Comprehensive Security Responses to Terrorism

 APCSS Overview

The Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies (APCSS) is an academic institution established by the U.S. Pacific Command to study comprehensive security and preventive defense in the Asia-Pacific region. The Center's mission is to enhance cooperation and build relationships through mutual understanding and study of comprehensive security issues among military and civilian representatives of the United States and other Asia-Pacific nations. The Center provides a focal point where military and civilian officials gather to exchange ideas, explore pressing issues, and achieve a greater understanding of the challenges that shape the security environment of the Asia-Pacific region.

 The College of Security Studies is the primary focus of the Center. Here, military and civilian officials from the region (O-3 to O-7 as well as their civilian equivalents in security-related ministries) participate in the Comprehensive Security Responses to Terrorism (CSRT) Course that examines the interagency and multinational approach to combating terrorism from the operational and strategic perspective. The course is titled to reflect the fact that defeating terrorism is not possible by any one nation or agency; rather effectively addressing this threat requires a comprehensive mix of political, economic, social, cultural, as well as, military considerations on a multinational scale.  

CSRT COURSE OVERVIEW

This course provides CT security practitioners in the Asia-Pacific region, as well as other designated countries around the world, the operational and strategic-level skills necessary to enhance their ability to understand and combat terrorism and transnational threats.  Through faculty lectures, guest speaker presentations, real-world case studies, seminar discussions and tailored CT exercise scenarios, CSRT fellows explore the nature of today’s terrorist threats, better appreciate the challenges associated with countering ideological support for terrorism, achieve a more common understanding of global and regional terrorism challenges, analyze tools and capabilities for combating terrorism and transnational threat in order to promote appropriate strategies.  The CSRT course is designed to build relationships between and among the United States and current and future counterterrorism practitioners of participating countries in order to develop trust, confidence and specific methods necessary for increased information sharing, reduction of obstacles to cooperation in the international collaborative effort against those who use terror to achieve goals.  The curriculum focuses on the non-warfighting aspects of security and is divided as follows:  assessing the challenge; formulating responses to the challenge; identifying trends and challenges; strategy application and measures of effectiveness.

2.  Length:  3 weeks

3.  Frequency:  2  times a year

4.  Fellows:  O-3 to O-6s and civilian equivalent government officials (interagency) who work in the CT field or support those who do; 40-65 fellows per course with varying mix international/U.S., usually around 80/20%.

For additional information about CSRT, follow these links:

• CSRT Bio Form

• Course Schedule

• Course Structure

• Objectives/Topics Links

• Course Overview Brief

• Points of Contact 

DEMOGRAPHIC OVERVIEW

 General demographic profile (target group) of those who would benefit by attending this course:

 ·        Security practitioners (military, various ministry and law enforcement officials) whose current/future responsibilities require them to make recommendations to interagency officials involved in tactical through strategic policy formulation and implementation decisions related to combating terrorism and transnational crime.

 COURSE OBJECTIVES

• Develop a community of CT practitioners, capable and willing to collaborate at both the regional and global levels

• Broaden knowledge and sharpen skills in assessment of terrorism threats and collaborative planning of response postures and policies

• Expand security practitioner networks and sustain through IT enabled linkages

KNOWLEDGE AND LEADER SKILL SETS FOCUSED FOR IMPROVEMENT

 1.  Expand Fellow knowledge in following areas:

• Enhance understanding of U.S. CT policies, as well as develop a common understanding of Asia-Pacific and other regional perspectives on terrorism, from its causes and sources to its methods and ends.

• Expand knowledge of interagency, multinational, and civil military concepts to more effectively collaborate on developing strategies and best practices to combat terrorism, world-wide.

• Build networks of regional security professionals involved in the war on terrorism, linking them to information resources and subject matter experts via focused exercises addressing ongoing terrorist threats.

2.  Improve Fellow leader skills in the following areas:

• Articulate CT problems and challenges clearly, from who, what, when, why, where and how.

• Identify all interagency security parties involved, regional and global, especially via informational technology.

• Assess terrorism threats, recommending suitable multilateral/multinational response postures and policies. 

• Identify and analyze CT options – proactive and reactive.

• Persuade decision makers on recommended ways, means, and ends options convincingly.

• Develop associated information campaign plans collaboratively.

• Draft and brief policy CT way-ahead recommendations clearly.

• Inspire confidence during difficult times, from analyses to negotiations.

3.  Expand Fellow security-practitioner networks in the following areas:

• Among CSRT Fellows.

• Among APCSS faculty and guest lecturer.

• Through Regional International Outreach (RIO) to multiple security issue Information Technology (IT) databases.

• Through alumni contacts at home and regionally.

4.  Build Fellow Teaming Skills:

• Identify, link, and exploit team-member expertise, perspectives.

• Unique contributions possible.

• Areas of agreement/disagreement/interdependencies. Establish team rules, roles.Identify requirements for CT task accomplishment (e.g., terms of reference, interfaces necessary, collaborative roles of those involved, subject knowledge needed, methods of operating, milestones to manage time).

  CONCEPTS OF  CASE STUDIES, WORKSHOPS AND EXERCISES

  ·        Begin with essential, current background context prefaces, using real world scenarios.

  ·        Fellows will be placed into seminar teams, following lectures to work collaboratively as multilateral/multinational coordinating and planning teams.

  ·        Small-group discussions, assessments, analyses, and next steps briefings will be guided by flexible APCSS facilitators. 

  ·        Faculty will ensure seminar Fellows understand lecture prefaces and thereafter practice skills that apply knowledge gained. 

  ·        Specific CT practitioner skills will include:

  o       Forming coordinating and planning teams

  o       Developing and executing comprehensive CT strategies addressing likely and possible terrorism threats of today and tomorrow.  Included are:

  §         Offensive – to deter, degrade capability/intent

  §         Defensive – to prevent (preempt), respond to attack

  §         Core – to diminish root causes of violent extremism, terrorist acts (de-legitimize)

  ·        APCSS will examine CT security-issues fully, considering all applicable perspectives, emphasizing factual analyses, conclusions and recommendations.

  COURSE STRUCTURE 

  The three week course is divided into five distinct, but related parts:

   Part I.  Identifying and building the Global “CT” community of interest and expertise.  Part I is comprised of the administrative in-processing of Fellows.  It is during this part that the process of building a “CT” community of interest begins.  Fellows are introduced to the Asia Pacific Center, College of Security Studies, CSRT Program, the faculty and each other.  Topic highlights include:   

  • In processing (badging, care & feeding issues)

  • PAO brief

  • Computer laptop issue

  • Computer training

  Portal introductions (APCSS and APCSC)

  • Library brief 

  • Welcome Address and APCSS overview

  • CSS overview

  • CSRT Program overview

  • Faculty introductions

  • Fellow Introductions

  Polling Exercise 

  During Part I, Fellows participate in real-time polling with turning point software.  This polling effort provides a baseline for knowledge level, and experience of the Fellows attending CSRT 08-1. 

  Part II:  Assessing the Challenge.  The thematic focus of Part II is assessing the challenge.  What is terrorism?  How do is it defined?  What are the dominant characteristics?  How has it evolved?  Part II commences with a definitional lecture that includes a review of the evolution of terrorism, leading up to the 21^st century.  This lecture sets the baseline for a follow on CT threat assessment which requires Fellows to assess the current threat in Asia Pacific and other major geographic areas.  Upon completion of the definitional exercise event, and regional assessments, Fellows “step back” and explore the strategic, i.e., complex nature of the problem, including causal loop analyses of specific terrorism challenges.  This introduction to complex problem solving within the terrorism arena, and accompanying causal loop analyses, requires Fellows to look at terrorism broadly as a complex problem, not just a tactical threat.  Activity based learning events during this part include: 

  • Definition & evolution of terrorism  (Fellows participate in definitional exercise)

  • Regional assessments (Fellows conduct sub regional assessments)

  • Complex Problem Solving  (Fellows complete causal loop exercises)

  Part III.  Formulating the Response.  After assessing the challenge, the course focus shifts to formulating effective responses options.  What are the strategic framing issues necessary for a coherent, effective response at the national, regional and global levels?  The discussion begins with an introduction to the legal frameworks within which a comprehensive strategy may be developed.  The legal policy adopted by a government (criminal justice approach vs. law of armed conflict approach or combination of both) will impact significantly, a government’s comprehensive strategy.  Fellows are then introduced to the components of a comprehensive strategy, with a significant focus on intelligence.   Having established the legal framework and discussed the overall strategy; topical focus shifts to the   “supporting cast” necessary to implement and affect the strategy---e.g., we look at the intra-governmental [national] agencies, intergovernmental [regional] organizations and global assistance (UN) available in the development  and execution of a comprehensive strategy.  After identification and discussion of the available players, topic focus shifts to the STRATCOM/Public diplomacy aspect of the terrorism challenge.  Specifically, Fellows are exposed to the extremist/radicalized message of many terror groups, and how the governmental players implementing a comprehensive strategy, might address and respond to this message (battle of hearts and mind).  This is accomplished through a presentation on deradicalization (countering the extremist message) and a panel discussion by government [public diplomacy] and media representatives.  Key topics and activities include:

  • Legal perspectives (Fellows participate in real time polling & discussion)

  • Comprehensive Strategy

  • Intelligence 

  • Intra governmental players and process

  • Inter governmental players and process

  • De-radicalization

  • Public Diplomacy

   Part IV:  Trends & Challenges.  In Part IV, the course shifts from strategic framing issues to strategies and tactics of terror groups including: “battlefields”/domains in which the war on terrorism is being waged.  Part IV begins with an assessment of the maritime domain and the virtual domain (cyber terrorism).  Two full days, including computer centric exercises/activity based learning, are spent on the varied uses of the internet by terrorist groups.  Topic highlights and exercises include: 

  • Maritime Domain

  • Cyber terrorism (Fellows participate in two cyber terrorism exercises)

  • WMD/WME

  • Suicide bombings

  • Transnational terrorist financing

  • Transnational Crime:  narcotics, small arms, money laundering

   At this point in the course faculty and fellows have discussed definitions and evolution of the threat, and conducted a current, real world assessment of the threat.  Fellows also have discussed important framing issues for strategy development and implementation, including legal frameworks, the importance of intelligence and public diplomacy.  Additionally, Fellows have been exposed to and discussed critical players/agencies in the process at the nation state, regional and international levels, and the public diplomacy component in terms of radicalization and the war of ideas.  At this point, Fellows are introduced to the major terror groups/movements within Asia Pacific:

  • Al Qaeda and affiliates

  • Jemaah Islamiyah

  • LTTE

  • Central Asia

  • COIN

   Part V:  Strategy Application and MOEs.  Part V, the final phase of the course  includes three related themes: strategy formulation (DIME, MIDLIFE--whole of government approach), measures of effectiveness (how do we measure the effectiveness of our strategies) and finally practice through participation in a two day capstone exercise event that brings together all of the aforementioned topics and themes.  Post course polling is conducted to determine attitude changes, knowledge & skill gains.

  • Strategy formulation and application

  • Measures of effectiveness

  • Pacifica exercise (Fellows participate in capstone game)

  • Post course survey (Fellows participate in real time polling)

  The discussion above focuses on the thematic building blocks that form the CSRT resident course structure.  Throughout the course, a series of “blended learning events” will be offered.  These include: 

  • Brown Bag Lunch Series (BBL)

  • Dirty War video (WMD)

  • Battle of Algiers video

  • Human Dignity DVD (HRL and Terrorism)

   CSRT LEARNING MODEL

   Fellows are expected to actively participate in the CSRT Curriculum, which employs four distinct forms of learning: readings, lectures, seminar discussions, and exercises.

  ·        Fellows complete required reading assignments, which provide a general overview of topics in the curriculum. Additional recommended readings provide further perspectives on core topics.

  ·        Lectures provide professional insights from subject matter experts and set the stage for seminar discussions and the final gaming exercise.

  ·        Small group seminars, guided by a facilitator, provide Fellows the opportunity to discuss individual topics, linking academic insights with professional experience.

  ·        Course exercises are “learn by doing” interactive events that challenge Fellows to apply security concepts and strategies to simulated scenarios. 

  All aspects of the CSRT Course embody three important characteristics: transparency, non-attribution, and mutual respect. Transparency provides an academic environment of openness where all issues can be examined, debated, and discussed. To promote candor and open discussion, the College of Security Studies has a policy of non-attribution, which is binding on all who attend the CSRT Course. Comments and opinions expressed by anyone participating in the course will not be attributed to the speaker by name to non-participants without the speaker's prior approval. All interaction among the Fellows is done in a spirit of mutual respect in recognition of the tremendous diversity of nations represented in the course in terms of size, geography, culture, history, political system, and state of economic development.

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