2019 marks the 18th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks against the United States. In the September 2019 issue of the CTC Sentinel, Daniel Byman’s feature article, “Eighteen Years On: The War on Terror Comes of Age“, reflects on nearly two decades of war and counterterrorism, and the state of...
The NATO Strategic Communications Centre of Excellence has released a report on the “Trends and Developments in the Malicious Use of Social Media“. Social media platforms are a constant source of research and exploitation for malicious actors, as they work to create influence and wage information warfare within target audiences....
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has released the “National Mitigation Investment Strategy: Mitigation Framework Leadership Group” report, which focuses on the role of the Mitigation Framework Leadership Group (MitFLG) in achieving the mitigation core capabilities of the National Mitigation Framework. The MitFLG is responsible for coordinating the implementation of...
In a new report from the Royal Institute of International Affairs, Kathleen McKendrick discusses the theoretical contributions of artificial intelligence (AI) in the realm of counterterrorism operations. In “Artificial Intelligence Prediction and Counterterrorism“, the author examines how artificial intelligence is already used, how it could potentially be used, and the...
The Center for the Study of Hate & Extremism at California State University San Bernardino has released the “Report to the Nation: 2019 Factbook on Hate & Extremism in the U.S. & Internationally.” In the more than 100 pages of the report, the Center ‘s empirical findings put a spotlight...
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has released a new report, “The DHS Strategic Plan: Fiscal Years 2020-2024“. In an era of threat landscape which is both complex and constantly evolving, DHS is responsible for leading homeland security initiatives. According to Kevin K. McAleenan, Acting Secretary of DHS, “The Department’s...
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime has released the 2019 edition of the “Global Study on Homicide”. The report is published in an effort to increase and improve the understanding of homicide, known as the “ultimate crime” and provide accurate and categorized data. The major data headline from...
In a new report from the Brennan Center for Justice, the current state of federal law enforcement’s response to far-right violence is examined. From the Center’s perspective, the labeling of violence as a hate crime or violent crime, even though such an incident may perfectly fit the statutory definition of...
Recorded Future has published their latest research, titled “The Discovery of Fishwrap: A New Social Media Information Operation Methodology“. In the report, author Staffan Truvé discusses Recorded Future’s foray into the detection and analysis of influence operations, both by nation states and other actors. As established by RAND Corporation, influence...
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has released its annual report on active shooter incidents in the United States. For the purposes of these reports, the “FBI defines an active shooter as one or more individuals actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a populated area. Implicit...
