Todd M. Siebert: 5 steps to face the threat of terrorism in America

Threats have been made, things have happened and now it is apparent that evil is no longer on the way; it is among us. The question I find myself asking is: What is the prudent thing to do from here? Should there be any expectation other than to be ready to see similar attacks make their way into my own backyard? No!

Following the attacks in Paris that claimed the lives of at least 130 people, it has become abundantly clear that we have plenty to be concerned about. But this is not news to many. At the beginning of this year an article appeared on Personal Liberty^® that was titled “Gear up; evil is coming.” In his article, author Kevin Michalowski outlined some of the problems that France was already experiencing as a result of immigrants, of whom many are Muslim, and how the presence of such extremists led to attacks with the likelihood that such attacks will just continue. Michalowski even went on to state that these attacks will come to the United States and it is time to think about how you might respond to such a threat.

To take it one step further, an article that appeared on the website City Journal during Autumn 2002, titled “The Barbarians at the Gates of Paris: Surrounding the City of Light are threatening Cities of Darkness,” clearly listed how the influx of immigrants to France (and the areas surrounding Paris, specifically) is a significant threat to the city.

Here we are 11 months after Michalowski’s article and the attacks have gotten worse (on a ridiculous scale), as predicted. I think that it is reasonable to expect that the United States will see additional attacks at the hands of Muslim extremists. It’s happened before; it will happen again. No question. In fact, ISIS made multiple threats targeted at specific U.S. cities recently. It is almost guaranteed that we will see terroristic violence on our home turf. I say this because we aren’t taking the fight to ISIS and just making things easier for them; we are offering a free pass into the infidel capitol of the world in the form of Syrian refugees.

So what should be done?

Personal safety and security

There is no question that the priority in preparing for the threat of terrorism is to be aware of your surroundings and avoid going anywhere that there is a realistic threat. This is not the only consideration when it comes to safety and security, though, because it is impossible to know when danger will present itself. Obviously, if the victims in Paris knew that there was going to be an attack, they would not have been out that night.

Easy solution? Buy a gun. Maybe buy several guns:

Buy a gun(s).
Train with your gun(s).
Get a license to carry your gun with you.
Store plentiful amounts of ammunition.
Include your family in your plan and ensure they are comfortable with guns.
Implement a nonlethal defensive option in your strategy.
Absolutely do not overlook the potential need for body armor.
Have the supplies on hand needed to block light from getting out of your windows as it could be important to make it appear that no one is home.
At the same time, have the flexibility to reverse the process.

On top of being able to neutralize a threat, stand your ground or even maneuver away from danger, one of the best preparations that you can make is to be able to take care of yourself and your loved ones without having to leave home. If dangers are waiting outside your door, don’t go outside. In order to be able to stay clear of the outside world, you will need to have a cache of supplies in the house. This is by no means a recommendation to never leave the house, merely a recommendation to have the means to stay in if it were to become necessary.

Store the basics

All the security in the world won’t matter if you can’t meet the minimum requirements necessary to live. For the sole purposes of surviving the threat of isolated acts of violence, you should have no less than a week’s worth of basic supplies including:

Cash
Food
Cooking fuel
Water
Water purification supplies
First-aid kit
Medications
Hygiene products
Sanitation supplies
Cleaning supplies
Laundry detergent
Lighting and batteries
Essential tools for repairs (sewing, hardware, etc.)
Pet food and supplies

Develop a network

In the event that the inevitable comes to pass, it will be more important than ever to have a trusted network of people whom you trust, with whom you can work to accomplish goals and to whom you can turn for assistance if you need it. Things to look for when building your network:

Skills: Look for others who have the skills to compliment your own. Don’t get overly focused on a specific task, either. The more skills a person has, the more valuable he is to your network (even if he is better with some skills than he is others).
Experience: Skills are valuable, but they become even more valuable with experience behind those skills. There are also experiences that may carry more weight because they are harder to come by. As a result of this, evaluate experience with an open mind.
Loyalty: Team members must remain loyal to one another. There is really no way around this. Without loyalty, things will fall apart in short order. This is especially true when relationships are tested.
Values: Look for others to join forces with that share similar values. If you choose to align with others who subscribe to a different set of values, there will be a recipe for eventual disaster.
Motive: Why is a person a good fit for your team and why is he willing to be a part of it? Finding the answer to this question will unlock the greatest challenge of building any team.

Communicate

Having a network in place will hold value to you only if you have the means to communicate with one another. As such, come up with at least two ways that your network can reach one another. Depending on phone availability, you may need to have a plan to relay messages across your network.

Being able to communicate will obviously involve having the right equipment but can include a multifaceted approach. Start with the simple concept of phones. Add a secondary method like CB radios or use something like the family band radios that are widely available and easy to acquire. Lastly, consider the idea of making the option of written communication part of your plan. This is best accomplished by implementing a code system to encrypt your communication.

I like the approach to planning communications that I learned in the Army, it was called a P.A.C.E. plan and stands for Primary, Alternate, Contingency and Emergency. While four options may not always be available, you need to have as many methods available to face multiple scenarios.

Have a plan

Have a plan to remove yourself from the danger by knowing where you will go and how you will get there. This plan should center on the network that you have built so that you are always in a position where you are close to help. Identify multiple locations to go to while having more than one route to each location.

Creating a plan can be tricky for a number of reasons, but in order to evade a threat you will likely have to move often, not only from one place to another but also across different areas. It will likely not be good enough to just move from house to house in the same neighborhood. Mix up the type of locations that you choose to hole up in while also varying the areas of town that you choose.

All said, there are no guarantees that we will, or will not, see more terror attacks on U.S. targets; but I am confident that things will continue to get worse before they get better. Whether there is a credible threat or not, you should have the materials and knowledge in place to deal with and overcome threats. While terrorism is not the greatest threat that most of us will face, it is clear that ISIS is dedicated to carry out attacks across the world, and the United States is high on its list. Always be prepared; the risk of terrorism is greater today than it has been in a very long time.

–Tom Miller

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