The December 2018 Issue of Homeland Security Affairs features a research article proposing a system for detecting terrorist-deployed nuclear weapons in American cities, an essay reviewing the literature on the causes of suicide terrorism, and an essay exploring the creation of performance metrics for deterring threats to critical infrastructure.
In “Defending Cities against Nuclear Terrorism: Analysis of a Detection Network for Ground-Based Traffic,” Edward Cazalas analyzes the feasibility of a system for detecting terrorist-deployed nuclear weapons in urban vehicle traffic. In “Causes & Explanations of Suicide Terrorism: A Systematic Review,” Vanessa Harmon, Edin Mujkic, Catherine Kaukinen, and Henriikka Weir provide a systematic review of the academic literature on the causes of suicide terrorism, and in “Risk-Based Performance Metrics for Critical Infrastructure Protection? A Framework for Research and Analysis,” Eric Taquechel and Marina Saigalina explore the development of metrics for measuring the effectiveness and efficiency of efforts to deter attacks against CIKR.
The September 2018 Issue of Homeland Security Affairs features an essay analyzing emergency management lessons-learned from Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria in 2017, and a research article analyzing the utility of the Quadrant Enabled Delphi method for developing operator-driven policy in homeland security domains.
In “Learning From H.I.M (Harvey, Irma, Maria): Preliminary Impressions for Supply Chain Resilience,” Phillip Palin examines the impact of three 2017 hurricanes on Houston, South Florida, and Puerto Rico and derives lessons-learned regarding supply chain robustness and resilience. In “Operator-Driven Policy: Deriving Action from Data Using the Quadrant Enabled Delphi (QED) Method,” Lillian Alessa, Sean Moon, David Griffith, and Andrew Kliskey examine how application of the QED method for eliciting analysis from subject matter experts might help in the development of operator-driven policy in homeland security.
The April 2018 issue features an essay examining cyber vulnerabilities in U.S. nuclear power plants and an essay reviewing an important book in the counterterrorism field.
In “SCADA Fusion and Commercial Fission,” Matthew Horner analyzes the vulnerability of supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems at U.S. nuclear power plants to cyber-attack and examines ways to reduce that vulnerability.
In the other essay, Scott Romaniuk reviews Illusions of Terrorism and Counterterrorism by Richard English, (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2015).
The January 2018 Issue of Homeland Security Affairs features a research article analyzing the security risks associated with ISIS cadres returning from the battlefield to their home countries, an essay analyzing the state of the maritime security regime for containerized cargo, and an essay reviewing an important new book on using intervention to counter violent extremism and prevent recruitment into terrorist groups.
In “Defected from ISIS or Simply Returned?—Challenges for the West in Dealing with Returning Foreign Fighters,” Anne Speckhard, Ardian Shajkovci, and Ahmet Yayla share insights, derived from extensive interviews, on the radicalization process and the recidivist threat posed by ISIS cadres who have left the battlefield and returned to their home countries.
In “Improving Maritime Transportation Security in Response to Industry Consolidation,” Nick Monacelli, analyzes the effects of industry consolidation on the containerized cargo security regime, and proposes ways to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the system.
In the final essay, Caitlyn Ambrozik reviews Preventing and Countering Extremism and Terrorist Recruitment: A Best Practices Guide by Hanif Qadir (Melton, Woodbridge: John Catt Educational Ltd., 2016).