In the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attack on America, the CIA Red Cell, an “alternative” analysis team within the Central Agency was tasked with formulating a list of potential domestic targets. And though the list is nearing two decades old, it’s without question still highly relevant in terms of targets that could be easily hit by terrorists. The nine categories from the Red Cell analysis included the following:
Political Centers
Critical Infrastructure
Economic Entities
Energy Sector
Military Installations
Telecommunications
Educational Centers
Cultural Centers
Public Venues
An attack on any number of the above locations and their respective targets could be devastating in terms of national security impact to the United States. One can only imagine the horror that could unfold – and unfortunately has – if a domestic terror attack became reality. It’s also important to add another location/target to the list – public venues. Think of public venues as almost any place where a significant number of people gather at will for any number of reasons. A college football game. A major metropolitan mall or shopping area. A political rally. A local charity fundraiser. Recent domestic terrorism attacks of horrific magnitude have happened at public venues – most recently – the Las Vegas shooting massacre (2017) and the Pulse NightClub shooting (2016).
Fast forward to 2021 and the list of potential domestic terrorism targets is now more expansive – and detailed:
(1). Political Centers: Terrorists – and their heinous acts – are often fueled by political motivation, therefore, it’s no surprise that political events – fundraisers, election parties, polling stations – anything politically related – can be a potential target. Recent attacks on politicians have illustrated just how vulnerable our nation’s leaders are. On January 8, 2011, Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords was shot in the head at a constituency gathering outside of a Safeway, critically injuring her. On June 14, 2017, Republican members of Congress, including House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, were shot while practicing for their annual Congressional baseball charity game. Gifford’s shooter, Jared Lee Loughner, was ultimately diagnosed with Schizophrenia.
As to the perpetrator in the Congressional shootings, James Hodgkinson, he was an ardent supporter of the failed 2016 presidential campaign for Bernie Sanders. Regardless, both individuals engaged in domestic terrorism, as they, according to Section 802 of the USA PATRIOT Act (P.L. 107-52), such acts occurred primarily within U.S. territorial jurisdiction, and involved (A) ... acts dangerous to human life that are a violation of the criminal laws of the United States or of any State.
And while only the upper echelons of political leaders are protected within our country – the President, Vice President, Cabinet Members, Ranking House and Senate Members – the vast majority of publicly elected officials on the local, state, and national level have no security at all. Terrorists know this, see this as an opportunity, and will no doubt continue to strike at our duly elected public office holders. While discussions have begun on how to better protect politicians, it’s unlikely that full and complete security coverage of all Congressional leaders will ever happen. We simply don’t have – or are not willing – to provide the financial resources for such an exhaustive security protocol.
Government Facilities: Domestic terrorists have historically struck hard at any number of government facilities throughout the country in the past two decades. Timothy McVeigh unleashed one of the most horrific acts of senseless violence with the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building on April 19 1995. 168 people lost their lives, including fifteen children at the America’s Kid’s Day Care Center that was located in the federal building. In 2010, a suicide attack was launched by Andrew Stack when he flew his single-engine Piper Dakota plane into an office complex in Austin, TX that housed IRS agents.
Domestic terrorists often hold extreme ideological beliefs and targeting the “system”, is a means for their retaliation. McVeigh expressed great discontent for what he believed was the federal government’s intrusion into the lives of private citizens. Andrew Stack had a hatred for the Internal Revenue Service, claiming tax codes ruined his business, and his life. For these terrorists, and many others, attacks on governmental facilities – the very symbols of democracy and law and order – are often easy targets for extremists committed to their causes.
(2). Critical Infrastructure: The very backbone of the American way of life is highly dependent on a complex system of operations – much of which relies on information systems – for providing the luxuries afforded to us on a daily basis. The gas we put in our automobiles. The food we nourish our bodies with. The money we deposit and withdraw from our banking system. Such activities – and thousands more – require the use of sophisticated computing systems for delivering products and services vital to our everyday lives as Americans. An attack on any number of our critical infrastructure sectors could seriously damage our economy and our way of life to the likes for which we’ve never seen before.
While physical attacks on our nation’s critical infrastructure – such as bombs and other methods – are without question a serious issue – the bigger challenge comes from the growing cybersecurity threats we now face. Hackers from all corners of the globe – and also in America’s backyard – have the ability to attack computing systems relentlessly with various methods, many of which have proved successful in compromising critical infrastructure systems.
While we’re all aware of the never-ending data breaches that are occurring at an alarming rate, we often fail to recognize the consequences of a massive cyber-attack and how it could paralyze the nation as a whole. America’s critical infrastructure – which comprises sixteen (16) core sectors – is at risk each and every day from both external and internal threats.
What makes many of these systems so vulnerable are two main reasons. First, today’s computing environments are often online, which is great for ease-of-access, affordability, and real-time analysis. But it’s also a haven for hackers to attack web-facing portals and other non-internal systems that live in the public Internet. Second, many of these systems are often interconnected, working in unison for ensuring operational efficiency – one system talking to another, sharing data, etc. Again, great for business, but it also means that an attack on a single computing system can bring down multiple systems and platforms.
(3). Economic Entities: Such entities are part of the broader critical infrastructure domain, which means that an attack on an “economic entity” – financial institutions, etc. – could create widespread fear and panic in society. Imagine not being able to withdraw money from your bank account because of a massive virus that has erased financial accounts. Imagine a ransomware attack that holds hostage tens of millions of financial accounts? Science fiction?
Hardly, it’s actually the real world, and it's going to happen if businesses fail to heed the warnings of growing cybersecurity threats. And of course, these economic entities, many of them which are soft targets with minimal security measures, could also become the victim of other attack methods – bombs, mass shootings, and more.
(4). Energy Sector: This is without question one of the most critical of all sixteen (16) infrastructure sectors as the Energy sector effectively allows other sectors to operate, an “enabling function” across all critical infrastructure sectors, according to DHS. And with more than 80% of the country’s energy infrastructure owned and operated by the private sector, the need for securing anything related to energy is absolutely essential. The fuel in your car. The gas that powers your stove at home. The electricity that turns your lights on. It’s all part of America’s energy sector, and terrorists are actively seeking to attack this highly complex, interconnected piece of the U.S. economy.
Nuclear: Another of America’s critical infrastructure sectors is the Nuclear Reactors, Materials, and Waste Sector. Imagine terrorists taking control of a nuclear reactor and creating a nuclear meltdown with radioactive waste traveling hundreds of miles in every direction, killing an untold number of civilians? With terrorists, anything is possible, and it’s why protecting America’s nuclear sector is of the highest priority. America is an energy thirsty nation, we need more than coal to fuel our growing appetite for powering almost everything we’ve come to rely on in our daily lives. Because of such needs, we’ve built a colossal nuclear infrastructure within our walls. Consider the following:
More than 100 active and de-commissioned power reactors.
More than two-dozen research and test reactors.
Numerous active nuclear fuel cycle facilities
More than 20,000 licensed users of radioactive waste
More than 3 million yearly shipments of radioactive materials.
A sector that’s highly interdependent and woven into numerous other sectors in terms of U.S. critical infrastructure.
(5). Military Installations: Terrorists have often used military installations as scenes of violence for when carrying out their message of hate and radical extremism. In 2009, Nidal Hasan, a U.S. Army Major, fatally shot 13 people, along with injuring dozens more. Hasan considered himself a “Soldier of Alah”. In 2015, Muhammad Youssef Abdulazeez opened fire on two military installations in Chattanooga, Tennessee, killing six people, while also injuring two more. FBI Director James Coney concluded that the shootings were "motivated by foreign terrorist organization propaganda."
(6). Telecommunications: Telecommunications would technically fall under the “Communications” Sector, one of the sixteen (16) sectors that comprise America's critical infrastructure, according to the Department of Homeland Security. More specifically, the Communications sector, according to DHS, is “an integral component of the U.S. economy, underlying the operations of all businesses, public safety organizations, and government.” Over the last 25 years, the sector has thus evolved from predominantly a provider of voice services into a highly diverse, competitive, and interconnected industry via terrestrial, satellite, and wireless transmission systems, other supporting communication protocols.
Additionally, according to DHS, the transmission of these services has become interconnected; satellite, wireless, and wireline providers depend on each other to carry and terminate their traffic and companies routinely share facilities and technology to ensure interoperability.
And to no surprise to the well-informed citizen, an attack on any aspect of America’s communications sector could be devastating, no question about it.
(7). Educational Centers: One of the more chilling thoughts that enters into the minds of all of us is domestic terrorism in our Nation’s schools. America has unfortunately fallen victim to countless acts of bloodshed over the last two decades, beginning with the Columbine shootings in 1999, followed by dozens more. The horrific massacres at Virginia Tech and Sandy Hook Elementary are some of the worst and most unimaginable acts of human despicability, and unfortunately, we may see more of these horrific acts in the future. Again, let’s be clear, these acts are acts of domestic terrorism – there’s no debate on this – but what’s open for discussion is how we protect our children from mass terror and violence while at school.
Schools, particularly elementary schools and high schools, are a soft target due to relatively low security, and the inability of most children and teenagers to defend themselves when terrorism strikes. And to no surprise, threats are on the rise in today’s complex society we all live in, ultimately requiring schools to respond with increased security measures.
Former Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, expressed deep concern how mass shootings occur “almost weekly now” in the United States, and that little has been done to prevent gun violence affecting young people. Duncan notes how students live “in a state of constant fear.”
While parents can’t help but think of the horrors of Columbine and Sandy Hook at times, most still have the attitude that it will never happen at their children’s schools. True, school shootings are rare when one looks at the statistics, regardless, they do happen, and will continue to happen. And when they do happen, they are traumatic, haunting, leaving people scarred for life. A stark reminder of terrorism at educational centers is the frequency of such attacks that all occurred in recent years. A list of the more notable shootings consists of following:
College Campus Shootings: Virginia Tech Shooting in 2007. Umpqua Community College Shooting in 2010.
High School Shootings: Columbine High School Massacre in 1999. Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in 2018.
Elementary Shootings: Sandy Hook in 2012.
(8). Cultural & Religious Centers: Americans gather in large numbers to celebrate and practice arts, history, religion, and dozens of other cultural and religious festivities. Unfortunately, much like public venues (for which you could also include Cultural & Religious Center under), terrorists use such places as prime targets. In 2015, white supremacist Dylann Roof took the lives of nine innocent victims in a deadly hate crime at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina. In 2017 in Sutherland Springs, TX, a crazed gunman killed twenty-six people, along with injuring dozens more, resulting in the deadliest mass shooting in Texas.
One thing you’ll clearly notice about the above discussed targets for domestic terrorists is the almost limitless place they can attack, causing carnage and death at a moment’s notice. It’s as if no place is truly safe anymore from terrorism, and sadly, that’s the truth.
(9). Public Venues: Public venues are essentially what I consider any type of location that’s easily accessible to large groups of people that often have limited security and protection measures in place. Sporting events, shopping malls, restaurants, movie theaters, schools, transportation systems, churches – almost any place where people can freely and openly congregate is a public venue.
Domestic terrorists have often targeted public venues for two main reasons; (1). large groups of people provide the opportunity to inflict mass-carnage; (2). Security is either missing completely, or is generally weak. The 2017 Las Vegas mass shooting at a country music festival took the lives of 58 people, while also injuring close to 900. As of this publication (2019), the incident is the deadliest mass shooting committed by an individual in the United States.
While enhanced security protocols are often in place for signature events – the Super Bowl, political inaugurations, and more – the vast majority of public venues are void of any type of meaningful security measures. Domestic terrorists know this and will continue to strike.
The Department of Homeland Security is highly aware of the grave dangers of public venues, or as they call them, “Soft Targets and Crowded Places” (ST-CPs). According to DHS, “Soft Targets and Crowded Places (ST-CPs), such as sports venues, shopping venues, schools, and transportation systems, are locations that are easily accessible to large numbers of people and that have limited security or protective measures in place making them vulnerable to attack. DHS has been working for many years to address ST-CP security and preparedness, with recent shifts in the threat landscape calling for renewed departmental focus on leveraging and maximizing its ST-CP security authorities, capabilities, and resources in an integrated and coordinated manner.”
In conclusion, the evolving landscape of domestic terrorism in the United States underscores an urgent need for heightened awareness and security measures across a diverse array of potential targets. The CIA Red Cell's analysis, though nearly two decades old, remains alarmingly relevant, highlighting the vulnerabilities of political centers, critical infrastructure, economic entities, and public venues. Each of these areas presents unique challenges, as demonstrated by past attacks and the ongoing threat posed by domestic extremists.
The tragic incidents at educational, cultural, and religious centers further illustrate the potential for mass casualties in locations with minimal security. As the frequency and nature of these threats evolve, it is imperative that both government entities and communities implement robust preventive strategies and security protocols.
By fostering collaboration among law enforcement, intelligence agencies, and the public, we can better protect our society from the pervasive threat of terrorism and ensure the safety and security of all Americans in their everyday lives.