Terrorism
Learning Topics
 Introduction
 Terrorism/Acts of war
 History of Terrorism
 Elements of Terrorism
 Types
 Media’s Role
 Objectives
 Tactics
Introduction
 Terrorism
The use of violence and intimidation in the pursuit of
political aims
 “One Man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter.”
Terrorism or Acts of War
(1) International terrorism
(2) Act of war
History of Terrorism
 Hashhashin- English word for assassins were a secretive sect active
in Iran and Syria from the 11th to 13th century
 These assassins were used to strike fear into the opposition
because they never knew when a kill was coming
 This was one of the first ways of using terror to make people act in
a certain way
4 Elements of Terrorism
1. It is premeditated
2. It is political
3. It is aimed at civilians
4. Sub-national groups carry it out
Types of Terrorism
 Bioterrorism
 Cyberterrorism
 Ecoterrorism
 Nuclear Terrorism
 Narcoterrorism
Media’s Role in Terrorism
 The media and the government
 Policymakers
Objectives of Terrorists
 Impacting public events and
history
 Long term social change
Tactics
 Bombings
 Suicide attacks
 Vehicle based attacks
 Aircraft attacks and hijacking
 Chemical and biological weapons
 Nuclear weapons
 Conventional firearms
 Secondary attacks
What are their targets?
 Military bases
 Rail and metro systems
 Chemical plants
 Liquid natural gas
 Dams
 Bio labs
 High civilian population areas
Combating Terrorism
 Three Goals of the 2010 National Security Strategy
 Disrupt the terrorist organizations by eliminating their
sanctuaries.
 Dismantle terrorist organization’s financial and weaponry
support networks.
 Defeat terrorist organization on the battlefield.
Force Protection - USN
 Detect
 Defend
 Deter
Conclusion
 Terrorism is one of the most important threats that we will
face in the modern world
 Keep constant alert to detect and defer terrorism before it
happens
 Avoid situations in which you will be in the middle of terrorist
activities
Resources
 LCDR Thomas Rancich
http://www.tomrancich.com/resources/articles.php?obj=a
rticle&oid=49&momId=47
 Terrorism Project
http://www.cdi.org/terrorism/moretargets.html