Research note: Concept to develop a software-based counter-terrorism campaign decision support tool

Abstract

In the public policy community, a need exists for a software tool that comprehensively applies leading concepts of counterterrorism (CT) analysis and planning to systematically display, track, operationalize and update on an analyst's computer all the decisions and processes involved in countering an on-going terrorist insurgency facing a targeted adversary. Initially, such a prototype would be employed for analytical and training purposes, with a more advanced version used in a government's actual CT campaign. No such comprehensive software tool exists at present (based on the author's knowledge) to address any of these requirements. This research note, which is of a preliminary nature, is primarily descriptive and does not include a discussion of how such a tool would be operationalized into a software program, since that would involve releasing proprietary intellectual property that is intended for commercial purposes. Hopefully, this preliminary research note will generate interest in a collaborative effort with other researchers and software developers to create and operationalize such a software tool kit.