Hello forgiving readers,
Long time, no write... this post is long overdue. Buckle up, because it’s time to talk about the dark side of aviation. Most of my time over the last two weeks was spent doing research for a chapter within Daveed’s book. The chapter is a case study on one of the most dramatic targets of jihadist external operations in the past two decades: the aviation industry. This subject matter hits close to home for Americans after the devastating events of 9/11 which caused us to rethink aviation forever. And ever since 9/11, terrorists have remained a threat despite increasingly advanced and high-tech airport security. Much like other counterterrorism efforts, aviation security has become a cat-and-mouse game in which terrorists exploit loopholes, the aviation industry adjusts security to close those loopholes, and the terrorists initiate the cycle again. Jihadist plots have ranged anywhere from Richard Reid’s infamous shoe bomb to liquid explosives disguised in sports drinks to underwear bombs. This is why airport security today consists of so many steps that everyone loves to complain about: removal of shoes, liquid restrictions in carry-on bags, and full-body scanners that project an image of one’s body underneath clothing. There are a bunch of follow-up remarks I could make about that last one-- which is abhorred by civil liberties groups-- that would regrettably shift this blog from PG-13 to Rated R. But not all aviation threats center around our beloved TSA. I also conducted separate research on drone terrorism which, as it turns out, is not the stuff of a science fiction novel. Hezbollah was the first terrorist group to deploy military-grade drones when it launched a surveillance drone into Israeli airspace in 2004. This initiated a long period where VNSAs were using drones primarily for that very purpose. Now flash forward to the modern day where terrorists have devised all sorts of creative uses for drones. For example, the Islamic State frequently uses drones as a propaganda tool. It seems that American teenagers and IS soldiers are not all that different: they both love showing off aerial footage on social media to convince people that they are cool. Unfortunately, drones are also being used for more lethal ends. While the U.S. has frequently used drones in the war on terror, it was only a matter of time before terrorists would use them to fight back. Since 2016, there has been documented use of IS drones dropping mortar, grenades, and even IEDs on counterinsurgent forces. Meanwhile, Hezbollah has used quadcopters armed with munitions, Houthi drones can allegedly carry a 65-pound warhead, and even Boko Haram has reportedly launched drone attacks. Now are you wishing that this was the stuff of a science fiction novel? Fly high this week, RAD
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