (Chatham County, 2013, p.5). The former focuses on identifying the threat as well as the terrorists and to “prevent” the attack before it occurs (p.5). On the other hand, post attack crisis management includes “efforts to resolve” the aftermath of the incident, investigating it and apprehending the perpetrators (p.5). Usually, law enforcement agencies lead crisis management activities and, where necessary, local authorities also collaborate with federal agencies in the subsequent investigations. Similarly, depending on the intelligence collected, when there is the perception of a terrorist attack, the local authorities may activate their Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and provide further assistance for coordinating “crisis management operations” as envisaged in the NIMS (p.6). This will enable all concerned authorities to align their efforts in either preventing the occurrence of terrorist attacks or containing the negative consequences of such incidents. Consequence management, on the other hand, is primarily intended to handle the effects of the acts of terrorism but is done in the same manner as in the case of “response and recovery operations” (p.6). Local emergency management systems, in conjunction with NIMS, have the crucial role to play in consequence management and they need to coordinate their activities with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Every local incident site will have an incident command post (ICP), with an incident commander who will be responsible for directing and controlling “responding resources” and designating the operating areas for containing the emergency situation (p.7). The federal, state or local agents working in the team will determine the crime scene boundary and secure the area to protect the evidence available in the crime scene and to use it for further investigations. Similarly, the HAZMAT area also will have to be decided to identify the “hot zone” otherwise known as exclusion area or isolation zone, where even other respondents will also not be allowed entry (p.7). Such precautions are necessary to protect vital evidences that may otherwise be disturbed or ruined by personnel working on rescue operations or providing other services. The IC in consultation with EOC will allocate the responsibilities to the personnel involved in the incident response activities. For better operational effectiveness the system of unified command needs to be established so that when responders from the state and federal agencies arrive at the scene, the local authorities will have to “integrate those resources” under a uniform command at the local level (p.8). The local police and other law enforcement officers will have to inform the consequence management team of the decisions that have “implications” on the crisis management process so that complete transparency can be facilitated for ensuring maximum efficiency and effectiveness (p.8). Similarly, the local law enforcement officials should be available for any required activity till the process of recovery or crisis management is completed and mutual confirmation to this effect is made. The Role of Saint Leo University: In this context, non-governmental organizations such as schools, colleges and universities have to play a key role in extending help, especially in terms of human resources, during events including natural calamities and terrorist attacks. Thus, Saint Leo University also partners with the local authorities in organizing rescue or response missions in the event of occurrence of any natural calamity or terrorist attacks. The core values of Saint Leo University are aligned to mould “morally responsible leaders” who will contribute to the community by their active involvement in crisis management activities (Mission & Values, 2014). Similarly, the university emphasizes on its commitment to the community in fostering a “spirit of belonging” and mutual dependence as well as creating “socially responsible environments” in the society (Mission & Values, 2014). In compliance to their mission and core values, the university will be able to cooperate with the local authorities assist the local authorities in terms of their dedicated students who can be of potential help during crisis situations. On the other hand, the university can also benefit from the NIMS training and involve its students more actively in such program so that they can be useful to the community in the event of any major incident including terrorist attacks. Summary of Findings: Terrorism is a crucial threat that has been pestering nation across the world for the past several decades. This menace and the resultant violence have been found especially rampant in the countries such as US and UK. Many nations sponsor terrorism through providing terrorists with financial resources, due to religious reasons. The UN also has been taking initiatives to combat the problem and, therefore, they have instructed all the member nations to have a proper reporting and response system to the threat. In the US, especially after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, a pressing need has been felt to establish a unified system for responding to potential threats of terrorism as well as to respond to any incidents including terrorist activities. Thus, with a view to integrate multi-disciplined task forces under a single command, the US government has set up the NIMS. This unified system has the potential to manage incident response more effectively and efficiently. The NIMS training, which is part of the NIMS, also seeks to provide a systematic multi-disciplined training to various local, state and federal agencies to respond appropriately to various incident situations. The system also envisages extending of crisis management training to the adult population within the community apart from offering it to students in schools and colleges. Conclusion: The local, state and federal agencies are at different stages in the process of implementing the NIMS training to their personnel. With the establishment of NIMS and the unified command system that integrates the functions of different agencies, the operational planning to encounter terrorist threat seems to have gained effectiveness. Similarly, the sharing of intelligence among various agencies also has enhanced the efficiency of security forces and their preparedness to encounter terrorism. The NIMS training to the civilian adult population can especially be useful in making the rescue and response activities to be more fruitful as on most occasions the lack of human resources will be the greatest limitation. On the other hand, the extension of training to school and college campuses also will fetch better outcomes for the community. Trained students will also be potential assets for impacting further training to the adults within the community and their services can also be used for response activities. Saint Leo University, which is committed to bring unity and harmony to the community, has potential contributions to make in this regard. Their students, who treasure the mission and core values of the university, can be potential tools in various rescue and response activities in the community. References Bjelopera, J. P. (2011). Terrorism Information Sharing and the Nationwide Suspicious Activity Report Initiative: Background and Issues for Congress. Washington, DC: Congressional Research Service. Retrieved July 14, 2014, from Chatham County Emergency Operations Plan. (2013). Chatham Emergency Management Agency. Retrieved July 14, 2014, from Mission & Values. (2014). Homepage of Saint Leo University. Retrieved July 15, 2014, from National Incident Management System Guide for County Officials. (2006). Community Services Division, National Association of Counties. Retrieved July 14, 2014, from National Incident Management System: Training Program. (2011). Homeland Security. Retrieved July 15, 2014, from Setty, S. (2011). What’s in a Name? How Nations Define Terrorism Ten Years after 9/11. University of Pennsylvania Journal of International Law, Vol.33 (1): pp.1-63 Walsh, D. W. et al. (2012). National Incident Management System: Principles and Practice (2nd edn). Sudbury, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC. Read More