The Lone Wolf ! 1

The Lone Wolf

Jason Blocker

INTL 498

Professor Jason Anderson

February 28, 2015

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Terrorism as a weapon has been around for the past millennia and yet it’s still a topic that

can be easily misunderstood. Citizens are well aware of the public demonstration that terrorists

use to instill fear while preying on the weak and innocent. A prime example of just one of the

many attacks on U.S. soil are the attacks on the World Trade Center twin towers in New York

City in both, 1993 and 2001. These tragic events have not only stretched our budgets to their

limits, our resources, but they have also ushered the Intelligence Community into a new era. It

requires a whole new way of thinking in their position to track these terrorist suspects. If we fast

forward a decade to today’s society, the new breed of terrorist, known as the “lone wolf

terrorist,” has taken shape and is quickly making a name for itself. Our fragile state of economy

being very unpredictable makes this the perfect time to provide ample opportunity for a lone

wolf to recruit potential clients while eluding intelligence officials. Due to the economic

tightening of budgets, the intelligence community faces adversity against this elusive lone wolf

criminal, who has the upper advantage in this situation to advance their plans of attack.

Lone Wolf Terrorist History

If we are to better understand terrorism itself, we must learn the origins of domestic

attacks here in the United States before leading into the lone wolf category. According to 1

sources, “The first domestic terrorist attack occurred when a carriage filled with thirty-five horse

drawn buggies loaded with 100 pounds of dynamite and 500 pounds of cast-iron slugs exploded

across the street from the J.P. Morgan bank headquarters in downtown Manhattan.” In 1920,

New York City was rocked by it’s first taste of terrorism in a blast that killed thirty people and

Zalman, Amy. “1920: Wall Street Bombing-Terrorism in America.” About News.com. http://terrorism.about.com/1

od/originshistory/p/WallStreetBomb.htm (accessed February 10, 2015).

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severely injured many of those in the immediate vicinity. The suspects were never caught. The

Oklahoma City bombing that occurred April 19, 1995 was a domestic terrorist event that

occurred at the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building. The suspects Timothy McVeigh and his

accomplice, Terry Nichols, carried out this atrocity which killed close to 200 people and injured

many more. After the massive devastating attacks on September 11th that killed 2,996 people,

it’s clear that terrorists are becoming more powerful and more successful in their strategies.

How do large groups of terrorists evolve and inspire single individual terrorists to take

action? Former FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III stated in 2003 that, “The lone wolf terrorist 2

is ‘the threat from single individuals sympathetic or affiliated with al-Qaeda, acting without

external support or surrounding conspiracies.” Mueller also made a distinct point that the risk of

lone wolf terrorist actions is increasing. Citizens may not know of every foiled attack attempt,

but they definitely are aware when one occurs. The nation watched live as the city of Boston

was seized by the domestic terrorists in the Boston Marathon bombings in 2013. The events that

followed leading to the death and capture of the suspects in the days after were watched in real

time as they played out. The attack in 1920 and the Oklahoma City bombing had no reported to

ties to any terrorist organizations. In fact, they were committed simply out of hatred towards the

United States Federal Government. It’s unclear whether the Tsarnaev brothers had any

connections with terrorist groups or if they were simply inspired to act by extreme Islamic

beliefs and their hatred for America.

Times Service, New York. “U.S. authorities warn of lone wolf' terrorists Aggrieved individuals may act indepen2 -dently.” The Baltimore Sun.,p.54, http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2003-02-23/news/0302230210_1_lone-extrem-ists-bin-laden-united-states (accessed February 10, 2015).

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Lone Wolf Terrorist Personality

What is a lone wolf terrorist? According to the Congressional Research Service, “Lone 3

wolf terrorism involves terrorist attacks carried out by persons who (a) operate individually, (b)

do not belong to an organized terrorist group or network, and (c) whose modi operandi are

conceived and directed by the individual without any direct outside command hierarchy.” Our

next question is to gain an understanding of what encompasses this role or persona that this

terrorist becomes. In the case of the Boston marathon bombers, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, was a

student at a local university attending classes and living everyday life with friends. Little did

anyone suspect what was being planned in the private moments of his life with his brother.

Overall, the main issue is that a person with very little training, with little or no ties to terrorist

organizations can now carry out increasingly disastrous attacks while eluding law enforcement

and intelligence officials who are unaware of the plans in the making. After the attack,

intelligence agencies and law enforcement have to work quickly to go from two steps behind to a

step ahead of the suspects, so that justice can be sought for those who were lost.

What would convince a human being to transform their mindset and formulate a plan to

strike fear by terrorizing innocent people? This act of extreme hatred towards a particular

population or a specific cause can be caused by a very drastic event or shift in behavior.

According to author Jeffrey D. Simon, “We have to be careful, however, in explaining lone wolf 4

Bjelopera, Jerome P. “CRS Report for Congress Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress The Domestic 3

Terrorist Threat: Background and Issues for Congress.”, p.54 FAS.org. http://fas.org/sgp/crs/terror/R42536.pdf (ac-cessed February 10, 2015).

Simon, J. D., Lone Wolf Terrorism: Understanding the Growing Threat (Amherst, New York: Prometheus Books, 4

2013), p. 42

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behavior as being driven by personal or psychological needs for which the lone wolf then simply

attaches to an ideology to justify his or her actions.” Most would immediately get classified as

loners, cut off from society, but in fact many were once normal every day citizens at one point in

their life before pursuing their new persona. According to Jeffrey D. Simon, he has classified 5

the lone wolf terrorists into five categories listed below.

“The first type is the secular lone wolf who, like secular terrorists groups, is committing

violent attacks for political, ethnic-nationalist, or separatists causes. The second type of

lone wolf terrorist is the religious lone wolf. The third type of lone wolf terrorist is the

single-issue lone wolf, who perpetrates attacks in the name of specific issues, such as

abortion, animal rights, or the environment. The fourth type is the criminal lone wolf,

motivated mainly by the desire for financial gain. The fifth type of lone wolf terrorist is

the idiosyncratic lone wolf. Although this type may commit attacks in the name of some

cause, it is the severe personality and physiological problems that mainly drive these

individuals to violence. Their causes are usually irrational, and they are often diagnosed

as paranoid schizophrenics.”

Lone wolf ideologies alone are what make them more dangerous than an organized

terrorist group, especially due to their unpredictable instability. This is the reason why these

individuals would most likely not be accepted into a terrorist community, even though they tend

to share the same objectives. The two graphics below show the case study results performed by

Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) on intelligence gathered from 63 confirmed incidents

taking place from April 1, 2009 to February 1, 2015.6

Ibid., p. 43-455

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According to the Survey, “63 incidents culled from academic databases and the SPLC’s own 6

files, 46 of them - fully 74% - were carried out by lone wolves, unassisted by others. And only

one of the remaining 16 (in one case, the number of attackers is not known) was planned by a

named organization. In most of those 16 cases, terrorists worked in pairs - a couple, a pair of

friends, two brothers and a father and son, among them - with only six involving three or more.

“Age of the Wolf.” Southern Poverty Law Center. http://www.splcenter.org/lone-wolf (accessed February 10, 6

2015).

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That means that 90% percent of the 62 cases where the number of perpetrators is known were the

work of one or two people.”

Lone Wolf Utilizing Internet Resources

In today’s world of technology, the internet and social media are two practical

applications that we simply cannot live without, as they are interwoven in every aspect of our

lives. The internet is cheap and free and readily available 24/7 with just a click of the mouse or

touch on any device connected to the internet. Social media is one of the main sources of how

we communicate every detail of our lives to others on a daily basis. The simple fact that lone

wolf terrorist suspects can think outside the box, while they operate solely by themselves with no

connections makes them a very dangerous, unpredictable threat. Intelligence analysts will gather

information digging deep to learn about potential suspects through the many avenues of research

available, from the obvious social media to the more obscure and elusive Dark Web. The

internet has been considered a gateway to unlimited amounts of information, which can help aid

the lone wolf in creating and executing a plan to his or her liking. The lone wolf may find

connections and decide to become stronger by pairing up with other individuals who share

similar beliefs. Two heads are better than one when it comes to foreseeing all details necessary

for a successful attack.

While it can be a powerful source of information, there are those who use the internet for

a much darker purpose. For example, if you search The Terrorist’s Handbook, How to Make

Bombs, and The Anarchist Cookbook on the internet, you can buy them and instantly access via

download directly from a smartphone or even a Kindle reading device. All of the books offer a

step by step guide for building explosives and many other projects, like DIY. Many of these

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devices can be created with little investment and easy access to most of the components available

for purchase at local hardware stores. Lone wolf’s prefer weapons that are homemade or easy to

inconspicuously purchase, since they would not raise any suspicion to the general public, nor the

authorities.

In 2011, Anders Breivik, a thirty two year old Norwegian man who was dressed as a

police officer opened fire at a political youth camp killing sixty nine people (mostly teens).

According to sources, “Hours before the attacks, Breivik e-mailed a 1,500-page manifesto to 7

5,700 people, titled 2083 - A European Declaration of Independence. In the document Breivik

attacks multiculturalism and the "threat" of Muslim immigration to Norway, as well as Marxism

and the Norwegian Labor Party.” For those receiving this massive manifesto, it would take time

to digest and then realize they needed to notify police, but then the police would need to sift

through and uncover the plan detailed within the writing and formulate a response plan of action.

Prior to the attack, Breivik followed the typical foot steps of a lone wolf terrorist when he started

to buy large quantities of ammonium nitrate fertilizer, a main key ingredient in bomb making.

Due to the large amounts of fertilizer he was purchasing, Norwegian authorities were alerted and

he was placed on the Norwegian security list for suspicious activity. Breivik was smart and

played it safe by renting a farm ahead of time, which led investigative officials to believe the

fertilizer was being used for agricultural reasons. If authorities were closely monitoring his in-

ternet activity and social media outlets, then came across his work, would a quicker response

have foiled his plan?

“Anders Behring Breivik Biography.” Bio.com. http://www.biography.com/people/anders-behring-7

breivik-20617893 (accessed February 10, 2015).

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Prior to the attacks Breivik was extremely careful not to raise any suspicion with the local

police. Even though he was taken off the security list, follow ups should have still been

conducted. In many cases, even though the signs seem clear after an attack, it’s not as easy to

see the whole picture when analyzing the suspicious details before, since there are so many

working parts to the suspect’s everyday actions in life. Despite any financial issues that the

intelligence community is experiencing, it’s important to remember your roots and training. It’s

easy to become complacent over time and not look for the big picture from the clues. In

intelligence analysis, it’s the smallest minute detail that is often overlooked, which could

ultimatley lead to a possible break in a case.

The internet can also provide access to blue prints of building schematics, or even

airplane/airport layouts. Online schedules of departing trains, buses, etc are readily available to

the public and this is just the tip of the internet iceberg loaded with key information needed for

planning an attack. If the terrorist wanted to commit an attack on a train, for example, they could

gather information on arrival/departure locations, layouts of the train, and find peak travel times

with the greatest number of passengers. By traveling like a commuter, the terrorist can

repeatedly do research and take into consideration the building perimeter, cameras, staff, security

or police, and their response times to the location; all without raising a red flag. If the lone wolf

was smart, he would have pre-selected a seat in the back close to a bathroom while buying his

tickets online. This would allow minimal coverage and he would be able to put together his

device without raising any suspicion. This would be much harder to do on board a plane due to

the intensity of security checks prior to boarding, but this still does not rule out the possibility of

this happening.

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This example of a potential attack plan presents the major problem with lone wolf

terrorists. How can any staff really tell the difference between a terrorist suspect and a citizen,

when the only difference between the two people are the negative intentions. Identical twins

could both be present and if we can’t read their mind, then it would be completely unclear which

was the terrorist and which isn’t. Because these lone wolves act alone mostly, there aren’t any

large financial transactions to trace, which would impede the officials ability to easily pinpoint a

suspect. The suspects can stay a step ahead, while the investigators frantically try to catch up.

The best resource at this point is the set the internet against the lone wolf and enlist the help of

the eager public.

The Dark Side of the Cyber World

As if, we didn't have enough to worry about in today’s society, now we have the added

threat of cyber warfare. Any computer savvy lone wolf could launch any number of cyber

attacks that could have ever-lasting devastating effects on our systems, which we depend on in

all aspects of our lives. In recent cyber attacks, they have all originated from terrorist groups or

our adversary countries, but not any yet from a lone wolf. In time, the introduction of a cyber

lone wolf terrorist will emerge and it will most likely be harder to track than the conventional

cyber threats. According to Author John Simon, “The lure of never having to venture out into 8

the “real world” but instead being able to launch an attack from the comfort and privacy of their

own home is something that isolated and socially maladjusted lone wolf may find appealing.”

Simon, J. D., Lone Wolf Terrorism: Understanding the Growing Threat (Amherst, New York: Prometheus Books, 8

2013), p. 33

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Lone wolf terrorists can find many others with similar views on internet forum boards,

used as an outlet to express their frustrations and hatred towards the United States and its allies.

Once a person is locked in with hatred and becomes a member of the discussion, anything is

possible as they finally discover the reason why they are driven to commit this heinous crime

against humanity. Several agencies, along with the FBI, do monitor these known website forums

and will act as forum members in order to get them to further divulge information. New

websites can formulate at any time which adds pressure to the agencies to maintain up to date

information and requires more man hours.

This all proved to be the case when a nineteen year old Jordanian named, Hosam Smadi,

caught the attention of the FBI, who felt he had the makings of a lone wolf terrorist based on his

forum discussions. After posting multiple videos and forum topics expressing his hatred towards

the United States, they could see he was clearly devoted to Allah and was willing to re-create the

9/11 attacks. Smadi had no ties to any terrorist organizations, nor the financial means of

successfully executing an attack. Through the forums, Smadi was hoping that others would

come to his aid and help him carry out his attack. After months of investigations, the FBI offered

the help he sought after and then successfully foiled his plans. He was caught red handed and

charged with one count of attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction.

If we fast forward to the Ferguson riots that occurred in November 2014, which were

ignited by the public’s intense outrage in response to a police officer not being indicted for

shooting an unarmed young male, named Michael Brown. The extremely agitated state of the

community would have proven to be the perfect ground zero for an attack, if a lone wolf decided

to take advantage of the situation. It would only take a simple understanding between the lone

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wolf and the outraged members of the community to commit these acts of violence. The current

rapport between police officers, the public, and the media is a constant roller coaster of emotions

that a lone wolf could easily prey on, if he felt that this was worthy of planning an attack. The

media easily provides the fuel and distraction needed, so that he can put his plan into action

while they focus on the significant news at hand.

Social Media

Social media is no doubt a powerful source that allows everyone to keep in contact within

multiple sharing applications such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Blogs. Everything we do

on the internet leaves a cyber trail and with persistence, a lone wolf’s activity can be traced back

to its origins through their IP address. Intelligence analysts can then put together a pattern of

events ranging from the timeline of activity, sites visited, posted messages, while tracing other

activities surrounding these online actions. If they acquire enough information and evidence, a

profile of this potential suspect can be created to give intelligence and law enforcement a giant

leap forward in the investigation. Social media can have a positive impact on people’s everyday

lives when used for its original intentions, but when placed in the hands of an adversary, in this

case a potential lone wolf suspect, the tables are turned. The main problem with monitoring

social media is that its so vast and reaches so deep, that it would take massive technology and a

very large group to monitor outgoing and incoming messages with key words that would alert

intelligence officials. In some cases prior to their attack, the lone wolf terrorist will post their

messages of hatred as a last ditch effort to bring attention to their cause.

The Boston Marathon bombings on April 25, 2014 are another in depth example of how

the internet, along with social media, can easily influence a person(s) who want to take their

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hatred to the next level. Authorities believed that the two suspects learned their trade by 9

reading the online English language version of Al Qaeda propaganda magazine, called

Inspire. This magazine clearly taught step by step procedures how to make a kettle bomb, which

were the devices used at the marathon, killing three and injuring hundreds more. The two

brothers blended well with the crowd and no one suspected the backpacks they were carrying

held an explosive device, especially because they look like college students and Dzhokhar

Tsarnaev actually was one. Social media accounts such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, along

with many other applications, can further make the the lone wolf’s planning easier due to the

updates, geo tagging, and the constant streaming of real time messaging that he can use to his

benefit in acquiring further intelligence for a potential attack.

In the case of the Boston marathon bombings, social media turned against them resulting

in the swift apprehension and arrest of one of the Tsarnaev brothers, while the older brother was

killed by law enforcement officials. After the bombing, investigators reviewed hundreds of

pictures taken during the marathon by bystanders on their smart phones. This process to

identify suspects was painstaking. Without the assistance from the public and modern facial

recognition software, it would have prolonged the identification of the two brothers which

would’ve allowed them to successfully pull off another attack. The public help saved money and

countless man hours by willingly cooperating with the law enforcement officials in bringing the

suspects to justice.

Khan, Azmat. “The Magazine that “Inspired” the Boston Bombers.” PBS.org. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/9

frontline/iraq-war-on-terror/topsecretamerica/the-magazine-that-inspired-the-boston-bombers/ (accessed February 10, 2015).

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In some cases, agencies such as DHS have launched their, “If you see something, say 10

something,” campaign which urges citizens to report any suspicious terrorist activity of any

nature. This simple program utilizes social media as a tool to ensure the safety of the citizens

and their communities. There is no doubt that the public can expand their presence in person and

on social media, much quicker than officials can. The public has become the eyes and ears for

law enforcement in so many cases. In the end, without social media, and its free unlimited

variety of applications, which have allowed the Intelligence Community to continue working

with leads and provided a means of gathering intelligence, we would be struggling to keep up

with the demands of ensuring the safety and security of the United States.

Even to this day, some citizens still have the mind frame that this type of event will never

happen in my city or happen to me. In this day and age, everyone should be concerned as these

unprovoked and unknown attacks strike us on our own soil, it should put everyone in a

heightened state of awareness. After time goes by, it’s easier to be complacent and fall back to

everyday life for those whose lives weren’t directly affected by an attack. Immediately

following a major incident the social media outlets are slammed with thousands of messages,

pictures, news sharing, and updates from the public, but over time that fades as new news

catches the public’s attention.

Intelligence Community Budgets

If there was little to no government funding, many basic services for protection that we

depend on would not be able to carry on as efficiently with only limited resources. The citizens

of our nation depend upon law enforcement personnel, the military, and especially the unseen

“If you see something, say something.” DHS.gov. http://www.dhs.gov/see-something-say-something (accessed 10

February 10, 2015).

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intelligence community to help ensure the safety and security of United State’s citizens. Every

year, budgets from all government entities are scrutinized. Projects are either approved and

allowed to continue, maybe with changes to procedures and spending, or even canceled

altogether. It’s a vicious cycle that we must endure every fiscal year. With each passing year it

gets worse as interest compounds on the national debt, which is currently around 18 trillion

dollars. Watching the national debt clock is not one for the faint of heart as almost one million

dollars gets added to the debt total in about a minute’s time.

Since the attacks on September 11th, the intelligence community budgets have more than

doubled from what they were in the past. According to sources, “The CIA, NSA and National 11

Reconnaissance Office (NRO) receive more than 68 percent of the black budget. For Example,

The National Geospatial-Intelligence Program’s (NGP) budget has grown over 100 percent since

2004.” The National Intelligence Program is the main source of funding for Intelligence

programs. Overall, this added spending on necessary protections only increases the strain on the

government’s ability to balance the budgets.

The Central Intelligence Agency is by far the largest benefactor of this increased budget.

However, even the CIA’s budget, along with many supporting agencies and government

contractors, are just as susceptible to budget cuts despite their essential contribution of ensuring

the nation’s security infrastructure remains intact. In September 2013, the Federal government,

along with everyone in the nation, felt the tightening of the budget strings when a mandatory

“The Black Budget”:Funding the intelligence program." The Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/11

wp-srv/special/national/black-budget/ (accessed February 10, 2015).

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sequestration was enacted upon. These mandatory budget cuts were necessary in preventing a

long term government shutdown, even though the debt ceiling’s were raised. In the end, despite

budget setbacks, the fate of the nation’s security will not be jeopardized, but resources may not

be as readily available as they have been in the past. Many smaller programs, such as Operation

Tripwire, may not be able to be completely funded. The FBI has established, Operation

Tripwire, which allows local businesses to report any suspicious behavior or irregular buying of

material normally not sold in huge quantities. Therefore, the rapport with the local and

commercial businesses will slowly diminish making those employees take matters into their own

hands.

U.S. Intelligence Funding

The following chart represent the budgets for the National Intelligence Program (NIP) and the

Military Intelligence Program (MIP). FY 06 - FY14 Budgets12

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In fiscal year 2015, the budget for the National Intelligence Program was down slightly 12

to $45.6 million dollars, but in FY 2016, their budget requests are for an increase to $54 million

dollars in funding. This chart on the following page, shows a steady increase in the need for

military intelligence funding following along with the progress of the war on terror. However, in

2010, there is a decisive turn toward reduced spending. In 2014, the numbers are well below

what they were seven years prior, which represents the winding down process of the war.

Regarding the national intelligence agency budgets, the numbers tell a different story.

Steady increases were needed in each of the years following the pursuit of Osama bin Laden and

other terrorist group leaders. Osama bin Laden was captured during a night raid on May 1, 13

2011, while still inside his Abbottabad compound in Pakistan. This would prove as a major

turning point in the war on terrorism, but the victory was short lived as attacks on armed forces

and innocent citizens would still continue to rise. After his capture, it’s clear that the government

has made reductions in the overall intelligence budgets driven by the need to reduce spending

and the national debt. The request for an increase in 2016 could possibly be fueled by the

ongoing threats of lone wolf terrorists and the key terrorist group leading the pack, called ISIS.

The terrorist group ISIS has taken terrorism to a whole new level with zero regards to life or

property and even Al-Qaeda condemns some of their actions.

“The Budget.” White House.gov. http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/Overview/ (accessed February 10, 12

2015).

Ferran, Lee. “Osama Bin Laden Raid as Seen By Terror Leader’s Family: Report.” ABCnews.com. http://abc13 -news.go.com/blogs/headlines/2013/07/osama-bin-laden-raid-as-seen-by-terror-leaders-family-report/ (accessed Feb-ruary 10, 2015).

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This chart gives an overview of each major agency and how the spending is divided up. 14

There are many aspects to intelligence work, from analyzing information to acting upon

that information. It’s clear that the most important piece of this puzzle is gathering the

information from the source and it’s obviously the most expensive according to the funding

divisions leaked by Edward Snowden, a former NSA employee. In 2013, he collected and

subsequently leaked thousands of classified documents about government programs involving

surveillance, budgets, NSA spying, and the infamous Black Budget that the public knew little

about. Even to this day, the actual damage to the U.S. Government and the NSA is still

unknown. Edward Snowden is currently residing in an unknown location in Russia under a three

year temporary political asylum protection.

Kelley, Michael. “The US Intelligence Community's 'Black Budget' Spending.” SFGATE. http://www.sfgate.com/14

technology/businessinsider/article/Here-s-A-Fantastic-Data-Visualization-Of-The-US-4782856.php (accessed Feb-ruary 10, 2015).

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U.S. Intelligence Funding Reduction

If U.S. Intelligence agencies need to consider cost reductions, they could review ways to

collaborate more and reduce duplicity, or they could focus on streamlining processes to reduce

the cost of management, facilities, and support. The act of finding accurate intelligence

information and the technological systems necessary to perform those actions effectively is the

most difficult area to work on reductions without potentially having an impact on the state of

national security. Unfortunately, because Snowden leaked so many documents, such as the

diagram on the previous page, our enemies from the small lone wolf to adversary countries will

have a clear picture of our resources.

If the federal government was sequestered, this may prevent funds from being used by

federal and state law enforcement officials, who are key players since they are ultimatley viewed

as the first responders in reporting suspicious activity to intelligence agencies. If there is no

funding, how would they be able to gather intelligence, let alone attempt to track down a

potential suspect? If the lone terrorist wanted to start planning, this would be the time to act,

because resources would be already be stretched thin. The prime time to conduct an attack based

on the government spending would be the beginning/ending of the fiscal year. This is when

continuing resolutions keep the government funding running on a bare bones budget until the

official budget is passed or if hiring freezes due to a sequestration happen to be in effect. The

chances of being located and questioned for suspicious activity may appear to be little to nothing,

as countless reports will have to go unanswered due to departments or agencies not having the

extra man power to follow up on these investigations.

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Government agencies, private contractors, and even law enforcement departments must

adhere to their budgets and employee mandated protocols regardless of the current budgetary

issues needing to be addressed. This grim reality would quickly lead into further financial

problems and with budgetary restrictions already in place, this would create a downward spiral

of our financial system thus allowing the lone wolf to operate freely. The effects that acts of

terrorism have on our economy, along with the added need for intelligence agency funding, only

compounds the budgetary strain, making their campaigns even more successful. There are those

who believe that fighting the war on terrorism is a double edge sword. Everyone would like for

the war to end, but at the same time it has provided the economy with a surplus of jobs, increased

funding (and debt), and technology productivity. Would we have ever gotten to this point if the

attacks on September 11th had never occurred. On 9/11, not only did they knock down the

iconic Trade Center twin towers, but thousands of people were decimated and this event

continues to have long reaching effects that go deep down into the depths of the economy and

U.S. government’s power. This single event is a major turning point in the history of the United

States of America.

Doing More with Less

The key problem in a world of budgetary restrictions is how to do more with less, when it

comes to tracking a lone wolf terrorist suspect. Having an in depth understanding of how the

lone wolf terrorists are able to obtain information by open source methods, planning and carrying

out their mission, will help authorities to focus their efforts more precisely. With an intelligence

community facing tighter budgets, this would mean limiting resources to carry out their mis-

sions. The answer could be as simple as share our resources now more than ever, as we proceed

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carefully through these tough times that lie ahead. Federal agencies, along with local and state

departments, must be willing to put aside their differences and be ready to hit the ground running

together when we gain any leverage in tracking potential lone wolf suspects. The same 15

question that always comes to mind is, “How can you stop an assassin when you don't know his

name, his target, and the timings of his intended attack? This problem is compounded by the fact

that many lone wolves are individuals who've never committed a crime before, let alone a terror

attack.” In the times of financial downfall and budget shortfalls, we must rely on the sources that

we already have in place which are more readily available, cost efficient, and easier to access.

Despite our differences within each agency in the intelligence community, whether it be

our strengths or weaknesses, each agency has something to offer. In times when government

cutbacks are on the horizon, agencies need to focus on how we can get the mission done within

their current scopes of capability. Creating a panel made up of ten to twenty key personnel from

each agency would allow us the opportunity to more readily share important gathered

intelligence amongst ourselves. Perhaps even they could coordinate their own group of secure

social media style forums for networking and sharing information. It works so well in the public

and for businesses, so why not copy the same style of systems for use in a secure environment.

These sharing solutions would have to be extremely secure and have levels of access in order to

protect any classified data and materials. This would prove beneficial if one agency had

gathered several leads on a potential lone wolf suspect, but needed additional support to establish

whether they are more of a threat than initially perceived. A group of subject matter experts can

Dunn, Matthew. “Can We Stop the Lone Wolf Terrorist?.” The Huffington Post. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/15

matthew-dunn/can-we-stop-the-lone-wolf_b_3403318.html (accessed February 10, 2015).

The Lone Wolf ! 22

work to filter their analysis and disseminate information to the state and local law enforcement

departments, which are often left in the dark when it comes to matters of national security. The

common persona of “its on a need to know to basis,” needs to be thrown out and replaced with a

more unified response such as “One team, One fight.”

The next step would be allowing government contracting companies access to this

important information, which can provide even more scrutiny because of their less restricted

policies for analysis. Contractors are normally not held to the same strict guidelines that federal

government employees must adhere to. This flexibility can allow further intelligence gathering

to take place, but on a lower scale operation. Unfortunately, every fiscal year, government

agencies have to compete heavily to get more money to continue funding their operations. In the

end, the entire intelligence community needs to come together as a whole in order to better

recognize, understand, detect and deter, those who take it upon themselves to single handedly

carry out a terrorist act on American soil.

Conclusion

The title of lone wolf terrorist is the definition of the motivation and beliefs that drive a

disturbed individual to create plans for striking fear in the innocent and forever changing the

course of American history. The Intelligence Community must continue to study the trends,

patterns, and their ideology in order to better understand these new terrorists. According to 16

sources, “Although we cannot expect to totally “defeat” terrorism when terrorism can be viewed

as just one person with one bomb and one cause, we can nevertheless be better prepared to deal

with all types of terrorism contingencies, including those centered on lone wolves. To do

Simon, Jeffrey. “Understanding the Threat of Lone Wolf Terrorism .” Law Enforcement Today. http://www.lawen16 -forcementtoday.com/2013/02/21/understanding-the-threat-of-lone-wolf-terrorism/ (accessed February 10, 2015).

The Lone Wolf ! 23

otherwise would leave us vulnerable for the next attack.”

There’s no doubt that protecting a country of our nation’s size is immeasurably

expensive. It is imperative that we continue to properly fund the intelligence community for

threats from abroad, but also allow additional investments for focusing on domestic terrorist

security concerns, such as the lone wolf. When the government is facing financial trouble,

terrorists will be more free to strike, further inflicting pain on our already strained system. It’s

just a matter of time before another attack is attempted, but if the funding and resources are not

there to prevent or foil the plans of the lone wolf, then the government may not be able to protect

its citizens well. It is estimated that over the next decade, the number of international terrorist

attacks will continue to rise, but here on American soil, we may start to see an increase of

attempted attacks carried out by lone wolfs. It’s important that the policy makers and the public

are made aware of this growing threat. Despite our fragile state of economy, the citizens of this

great nation can be of great help to combat this silent and elusive home grown threat.

The Lone Wolf ! 24

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