"Bin Laden", I murmured as I stood in my living room in Gig Harbor watching another airliner slice into the second tower of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. The cold sensation of an ice dagger being driven into my heart spread throughout my body as I realized that my detached, secure and happy society had just evolved into the same fear and paranoia shared by so many other countries who had been engaged in the insane battle with terrorists for years. Radical Islam had been struggling to drag American into its war on modern society for some time and had finally succeeded.
I knew instantly who had orchestrated the events because my background in international security had acquainted me with Bin Laden's Al Qaeda terrorist group when I was running local security guard operations for US Embassies in West and North Africa. His Al Qaeda group had been responsible for a number of bombings on US and Western facilities in the region while I was there and all Intel people knew he was gearing-up for something big. Since returning to the United States in 1997 I had stayed abreast of the terror threat as I conducted training for the private security industry on how to survive deadly force encounters. I would frequently use the scenario of terror attacks to illustrate one reason why, even in America, security professionals needed to be prepared to respond to anything. Such warnings generally fell upon deaf ears though. My students nodded and were interested in my stories, but I could see they believed that being attacked by a radical Moslem terrorist in America was a big stretch for their perspective. And why shouldn't it be? Prior to September 11, 2001, complacency ruled the roost for the private security industry in America. Detecting and deterring burglars and thieves occupied the bulk of the responsibilities of the average security guard and simply being visible in uniform, regardless of your age or capability, seemed to do the trick most of the time. Anyone could be a security guard as long as they didn't have a criminal record. Even a few with criminal or unsavory backgrounds managed to secure jobs in the industry from time to time and no one much noticed or cared.
After those 9/11 attacks though, the private security profession struggled to adapt drastically overnight. The sudden resulting clamor and need to seek out and consult with security professionals severely strained available resources and generated a new and fervent interest in security on all levels as everyone realized that it would likely be private security guards, NOT Police and Fire who would be first on the scene of terror attacks. Until 9/11, security was often relegated to the back burner by much of corporate America and many government agencies. My own experience in providing security services for US Embassy operations was ripe with examples of this complacency. Much of my time was spent attempting to convince US State Department officials to perform simple upgrades to their perimeter security such as building hard barriers and extending vehicle approach perimeters to make it more problematic for terrorists to set off truck or car bombs directly in front of American facilities.
For the most part, my warnings and suggestions fell on deaf ears. Some nodded in agreement but most responses were variations of the same theme; "we agree with your observations, but unfortunately there will be no funds allocated for such upgrades until something bad happens."
Well, something bad' did happen. Shortly after I left Africa, two US Embassy Chancery buildings in Africa were destroyed by car bombs that were set off directly in front of the buildings. Many human lives were lost needlessly because these vehicles had been placed in a strategically vulnerable position open to attack.
Terror attacks such as the Khobar Towers truck bombing in Saudi Arabia, the USS Cole boat bombing and those two US Embassy bombings in Africa forced our government to lift their heads out of the sand and begin the struggle to find the right balance between paranoia and preparation. But it wasn't until details about the 9/11 hijackers emerged that the US Government and private security companies actually began the process of revamping their stateside internal security operations. US security contractors started conducting internal evaluations, raising minimum standards and performing more thorough background checks on existing personnel and new hires. Many private security companies staffing airport security operations were found to have illegal aliens and people with criminal backgrounds in their employ so the Federal government stepped in to replace them with the newly created Transportation Security Administration (TSA). They raised salaries and standards and increased training in an effort to minimize the likelihood that the airline hijackings of 9/11 would be repeated.
It wasn't long before the government concern for enhanced security began to trickle down to the private industry. A small company named Blackwater USA sprung into being to fill the gap created by the sudden need for specialized counter-terrorism training and grew quickly to the largest security services contractor employed by the US Government. All across the nation, states began reevaluating their private security guard training and licensing standards discovering that unlike law enforcement there was a definite lack of training materials available for the private security industry. As a Washington State certified guard trainer, I became involved with Blackwater conducting firearms and counter terrorism training at the local US Navy bases and wrote a book on basic security guard training (The Role of the Security Officer) to assist private security guards and trainers in complying with new standards.
One thing that makes America special is that its citizens have short memories and most struggle to forgive and forget and move forward with dialogue and compassion when confronting threats to our society. This desire to forgive and move on is an attribute that has been much admired by the civilized world in the past but it may in fact be used against us by the current enemy we are facing. Radical Islam is totally focused on converting or killing every non-Muslim on the planet and they view compassion from "infidels" as mere opportunities to overwhelm and defeat their adversaries. The brief initial heightened national consciousness of Islamic terrorism following the 9/11 attacks seemed to recognize this, but such attitudes began to fade within months of the events. Initially, there was little objection to the Patriot Act and the creation of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The Patriot Act, which granted our government extraordinary powers to govern and maintain internal security in light of the threat from radical Islam is now however, under attack from large portions of American society and POWs from this global war on terror incarcerated in the Guantanamo Bay detention center are being released and some are serving as suicide bombers against Americans overseas.
The fact is, America's infrastructure and borders remain nearly as vulnerable as they were before 9/11. The United States covers a vast area that may well be impossible to totally secure. Since America invaded Afghanistan and Iraq, Terrorists have been content to meet Americans on the battlefield but many suspect it is only a matter of time until terrorist cells in America activate and begin targeting soft targets in America again, especially if America pulls out of Iraq before stabilizing the region.
What can America and Americans do to meet this difficult challenge? For one thing, Americans need to maintain their awareness and focus in terms of the reality of the threat to American society presented by radical Islam as they go about the daily business of evaluating and improving their safety and security. This is a conflict that will go on for a long time and if we expect to win, we must commit ourselves to finding constructive ways to fight it successfully on several levels, culturally as well as militarily. In addition, the private security industry needs to take itself very seriously. The industry has traditionally attracted owners and employees who viewed the "profession" as an easy way to make a few bucks. Individuals with little expertise in the field were able to obtain security guard company licenses and hire people with marginal skills for minimum wages to wear a uniform and stand guard on a post with little expectation that anything would happen. The most important thing that 9/11 did to the industry was to raise the expectation that "something" would or could actually happen. Anticipation and preparation is the best defense.
Hope for the best but plan for the worst. After 9/11, our worst-case scenario got a whole lot worse. If the private security industry evolves to the point where they are convincingly concerned about raising the bar on their ability to deliver the level of protection society needs, the government will likely react with support for training and new regulations. Right now, such support is viewed as problematic by the federal government because overall the private security industry appears scattered and disorganized in terms of internal direction and standards. To alter this perception, the private security industry needs to communicate, organize and coordinate their efforts on a national level.
Personally, I try to balance my awareness and paranoia with a degree of optimism. Although pay for guards in the private sector remains low because of the competitive bid process involved in obtaining guard contracts, the private security industry recognizes that evolution and change is necessary and inevitable. Most in the industry have come to accept that standards and training need to increase in order to provide the level of protection society demands. Companies that survive will likely be those that step up to the plate and make the necessary changes. The days of the complacent, ill-trained, poorly prepared security guard may not be totally behind us, but as the pool of aware and dedicated Americans and experienced US Military personnel returning from the battlefield entering the private security profession increases, the level of professionalism should increase as well.
As a result of 9/11, even the average citizen now understands that the key to the survival of a free society is tied closely to our ability to remain vigilant and adaptable. Preserving a free society involves and requires participation by all. Extending this vigilance into every aspect of our lives is not only important, it is crucial, because nothing is more important to the survival of our species than the issue of security.
-Michael Jaquish
