Homeland Defense Journal - January 2009 - 12

C OV E R S T O R Y audacious acts of violence—such as beheadings, mass killings, highproﬁle assassinations, and potentially, WMD’s—becomes the new standard to which terrorist aspire. They also seek to capitalize upon important events, and one in particular that al-Qaida could hope to take advantage of is our Presidential transition, and of speciﬁc concern is the inauguration of President Barack Obama. For the Department of Homeland Security and the new administration, this creates a particular concern for national security. Even if the inaugural event is not targeted, al-Qaida may see increased opportunity for a terrorist offensive in the ﬁrst year or so of Obama’s administration. With many imminent personnel and policy changes at every federal agency, the vulnerabilities to be exploited by terrorists are potentially numerous. Attacks that may have been planned months in advance could easily be delayed to coincide with our change of political leadership, and a successful attack at this time, in addition to any immediate casualties, could further damage our weakened economy or complicate our military and security postures abroad. Undermining a country’s conﬁdence at a time of political renewal is hardly unprecedented. Whether intentionally planned to coincide with the political environment or not, there are many examples of ‘transitional terrorism’: • World Trade Center, New York, Feb. 26, 1993 (37 days after Pres. Clinton’s inauguration): 1,200 pounds of explosives were planted inside of a Ryder truck in the ﬁrst attempt by AQ to bring down to the WTC, killing 6 people and injuring over 1,000 • Khobar Towers, Saudi Arabia, Jun. 25, 1996 (4 months before the 1996 U.S. election): A truck bomb kills 19 Americans and injures more than 300 people • USS Cole, Aden, Yemen, Oct. 12, 2000 (26 days before the 2000 U.S. election): Suicide bombers crash a explosive-laden boat into the US warship in the Aden port, killing 19 (17 US sailors) and injuring another 39 • September 11, 2001 (8 months after Pres. Bush took ofﬁce): Nearly 3,000 are killed in the World Trade Center towers, the Pentagon and in Shanksville, PA • Madrid, Spain, Mar. 11, 2004 (three days before Spain’s elections): Coordinated attacks on commuter trains killed 191 people and injured nearly 2,000. The group responsible was al Qaida-inspired, not directed, but the attacks contributed to the loss of the incumbent Popular party due to their unpopular support for Spain’s involvement in Iraq • London Rail and Bus bombings, Jul. 7, 2005 (two months after British election): Four coordinated suicide bombings ripped through the British public transportation system during rush hour killing 56 and injuring more than 700 in an act of al-Qaida inspired homegrown terrorism • Glasgow, Scotland, Jun. 30, 2007 (three days after Gordon Brown was appointed Prime Minister of United Kingdom): An apparent suicide Vehicle-Borne Improvised Explosive Device (VBIED) attack on the Glasgow International Airport injured ﬁve. Perpetrators were doctors of Iraqi descent – protesting UK’s involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan • Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Dec. 27, 2007 (two weeks before Pakistan’s scheduled general election of 2008): Benazir Bhutto, chair of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), was assassinated by riﬂe ﬁre after departing a PPP rally for her candidacy as president. More than 20 people are killed after a suicide bomber detonated his bomb seconds later Our immediate concern, however, must be the inauguration itself. It is notably the ﬁrst inauguration of a non-incumbent President since the creation of the DHS in 2002, and at roughly 3 million projected attendees, it will be the most highly attended ever. The National Park Service estimates that the largest to date was President Lyndon B. Johnson’s 1965 inauguration, in which there were approximately 1.2 million attendees. Numerous VIP’s observing and participating in the week’s many events will include members of Congress, Supreme Court Justices, outgoing and incoming cabinet members, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and foreign dignitaries from around the world. Because of the nature and scope of the event, it has been deemed a National Special Security Event (NSSE) by DHS, which places the Secret Service as the lead agency for coordinating security and protection at the event. In all, there will be over 96 security and law enforcement agencies involved with the inauguration. Large swaths of the city will be closed down for the parade, various inaugural balls and secured motorcades, hardening many of the potential targets that might interest al-Qaida or other terrorist organizations, violent fringe groups, or otherwise unstable individuals looking to leave a mark on history. While there has never been an attempted Presidential assassination during an inauguration, the array of countermeasures that will be deployed to protect the President and the city is unprecedented. Beginning with the opening ceremony on January 18, throughout the National Capitol Region (NCR) there will be layer upon layer of security, closely protecting an area of over 100 square miles. In addition to an “all hands onboard” approach for security personnel already located in the NCR, there will be an additional 7,000 troops from every branch of the armed forces and another 6,000 police ofﬁcers from 96 state, local and federal law enforcement agencies across the country. The Department of Defense (DoD), through direction of the Joint Forces Inauguration Committee (JFIC), is primarily coordinating and supporting the inaugural parade on the day on January 20, in which 15,000 military personnel and various other parade ﬂoats are taking part in the festivities. The 7,000 troops mentioned above are part of the NCR Joint Forces that was established for special events in the Washington D.C. area. The inauguration ceremony will be the ﬁfth time in the last year the JTF-NCR have supported the federal, state and local law enforcement agencies within the D.C. area to host a special event. 4,000 of those troops are from National Guard units Undermining a country’s confidence at a time of political renewal is hardly unprecedented. Whether intentionally planned to coincide with the political environment or not, there are many examples of ‘transitional terrorism’ 10 | Homeland Defense Journal Visit www.homelanddefensejournal.com

Homeland Defense Journal - January 2009

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Homeland Defense Journal - January 2009