Research Paper

Unit II Research Paper Topic

HLS 3301, Weapons of Mass Destruction 2

The purpose of this assignment is to help you decide which scenario you want to address and to help you prepare for your Unit VII Research Paper. Choose one of the three scenarios (see scenario list below) for your research, which must relate to how terrorism, genetic engineering, genocide operations, biological warfare, or cyberterrorism may affect our efforts to mitigate future attacks globally or internationally, as well as the moral and ethical implications of the use of such WMD in a terrorist attack of this magnitude. Additionally, the paper must address the capabilities and design of future attacks and the strategies we must develop to prevent or diminish the impact of such attacks. You are encouraged to truly think outside of the box to predict potential terrorist strategies that are new in nature, rather than just repeating previous efforts from terrorist organizations.

From the retrospect of intelligence officers with the Central Region Command in Afghanistan, you can be assured that, in addition to infrastructure attacks, terrorist organizations focus their attacks against educational and religious systems that they deem evil from their perspective.

Scenario 1:

The election year is heating up with every new debate. You are the police chief of Atlanta. A debate has been scheduled in the Atlanta Chastain Park, which is the largest city park in Atlanta and consists of 268 acres of open terrain. The park is located near the northern edge of the city. The debate will be held at the Chastain Park Amphitheater, which is designed to hold just under 7,000 people, not including the politicians and their personnel. You can search the Google Maps (https://www.google.com/maps) website for a map location of Chastain Park.

Your research must identify what federal and state agencies will be assisting you with the security for the event. You have been assigned the duty to provide a risk analysis of the physical facilities and to provide your opinion of the probability of terrorist attacks against the politicians, the 7,000 participants within the amphitheater, and the untold numbers that will be in the park surrounding the theater. You must ensure the safety of everyone attending the debate and those visiting the park. Your mitigation plan must address ingress and egress to and from the park and the amphitheater before, during, and after the event. Additionally, you must identify possible existing threats as well as the terrorist groups responsible for those threats. You must identify any and all probable avenues of attack and develop a plan to prevent such attacks. Keep in mind, you must prepare for the worst-case scenario, which can consist of any form of an attack, including an attack from the ground or air, long-distance attacks, or preplanted improvised explosive devices (IEDs). Consider that thousands of people may die or be seriously injured if your plan fails to recognize all relevant scenarios or threats.

Scenario 2:

You are the head of a Department of Homeland Security investigative task force assigned to mitigate threats or possible terrorist attacks against the port area of San Diego. This includes numerous U.S. naval vessels, untold numbers of oceanic freighters, local fishing vessels, and countless pleasure yachts. You have received a threat from an unknown source stating that coordinated attacks are going to be launched against military and civilian targets in and around the San Diego area. The threat alludes to the use of nuclear missiles launched from vessels off the coast of San Diego. The source of the threats remains unknown, but intelligence (INTEL) points toward North Korea and Iran.

Your job is to identify the probable source of the threats and to mitigate the numerous scenarios of attack that could stem from the Pacific Ocean, the Baja Peninsula, the roadways entering San Diego from all directions, or from within San Diego. No specific terrorist group has given any notice of an attack.

You must identify all probable sources from which a nuclear missile could be launched. Since INTEL advises that North Korea nor Iran have long-range capability, your search must relate to the immediate area. Additionally, all you know is that the attack is scheduled to occur sometime this month.

Identify all possible sources that could launch a nuclear missile, and determine countermeasures that will empower your personnel to defeat the attack or attacks before they occur.

Your plan must include a worst-case-scenario response plan to enable you to properly respond and deal with the blast effects from the attack should your personnel fail to stop the attack(s).

Scenario 3:

You are a senior officer in the U.S. Border Patrol, and your INTEL group has received a warning that a terrorist cell is planning to launch a biological aerial attack across the southern borders of the United States, but the information you received does not identify a specific border-area crossing point. Therefore, you must mitigate a plan to identify all probable entry points along the massive stretch of land that borders along Mexico and the United States. Additionally, you have to mitigate how the attacks will occur. Numerous scenarios can be identified, which include by air, land, or by preplanted IEDs, as well by other methods designed to release the biological hazard into the air or the local water supply systems.

Your job is to identify all of these possible situations and to provide a plan that will efficiently inspect and monitor each threatened area and possible sources of attack. Can you simply shut down all small plane traffic in the area? Could the biological hazard already be in place? Could the biological hazard be transported across the border through tunnels? What cities are probable targets for such attacks? What plans can you develop to ensure protection for all of these cities? How far north can such attacks penetrate?

Your plan must include identification of all possible scenarios, and you must include a response plan based on the worst- case scenario, which provides proper response to the area or areas suffering from the attack and how you plan to protect first responders and healthcare facilities during and after the attack.

Also for this assignment, you must include three sources that will be used for researching the Unit VII Research Paper. You are required to submit the scenario topic for the VII Research Paper for approval. Provide a description of your topic and the focus of your paper in at least 150 words, and provide a list of references you intend to use in your research. This may be subject to change since your topic and references will need approval by your instructor. Please contact your instructor if you

HLS 3301, Weapons of Mass Destruction 3

have any questions or concerns.