The National Counter Terrorism Center (NCTC)

In the aftermath of 9/11 the world heard the scathing indictment of the U.S. intelligence agencies charged with preventing terrorist attacks. The dots weren’t connected! Why? Because intelligence agencies that had bits and pieces of the attack information hadn’t provided it to their counterparts. There was a myriad of reasons for this, including protecting one’s turf, fear of critical information leaks to the press and the like, but the “stove pipe” analogy was the most troubling. “Stovepiping” was the practice of only sending information up the chain of command within an agency. The 9/11 Commission also called this reluctance to share the “Gorelick Wall.”

Jamie Gorelick was the U. S.Deputy Attorney General under the Clinton administration, who wrote the 1995 intelligence guideline memorandum for disseminating terrorist information between agencies. And even though there was back-and-forth finger pointing about the extent intelligence agencies were prohibited from sharing crucial information, her memorandum was widely cited as the legally restrictive lynch pin. The intelligence community thought a violation of the memorandum guidelines would lead to civil suits and felony criminal prosecutions by the Justice Department. The bottom line: Agents believed they could lose their homes, pensions, be fired and sent to prison. A very chilling cloud to work under, and it wasn’t a comforting sight to see Jamie Gorelick sitting on the 9/11 Commission panel overseeing the hearings.

But some good did come in the form of recommendations by the Commission. The National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) was formed. Heard of it? Unless you’re part of the intelligence community most likely you haven’t, or if you did you’ve forgotten about it as you went about day-to-day tasks. After 9/11 a number of agencies known by their initials were mixed together to form alphabet soup organizations, such as the Office of Homeland Security. Of all the groups the NCTC was one that made sense to me.

The NCTC was established by President Bush in August 2004, to serve as the primary U.S. organization to integrate and analyze all intelligence pertaining to terrorism and counterterrorism, and to construct strategic operational plans. The NCTC also houses the central knowledge bank on terrorism information, and it developed the architecture that allows agencies such as the FBI and CIA ready access to the millions of terrorist related documents contained in the database.

The NCTC is staffed by analysts from 16 agencies that are co-located with the CIA and FBI Watch Centers at the Liberty Crossing Center in Northern Virginia. There analysts from these agencies work side-by-side scouring foreign and domestic terrorism information from 30 networks or more in an effort to uncover and disrupt terrorist plots.

Is everything perfect? No, but we’re getting our act together. It isn’t by accident that we haven’t suffered a major terrorist attack on our home territory since 9/11, but for logistical reasons and to protect ongoing investigations, many positive results aren’t trumpeted in the New York Times or on the evening news. You can take it to the bank that because our intelligence agencies are working together around the clock there have been attacks prevented, plots uncovered, and terrorists captured or killed that we don’t know about, and quite frankly, don’t need to. Fighting terrorism is an ongoing battle. Now the terrorists don’t have an open field; they can’t act with impunity and they’re getting more than they’re giving.

I’ll have more to say about the NCTC in later postings.

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The Devil's Darning Needle -- Adult Counterterrorism Thriller

(La Aguja del Caballito del Diablo)

A counterterrorism thriller by Ben R. Furman.

Western folklore said the dragonfly was in league with the Devil, and in the dead of night while everyone slept, it would enter bedrooms and sew up the eyes and mouths of misbehaving children, scolding women, and lying men. The dragonfly became known as the Devil’s Darning Needle. I use the term to describe the robotic dragonflies that are the attack vehicles in the story. If the government’s cutting edge technology has caught or surpassed that I’ve described, I don’t know. No one will say. But something very similar is “out there.” I did the drawing above to provide a visual for the robotic dragonflies. Click on the picture to take a closer look.

A Department of Defense (DOD) article said the micro aerial vehicle (MAV) project started with a government sponsored forum on future technologies for military operations. The world’s best aeronautical scientists discussed the practicality of producing micro vehicles, including aircraft systems, that were no larger in size than a hummingbird and could be scaled down to less than a centimeter. Primarily the vehicles would be used for surveillance, but they needed the ability to convert to a weapon’s system.

I took literary license with the specifications but these are pretty close to the overall requirements spelled out in the original forum: The aircraft had to be less than six inches in diameter, fly up to thirty kilometers at a top speed of 50 miles per hour, remain aloft for twenty minutes to two hours, and carry a payload of at least three ounces. It should be launched by hand, or by launch munitions, or from a larger aircraft. The operating software program had to be interchangeable with existing military software and hardware to eliminate retrofitting or reprogramming. It had to be compatible with the military ground control stations and software protocols that were used for military unmanned drones and surveillance aircraft. Most of all, it had to be G.I. proof. It would be a one mission, expendable vehicle that had to be inexpensive to produce.

Book excerpt…Luis flipped on the control station, and opened a case that held three MAV prototypes. He handed one to Angel, who turned it over in his hands, examining it from every angle.

Angel hadn’t seen anything that remotely resembled the robotic creature. “Does this little bug really fly, Luis? It’s so small and compact.”

“Five inch segmented body and six inch double wings for stability, and this baby can be used for real time clandestine surveillance or it can be converted to a weapon to deliver plastic explosives. The yield comes close to a military fragmentary grenade. We can link up four of the critters and we’ll have a pound of high explosives.”

“What’s the covering, Luis?”

“Compressed carbon fiber or paper for short. It’s nearly invisible to radar, and if it did pop up on a screen it would be dismissed as a bird. If detection isn’t a problem the skin can be switched to segmented metal that will increase the kill zone by flying shrapnel.

“It’s powered by microwave beams that are converted to an electric current inside the MAV that fuels the electric motor, which in turn drives the wings. The principle’s much the same as a household microwave oven, but instead of producing heat, we’re producing energy for the electric motor.”

Luis showed Angel the control station. It had a large video screen, a scrolling topographical map that ran simultaneously with the video, and a compass overlay in the top right of the screen. The map and the video provided real time geo-referenced information that gave the operator the vehicle position, direction and sensor orientation.

“If the operator’s good, a dozen dragonflies can be flown at the same time,” he said as the dragonfly lifted silently into the air, hovered, and waited for flight instructions.


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Terrorism Defined -- Adult

This is the first in a series of posts that will deal with terrorism.

If you want to enter a never-ending fracas, just come up with your own definition of terrorism and jump in. Even though terrorism has been used since the beginning of recorded history, it’s still a bear to define.

So where does the term terrorist come from anyway? The Latin word terrere means “to frighten.” The French word terrorisme brought the usage forward in time. The word is associated with the regime de la terreur, (the Reign of Terror, circa 1793 – 1794). Those who implemented the orders of the regime, which included mass executions of “enemies of the French revolution,” were called terrorists. The term has stuck.

At any point in time there are more than one hundred definitions of terrorism circulating about. Reading the various studies that try to arrive at a universal definition will put one to sleep. I have and they did. I read one that said there are twenty-two definitional elements that have to be considered. But after all of the back-and-forth the only tiny point of agreement between the scholars that I could find is this: terrorism involves violence and the threat of violence.

The UK and its former colonies define terrorism tightly. I’ll get to that in a moment. But first, I have to punish you with the U.N.’s meandering, politically correct definition. This is it: An anxiety-inspiring method of repeated violent action, employed by (semi-) clandestine individual, group or state actors, for idiosyncratic, criminal or political reasons, whereby - in contrast to assassination - the direct targets of violence are not the main targets.

Most of academia accepts this toothless definition then adds to it such verbose concepts as "message generators" and 'violence based communication processes." As if “anxiety-inspiring” isn’t enough to make even a Billy goat puke!

Here’s the deal, like pornography, one knows it when one sees it. The same holds for terrorism. Watching a grainy video tape of some innocent guy getting his head cut off with a dull butcher knife by mutant thugs pretty much says it all. I guess lopping off a head would be considered a “message generator.”

These are my preferred definitions. The FBI uses: “Terrorism is the unlawful use of force and violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives." Crisp and clean.

The Department of Defense says terrorism is “the calculated use of unlawful violence or threat of unlawful violence to inculcate fear; intended to coerce or to intimidate governments or societies in the pursuit of goals that are generally political, religious, or ideological.” This one has the three elements that are found in each terrorist act --violence, fear, and intimidation—and each element produces terror in its victims.

What’s the big deal with the definition? Well, there has to be an agreement among the front line folks about what is or isn’t a terrorist act. Everyone has to be on the same page, just like the terrorists. And without this understanding no cohesive battle plan to combat terrorism can be drawn. The definition is the key stone that holds the plan and the folks that implement it together.

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Black Hawk Press Counterterrorism Blog

Welcome to the counterterrorism blog of Black Hawk Press publisher and author Ben Furman!

This blog provides you with posts concerning the ongoing terrorist picture here and abroad, and what is being done to checkmate it. This is my background: I was an FBI agent for twenty-two years, during which I investigated bank robberies, kidnappings, extortions, organized crime, and terrorism. The rough-and-tumble world of counterterrorism proved to be my greatest but most rewarding challenge. As a counterterrorism chief I directed multi-agency task forces that combated chemical, biological and nuclear threats against the United States. Currently I am the CEO of the Rexus Corporation, a private security and investigation firm that does national and international work.

I also write thrillers that are based on my counterterrorism experience. The SWAT tactics, investigative techniques, cutting edge technology, the interplay between agencies, and the point - counterpoint between agents and terrorists gives you an insider’s look at the underbelly of a frightening world. The clock is ticking….

Please return often for my commentary and feel free to add your comments or ask questions. I'll give you my best answers. For more information, visit my main site at www.blackhawkpress.com or follow the "Home" link above.

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