In the wake of the Mumbai attack in November 2008, there was a concerted effort to prepare for and respond to Complex Coordinated Terrorist Attacks (CCTA). However, in the intervening years, focus on these low probability - high impact events has diminished. This presentation seeks to re-focus some attention on CCTA for security professionals and upper-level management. It provides a definition but more critically it discusses how and why terrorist groups utilize them and what are effective risk and crisis management strategies. In 2020, terrorists targeted government buildings, houses of worship, and financial institutions. Moreover, terrorism's transnational nature means that knowledge is being transferred among groups accelerating their capability.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion, participants will be able to:   

• Understand and recognize the risks and characteristics of a CCTA and its potential impact to your organization
• Develop an effective risk and crisis management strategy emerging from the analysis of existing CCTA cases
• Raise awareness among security professionals that these low probability – high impact events are a risk that should not be overlooked.

Credit Information

Completion of this webinar is eligible for 1 CPE credit. CPE credits for ASIS-sponsored webinars will be updated in your user profile within 48 hours of completion. Self-reporting of CPE credits is not required.

Presenter*

Dr. Peter Forster
Professor Emeritus and co-chair PfPC Combating Terrorism Working Group
Penn State University & Partnership for Peace Consortium (PfPC)

Peter Forster retired from Penn State's Security and Risk Analysis program in June 2020. He is the co-chair of the PfPC Combating Terrorism Working Group which is an international policy advisory and training group that brings practitioners, decision-makers, and academics together to identify pertinent issues related to terrorism and counterterrorim and provide opportunities for response including simulations, case study approaches, and a reference curriculum. Dr. Forster was the first academic liaison to PA Criminal Intelligence Center (PACIC). He has developed and facilitated tabletop exercises on Complex Coordinated Terrorism Attacks, on-campus extremist recruitment, and terrorist attack on critical infrastructure. He is the author of numerous articles and 3 books related to risk and crisis management, counterterrorism, and US foreign policy. Peter holds a PhD in Political Science from Penn State.

*Note: Speakers and content are subject to change without notice.