Defense & Intelligence Policy, Business and Technology

PERSPECTIVE: A Practical Tool for Developing Complex Coordinated Attack Plans

Homeland Security Today: A key challenge for Complex Coordinated Terrorist Attack preparedness is that CCTAs are difficult to understand. Some CCTAs include bombings, sieges, or manhunts, while others include firearms, vehicles-as-weapons, or hostage situations. Even defining “CCTA” has been a huge challenge – my last article identified a robust, consensus definition of CCTA that is highly useful as an analytical foundation for designing CCTA plans, training and exercises, but is also complicated and highly technical.

This article proposes a new CCTA Component Checklist (CC) as a more practical, “quick and dirty” framework for public safety professionals to use as a complement to the technical definition. When filled in, the CCTA CC simplifies the chaotic nature of individual CCTAs by breaking them down into key elements with which public safety professionals are already familiar.

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