NCJ Number
80304
Journal
Terrorism Volume: 5 Issue: 3 Dated: (1981) Pages: 265-279
Date Published
1981
Length
15 pages
Annotation
This article describes the simulation technique and then discusses ways it can be used in four different areas of combating national and international terrorism: training, research, planning, and education. The article focuses on behavioral simulations.
Abstract
The highly technological character of possible future terrorist incidents and the proliferation of international terrorism require close collaboration among scholars, policymakers, and Government officials. This situation will also demand new methods, and although simulation has been used for counterterrorist training, its considerable potential is not limited to this field. Simulation is an operating model of a real system which presents not only its main characteristics and forces but also the conditions under which it changes over time. Technical simulators replicate physical conditions, while behavior simulations are concerned with human behavior and can be played by persons, computers, or combinations of individuals and machines. Simulation formats also vary, depending on the constraints imposed. Players are divided into teams representing the principal actors in a system and are presented with scenarios that must be resolved within definite periods of time. A control team is responsible for preparing the scenario, directing the playing, and analyzing the outcome. The simplest simulation of terrorism includes three small teams of terrorists, hostages, and the Government or company whose citizens or installations have been taken hostage. A more sophisticated simulation introduces additional actors, factors, and processes. The most important criteria for selecting a simulation from among the many options is purpose. The main mission of a training simulation is to present players with problems they might face in the future and to reduce the risks of making bad decisions. Thus, the simulation should offer real scenarios and be conducted in a multimove, real-time structure. Important aspects of counterterrorist efforts that could be researched by simulations are the effects of stress on decisionmaking and communications and negotiations methods. Simulations can also be used in planning specific actions and examining preferred existing strategies. Simulations can be an integral part of courses in military academies and foreign service schools where they can vividly demonstrate problems usually discussed only in the abstract. Public awareness of the issues of terrorism can be enhanced through simulations using mass media. The paper contains 24 footnotes.