Combating Terrorism Technology Support Office 2007 Review

摘要

Twenty-five years ago, the Technical Support Working Group (TSWG) was born out of three key principles. First was the idea that many agencies had similar requirements for combating terrorism, thus allowing the pooling of resources. Second was the focus on near-term requirements; emphasizing a quick turnaround to allow an overburdened acquisition system to move closer to the speed of its opponents. And the final key was to go to the hero and ask for help. This final key principle makes TSWG rare. Even as the Combating Terrorism Technology Support Office (CTTSO) grew to encompass TSWG, Explosives Ordnance Disposal/Low-Intensity Conflict & Interdependent Capabilities (EOD/LIC & IC), and the Irregular Warfare Support (IWS) program, the focus has always been on the user - the technician who disarms bombs, the crime lab researcher using forensic evidence to break a case, the Special Forces warrior who is hunting al Qaeda, and the law-enforcement officer or first responder. You will find in these pages that this process works. Firefighters worked to assess the Next- Generation Fire Fighter Protective Ensemble, which provides protection against fires as well as against chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear threats. Police officers helped to develop the Digital Automotive Image System, which now provides a means of quickly searching data to reveal pictures of vehicles related to a terrorist investigation. Those tasked with protecting VIPs are helping to develop the Field-Installable Inconspicuous Vehicle Armor Kit, which provides security while not advertising that a protectee is traveling in an armored vehicle. As a program office under the Assistant Secretary of Defense (ASD) for Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict & Interdependent Capabilities (SO/LIC & IC), CTTSO is uniquely positioned to contribute to the success of the Global War on Terror (GWoT).