WASHINGTON — Terrorists
have struck military targets in the United States, as well as overseas, and it
is likely such attacks will continue. Terrorism experts caution to plan for the
worst.
Besides the 2006 Fort Hood,
Texas, shooting and the 2009 Little Rock, Arkansas, recruiting office shooting,
five service members were recently killed as a result of a July 16 attack on a
recruiting and reserve center in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Defense Secretary Ashton Carter
praised the service and sacrifice of the slain Marines and Sailor during a
memorial service in Chattanooga Aug. 15.
“Many of them served abroad
and fought on the front lines of faraway battlefields in places like Iraq and Afghanistan,”
Carter said. “And here at home, they were serving among the many men and women
in uniform, who represent our military in communities across the country.”
Carter said U.S. leaders take
acts of harm against Americans “personally” and will do what it takes to
protect the service members who serve and protect the nation.
“The few who threaten or incite
harm to Americans - violent extremists or terrorists, wherever they are – will
surely, no matter how long it takes, come to feel the hard fist of justice,” he
said.
Carter said he directed the
military services to review domestic security procedures and take immediate
steps “to improve the security and force protection of our personnel,” he said.
The Army issued All Army Activities,
or ALARACT, titled “2015 Threat Warning to U.S. Army Standalone Facilities,” July
21. It suggests courses of action to
help increase service member security in those facilities. Included among the suggestions
are:
• Conduct random
antiterrorism measures. Have a valid plan for active-shooter response and test
the plan periodically.
• Ensure personnel have situational
awareness and know procedures such as egress and security contacts.
• Vary routines such as routes
and behaviors to avoid being a predictable target
• Be on alert for and report
suspicious behavior or anything out of the ordinary.
• Think before using social
media to avoid divulgence of personal information.
Maj. Gen. Jeffrey Snow, commander,
U.S. Army Recruiting Command, said the level of force protection at recruiting
stations needs to be enhanced, but he personally does not favor arming recruiters.
Recruiters visit schools
and other places in the community and carrying weapons could send the wrong
message, he said.
“My concern is that there’s
going to be some individuals that see somebody outside one of our recruitment
centers with a weapon and it may cause them to think twice about coming in and
speaking to one of our great recruiters,” he told Boston National Public Radio’s
“Here and Now” host, Robin Young, Aug. 17.
REMAIN VIGILANT
“Everyone needs to be mindful
that ‘low threat’ does not mean ‘no threat,’” said Phillip Edenfield, an
anti-terrorism officer with U.S. Army Garrison Yongsan, South Korea. “Terrorist
threats today are becoming more complex as terrorist groups use social media
sites to terrorize personnel and to recruit individuals toward their causes.”
Soldiers should maintain a low
profile when traveling off installation and be prepared for the unexpected by
having emergency contact numbers readily available, Edenfield said. In
addition, when traveling and sightseeing in South Korea, Germany and other countries
he said Soldiers should always be cautious about giving out their personal and
employment information to strangers.
Edenfield said it is
everyone’s responsibility to enforce existing protective measures to protect
critical information and personally identifiable information that adversaries
can use for harmful means. Simple procedures such as shredding documents and
removing labels before placing items into trash canisters can help protect information.
“With the recent advances in
cellular and network technology, it is also crucial we are cognizant of what
type of information we are putting out on social media sites that could
jeopardize our mission and put us in harm’s way,” Edenfield said. “Ensuring the
community is aware and knowledgeable on how to mitigate threats is the ultimate
purpose of Anti-terrorism Awareness Month.”
NOT ALL ATTACKS ARE TERROR-RELATED
“There are bad people who do
bad things ... and I can assure you, we’re going to fight like hell to protect
you” from them, but you need to do your part to stay alive and help others stay
alive, Scott Wayne said.
Wayne, a police officer
with the Pentagon Force Protection Agency and others spoke during an “Active
Shooter” presentation in the Pentagon, Aug. 20.
Since 1999 there were
approximately 200 active-shooter incidents in the United States, Wayne said.
Some of those attacks were terrorism-related,
meaning using terror to achieve a political, religious or ideological objective.
The shooting on Fort Hood is an example of that kind of attack.
Most active-shooter attacks
in the United States; however, are caused by persons who are depressed or have
serious personal problems, Wayne said. Wayne advises anyone under attack to
“run, hide or fight.”
RUN
The best plan, Wayne advised,
is to flee an area under attack and bring along as many people as you can. Move
away as quickly as possible, and once in a safe area, call 911. Try to prevent
other bystanders from entering the danger area.
If the police or other
first responders are there, do not ask them questions or hinder them from doing
their duty, he said.
Police will not stop to
help the injured and dying, he cautioned. They are there to save as many lives
as possible and to do that their primary mission is to locate the shooter and
eliminate the threat. The injured will be cared for soon after.
If you are exiting the
scene, realize that everyone is a suspect. “You might be forced to the ground”
by an officer. “Remain calm and don’t take it personally,” he said.
Another word of advice is
don’t pull a fire alarm, he said. It will be chaotic enough with the police,
shooter and innocent people. Firefighters rushing in would make things much
worse, unless there is fire.
HIDE
Wayne said if it is not safe
to flee the area, the next best thing to do is hide. He told listeners to lock
or barricade the door if they’re in an office. It is very rare for a shooter to
breach the door, he said. The notable exception to that was the Virginia Tech massacre
in 2007.
After securing the door he said,
turn off lights and cell phones and remain calm and quiet.
Wayne was the incident commander
during the 2014 shooting at the Mall in Columbia, Maryland. He noted store
employees in the mall were so well trained they refused to unlock their doors even
after the shooter committed suicide and the police cleared the mall.
FIGHT
As a last resort, fight with
anything you have including chairs, sharp objects or whatever is around Wayne
said, turning fire extinguishers on attackers proved successful in the past.
Organize the fight with those
around you and fight ferociously because your life and the lives of others
depend on it, he said.