Systems Engineering ModelingUseful in Combating Terrorism

摘要

Following the terrorist events of September 11, 2001, several members of INCOSErnhave become involved in international, regional, and local activities to respond to those eventsrnthat have shaken the international community. As part of the newly formed INCOSE Anti-rnTerrorism International Working Group (ATIWG) established in October 2001, efforts at thernUniversity of Maryland University College and Vitech Corporation have produced notablernmodels and products useful to INCOSE. ATIWG meetings at the INCOSE Workshop held inrnMesa, AZ, during January 2002 stimulated all who attended and generated still more usefulrnviews of the problem space. The ATIWG convened a special panel at INCOSE 2002 in LasrnVegas, NV, under the theme documented in a companion paper entitled “The Role of SystemsrnEngineering in Combating Terrorism.”rnThis paper’s thesis is that the multidisciplinary approach of systems engineering is useful inrnevaluating the terrorist threats, identifying system vulnerabilities, and reducing or eradicatingrninternational terrorism. In addition, the ability to model those events may assist in determiningrnthe functional design of the terrorist threat and perhaps permit insight into the physical design asrnwell. The functional design (or modus operandi) is frequently unchanged from one terroristrnactivity to another, and only physical design changes. This then offers the potential to predictrnfuture terrorist acts. The authors are in the process of examining all facets of the issue byrnapplying the multidisciplinary approach of systems engineering to the resolution of thisrnmeaningful international issue.