Dr. Sarah J. Lohmann – Countering Terrorism on Tomorrow’s Battlefield  (NATO COE-DAT Handbook 2)

Every day, malicious actors target emerging technologies and medical resilience or seek to wreak havoc in the wake of disasters brought on by climate change, energy insecurity, and supply-chain disruptions. Countering Terrorism on Tomorrow’s Battlefield is a handbook on how to strengthen critical infrastructure resilience in an era of emerging threats. The counterterrorism research produced for this volume is in alignment with NATO’s Warfighting Capstone Concept, which details how NATO Allies can transform and maintain their advantage despite new threats for the next two decades. The topics are rooted in NATO’s Seven Baseline requirements, which set the standard for enhancing resilience in every aspect of critical infrastructure and civil society.

As terrorists hone their skills to operate lethal drones, use biometric data to target innocents, and take advantage of the chaos left by pandemics and natural disasters for nefarious purposes, NATO forces must be prepared to respond and prevent terrorist events before they happen. Big-data analytics provides potential for NATO states to receive early warning to prevent pandemics, cyberattacks, and kinetic attacks. NATO is perfecting drone operations through interoperability exercises, and space is being exploited by adversaries. Hypersonic weapons are actively being used on the battlefield, and satellites have been targeted to take down wind farms and control navigation. This handbook is a guide for the future, providing actionable information and recommendations to keep our democracies safe today and in the years to come.

Click here to read the book.

Click here to watch the webinar.



Keywords: critical infrastructure, NATO, drones, pandemics, information critical infrastructure, election infrastructure, energy sector, climate change, supply chain resilience, logistical resilience, terrorism
Episode  Transcript: Countering Terrorism on Tomorrow's Battlefield (NATO COE-DAT Handbook 2)
Stephanie Crider (Host)

You’re listening to Conversations on Strategy.

The views and opinions expressed on this podcast are those of the podcast guests and are not necessarily those of the Department of the Army, the US Army War College, or any other agency of the US government.

Today,  I am talking with Dr.  Sarah  J. Lohmann, editor of Countering Terrorism on Tomorrow's Battlefield Critical Infrastructure: Security and Resiliency (Handbook 2), which was published by the US Army War College Press in 2022. Lohman is an acting assistant professor in the Henry M. Jackson School for International Studies at the University of Washington and a visiting professor at the US Army War College.

Host

Welcome to Decisive Point, Sarah.

Dr. Sarah J. Lohmann

Thank you so much for having me.

Host

I am glad you're here. We're talking about Countering Terrorism on Tomorrow's Battlefield. This is the second handbook looking at maintaining critical infrastructure resilience while countering terrorism. Why was there a need for another handbook? How is this one different?

Lohmann

Thanks so much for the question. First of all, we're building on the success of the first handbook. The first handbook collected practices in counterterrorism through providing an outline of current threats and tools for critical infrastructure and security policies. Now, we had a close partnership (and still do) with the NATO Center of Excellence in the Defense Against Terrorism in Ankara, Turkey. And due to that close partnership, it was also suggested that we continue with the second handbook.

This is being used to inform military officers across NATO, as well as partners and allies, about best methods and mitigations as we look at counterterrorism. But this new handbook looks to the future, and what innovation is being developed. It's looking at how terrorists are using emerging and destructive technologies and how they fill the power vacuum in the wake of, for example,