Indicators of Terrorist Activity Handbook

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Indicators of Terrorist ActivityHandbook

• US Coast Guard Headquarters
• Port Security
• Evaluation Division
• (CG-3PCP-4)

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Background Context

• Protecting High Consequence CI/KR has led to
  Higher Physical Security since 9/11
• Heightened Physical Security means that
  Terrorists must plan more to overcome these
  security measures
• Effective attack plans require information about
  the current security posture (they must know what
  they have to defeat in order to be successful)
• Terrorist Training and Planning can take years to
  unfold
• Port Security Terrorist Operations Assessments
  used Navy SEALs to provide the adversary
  perspective
• Identified a growing requirement for better
  outside the fence awareness

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Physical Security Posture

• Improved security attributed to
• MTSA
• Industry Associations
• LEA
• Government Grants
• Corporate Capital Investment
• Security Officer Equipment Training
• Best Practices Dissemination

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Physical Security Posture

• What to protect?
• Critical Components
• From what?
• Plausible Threat Scenarios that result in high
  consequences
• Review all threats (e.g., car/truck bomb, boat
  bomb, commercial vessels, swimmers, etc.) in
  context of consequence

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Threat Vectors

• Assets that are not high-consequence themselves
  (e.g., pilot vessels, fuel barges, tugs, etc.),
  but whose routine access to critical assets might
  be exploited
• Lower security procedures regarding the less
  critical asset may be overcome and used as a
  means to threaten the high consequence asset

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Physical Security Posture How Protected?

• What physical security measures are in place to
  address the plausible threats?
• The Four Gs
• Guards, Gates, Guns, and Gadgets
• Catchy phrase to address the many aspects of
  physical security to include Barriers, Access
  Control, CCTV, IDS, PPE, Security Training, etc.
• Role of facility, local, state and federal
  resources
• Terrorists need eyes on the intended target to
  gather this type of information its critical to
  a successful plan of attack

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Indicators of Terrorist Activity

• Terrorist information gathering and planning, and
  our ability to impact their planning cycle, is
  addressed through the following topics
• Observation Points and Surveillance Areas
• Staging Areas and Ingress Routes
• Probing Security
• Recognizing and Reporting Suspicious Activity

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Observation Points and Surveillance Areas

• What are they?
• Usually outside the perimeter
• Provide view of critical components or key
  security measures
• How are they determined or identified?
• Elevation, concealment, access
• What to do once they are identified?
• Security Forces tend to focus inside the fence
• Countermeasures can be identified

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Observation Points and Surveillance Areas
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Staging Areasand Ingress Routes

• What are they?
• Usually outside or approaching the perimeter
• Provide access or route to critical components or
  key security measures to be defeated
• How are they determined or identified?
• Staging of vessel, vehicle, equipment, explosives
• Ingress providing most effective access to CI/KR
• What to do once they are identified?
• Awareness programs at nearby potential staging
  areas
• Monitor potential ingress routes and choke points
  to give early warning of attack in progress

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Staging Areasand Ingress Routes
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Probing Security

• A higher security posture may require probing
  activity by terrorists to elicit a security
  response that can be measured or evaluated
• May be related to site security, LEA, USCG, etc.

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Reporting of Suspicious Activity

• How are suspicious activities recognized and
  reported?
• What information is collected and reported?
• How are reports investigated?
• Is information collected in a database? Shared
  with other LEA?
• Are programs that educate the public in use?

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Summary

• Handbook Objectives
• Define Current Security Posture
• Identify Critical Components, Plausible Threats,
  Threat Vectors, Physical Security Measures, etc.
• Identify Potential Indicators
• Observation Points or Surveillance Areas
• Staging Areas and Ingress Routes
• Probing Activities
• Identify Awareness Programs and Training
• Identify Actions to be Taken

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Next Steps

• Training and guidance for Sector Port Security
  Specialists
• Industry volunteers identified (5-10 sites)
• Industry Handbook use coordinated with Port
  Security Specialist
• Industry feedback consolidated by Sector and
  provided to HQ
• Incorporate improvements and publish final
  version of Handbook