Developing an Operational and Tactical Methodology for Incorporating Existing Technologies to Produce the Highest Probability of Detecting an Individual Wearing an IED   [open pdf - 2MB]

"Among the many weapons currently used by terrorist organizations against public welfare and coalition forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, human-born Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) present a significant threat. Commonly referred to as - suicide bombers, these individuals enter crowded public areas in order to detonate the IED, inflicting lethal damage to the surrounding individuals. Constructed of non-standard parts and hidden under layers of clothing, these human-born IEDs go undetected until detonated. Currently, there are no detection systems that can identify suicide bombers at adequate standoff distances. The purpose of this research is to develop a methodology that combines current technologies to increase the probability of identifying a suicide bomber at a checkpoint or marketplace with an adequate standoff distance. The proposed methodology will employ each sensor technology incorporating unique detection threshold values. We will analyze our proposed methodology utilizing a simulation model that provides both the probability of detecting a bomber and the probability of a false detection. These simulations will allow us to determine the threshold values for each sensor that result in the best probability of detection of a suicide bomber and allows for a small probability of false detections."