Covering the Seams: Unifying Effort to Defeat Transnational Terrorism

Abstract

Abstract : In the post-Cold War decade of the 1990 s the United States struggled to find a strategy suitable for the emerging security environment. The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 clarified the perception of the heretofore obscure and confusing security environment. The attacks brought into focus the true picture of the threat to United States citizens and interests at home and abroad presented by transnational terrorism. In the ensuing months after the attacks, the Nation has undertook actions across all aspects of national power to defeat the global threat of transnational terrorism. The Nation has formulated a strategy for combating terrorism that places the U.S. Military in a significant role. Perhaps the most significant role for the military in this effort will be globally operationalizing the application of military power to achieve the strategic objective to defeat transnational terrorism. The challenge for the United States application of military power lies in leveraging a regionally based operational command and control structure against a globally distributed threat. This monograph proposes that the existing organization, delineated responsibilities, and commensurate procedures of the operational military system of the United States, must adapt to meet the necessities of the world environment and defeat the threat of transnational terrorism. To better understand the operational challenges confronted in the Global War on Terror, a commensurate level analysis of the adversaries is necessary. The operational analysis uses the doctrinal elements of operational design to guide the examination of the adversaries. Furthermore, the analysis uses the third element of operational design as a measure of effectiveness for the command and control structure of the operational military in addressing the global threat of transnational terrorism.