Silent warning: understanding the National Terrorism Advisory System

Abstract

This research investigated two questions: How effective is the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) National Terrorism Advisory System (NTAS) when compared to its predecessor, the Homeland Security Advisory System? And, does NTAS provide sufficient decision advantage for the nation it serves? The research methodology/design used a comparative analysis of results observed for each system as it addressed the problem set presented in a case study. The research found that NTAS is effective but continued improvement is needed. These improvements include: the formal establishment of a DHS Office of Counterterrorism Coordination; the renewal of the DHS Counterterrorism Advisory Board Charter or other appropriate governance documents to ensure sustainment of necessary decision making and execution authority for NTAS; refine the NTAS Concept of Operations to better demonstrate the system’s scalable outcomes other than an NTAS-generated alert, such as Joint Intelligence Bulletins, Joint Threat Assessments, etc.; NTAS-related outreach and education efforts with the homeland security enterprise and the public; and the improvement of communication aspects of NTAS integrating with other warning systems, such as the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System. These improvements are critical in sustaining the current effectiveness of the system and ensuring its future success.