Soft Target Hardening : Protecting People from Attack

Winner of ASIS International's 2015 Security Book of the Year AwardTerrorist attacks occur daily and are increasingly being aimed at civilian populations around the world.

Battlefield lines have been redrawn to include churches, schools, hospitals, and malls.

This breach of moral boundary is shocking and invokes fear-two primary goals of terrorism. Although there is an increase in soft target activity-or attacks on places of worship, study, and leisure-there is hesitation to explore such susceptibility in the United States.

Soft Target Hardening: Protecting People from Attack starts the national dialogue by providing case studies, best practices, and methodologies for identifying soft target vulnerabilities and reducing risk in the United States.

Offering deterrence and mitigation techniques from more than 275 sources, this comprehensive book: Explores U.S. cultural nuances contributing to the country turning a psychological blind eye toward soft target threatsAssesses the attractiveness of soft target threats presented by foreign and domestic terror groups and drug trafficking organizationsAnalyzes the unique vulnerabilities of churches, schools, hospitals, malls, sporting and recreational events, and other soft targetsGives an overview of soft target hardening tactics from global hotspots, including first-person accounts and photographsIntroduces the concept of effects-based hardening, derived from the military model of effects-based operationsDiscusses emerging soft target challenges such as insider threats, kidnapping, and use of human shieldsEvaluates the likelihood of the use of weapons of mass destruction against civilian-centric venuesSoft Target Hardening: Protecting People from Attack is a must-read for those who secure, own, and operate soft target facilities, and for citizens who want to protect themselves and their families from attack.