Alternative Threat Methodology

Authors

Charles B. King III, Transportation Security AdministrationFollow

Author Biography

Mr. Charles B. King III is the Risk Analysis Branch Chief for the Transportation Security Administration. He earned a BS from the United States Military Academy, an MBA from Duke University, and an MS in National Security Studies from the National War College.

DOI

http://dx.doi.org/10.5038/1944-0472.4.1.4

Subject Area Keywords

Homeland security, Intelligence analysis, Methodology, Terrorism / counterterrorism, Threat assessment

Abstract

Of the many challenges facing risk analysis practitioners, perhaps the most difficult to overcome is in the field of terrorist threat analysis. When estimating the threat associated with naturally occurring events, historical data provides a great deal of insight into the frequency of those events. Threat associated with accidents applies many operations research tools to gauge future failure-rates (Failure Mode and Effects Analysis being perhaps the most widely known). However, estimating the probability of an individual's or group's attacking a specific (or even a generic) target is an element of risk analysis in which art and intuition are applied far more regularly than is science.

Recommended Citation

King, Charles B. III. "Alternative Threat Methodology." Journal of Strategic Security 4, no. 1 (2011) : 57-68.
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5038/1944-0472.4.1.4
Available at: https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/jss/vol4/iss1/5