Closing the Barn Door: Installation Force Protection (Joint Force Quarterly, Spring 2002)

摘要

The United States is at war with an insidious and determined enemy, but not everyone is prepared for the fight. This enemy will avoid conventional battle at all costs, wears no uniform, and is unlikely to negotiate terms at a table. The personal commitment is total, and the only outcome can be victory or death. The enemy is terrorism, although its perpetrators would rather be seen as selfless warriors fighting a just war with their motivations firmly anchored in ideology and faith. Terrorist groups have tasted a series of victories. Since 1983 they have included bombings in Beirut, Naples, Ramstein, Rhein Main, Berlin, Riyadh, and Dhahran as well as a simultaneous attack on two American embassies in East Africa, the USS Cole incident, and the events of September 11, 2001. These successes reveal the challenge.