FORT MCPHERSON, Ga., - Knowledge is power and may also be the thing that saves your life from terrorism.
To stay one step ahead of terrorists, members of the Fort McPherson community are working hand-in-hand with each other and federal and local agencies to share information and gain knowledge to prevent potential terrorist acts, said Neil Carrington, antiterrorism officer for the U.S. Army Garrison Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security.
"That was one of the big things about Sept. 11. The FBI was not talking with the CIA; local law enforcement was not talking with other local law enforcement," Carrington said. "The most important thing is to share intelligence."
Acting on the lessons learned about the need to share intelligence, military installations have been holding antiterrorism working group meetings since the terrorist attacks Sept. 11, 2001, Carrington said.
By regulation, the groups are supposed to meet quarterly to disseminate information gathered locally and from other national agencies; however, because people can get complacent and awareness is critical, Fort McPherson meetings are held monthly, said Col. Deborah Grays, garrison commander.
"The group's sole purpose is to gather and collect information and disseminate to the lowest level," Grays said. "If you are aware, you can react and respond."
Besides keeping people on their toes and constantly vigilant, another advantage of the monthly, rather than quarterly, meetings is information shared is never out of date, Carrington said.
"If meetings are held too far apart, the information gets old," said Carrington, who receives information from other working groups with the FBI, the CIA, the Department of Homeland Security, the Criminal Investigation Division, the Defense Intelligence Agency and the Georgia Information Sharing and Analysis Center.
Meetings are normally held on the first Tuesday of each month.
Local law enforcement agencies are also a vital part of the equation, Carrington added.
Local support is necessary because while most people link terrorism to al-Qaida, most terrorist acts are performed by smaller groups, such as gangs and special interest groups, he said.
In the surrounding areas, threats include groups like the Ku Klux Klan; MS-13, a Hispanic gang organization; and New Saxon, a white supremacy group, Carrington said.
"People need to know that terrorism is any act that instills fear or terror in an individual, group or nation," he explained. "The intent of terrorism is to change people's way of thinking or life."
For those wondering about the effectiveness of such a program, Carrington said the concept of antiterrorism working groups was responsible for stopping the 2007 Fort Dix, N.J., attack plot. The event, also known as the Fort Dix Six, was a plot by a group of six radical Islamic men who planned to attack Fort Dix and kill as many Soldiers as possible.
"Sharing information, that's how we found out about everything," Carrington said.
If anyone believes he or she sees a potential terrorist threat or something out of the ordinary, he or she should report it to local law enforcement, Carrington said.
"We want people to be actively engaged," he said. "Everyone has to be involved. Everyone has to play his or her role."
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