Select a terrorist organization likely to conduct a major and imminent attack within the United States and
complete an in-depth profile on the group you selected. This is the first portion of a three part series of
research papers that are employed over the course of this class with papers due in weeks 3, 6 and 8. This
same terrorist group and the hypothetical attack you describe in this Midterm paper will also be used for your
following Progress and Final papers. In the next paper (progress assignment due in week 6) you will describe
how to collect and analyze on this terrorist group. In the final paper due in week 8 you will describe how to stop
the attack by making recommendations on how the Homeland Security Enterprise can be better supported with
domestic intelligence.
2) Terrorist Group Profile (Organizational Assessment):
Write a 5-7 page research paper that provides a description of the organization’s ideology,
goals & objectives, leadership, funding, and terrorist capabilities. Describe the groups' known or suspected
weapons/lethal agents and delivery methods, and the tactics, techniques and procedures that they may use
here in the homeland.
Make sure you pick either an international terrorist group from the Department of State list of foreign terrorist
organizations, or if you pick a domestic group make sure it is really a terrorist organization (not just radicals).
The Counter Extremist Project also has good details on Extremists Groups (but make sure to pick a terrorist
organization). For example, the KKK is not a terrorist group (or even illegal in fact), they are a domestic hate
group which has had members conduct violent acts and murder. For more on that, see the FBI's definition for
international terrorism and domestic terrorism (while either a domestic or international group can work for these
papers, overseas terrorist groups are the best ones to facilitate your following research papers). This first Red
Cell paper is only to set you up to be able to research and write on how to conduct intelligence operations to
protect the Homeland (the following papers). So, a domestic terrorist group may make your progress and final
papers harder to write if the group is not sending terrorists from overseas.
3) Hypothetical Terrorist Attack:
In your paper describe in detail at least one major hypothetical terrorist attack on the U.S. Homeland by this
group -- an event that could happen in the immediate future (an imminent attack). You do not need advance
permission from the instructor on which group you choose, but if you are considering a group unlikely to attack
the U.S, Homeland, then pick a different group that could potentially do so.