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| Counterterrorism Analysis |
The Importance of
Counterterrorism
Analysis
in the Private and Public Sector
Counterterrorism
Analysis
in the Private and Public Sector
By Michael Corcoran
While pundits have bantered endlessly about the definition and theories of terrorism, many people are
unaware of the role played by counterterrorism analysts in all sectors of employment in the strategic security
field. This article seeks to provide a quick overview of counterterrorism and counterterrorist analysts within
this larger field.
There is no single definition of terrorism. Almost every U.S. agency has come up with its own definition of
terrorism that best fits the core values of what that agency is trying to protect. While there is no right or
wrong definition, there are similarities among each definition. For the sake of this piece, terrorism is defined
as the use of violence or threat of violence by a group or individuals to achieve objectives of political,
economic or social demands by targeting human beings or property.
Often used as a buzzword in today’s media driven world, terrorism is an issue that cannot go unchecked. The
threat of an attack on a nation from a group or an individual is a concern of government officials and citizens
alike. The ways these attacks are executed often never take into consideration the fundamental human
freedoms of the innocent. Since September 11th, policies such as the Patriot Act have been implemented to
counter these terrorist acts. Knowledge of how and why terrorist commit these acts of violence has been
crucial in indentifying and preventing possible terrorist actions.
While an understanding of the history of terrorism and terrorist theories is important, what is integral to
contemporary analysts is the ability to use that knowledge in practice – the practice of counterterrorism
operations. Counterterrorism is not simply some theoretical field or body of knowledge. Rather, the field of
counterterrorism operationalizes theories of terrorism and terrorist analysis in order to implement strategies
to prevent and counter future terrorist attacks.
The need for qualified individuals in this field is growing. Every sector of service and protection has a need
for someone with knowledge in the counterterrorism field. Ranging from top government agencies to local law
enforcement, the ability to protect people from terrorist acts is crucial. But what does one need to know to be
effective in counterterrorism?
Counterterrorist Training
The ability to set up basic counterterrorism and intelligence operations is the starting point for an effective
approach to combating and preventing future problems. By gaining the skills necessary for intelligence
collection and analysis, counterterrorism analysts will have the essential tools to identify suspected targets
and determine terrorist threats. Knowledge of current terrorist organizations and what tactics they employ will
help prevent future attacks and develop relevant contingency plans for when attacks happen.
Counterterrorism training encompasses a long list of activities that range from clandestine to liaison
operations overseas or investigations on national security crimes. Other forms of counterterrorism training
include counterintelligence, law enforcement intelligence analysis, and fusion analysis, to name a few.
A challenge for anyone in the counterterrorism field is to foresee what event a terrorist might be planning. By
possessing deeper knowledge of who these terrorist organizations are and what type of strategies they use,
analysts can be one step ahead of any terrorist threat. Analysts in the counterterrorism field must become
adept at risk assessment as well as the more narrow threat assessment, which includes the identification of
threats, an assessment of vulnerabilities and the likelihood of an attack, as well as an evaluation of the
impact of such an attack. Employment of game theoretic analysis also provides a more analytical approach to
threat and risk assessment.
Counterterrorism Careers
Counterterrorism careers make up a large part of the strategic security industry. As previously mentioned,
just about every type of agency is looking for individuals with experience in counterterrorism. Many of these
agencies have created their own counterterrorism divisions. There are many different areas of expertise in
just this one field. These agencies are looking for analysts, specialists in terrorist strategy and target
selection, technology specialist and weapons specialist to name a few.
In 2004 President George W. Bush established the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC), later that
same year Congress passed the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act (IRTPA). This act placed
the NCTC with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. The creation of the NCTC has linked
together all the agencies to prevent terrorism in the U.S. and overseas. Agencies such as the NCTC
demonstrate the importance and need for people with backgrounds in counterterrorism.
unaware of the role played by counterterrorism analysts in all sectors of employment in the strategic security
field. This article seeks to provide a quick overview of counterterrorism and counterterrorist analysts within
this larger field.
There is no single definition of terrorism. Almost every U.S. agency has come up with its own definition of
terrorism that best fits the core values of what that agency is trying to protect. While there is no right or
wrong definition, there are similarities among each definition. For the sake of this piece, terrorism is defined
as the use of violence or threat of violence by a group or individuals to achieve objectives of political,
economic or social demands by targeting human beings or property.
Often used as a buzzword in today’s media driven world, terrorism is an issue that cannot go unchecked. The
threat of an attack on a nation from a group or an individual is a concern of government officials and citizens
alike. The ways these attacks are executed often never take into consideration the fundamental human
freedoms of the innocent. Since September 11th, policies such as the Patriot Act have been implemented to
counter these terrorist acts. Knowledge of how and why terrorist commit these acts of violence has been
crucial in indentifying and preventing possible terrorist actions.
While an understanding of the history of terrorism and terrorist theories is important, what is integral to
contemporary analysts is the ability to use that knowledge in practice – the practice of counterterrorism
operations. Counterterrorism is not simply some theoretical field or body of knowledge. Rather, the field of
counterterrorism operationalizes theories of terrorism and terrorist analysis in order to implement strategies
to prevent and counter future terrorist attacks.
The need for qualified individuals in this field is growing. Every sector of service and protection has a need
for someone with knowledge in the counterterrorism field. Ranging from top government agencies to local law
enforcement, the ability to protect people from terrorist acts is crucial. But what does one need to know to be
effective in counterterrorism?
Counterterrorist Training
The ability to set up basic counterterrorism and intelligence operations is the starting point for an effective
approach to combating and preventing future problems. By gaining the skills necessary for intelligence
collection and analysis, counterterrorism analysts will have the essential tools to identify suspected targets
and determine terrorist threats. Knowledge of current terrorist organizations and what tactics they employ will
help prevent future attacks and develop relevant contingency plans for when attacks happen.
Counterterrorism training encompasses a long list of activities that range from clandestine to liaison
operations overseas or investigations on national security crimes. Other forms of counterterrorism training
include counterintelligence, law enforcement intelligence analysis, and fusion analysis, to name a few.
A challenge for anyone in the counterterrorism field is to foresee what event a terrorist might be planning. By
possessing deeper knowledge of who these terrorist organizations are and what type of strategies they use,
analysts can be one step ahead of any terrorist threat. Analysts in the counterterrorism field must become
adept at risk assessment as well as the more narrow threat assessment, which includes the identification of
threats, an assessment of vulnerabilities and the likelihood of an attack, as well as an evaluation of the
impact of such an attack. Employment of game theoretic analysis also provides a more analytical approach to
threat and risk assessment.
Counterterrorism Careers
Counterterrorism careers make up a large part of the strategic security industry. As previously mentioned,
just about every type of agency is looking for individuals with experience in counterterrorism. Many of these
agencies have created their own counterterrorism divisions. There are many different areas of expertise in
just this one field. These agencies are looking for analysts, specialists in terrorist strategy and target
selection, technology specialist and weapons specialist to name a few.
In 2004 President George W. Bush established the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC), later that
same year Congress passed the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act (IRTPA). This act placed
the NCTC with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. The creation of the NCTC has linked
together all the agencies to prevent terrorism in the U.S. and overseas. Agencies such as the NCTC
demonstrate the importance and need for people with backgrounds in counterterrorism.
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