Introduction
Terrorism has been a rampant issue in the United States for many years. Terrorism refers to an act of violence against the government to instill fear in the citizens and intimidate the government to draw their attention. The terrorist's motive is usually to push the government to implement political, religious, or ideological change. The United States has experienced both domestic and external terrorism. These acts usually target the citizens of the United States, in the country, and abroad.
Most recognized terrorist groups are powerful Islamic organizations that feel threatened by the United States government. These groups are in a campaign to oppose the United States' operations in their countries. They do not seem to agree with their operation methods, or the United States has an active opposition to their militia operations in their respective countries. These terrorist groups have flourished because they have extreme radicalization methods that are done in the name of religion (Cottee, 2017). The Islamic terrorist groups use their religion and the concept of jihad and promises of rewards if one follows their causes. Some groups even steal little children and raise them to believe in their extremist cause.
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The Islamic terrorist groups such as Al-Qaida and the Islamic State, if Iraq and Syria (ISIS) have penetrated the United States borders, and they launched foreign terrorist attacks and domestic terror attacks. These groups have advanced in radicalizing young Islamic citizens to their ways, and this has increased the cases of domestic terrorism, especially the cases of suicidal bombings.
The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, also known as The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), is one Islamic extremist group that has been terrorizing the country, giving the United States government and security system a run for their money in their efforts to combat terrorism. The thesis of this paper is to summarize and understand the history of ISIS and the threat this terrorist group poses on the United States soil. The paper will also analyze the intelligence assets and capability of the United States' government and security system to combat ISIS as the major terrorist threat by analyzing three intelligence agencies' capabilities and how they could work together in their efforts to fight ISIS. The paper intends to develop a Request For Intelligence (RFI) based on the identified threat and the currently available intelligence, to the necessary agencies, with the intent of obtaining future intelligence requirements. Finally, this paper will provide some recommendations from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to the law enforcement agencies that will enable them to adjust their operations in countering ISIS/ISIL.
Understanding the threat
ISIS, an Islamic extremist group, was formed in 1999 by a Jordanian militant, Abu Musab Al-Zaqwari (Jackson, 2015). Its formation was based on the jihadist doctrine, and it was declared to be a terrorist organization by the United Nations. ISIS is famous for its gruesome videos where they behead or threaten to behead captives if their demands are not met. The group kidnaps and executes citizens, journalists, aid workers, and diplomats from the countries they are at war with. They record videos and release them to the public as a warning and threat. ISIS is also known for various human rights abuse cases, genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, ethnic cleanses, and destruction of cultural heritage.
ISIS has terrorized Iraq and Syria with their brutal ways in an attempt to control these two countries completely. The United States had to step in and assist Iraq and Syria in their fight against ISIS as an extension of their policy in the Middle East. The United States conducted airstrikes in Iraq, and these attacks killed many ISIS members; this was the beginning of the hostility between the United States and ISIS. As a response, the terrorist organization resulted in using illustrative demonstrations through visual imagery and visual media to launch a contemporary war; this was an effective method of attracting attention from the West. ISIS kidnapped American journalists such as James Foley, aid workers who were United States citizens working in Iran, and even some dignitaries. The ISIS members made videos with a masked insurgent holding a knife on the captives' throats, threatening to behead them. They demanded that the United States cease its operations in its territory, stating that the captives' fate lay in the hands of the American government (Friis, 2015). They actually executed their threats, and the United States realized the threat that ISIS posed on its citizens in the country and abroad.
The threat of ISIS to the United States was also fueled by the increase in cases of suicidal bombings against the Americans. These cases have been reported in the country and American Embassies and institutions in foreign countries. The attacks have claimed many lives, and this has caused the country's security agencies to take action and plan counterterrorism strategies against this threat. ISIS is also a threat to the United States because it is responsible for the radicalization of many youths who are citizens of the United States. Social media's growth and the availability of the internet have contributed to brainwashing the youth into believing in the jihad concept (Comey, 2016). This factor has caused fear to the parents as it is common for teenagers and adults to interact on social media platforms. There have been cases of some young men being lured to the ISIS headquarters, and they came back as members of the terrorist group, which has increased the cases of domestic terrorism and fear in the United States.
ISIS hides under the hood of the Islamic religion. In as much as the Islamic teachings have nothing to do with terrorism, this has caused fear and discrimination of the Muslim American citizens, denying them their rights and freedom to observe their religious practices. This ideology has also caused the government to view ISIS as a threat. The united states are also in a silent war with the organizations and countries such as Afghanistan that fund ISIS by providing provisions, money, bases, and ammunition. The war between the United States and ISIS is economic, religious, and, most importantly, political.
Intelligence assets and capabilities
The members of the United States intelligence community have been at the forefront of the fight against ISIS. The agencies work together to share information and intelligence to provide ideas on counterterrorism. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is one of the agencies responsible for counterterrorism in the United States. The FBI ensures that information is shared across all divisions, and investigative sources are developed. According to the United States of America Patriots Act, the FBI has qualified personnel that acquires search warrants from an authorized judge for counterintelligence and counterterrorism intelligence. The Agency also has a department trained to analyze the information collected. All their staff has been disseminated to use respectful and sensitive values towards the citizens when collecting Intel.
The FBI has evolved in its ability to adapt to new threats and modified its methods and strategies to collect, analyze, and disseminate information. They specialize in collecting Human Intelligence (HUMINT) on the terrorist groups and attacks launched against the country; this is done by conducting interviews on victims, suspects, and witnesses, whereby the information is shared with other agencies in an effort to develop a solution. The Agency is also responsible for collecting and analyzing Open-source Intelligence (OSINT). This type of intelligence is obtained through generally available material such as the media, newspapers, journals, academic and professional records. The FBI deals with mostly domestic terrorism, but it is involved in foreign terrorism in some cases. Its efforts are aimed at staying ahead of these threats and preventing terrorist attacks.
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) plays a significant role in the United States' fight against ISIS. They have a trained department, whose main role is analyzing and disseminating information on ISIS. CIA mostly investigates and collects information on foreign terrorism, and only on special occasions do they focus on domestic terrorism. The Agency collects Signal Intelligence (SIGINT) of terrorist activities; this is the type of intelligence collected through electronic transmission from devices such as satellites (Federal Bureau of Investigation,n.d.). This intelligence helps the Agency to understand the areas and methods of operation of the terrorist group.
The Central Intelligence Agency is also responsible for collecting Human Intelligence (HUMINT) through conducting interviews from witnesses, suspects, and victims of foreign terrorist attacks. This information enables the Agency to understand how ISIS operates fully. Through this, the CIA has established its attack patterns and strategies and the organizations and countries responsible for funding ISIS. They have also understood the group's organizational structure, enabling them to establish the leaders who issue commands and focus their attention on them. CIA has also established recruitment methods and training bases. The CIA shares this information with other security agencies to develop counterterrorism ideas and strategies. The CIA ensures the effective collection of intelligence outside the United States and that the most appropriate methods are used, and they provide appropriate dissemination of the information.
One of the CIA's new assets is the invented multidisciplinary areas that are responsible for handling high profile cases such as counterterrorism and counterintelligence. Another strength of the CIA is its step of forming strong partnerships with several intelligence collection disciplines and sources of analysis. CIA has also improved their analysis game, and they now provide information on the full range of topics affecting National Security (Central Intelligence Agency, 2020). The collection and analysis of information help to identify threats, predict, and prevent terrorist attacks.
The third member of the Intelligence Community involved in the fight against ISIS is the Air Force Intelligence. They are responsible for providing information from airborne space and cyber sensors(Office of the Director of National Intelligence, n.d.). The Air Force is responsible for collecting Imagery Intelligence (IMINT); this is the type of intelligence collection method that focuses on collecting photographic intelligence (Federal Bureau of Investigation, n.d.). The information about ISIS and its operations is collected using spies and aerial photography. Through this, the Air Force has been able to observe the ISIS members' daily activities in their bases. They have been able to spy on their operation strategies, and most importantly, they have discovered the machinery used by ISIS; this includes their vehicles, weapons, and ammunition.
The Air Force has also established the training tactics of ISIS and their use of Weapons of Mass Destruction. Through this information, the United States Air Force is able to develop counter-attack strategies against ISIS. It is easier to lure into war and defeat the terrorist group if one has the knowledge of their weapons, attack strategies, and hideouts. The Air force also provides the gathered information to other intelligence agencies for dissemination. The main role of the Air Force in counterterrorism is responding to current threats and previous terrorist attacks against the United States by launching airstrikes such as the attack done on ISIS bed-down in Kirkuk, Iraq ("Air Force F-15s Blast ISIS Hideout in Iraq", 2020).
The FBI, CIA, and the United States Air Force Intelligence, work hand in hand in the fight against ISIS. The FBI and the CIA both work together in the collection and disseminating information. These two agencies are complementary because the CIA focuses more on the intelligence gathered from abroad; the FBI focuses on gathering domestic intelligence. These two agencies can combine and share information, identifying and analyzing threats both home and abroad, increasing national security. The Air Force Intelligence comes in handy as the tactical team with the CIA and FBI as the grounds team. The Agency is uploaded for their speed in responding to emergencies, attacks, and threats, whereby such information is provided b [A5] y the CIA and FBI. The CIA and FBI strive to identify threats, predict and prevent terrorist attacks while the Air Force Intelligence act to respond to threats, attacks, and emergencies.
A Request For Intelligence (RFI)
As an official of Homeland Security, in charge of collecting and disseminating information about the threat of ISIS in the country, I would like to request some information to help my team, and I disseminate this threat further. I would like to receive Intelligence on ISIS's organizational structure; this will help me to understand how their leadership trickles down and who the members are answerable to. By studying the leadership and analyzing the leaders individually, the security system will be able to identify their strengths and weaknesses, thus recognizing the niche and points of attack. This information should be in the form of recorded interviews, human source operations, searches, and surveillance footage. The collection of information is a crucial process in the intelligence cycle(Federal Bureau of Investigation, 2020).
I would also require information on ISIS's history in carrying out attacks in order to identify their patterns and trends; this will also help Homeland security to analyze and predict future threats. Homeland Security will use ISIS's attack patterns to disseminate the next possible targets in the United States or abroad; this will enable us to increase security and surveillance in these areas and provide a detailed security entourage if the target is a person.
I would also require information that differentiates ISIS from other terrorist groups, especially the Islamic ones, which may appear similar. This information should include the incidents of beheading videos, as this is one of their unique traits. Homeland Security will also appreciate and insight into information on the types of ammunition accessible to ISIS and the organizations supporting and funding this terrorist group. I will also request further information that explains how ISIS attacks are singled out from other terrorist groups. Whether the terrorist groups associate more with foreign or domestic terrorism, and if the group has a preference for suicidal bombing over other attacks, if they target an individual of a group, and their battlefield tactics when presented with war. Homeland Security is also interested in data pertaining to ISIS's online recruitment methods, as this will help provide cybersecurity strategies to curb this.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recommendations to the law enforcement agencies.
The law enforcement agencies have been focusing on fighting ISIS using violent methods. They often repay a terrorist attack with a massive attack on the Terrorists bases and hideouts. These counter-attacks only seem to motivate ISIS to come back with a more deadly attack, and the cycle continues. The DHS would recommend that law enforcement agencies should use non-violent and non- military methods. For a long time, these methods have been underestimated, underfunded, and neglected as counterterrorism methods (Lenczowski, 2016) .
The main reasons that cause the youth to recruit in radicalized terrorist groups such as ISIS are the imposition of conflicting ideas and principles, lack of moral-strategic clarity, intellectual failure, and inadequate professional skills. The main weakness of the United States National Security systems is that the strength is measured by their ability to fight, defend, and risk dying for the fundamental principles, which should not be the case.
Non-military methods can be quite effective as a counterterrorism strategy. Law enforcement could begin by instilling moral-strategies by creating a war of ideas on moderate Muslims versus radicalized Muslims; this will help them teach moderate Islam and instill peaceful morals and principles, especially in the young United States citizens who are Muslim, which will reduce the rate of radicalization. The law enforcement agencies could also provide training programs and offer youth job opportunities to make them productive and prevent idleness. The solution to curbing radicalization can be found in the arts of public diplomacy, foreign assistance, information policy, strategic communication, political action, and ideological warfare (Lenczowski, 2016).
Another major recommendation the DHS would offer to the law enforcement agencies in their counterterrorism efforts against ISIS is to promote the use of counterinsurgency; this refers to the collaborative actions between civilians and the military to provide strategies to defeat a rebellion (Rineheart, 2010). The law enforcement should use ways that make civilians their allies, especially around the terrorists' bases and hotspots; this can be done by using methods of kindness and community outreach programs. Counterinsurgency enables the agencies to gather Intel about ISIS from civilians, and this enables them to easily recognize terrorists and understand their way of life and attack strategies. This method is mostly relevant in the fight against terrorism abroad.
Conclusion
This paper has clearly defined terrorism activities in the United States. It had singled out the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) as a major threat in the country. The paper has analyzed the assets and capabilities of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), and the Air Force Intelligence in their efforts and preparedness in their fight against ISIS and how these agencies collaborate and work together to collect and disseminate intelligence that helps to identify threats, prevent and predict terrorist attacks and respond to threats and emergencies. The paper has also included a detailed Request for Information (RFI) to obtain further intelligence on ISIS. Finally, this paper has provided recommendations from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to law enforcement to assist in counterterrorism strategies.
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