TERRORISM ARCHIVES
Covenant School – Reviewing Another Tragic Shooting
Tanya M. Scherr and Daniel Scherr
April 19, 2023
March 2023 saw four school shootings, with the shooting at the Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee, serving as the deadliest and garnering the most media attention. With so much coverage, focus, and effort to counter school shootings since Columbine, it raises the question of why the United States still has so many
The DoD Defense Coordinating Element and How It Is Certified
Patrick McNiece
April 17, 2023
While the main mission of the defense coordinating element (DCE) is defending the homeland, Department of Defense (DoD) capabilities can be important in supporting citizens in case of major disasters such as hurricanes, earthquakes, and the like. This article describes the mission and composition of the DCE and how Army
Applying Environmental Design to Prevent Active Shooters
Rodney Andreason
December 14, 2022
Active shooter trainings can help prevent some injuries and deaths. However, additional measures
should also be taken to prevent the attack from occurring. This article describes how to apply
environmental design to thwart attackers.
Implementing “Stop the Bleed” for Future K-12 Educators
Will Brewer, Peggy Bergeron and Wayne Bergeron
December 14, 2022
How have recent school shootings impacted future K-12 educators and what new skills will help better prepare them for potential threats? One study at the University of North Alabama combined training and research to answer this question.
Nuclear Threats Against the Homeland: Impact and Preparation
Tanya M. Scherr, Daniel Scherr and Richard Schoeberl
November 2, 2022
How the war in Ukraine will end is unclear. However, research shows that there is the potential for devastating effects on a global scale. As such, it is important for emergency planners to reassess their all-hazards plans to ensure their communities identify the threats and ensure their planning processes include
Rationale for Structuring Pandemic Response on a War Footing
Thomas Russo
October 26, 2022
Given 20 years of pandemic planning, is it not surprising when people ask, “Why were we not ready?”
This question should be explored whether the time has come to put the country on a warlike footing for
pandemic response with a coherent, institutionalized, and tested pandemic policy.
Chemical Sector Perspectives
Patrick Coyle
October 5, 2022
Section 1016 of the USA Patriot Act (codified at 42 USC 5195e) provides the current definition of critical infrastructure, describing systems and assets that are “so vital to the United States that the incapacity or destruction of such systems and assets would have a debilitating impact on security,
Military Combat Skills for Civilian Disaster Response
Lisa Nenno and Timothy Miller
September 28, 2022
During their service, military personnel acquire a broad range of lifesaving skills that are critical when on the frontline during wartime. Effective medical triage is one of the skills needed during combat and any major disaster or catastrophic event. When preparing and training for all hazards, the learned experience from
Uvalde Shooting – A Predictable Surprise
William H. Austin
September 14, 2022
When intentional acts of violence occur, people often wonder if the incident was preventable. For example, after a mass shooting killed 19 students and 2 teachers in Uvalde, Texas, on May 24, 2022, many were questioning the predictability of the gunman’s actions and the decision-making process of the responders. This
Strategic Depth & the Fight Against Violent Extremism
Richard Schoeberl and Cochran Pruett
September 7, 2022
Despite the deaths of Islamic State and al-Qaida leadership, violent extremism is not gone. This article describes why, despite recent successful strikes against terrorist groups, intelligence agencies and others tasked with protecting their communities must stay vigilant. More strategic depth is needed to help reduce the possibility of the extremist
Hospital Response – A Personal Training Experience
Erin Valentine
August 17, 2022
Effective trainings are ones where the participants remember and later implement what they learned
into their daily operations. Not everyone knows how they would respond in a true emergency. However,
some trainings provide a more realistic glimpse into disaster scenarios than others. This first-hand
account describes what it was like for one participant
Discovering Another New Normal
Catherine Feinman
July 27, 2022
Because of the interconnectedness of so many aspects of society, the authors in this July edition
of the Domestic Preparedness Journal help readers better understand what is needed in the new normal: a
common operating picture, predictable lifelines, new or repurposed technological tools, and more. The
new normal after COVID
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