Indicators of Terrorist ActivityHandbook

US Coast Guard HeadquartersPort Security

Evaluation Division(CG-3PCP-4)

Background & Context

• Protecting High Consequence CI/KR has led to Higher Physical Security since 9/11– Heightened Physical Security means that Terrorists must plan

more to overcome these security measures– Effective attack plans require information about the current

security posture (they must know what they have to defeat in order to be successful)

• Terrorist Training and Planning can take years to unfold • Port Security Terrorist Operations Assessments used

Navy SEALs to provide the adversary perspective– Identified a growing requirement for better “outside the fence”

awareness

Physical Security Posture

• Improved security attributed to:– MTSA– Industry Associations– LEA– Government Grants– Corporate Capital Investment– Security Officer Equipment & Training– Best Practices Dissemination

Physical Security Posture

• What to protect?– Critical Components

• From what?– Plausible Threat Scenarios that result in high

consequences– Review all threats (e.g., car/truck bomb, boat

bomb, commercial vessels, swimmers, etc.) in context of consequence

Threat Vectors

• Assets that are not high-consequence themselves (e.g., pilot vessels, fuel barges, tugs, etc.), but whose routine access to critical assets might be exploited

• Lower security procedures regarding the less critical asset may be overcome and used as a means to threaten the high consequence asset

Physical Security Posture: How Protected?

• What physical security measures are in place to address the plausible threats?

• The Four ‘G’s– Guards, Gates, Guns, and Gadgets– Catchy phrase to address the many aspects of

physical security to include: Barriers, Access Control, CCTV, IDS, PPE, Security Training, etc.

• Role of facility, local, state and federal resources

• Terrorists need “eyes on” the intended target to gather this type of information; it’s critical to a successful plan of attack

Indicators of Terrorist Activity

• Terrorist information gathering and planning, and our ability to impact their planning cycle, is addressed through the following topics:– Observation Points and Surveillance Areas– Staging Areas and Ingress Routes– Probing Security– Recognizing and Reporting Suspicious

Activity

Observation Points and Surveillance Areas

• What are they?– Usually outside the perimeter– Provide view of critical components or key

security measures

• How are they determined or identified?– Elevation, concealment, access

• What to do once they are identified?– Security Forces tend to focus inside the fence– Countermeasures can be identified

Observation Points and Surveillance Areas

Staging Areasand Ingress Routes

• What are they?– Usually outside or approaching the perimeter– Provide access or route to critical components or key

security measures to be defeated• How are they determined or identified?

– Staging of vessel, vehicle, equipment, explosives– Ingress providing most effective access to CI/KR

• What to do once they are identified?– Awareness programs at nearby potential staging

areas– Monitor potential ingress routes and choke points to

give early warning of attack in progress

Staging Areasand Ingress Routes

Probing Security

• A higher security posture may require probing activity by terrorists to elicit a security response that can be measured or evaluated

• May be related to site security, LEA, USCG, etc.

Reporting of Suspicious Activity

• How are suspicious activities recognized and reported?

• What information is collected and reported?

• How are reports investigated?

• Is information collected in a database? Shared with other LEA?

• Are programs that educate the public in use?

Summary

• Handbook Objectives– Define Current Security Posture

• Identify Critical Components, Plausible Threats, Threat Vectors, Physical Security Measures, etc.

– Identify Potential Indicators:• Observation Points or Surveillance Areas• Staging Areas and Ingress Routes• Probing Activities

– Identify Awareness Programs and Training– Identify Actions to be Taken

Next Steps

• Training and guidance for Sector Port Security Specialists

• Industry volunteers identified (5-10 sites)• Industry Handbook use coordinated with

Port Security Specialist• Industry feedback consolidated by Sector

and provided to HQ• Incorporate improvements and publish

final version of Handbook