Private Security as Business Enabler:Role, Responsibilities and Methodologies in the Next Decade

Very little is written about the nature of Private Security at work place. Public perceptions of private security attest to the assumption that security work is done by someone who lacks the requisite training and education and mainly works as deterrent.

One of the interesting observations made recently is the impact of using the word "security”. This seems to be the passion-killer. Talk about "risk" and "compliance" and "governance" and the view is that it's much easier to get business buy-in. Talk about "security" and it is considered to belong in the small security cabins or having people involved in checking passes at the main entrance.

The Range of Security Duties

The nature of private security involves more than patrol and guard duties. Activities include establishing perimeter security through such elements as guard services, signs and notices, fence design criteria, protective barriers, locks, alarms, and protective lighting. While most of these responsibilities are tied to asset protection, these activities are also designed to prevent insiders and outsiders from committing crimes. Employee theft is a major concern for all workplace organizations and to have cordial relations with its employees. Measures are designed to prevent other detrimental activities such as workplace violence, drugs in the workplace, and white-collar crime.

Security work also sometimes includes fire protection (if fire department is not in place) with attention focused on the causes of fire, fire brigades, fire control surveys, fire alarm technology, and fire protection plans. Security Departments are also concerned with electronic surveillance, camera surveillance and access control issues, including swipe cards and badge systems, personnel movement, automated access systems, degrees of restriction, and other classification systems that support access control.

Personnel security is another feature of security departments. Some of the tasks included within this area include employee crime, employee suitability, pre-employment screening, executive protection, and other evaluation programs relating to personnel. A well placed Personnel security also brings confidence to its Top Management, show of status and confidence to its investors.
Security managers are also concerned with computer crime and information security. One of the major tasks for large corporations is securing proprietary information from unwanted disclosures. Other functions include legal and liability issues.

Security at blue-print stage

It is not uncommon for security departments to be involved in the planning stages of developing business environments. Security analysts interface with architects to ensure security features, such as electronic surveillance equipment, in the design stage itself. This will help in placing an effective Security Department itself, uplift the moral of Security Personnel’s and will also align its security personnel in business development. This cannot be quantified in money at once.

Management of Risks, Emergencies & Disasters

Risk management is coming up in a big way now days. The major function of most security departments is risk management, disaster management, and emergency preparedness. Some of these tasks include risk identification, risk analysis, risk reduction, and program evaluation. Risk management includes defining vulnerabilities, and planning and conducting security surveys. Emergency planning and the management of both natural and human-induced disasters constitute the core of a security department's functions. Within this framework of risk, insurance plays an important role for security managers, who must consider the application of varieties of insurance such as bonds, federal crime insurance, kidnap and ransom insurance, fire insurance, and liability insurance.

Security’s strategic alliances within the organization

Security managers have to be concerned with developing strategic alliances and relationships within the organization to maintain security effectiveness. In addition, security managers have to develop relations with the media, public law enforcement, fire departments, and other security organizations. This can only happen if Security Department is independent and pro in countering security threats.

Is security really a business enabler?

You can’t go far in the security profession these days without hearing about it. From the meeting rooms of security conventions to almost every issue of the popular magazines; it is everywhere. Do a Google search for “security as a business enabler” and see for yourself!

This idea appears to some as nothing more than the “concept de jour.” It is said that in order for a function to be a “business enabler” it should directly contribute to the revenue stream of that business, not indirectly participate as part of the total business. Therefore, in order for security to fit into that definition it would require the use of security as a competitive differentiator for the production line or a business activity. Organizations that fall into these brackets are definitely in the minority so far. But, it is heartening to note that numbers are increasing!

If security is considered a business enabler as much as every other function within an organization is a business enabler; security just seems to qualify. Security is more enabling than if compared with a healthy, clean work environment as a productivity issue. It is not to be taken as if it was created as a sales tool by security product vendors, large consultancies, security research firms, or the large security magazines. This approach is designed to feed the undying need to provide security with a tangible evidence of its importance.

To Art Coviello, president of EMC's RSA Security Division, “Security is inextricably linked to innovation in the business world. Innovation requires understanding risk, and for security initiatives to support business.”

“So it's our job as security professionals, to make security as painless as possible. Painless in terms of how it works; it only gets invoked when an anomaly is detected, otherwise people are allowed to get on with their business. [Security should be] done in a fashion [so] that people have confidence that they can take a risk, and the way to do that is to understand the risk of any initiative … in the context of what the vulnerability might be [caused].”

So it's about understanding the vulnerability up front, but it's also about understanding the probability that that vulnerability will be somehow exploited, and we need to mitigate it and then look at the reality of what the consequence might be. So it's just a different way of thinking about security where you have a problem, you react and you fix it. It just causes a spiraling effect, and you're always attempting to solve yesterday's problem. So if you get ahead of it, you understand the risk up front and you can take that risk with a lot more confidence because you've done things to mitigate it.

Most companies today continue to think that the role of security is primarily to protect against threats, not to help facilitate business and stimulate growth. Simply put, companies continue to think of security initiatives as "how to keep out the bad guys" rather than "how to let in the good guys." But the good guys must be allowed in for any business to thrive.

Because the threat philosophy is deep seeded, security is often viewed as a burden. In fact, industry analyst commented that:

“There is a change from security being viewed as a nuisance to being viewed as an enabler. Those companies that do security well will be the organizations people choose to do business with.”

John Leyden, “Security Software Sales Soar,” vnunet.com, April 20, 2000

The dictionary definition of "Enabler" (dictionary.reference.com) is:

Ø to make able; give power, means, competence, or ability to; authorize: (This document will enable him to pass through the enemy lines unmolested.)
Ø to make possible or easy:(Aeronautics enables us to overcome great distances.)
Ø to make ready; equip (often used in combination): (Web-enabled cell phones.)
Ii is appropriate that we take the second part of the second definition (to make easy) as our definition of enabler. Given the proper definition of enabler it is clear that security is a business enabler because it makes possible many aspect of business.

One may take a deliberately provocative stance, making a point that security is not there to enable the business, it’s there to mitigate risk. That is not the same thing: its cost, expense, and time and we only do it because we have to.

This may produce the counter-argument, especially from those present from the financial services industry that many of their services would not be publicly acceptable or acceptable to their regulators without solid built-in security and so in their case it's an enabler.

Doing something because you have to is not the same thing as doing something because you want to. The approach of financial services industry is the same as other industries, in that, profit is the driving force and if they could get away without the additional cost and expense of designing stronger and better security then they probably would!

There is nothing wrong in admitting that we "do security" because we have to. The trick is in the way the work gets done within the business. Too often security professionals try to justify costs by presenting vague ROI figures or metrics. The problem with this is that the finance director will laugh your ROI data out of his office! If you want to convince your management then you have to cut out the techie chat.

The key points are that we need to -

Ø Take a risk based approach
Ø Focus on business needs
Ø Talk the language of the business
Ø Don’t make wild statement about cost savings and ROI
Ø Work to reduce costs
Ø Put risk assessments into context
Ø Present a decent set of meaningful security metrics

I would say that we 'do security' to make functionality possible inline with our compliance requirements and to reduce risk to an acceptable level, thereby 'enabling' the business units to do business in a more controlled fashion.

***

Business Espionage & Business Intelligence

In this Information Age, protecting trade secrets and critical and sensitive information from loss through business espionage is an increasingly important management function. Business Espionage Controls & Countermeasures Association (BECCA) identified four primary areas of risk and called them the "Four Faces of Business Espionage," a term now widely used by controls and countermeasures experts. These risk factors are Pretext Attacks, Computer Abuse, Technical Surveillance, and Undercover Attacks.

BECCA began in 1986 as an informal network of controls and countermeasures experts brought together by William M. Johnson during research for his book, "Who's Stealing Your Business? - How To Identify and Prevent Business Espionage”.

The Four Faces of Business Espionage:

1. Delphi and Other Pretext Attacks.

Sophisticated pretext interviews and/or “surveys” are often the first steps in a spy operation. Pretext interviews may take place on the phone, at seminars and trade shows, in bars, in bed, or anyplace else the target is available. The questions used are worked out in advance, often by someone other than the surveyor. The people hired to ask the questions (college students, private investigators, retirees, etc.) may or may not know the real objectives of the survey. Pretext attacks through Internet newsgroups, chat lines and direct e-mail help hide the true identity of the attacker.

2. Computer Abuse.

Computer abuse takes many forms. It may take only a few seconds for a spy to break into your computer system if your computer access codes are known around the office. Other attacks may be much more complex and take place both on and off site.


3. Technical Surveillance.

Basic electronic “bugging” is quick and easy. A spy can buy a legal wireless microphone or other listening device, and then plant it illegally by simply walking through your home or place of business and tucking it out of sight. It took less than 30 seconds to plant a bug in one of the demonstrations author witnessed.

4. Undercover Attacks

These attacks are performed by spies inside the targeted organization, including people on the target’s payroll. Undercover spy operations may go on for months - or even years - depending on the spy’s objectives.

• What makes business intelligence or competitive intelligence different from business espionage? What are the key elements in business intelligence? What makes the business intelligence "intelligent"?

Let's look at the definitions of "intelligence" and "espionage." As defined by Merriam-Webster, intelligence is the ability to apply knowledge to change one's environment or to think abstractly as measured by objective criteria (as tests), also the act of understanding.

"Espionage" is the practice of spying or using spies to obtain information about the plans and activities especially of a foreign government or a competing company.

“From these definitions it appears as if one could infer that "business intelligence" is directed at your own organization (what is the company doing that could be changed to improve its ability to function in the environment), while espionage is directed outside the organization to those companies that are in competition with your organization. "Espionage" also implies the act of gathering information that is not readily or openly available, whereas business intelligence focuses on making better use of the readily available data within your organization or readily available in the marketplace.” - Anne Marie Smith

Industrial Espionage and Business Intelligence

• “Federal prosecutors have been investigating whether Reuters Analytics (a subsidiary of Reuters Holdings PLC) is guilty of industrial espionage activities which involve break ins of computers at its competitor Bloomberg.”

... This one could be an indicator of the crime of the new century, the electronic break in. What makes this news is that computer break-ins are involved on a corporate basis. This kind of information stealing and espionage has been the norm for years in highly competitive industries. So has cracking computers to get at the information inside. This particular story polls the two of those together.

Expect more industrial espionage stories in the months ahead, and more corporate cracking into other computers. Industrial espionage is one of a few buzzwords that are starting to crop up more frequently in the business press and on TV.

EMERGING BUZZWORDS: competitive intelligence, business intelligence, industrial espionage, information warfare. Competitive Intelligence is sometimes referred as "competitor intelligence" after the seminal book by Leonard Fuld. In 1985 he defined it as "highly specific and timely information about a company."

How can Industrial or Corporate Espionage be compared to Competitive Intelligence? Competitive Intelligence (CI) research can be distinguished from industrial espionage, as CI practitioners in general abide by local legal guidelines and ethical business norms.

Business intelligence" refers to the practice of collecting and analyzing competitive information in the marketplace to assist an enterprise in self-analysis and redirection of its resources to maintain and improve competitiveness. There is a severe code of ethics followed by honest competitive intelligence practitioners, laid down by the Society of Competitive Intelligence Professionals (SCIP). This includes the terms that CI professionals

• Must abide by all applicable laws - whether domestic or international. Thus bugging, bribery, and other such illegal practices would be a serious breach of the ethical code.
• Must accurately disclose all relevant information, including one's identity and organization, prior to all interviews. This ensures that primary research is conducted ethically without twisting. As such it also limits what can be done - and attempts to gain information through lies about one's identify would be viewed as industrial espionage. At the same time, the code of ethics recognizes that it may not be in the interests of the research to declare the final purpose for which the information is being gathered - hence it is only required to reveal relevant information to sources such as one's identity, organization, etc. It is not a requirement to say who the ultimate client is, and so many organizations employ consultants who can be absolutely honest about who they are while keeping their client's name confidential. Such consultants will say that the information is being collected as part of a benchmarking or industry study, for example. What is not said is that the benchmarking study is being done only on competitors to the client!
• Must provide honest and realistic recommendations and conclusions in the execution of one's duties. Competitive Intelligence can sometimes expose unpleasant truths that companies would prefer not knowing. At the same time, not knowing could lead the organization to failure. Competitive Intelligence professionals need to communicate both the good and the bad - strengths and weaknesses - even in cases when management would rather stay in lack of knowledge.
• Further, the CI professional should use their understandings to provide suggestions and recommendations for action. If the intelligence gathered is not used but ignored it has no value. As a result, competitive intelligence is a key discipline in enabling company’s preserves and expands competitive advantage in their business environment.
  

Espionage

Industrial espionage and corporate espionage are phrases used to describe espionage conducted for commercial purposes instead of national security purposes. Espionage is sometimes called the dark sister of competitive intelligence.

Espionage is more than the legal and ordinary methods of examining corporate publications, web sites, patent filings, and the like to determine the activities of a corporation. In business language the term covers more the illegal methods such as bribery, blackmail, technological surveillance and even occasional violence. In addition to spying on commercial organizations, governments can also be targets of commercial espionage—for example, to determine the terms of a tender for a government contract so that another tenderer can underbid.

"Industrial espionage" refers to the clandestine methods of obtaining competitive information that is not publicly available. As a legal matter, this distinction can have serious consequences. This case study of Boeing Company offers some suggestions for staying on the right side of the law not only in business intelligence but also for internal audit controls and business ethics : Bierce & Kenerson

How to Determine Competitive Intelligence Information Needs?

Effective implementation of its CIP requires not only information about the competitors, but also information on other environmental trends such as industry trends, legal and regulatory trends, international trends, technology developments, political developments and economic conditions. The relative strength of the competitor can be judged accurately only by assessing it with respect to the factors listed above. In the increasingly complex and uncertain business environment, the external [environmental] factors are assuming greater importance in effecting organizational change. Therefore, the determination of CI information needs is based upon the firm's relative competitive advantage over the competitor assessed within the 'network' of 'environmental' factors.
What are the General Uses of Competitive Intelligence Information?
The competitive intelligence information obtained using CIP can be used in programs that supplement planning, mergers and acquisitions, restructuring, marketing, pricing, advertising, and R&D activities.
What is the Role of the Organization's Internal Competitive Intelligence Unit?
Despite the increasing sophistication of CI tools and techniques, the most important role in a CIP remains that of the organization or its internal Competitive Intelligence Unit. Once the CI needs have been defined, the CI-unit is responsible for collection, evaluation and analysis of raw data, and preparation, presentation, and dissemination of CI. The CI-unit may handle all the activities itself, or it may assign some tasks to an outside contractor. Often, decisions have to be made on assignments of data collection, and data analysis and evaluation.

The CI-unit has to decide upon the choice of sources of raw data. Should it use government sources or online databases, interviews or surveys, drive-bys or on-site observations? It has also to decide if and when to deploy 'shadowing' and defensive-CI. Other decisions may involve choice of specialized interest groups (such as academics, trade associations, consumer groups), private sector sources (such as competitors, suppliers, distributors, customers) or media (such as journals, wire services, newspapers, financial reports) as the sources of information. Very frequently, such issues involve balancing various constraints, such as those of time, finances, staffing, etc. and therefore are based upon individual judgment.

Are there any Methods/Methodology for a Competitive Intelligence Program?

The purpose of CIP is to gather accurate and reliable information. The groundwork for the CIP is done through an internal Competitive Intelligence Audit which is primarily a review of the organization's operations to determine what is actually known about the competitors and their operations. As a starting point for obtaining CI data, the organization generally has some knowledge of its competitors, and its own CI needs. In absence of a definition of its information needs, the organization may not be able to deploy its resources effectively. To avoid such a scenario an organization may conduct a CI audit which is effectively a review of its current operations to determine what is actually known about the competitors and their operations. The CI audit helps in pinpointing the organization's CI needs.

When the organization has some knowledge about its competitors and its own CI needs, it proceeds to the stage of gathering CI data. Based upon the CI needs, relevant data can be gathered from the organization's own sales force, customers, industry periodicals, competitor's promotional materials, own marketing research staff, analysis of competitor's products, competitor's annual reports, trade shows and distributors. Specific CIP techniques include querying government resources and online databases, selective surveys of consumers and distributors about competitor's products, on-site observations of competitor's plant or headquarters, "shadowing" the markets, conducting defensive CI, competitive benchmarking, and reverse engineering of competitor's products and services.

Raw data is evaluated and analyzed for accuracy and reliability. Every attempt is made to eliminate false confirmations and disinformation, and to check for omissions and anomalies. Omission, which is the seeming lack of cause for a business decision, raises a question to be answered by a plausible response. Anomalies (data that do not fit) ask for a reassessment of the working assumptions (McGonagle & Vella, 1990). While the conclusions one draws from the data must be based on that data, one should never be reluctant to test, modify, and even reject one's basic working hypotheses. The failure to test and reject what others regard as an established truth can be a major source of error (Vella & McGonagle, 1987).

Evaluation and analysis of raw data are critical steps of the CIP. Data that lacks accuracy and reliability may be marginally correct data, concoction of very good data, bad data, or even disinformation. All data is produced or released for some certain purpose. In CIP, reliability of data implies the reliability of the ultimate source of the data, based upon its past performance. In CIP, accuracy of data implies the [relative] degree of 'correctness' of data based upon factors such as whether it is confirmed by data from a reliable source as well as the reliability of the original source of data. Evaluation of CI data is done as the facts are collected and unreliable or irrelevant data is eliminated. Analysis of remaining facts includes 'sifting' out disinformation, studying patterns of competitor's strategies, and checking for competitor's moves that mask its 'real' intentions (McGonagle & Vella, 1990). The resulting CI information is integrated into the company's internal planning and operations for developing alternative competitive scenarios, structuring attack plans and evaluating potential competitive moves.

What are the Tools and Techniques for Competitive Intelligence Activities?

Different types of CI tools and techniques are available for different requirements of the Competitive Intelligence Program -

• Contacting Government Agencies can yield valuable data for the CIP, but may often require excessive lead time.
• Searching Online Databases is a faster method of finding competitive information, although it is more expensive. With increasing sophistication and affordability of information technology, this technique is expected to become less expensive. Database search does not provide information that has not been released to the public or that has not yet been collected.
• From Companies and Investment Community Resources Some types of data that are not widely available from databases can be procured by contacting the corporation itself or from investment community sources.
• Surveys and Interviews Surveys can yield plenty of data about competitors and products, while Interviews can provide more in-depth perspectives from a limited sample.
• Drive-by and On-site Observations of the competitor's [full or empty] parking spaces, new construction-in-progress, customer service at retail outlets, volume and pattern of [suppliers' or customers'] trucks, etc. can yield useful CI information about the state of the competitor's business.
• Competitive Benchmarking is used for comparing the organization's operations against those of the competitor's.
• Defensive Competitive Intelligence involves monitoring and analyzing one's own business activities as the competitors and outsiders see them.
• Reverse Engineering of competitor's products and services may yield important CI information about their quality and costs.

Any 'Standard' Tools and Techniques for all Competitive Intelligence Activities?

Not all CIP tools and techniques are suitable for all CI objectives; the CI-unit has to use judgment in determining the relevant CI needs and the most appropriate tools and techniques. Specific tools and techniques are chosen depending upon various factors such as CI needs, time constraints, financial constraints, staffing limitations, likelihood of obtaining the data, relative priorities of data, sequencing of raw data, etc. While government sources have the advantage of low cost, online databases are preferable for faster turnaround time. Whereas surveys may provide enormous data about products and competitors, interviews would be preferred for getting a more in-depth perspective from a limited sample. Therefore, human judgment is an essential element of the decision regarding which CI techniques to deploy in a specific situation.

How can the Competitors Foil Your Competitive Intelligence Program?

Very likely the target competitor would be aware of the organization's CI moves and could make all possible efforts to thwart or jeopardize the organization's CIP. The competitor may have its own CI activities targeted at the organization. Or it might intentionally generate disinformation to mislead the organization's efforts. In fact, the organization's CI activities may find data which the competitor has 'planted' to keep the organization "preoccupied" and "off-balance"

The competitor could also create the problem of false confirmation by releasing similar, but misleading (or incomplete), facts to different media sources. The competitor may also use common ploys to pump information from the organization's employees. Such ploys include "the phantom interview", "the false flag job seeker", "the seduction," and "the non-sale sale."

• Phantom Interview The competitor, posing as a potential employer, inquires from the organization's employees about their duties and responsibilities.
• False Flag Job Seeker A competitor's trusted employee , in the guise of a potential job seeker, tries to learn about the organization in the course of the employment process.
• Seduction Involves flattery of organization's employees to encourage disclosure of important facts. In the non-sale sale technique, the competitor pursues the organization's non-employee associates such as distributors and suppliers to elicit information about the organization's pricing structure, customer service, etc.
  

What are the Information Hazards of Competitive Intelligence Information?

The objective of the Competitive Intelligence Program is to gather relevant information that is valid and accurate. Incomplete or inaccurate information may jeopardize the organization's CI efforts.

• False Confirmation There might be instances of false confirmation in which one source of data appears to confirm the data obtained from another source. In reality, there is no confirmation because one source may have obtained its data from the second source, or both sources may have received their data from a third common source.
• Disinformation The data generated may be flawed because of disinformation, which is incomplete or inaccurate information designed to mislead the organization's CI efforts.
• Blowback Blow-back may occur when the company's disinformation or misinformation that is directed at the competitor contaminates its own intelligence channels or information. In all such cases, the information gathered may be inaccurate or incomplete.

Conclusion

In the age of merger and acquisition, the business intelligence has acquired an important dimension. There very important strategic information which are required to be obtained and gleamed -through for making the decision involving heavy amount that there is no scope of there being wrong or late! The delivery is important and also equally important is trustworthiness.

This therefore is not left to unprofessional and it is very logical that security professionals with sound knowledge of finance and operational knowledge of the targeted business entity step-in so that they play the role of decision facilitators of the management. There are also imperatives on them to be ready to counter similar attempts on their own organization ‘cause it is jungle out there!’

Remember – what you do unto others – others can do unto you too!

A SAFE TRIP ABROAD

Millions of people travel abroad each year and use their passports. When you travel abroad, the odds are in your favor that you will have a safe and incident-free trip. However, crime and violence, as well as unexpected difficulties, do befall travelers in all parts of the world.

Fortunately, most problems can be solved over the telephone or by a visit to the Consular Section of the traveler's nearest embassy or consulate. But there are less fortunate occasions when consular officers are called on to meet travelers at foreign police stations, hospitals, prisons and even at morgues. In these cases, the assistance that consular officers can offer is specific but limited.

In the hope of helping you avoid unhappy meetings with consular officers when you go abroad; we have prepared the following travel tips. Please have a safe and secure trip abroad!

BEFORE YOU GO

What to Bring

Safety begins when you pack. To avoid being a target, dress conservatively. A flashy wardrobe or one that is too casual can mark you as a tourist. As much as possible, avoid the appearance of affluence.

• Always try to travel light. If you do, you can move more quickly and will be more likely to have a free hand. You will also be less tired and less likely to set your luggage down, leaving it unattended.
• Carry the minimum amount of valuables necessary for your trip and plan a place or places to conceal them. Your passport, cash and credit cards are most secure when locked in a hotel safe. When you have to carry them on your person, you may wish to conceal them in several places rather than putting them all in one wallet or pouch.
• Avoid hand bags, fanny packs and outside pockets which are easy targets for thieves. Inside pockets and a sturdy shoulder bag with the strap worn across your chest are somewhat safer. One of the safest places to carry valuables is in a pouch or money belt worn under your clothing. If you wear glasses, pack an extra pair. Bring them and any medicines you need in your carry-on luggage.
• To avoid problems when passing through customs, keep medicines in their original, labeled containers. Bring a copy of your prescriptions and the generic names for the drugs. If a medication is unusual or contains narcotics, carry a letter from your doctor attesting to your need to take the drug. If you have any doubt about the legality of carrying a certain drug into a country, consult the embassy or consulate of that country first.
• Bring travelers checks and one or two major credit cards instead of cash.
• Pack an extra set of passport photos along with a photocopy of your passport information page to make replacement of your passport easier in the event it is lost or stolen.
• Put your name, address and telephone numbers inside and outside of each piece of luggage. Use covered luggage tags to avoid casual observation of your identity or nationality and if possible, lock your luggage.
• Consider getting a telephone calling card. It is a convenient way of keeping in touch. If you have one, verify that you can use it from your overseas location(s). Access numbers to U.S. operators are published in many international newspapers. Find out your access number before you go.

to Leave Behind

• Don't bring anything you would hate to lose.
• Leave at home:
  - valuable or expensive-looking jewelry,
  - irreplaceable family objects,
  - all unnecessary credit cards.
  - Leave a copy of your itinerary with family or friends at home in case they need to contact you in an emergency.

A Few Things to Bring and Leave Behind

Make two photocopies of your passport identification page, airline tickets, driver's license and the credit cards that you plan to bring with you. Leave one photocopy of this data with family or friends at home; pack the other in a place separate from where you carry your valuables.
Leave a copy of the serial numbers of your travelers checks with a friend or relative at home. Carry your copy with you in a separate place and, as you cash the checks, cross them off the list.

Local Laws and Customs

When you travel overseas, you are subject to the laws of the country where you are. Therefore, before you go, learn as much as you can about the local laws and customs of the places you plan to visit. Good resources are your library, your travel agent, and the embassies, consulates or tourist bureaus of the countries you will visit. In addition, keep track of what is being reported in the media about recent developments in those countries.

THINGS TO ARRANGE BEFORE YOU GO

Your Itinerary. As much as possible, plan to stay in larger hotels that have more elaborate security. Safety experts recommend booking a room from the second to seventh floors above ground level to deter easy entrance from outside, but low enough for fire equipment to reach.
Because take-off and landing are the most dangerous times of a flight, book non-stop flights when possible. When there is a choice of airport or airline, ask your travel agent about comparative safety records.
Legal Documents. Have your affairs at home in order. If you leave a current will, insurance documents, and power of attorney with your family or a friend, you can feel secure about traveling and will be prepared for any emergency that may arise while you are away. If you have minor children, consider making guardianship arrangements for them.
Credit Cards. Make a note of the credit limit on each credit card that you bring. Make certain not to charge over that amount on your trip. In some countries, Americans have been arrested for innocently exceeding their credit limit. Ask your credit card company how to report the loss of your card from abroad. 800 numbers do not work from abroad, but your company should have a number that you can call while you are overseas.
Insurance. Find out if your personal property insurance covers you for loss or theft abroad. More importantly, check if your health insurance covers you abroad. Even if your health insurance will reimburse you for medical care that you pay for abroad, normal health insurance does not pay for medical evacuation from a remote area or from a country where medical facilities are inadequate. Consider purchasing one of the short-term health and emergency assistance policies designed for travelers. Also, make sure that the plan you purchase includes medical evacuation in the event of an accident or serious illness.

PRECAUTIONS TO TAKE WHILE TRAVELING

Safety on the Street

• Use the same common sense traveling overseas that you would at home. Be especially cautious in or avoid areas where you are likely to be victimized. These include crowded subways, train stations, elevators, tourist sites, market places, festivals and marginal areas of cities.
• Don't use short cuts, narrow alleys or poorly-lit streets. Try not to travel alone at night.
• Avoid public demonstrations and other civil disturbances.
• Keep a low profile and avoid loud conversations or arguments. Do not discuss travel plans or other personal matters with strangers.
• Avoid scam artists. Beware of strangers who approach you, offering bargains or to be your guide.
  · Beware of pickpockets. They often have an accomplice who will:
  · jostle you,
  · ask you for directions or the time,
  · point to something spilled on your clothing,
  · distract you by creating a disturbance.
• A child or even a woman carrying a baby can be a pickpocket. Beware of groups of vagrant children who create a distraction while picking your pocket.
• Wear the shoulder strap of your bag across your chest and walk with the bag away from the curb to avoid drive-by purse snatchers. Try to seem purposeful when you move about. Even if you are lost, act as if you know where you are going. When possible, ask directions only from individuals in authority.
• Know how to use a pay telephone and have the proper change, calling card or token on hand.
• Learn a few phrases in the local language so you can signal your need for help, the police, or a doctor. Make a note of emergency telephone numbers you may need: police, fire, your hotel, and your nearest embassy or consulate.
• If you are confronted, don't fight back. Give up your valuables. Your money and passport can be replaced, but you cannot.

Safety In Your Hotel

• Keep your hotel door locked at all times. Meet visitors in the lobby.
• Do not leave money and other valuables in your hotel room while you are out. Use the hotel safe.
• Let someone know when you expect to return if you are out late at night.
• If you are alone, do not get on an elevator if there is a suspicious-looking person inside.
• Read the fire safety instructions in your hotel room. Know how to report a fire. Be sure you know where the nearest fire-exit and alternate exits are located. Count the doors between your room and the nearest exit. This could be a life-saver if you have to crawl through a smoke-filled corridor.

Safety on Public Transportation

Taxis. Only take taxis clearly identified with official markings. Beware of unmarked cabs.
Trains. Well organized, systematic robbery of passengers on trains along popular tourist’s routes is a serious problem. It is more common at night and especially on overnight trains. If you see your way being blocked by a stranger and another person is very close to you from behind, move away. This can happen in the corridor of the train or on the platform or station. Do not accept food or drink from strangers. Criminals have been known to drug food or drink offered to passengers. Criminals may also spray sleeping gas in train compartments. Where possible, lock your compartment. If it cannot be locked securely, take turns sleeping in shifts with your traveling companions. If that is not possible, stay awake. If you must sleep unprotected, tie down your luggage, strap your valuables to you and sleep on top of them as much as possible. Do not be afraid to alert authorities if you feel threatened in any way. Extra police are often assigned to ride trains on routes where crime is a serious problem.
Buses. The same type of criminal activity found on trains can be found on public buses on popular tourist routes. For example, tourists have been drugged and robbed while sleeping on buses or in bus stations. In some countries whole bus loads of passengers have been held up and robbed by gangs of bandits.

Safety When You Drive

When you rent a car, don't go for the exotic; choose a type commonly available locally. Where possible, ask that markings that identify it as a rental car be removed. Make certain it is in good repair. If available, choose a car with universal door locks and power windows, features that give the driver better control of access to the car. An air conditioner, when available, is also a safety feature, allowing you to drive with windows closed. Thieves can and do snatch purses through open windows of moving cars.

• Keep car doors locked at all times. Wear seat belts.
• As much as possible, avoid driving at night.
• Don't leave valuables in the car. If you must carry things with you, keep them out of sight locked in the trunk.
• Don't park your car on the street overnight. If the hotel or municipality does not have a parking garage or other secure area, select a well-lit area.
  · Never pick up hitchhikers.
  · Don't get out of the car if there are suspicious looking individuals nearby. Drive away.

Patterns of Crime against Motorists

In many places frequented by tourists, including areas of southern Europe, victimization of motorists has been refined to an art. Where it is a problem, embassies are aware of it and consular officers try to work with local authorities to warn the public about the dangers. In some locations, these efforts at public awareness have paid off, reducing the frequency of incidents. You may also wish to ask your rental car agency for advice on avoiding robbery while visiting tourist destinations.

Carjackers and thieves operate at gas stations, parking lots, in city traffic and along the highway. Be suspicious of anyone who hails you or tries to get your attention when you are in or near your car. Criminals use ingenious ploys. They may masquerade as good Samaritans, offering help for tires that they claim are flat or that they have made flat. Or they may flag down a motorist, ask for assistance, and then steal the rescuer's luggage or car. Usually they work in groups, one person carrying on the pretense while the others rob you. Other criminals get your attention with abuse, either trying to drive you off the road, or causing an "accident" by rear-ending you or creating a "fender bender."

In some urban areas, thieves don't waste time on ploys, they simply smash car windows at traffic lights, grab your valuables or your car and get away. In cities around the world, "defensive driving" has come to mean more than avoiding auto accidents; it means keeping an eye out for potentially criminal pedestrians, cyclists and scooter riders.

How to Handle Money Safely

• To avoid carrying large amounts of cash, change your traveler’s checks only as you need currency. Countersign traveler’s checks only in front of the person who will cash them.
  Do not flash large amounts of money when paying a bill. Make sure your credit card is returned to you after each transaction.
• Deal only with authorized agents when you exchange money, buy airline tickets or purchase souvenirs. Do not change money on the black market.
• If your possessions are lost or stolen, report the loss immediately to the local police. Keep a copy of the police report for insurance claims and as an explanation of your plight. After reporting missing items to the police, report the loss or theft of:
  - checks to the nearest agent of the issuing company,
  - credit cards to the issuing company,
  - airline tickets to the airline or travel agent,
  - Passport to the nearest Indian embassy or consulate.

How to Avoid Legal Difficulties

When you are in a foreign country, you are subject to its laws and are under its jurisdiction NOT the protection of your home country laws.. You can be arrested overseas for actions that may be either legal or considered minor infractions in your own country. Be aware of what is considered criminal in the country where you are. US Consular Information Sheets include information on unusual patterns of arrests in various countries when appropriate. Some of the offenses for which travelers have been arrested abroad are:

Drug Violations. Some countries do not distinguish between possession and trafficking. Many countries have mandatory sentences - even for possession of a small amount of marijuana or cocaine. A number of travelers have been arrested for possessing prescription drugs, particularly tranquilizers and amphetamines that they purchased legally in certain Asian countries and then brought to some countries in the Middle East where they are illegal. Other travelers have been arrested for purchasing prescription drugs abroad in quantities that local authorities suspected were for commercial use. If in doubt about foreign drug laws, ask local authorities or your nearest embassy or consulate.
Possession of Firearms. The places where travelers most often come into difficulties for illegal possession of firearms are Mexico, Canada and the Caribbean. Sentences for possession of firearms in Mexico can be up to 30 years. In general, firearms, even those legally registered in the native country cannot be brought into a country unless a permit is first obtained from the embassy or a consulate of that country and the firearm is registered with foreign authorities on arrival. Photography. In many countries you can be harassed or detained for photographing such things as police and military installations, government buildings, border areas and transportation facilities. If you are in doubt, ask permission before taking photographs.
Purchasing Antiques. Travelers have been arrested for purchasing souvenirs that were, or looked like, antiques and which local customs authorities believed were national treasures. This is especially true in Turkey, Egypt and Mexico. In countries where antiques are important, document your purchases as reproductions if that is the case, or if they are authentic, secure the necessary export permit (usually from the national museum).

Protection against Terrorism

Terrorist acts occur at random and unpredictably, making it impossible to protect oneself absolutely. The first and best protection is to avoid travel to unsafe areas where there has been a persistent record of terrorist attacks or kidnapping. The vast majority of foreign states have good records of maintaining public order and protecting residents and visitors within their borders from terrorism.

Most terrorist attacks are the result of long and careful planning. Just as a car thief will first be attracted to an unlocked car with the key in the ignition, terrorists are looking for defenseless, easily accessible targets who follow predictable patterns. The chances that a tourist, traveling with an unpublished program or itinerary, would be the victim of terrorism are slight. In addition, many terrorist groups, seeking publicity for political causes within their own country or region, may not be looking for American targets.

Nevertheless, the following pointers may help you avoid becoming a target of opportunity. They should be considered as adjuncts to the tips listed in the previous sections on how to protect yourself against the far greater likelihood of being a victim of crime. These precautions may provide some degree of protection, and can serve as practical and psychological deterrents to would-be terrorists.

• Schedule direct flights if possible and avoid stops in high-risk airports or areas. Consider other options for travel, such as trains.
• Be aware of what you discuss with strangers or what may be overheard by others.
• Try to minimize the time spent in the public area of an airport, which is a less protected area. Move quickly from the check-in counter to the secured areas. On arrival, leave the airport as soon as possible.
• As much as possible, avoid luggage tags, dress and behavior which may identify you as an American.
• Keep an eye out for suspicious abandoned packages or briefcases. Report them to airport security or other authorities and leave the area promptly.
• Avoid obvious terrorist targets such as places where Americans and Westerners are known to congregate.

Travel to High-Risk Areas

If you must travel in an area where there has been a history of terrorist attacks or kidnapping, make it a habit to:

• Discuss with your family what they would do in the event of an emergency. Make sure your affairs are in order before leaving home.
• Register with your embassy or consulate upon arrival.
• Remain friendly but be cautious about discussing personal matters, your itinerary or program.
  Leave no personal or business papers in your hotel room.
• Watch for people following you or "loiterers" observing your comings and goings.
• Keep a mental note of safe havens, such as police stations, hotels, hospitals.
  Let someone else know what your travel plans are. Keep them informed if you change your plans.
• Avoid predictable times and routes of travel and report any suspicious activity to local police, and your nearest embassy or consulate.
• Select your own taxi cabs at random. Don't take a vehicle that is not clearly identified as a taxi. Compare the face of the driver with the one posted on his or her license.
  If possible, travel with others.
• Be sure of the identity of visitors before opening the door of your hotel room. Don't meet strangers at unknown or remote locations.
• Refuse unexpected packages.
• Formulate a plan of action for what you will do if a bomb explodes or there is gunfire nearby.
  Check for loose wires or other suspicious activity around your car.
• Be sure your vehicle is in good operating condition in case you need to resort to high-speed or evasive driving.
• Drive with car windows closed in crowded streets. Bombs can be thrown through open windows.
• If you are ever in a situation where somebody starts shooting, drop to the floor or get down as low as possible. Don't move until you are sure the danger has passed. Do not attempt to help rescuers and do not pick up a weapon. If possible, shield yourself behind or under a solid object. If you must move, crawl on your stomach.

Hijacking/Hostage Situations

While every hostage situation is different and the chance of becoming a hostage is remote, some considerations are important. When travelers are abducted overseas, most countries look to the host government to exercise its responsibility under international law to protect all persons within its territories and to bring about the safe release of hostages. Your government work closely with these governments from the outset of a hostage-taking incident to ensure that it's citizens and other innocent victims are released as quickly and safely as possible.

Normally, the most dangerous phases of a hijacking or hostage situation are the beginning and, if there is a rescue attempt, the end. At the outset, the terrorists typically are tense, high-strung and may behave irrationally. It is extremely important that you remain calm and alert and manage your own behavior. Avoid resistance and sudden or threatening movements. Do not struggle or try to escape unless you are certain of being successful.Make a concerted effort to relax. Breathe deeply and prepare yourself mentally, physically and emotionally for the possibility of a long ordeal.
Try to remain inconspicuous, avoid direct eye contact and the appearance of observing your captors' actions. Aoid alcoholic beverages. Consume little food and drink. onsciously put yourself in a mode of passive cooperation. Talk normally. Do not complain, avoid belligerency, and comply with all orders and instructions. f questioned, keep your answers short. Don't volunteer information or make unnecessary overtures.

Don't try to be a hero, endangering yourself and others.

ASSISTANCE ABROAD

If you plan to stay more than two weeks in one place, if you are in an area experiencing civil unrest or a natural disaster or if you are planning travel to a remote area, it is advisable to register at the Consular Section of your nearest embassy or consulate. This will make it easier if someone at home needs to locate you urgently or in the unlikely event that you need to be evacuated in an emergency. It will also facilitate the issuance of a new passport should yours be lost or stolen.
Another reason to contact the Consular Section is to obtain updated information on the security situation in a country.

If you are ill or injured, contact your nearest embassy or consulate for a list of local physicians and medical facilities. If the illness is serious, consular officers can help you find medical assistance from this list and, at your request, will inform your family or friends. If necessary, a consul can assist in the transfer of funds from family or friends in your home country. Payment of hospital and other medical expenses is your responsibility.

If you run out of money overseas and have no other options, consular officers can help you get in touch with your family, friends, bank or employer and inform them how to wire funds to you.
Should you find yourself in legal difficulty, contact a consular officer immediately! Consular officers cannot serve as attorneys, give legal advice, or get you out of jail. What they can do is provide a list of local attorneys who speak English and who may have had experience in representing foreign citizens. If you are arrested, consular officials will visit you, advise you of your rights under local laws and ensure that you are held under humane conditions and are treated fairly under local law. A consular officer will also contact your family or friends if you desire. When necessary, consuls can transfer money from home for you and will try to get relief for you, including food and clothing in countries where this is a problem. If you are detained, remember that under international agreements and practice, you have the right to talk to your consul. If you are denied this right, be persistent. Try to have someone get in touch for you.

Wish you a safe, secure and wonderful journey!!

Varient APAC Summit Shanghai 2010

Kidnapping: Global Problem - Limited Solutions!

Looking at the world from a protective-intelligence perspective, the theme for the past week has not been improvised explosive devices or potential mass-casualty attacks. While there have been suicide bombings in Afghanistan, alleged threats to the World Cup and seemingly endless post-mortem discussions of the failed May 1, 2010 Times Square attack, one recurring and under-reported theme in a number of regions around the world has been ‘Kidnapping’.

At the moment a kidnapping occurs, the abduction team usually has achieved tactical surprise and usually employs overwhelming force. To the previously unsuspecting victim, the abductors seemingly appear out of nowhere. But when examined carefully, kidnappings are, for the most part, the result of a long and carefully orchestrated process. They do not arise from a vacuum. There are almost always some indications or warnings that the process is in motion prior to the actual abduction, meaning that many kidnappings are avoidable. In light of this reality, let’s take a more detailed look at the phenomenon of kidnappings.

Types of Kidnappings

There are many different types of kidnappings. Although kidnappings for ransom and political kidnappings generate considerable news interest, most kidnappings have nothing to do with money or political statements. They are typically kidnappings by family members in custody disputes, emotionally disturbed strangers wanting to take a child to raise or strangers who abduct a victim for sexual exploitation.

Even in financially motivated kidnappings, there are a number of different types. The stereotypical kidnapping of a high-value target comes most readily to mind, but there are also more spur-of-the-moment express kidnappings, where a person is held until his bank account can be drained using an ATM card. Such incidents gave been reported from Greater Noida Expressway in UP and from few suburbs of Mumbai.

Then there is a Virtual Kidnapping, where no kidnapping occurs at all but the victim is frightened by a claim that a loved one has been kidnapped and pays a ransom to the alleged abductors. Some of the piracy incidents in Somalia also move into the Economic Kidnapping realm, especially in cases where the crew or passengers are seen as being more valuable than the boat or its cargo.

Since kidnapping is such a broad topic, for the sake of this discussion, security professionals presently may focus primarily on kidnappings that are financially motivated and those that are politically motivated.

Financially motivated kidnappings can be conducted by a variety of criminal elements. At the highest level are highly trained professional kidnapping gangs that specialize in abducting high-net-worth individuals and who will frequently demand ransoms in the millions of dollars. Such groups often employ teams of specialists who carry out a variety of specific tasks such as collecting intelligence, conducting surveillance, snatching the target, negotiating with the victim’s family and establishing and guarding the safe-houses.

At the other end of the spectrum are gangs that randomly kidnap targets of opportunity. These gangs are generally far less skilled than the professional gangs and often will hold a victim for only a short time, as in an express kidnapping. Sometimes express kidnapping victims are held in the trunk of a car for the duration of their ordeal, which can sometimes last for days if the victim has a large amount in a checking account and a small daily ATM withdrawal limit. Other times, if an express kidnapping gang discovers it has grabbed a high-value target by accident, the gang will hold the victim longer and demand a much higher ransom. Occasionally, these express kidnapping groups will even “sell” a high-value victim to a more professional kidnapping gang. (On a side note, most express kidnapping victims tend to be male and are most frequently abducted while walking on the street after dark, and many have impaired their senses by consuming alcohol.)

In the United States, it is far more common for a relatively poor person to be kidnapped for financial motives than it is for a high-net-worth individual. This is because kidnapping groups frequently target groups of illegal immigrants, who they believe are far less likely to seek help from the authorities. In some cases, the police have found dozens of immigrant hostages being held in safe-houses.

Between the two extremes of kidnapping groups — those targeting the rich and those targeting the poor — there is a wide range of kidnapping gangs that might target a bank vice president or branch manager rather than the bank’s CEO, or that might kidnap the owner of a restaurant or other small business rather than an industrialist.

In the realm of Political Kidnappings, there are abductions that are very well-planned, such as the December 1981 kidnapping of Gen. James Dozier by the Italian Red Brigades, or Hezbollah’s March 1985 kidnapping of journalist Terry Anderson. However, there are also opportunistic cases of politically motivated kidnappings, such as when foreigners are abducted at a Taliban checkpoint in Afghanistan or AQIM militants grab a European tourist in the Sahel area of Africa. Of course, in the case of both the Taliban and AQIM, the groups see kidnapping as an important source of funding as well as a politically useful tool.

Understanding the Process

In deliberate (as opposed to opportunistic) kidnappings based on financial or political motives, the kidnappers generally follow a process that is very similar to what we call the terrorist attack cycle: target selection, planning, deployment, attack, escape and exploitation. In a kidnapping, this means the group must identify a victim; plan for the abduction, captivity and negotiation; conduct the abduction and secure the hostage; successfully leverage the life of the victim for financial or political gain; and then escape.

During some phases of this process, the kidnappers may not be visible to the target, but there are several points during the process when the kidnappers are forced to expose themselves to detection in order to accomplish their mission. Like the perpetrators of a terrorist attack, those planning a kidnapping are most vulnerable to detection while they are conducting surveillance — before they are ready to deploy and conduct their attack. As we have noted several times in past analyses, one of the secrets of counter surveillance is that most criminals are not very good at conducting surveillance. The primary reason they succeed is that no one is looking for them.

Limited Solutions

Of course, kidnappers are also very easy to spot once they launch their attack, pull their weapons and perhaps even begin to shoot. By this time, however, it might very well be too late to escape their attack. They will have selected their attack site and employed the forces they believe they need to overpower their victim and complete the operation. While the kidnappers could botch their operation and the target could escape unscathed, it is simply not practical to pin one’s hopes on that possibility. It is clearly better to spot the kidnappers early and avoid their trap before it is sprung and the guns come out.

Kidnappers, like other criminals, look for patterns and vulnerabilities that they can exploit. Their chances for success increase greatly if they are allowed to conduct surveillance at will and are given the opportunity to thoroughly assess the security measures (if any) employed by the target. We have seen several cases in Mexico in which the criminals even chose to attack despite security measures such as armored cars and armed security guards. In such cases, criminals attack with adequate resources to overcome existing security. For example, if there are protective agents, the attackers will plan to neutralize them first. If there is an armored vehicle, they will find ways to defeat the armor or grab the target when he or she is outside the vehicle. Because of this, criminals must not be allowed to conduct surveillance at will. Potential targets should practice a heightened but relaxed state of situational awareness that will help them spot hostile surveillance.

How to avoid

Potential targets should also conduct simple pattern and route analyses to determine where they are most predictable and vulnerable. Taking an objective look at your schedule and routes is really not as complicated as it may seem. While the ideal is to vary routes and times to avoid predictable locations, this is also difficult and disruptive and warranted only when the threat is extremely high. A more practical alternative is for potential targets to raise their situational awareness a notch as they travel through such areas at predictable times.

Of course, using the term “potential targets” points to another problem. Many kidnapping victims simply don’t believe they are potential targets until after they have been kidnapped, and therefore do not take commonsense security measures. Frequently, when such people are debriefed after their release from captivity, they are able to recall suspicious activity before their abduction that they did not take seriously because they did not consider themselves targets. One American businessman who was kidnapped in Central America said upon his release that he knew there was something odd about the behavior of a particular couple he saw frequently sitting on a park bench near his home prior to his kidnapping, but he didn’t think he was rich enough to be targeted for kidnapping. As soon as he was abducted, he said that he immediately knew that the awkward couple had been observing him to determine his pattern. He said that he often thought about that couple during his two months in captivity, and how a little bit of curiosity could have saved him from a terrifying ordeal and his family a substantial sum of money.

The same steps involved in a deliberate kidnapping are also followed in ad hoc, opportunistic kidnappings — though the steps may be condensed and accomplished in seconds or minutes rather than the weeks or months normally associated with a well-planned kidnapping operation. And the same problems with lack of awareness often apply. It is not uncommon to talk to someone who was involved in an express kidnapping and hear the person say, “I got a bad feeling about those three guys standing near that car when I started walking down that block, but I kept walking anyway.” This frequent occurrence highlights the importance of situational awareness, attack recognition and proper mindset maintenance.

Potential targets do not have to institute security measures that will make them invulnerable to such crimes — something that is very difficult and that can be very expensive. Rather, the objective is to take measures that make them a harder target than other members of the specific class of individuals to which they belong. Groups conducting pre-operational surveillance, whether for an intentional kidnapping or an opportunistic kidnapping, prefer a target that is unaware and easy prey. Taking some basic security measures such as maintaining a healthy state of situational awareness will, in many cases, cause the criminals to choose another target who is less aware and therefore more vulnerable.

Also, most people who are kidnapped in places like Afghanistan or the Sahel know they are going into dangerous places and disregard the warnings not to go to those places. Many of these people, like journalists and aid workers, take the risk as part of their jobs.

In retrospect, almost every person who is kidnapped either missed or ignored some indication or warning of danger. These warnings can range from observable criminal behavior to a consular information bulletin specifically warning people not to drive outside of cities in Guatemala after dark, for example. This means that, while kidnapping can be a devastating crime, it can also be an avoidable one.

Third Dimension of Terrorism: UAVs

What 9/11 proved in USA was that terrorism is not related to field only! It spread its wings in the air. Hijacking of aircrafts is thing of the past in which certain degree of violence was involved. How a ‘violence oriented perverted mind’ can think-of knows no limit! The terrorists speedily migrated from use of small arms, bombs and grenades to IEDs, and NCB (Nuclear, chemical and biological) materials. The world has seen in recent past decisive shift in the terrorists’ approach to ways and means to unleash violence. India shall not remain unaffected to this change.

We have seen the third dimension of Terrorism during 26/11 in Mumbai. The entire world took note of it. That terrorists will actually use the sea-route was not conceived by Indian establishments specially intelligence agencies! Even when LTTE was for decade using the sea-route to land arms on Indian shores and even when since many decades smugglers used the sea-route with impunity for smuggling narcotics, gold and arms-and-ammunition, this incident came as surprise to security forces in India. Even when there was writing on the wall about potential use of sea-route by terrorists, we failed to read! The “Blue Water Capability” of ’LTTE-on-the-run’ was indicative of similar capability which was to be extended to ‘sate sponsored terrorism’ of Pakistan brand.

The last week has been full of rumors that the terrorists are planning to strike India using aerial routes such as gliders, micro-lights etc beside using small aircrafts. We have prepared ourselves to effectively counter such attempts is beyond doubts. But one fact needs everyone’s attention and that is the potential use of UAVs (Unmanned Arial Vehicles) by the terrorists. While doing research for an article for one Defense Year Book, I gleamed through certain alarming facts related to UAVs used by USA in Afghanistan and Baluchistan. There are reports that not all the UAVs sent there are accounted-for! There were thousands of them sent for reconnaissance and attacks on Taliban hideouts. It is believed that Pakistan army was in control of part of them. Some of them were actually used there but few of them are believed to have been spirited away. Even the UAVs under control of US Army in Baluchistan and Afghanistan are not fully accounted for. The discrepancies noticed are not officially reported and the investigation to trace their where-about is underway in very secretive manner.

The mysterious disappearance of these UAVs has posed great threat to the security of India. These UAVs will create havoc if Talibans and the terrorists of other hues get control over them. The intelligence agencies must take note of these possibilities and ensure that Pakistani and American activities related to UAVs remain under close watch. The security forces must also take note of these developments and prepare themselves to combat threats emanating from such possibilities. There detection and counter response needs to be upgraded accordingly.