The Department of the Army has declared August 2010 as the Army's Anti-terrorism Awareness Month. During this month, our Army will reinforce the DA's anti-terrorism strategic plan by instilling heightened awareness and vigilance to prevent and protect our communities and critical resources from acts of terrorism.
In an era of persistent engagement and the near-constant threat of terrorism, we must sustain a strong defense posture. Extremist ideologies and separatist movements will continue to threaten our Army and our nation. We must remain capable of deterring and defending against the full range of threats, including terrorist attack. Enduring protection from terrorist acts can only become successful by integrating anti-terrorism doctrinal principles combined with constant anti-terrorism awareness into all of our activities and missions.
The word "terrorism" evokes memories of past attacks at places like Tokyo, Mumbai, Bali, Madrid, London, Oklahoma City, New York City and the Pentagon. These recollections probably include images of victims running and crying in the streets or caskets covered in flags as memorial services were conducted.
What connects these images is that terrorism is a global issue. Reading reports after an event may lead some to believe these types of terrorist attacks are inescapable; and with more media attention directed to successful terrorist attacks, it may seem a reasonable assumption.
But further investigation proves that many prospective attacks have been foiled and perhaps many others were deterred. Reports of these events are often difficult to find; perhaps because of the sensitivity of the classification and/or ongoing investigations, but more often because a "non-event" carries less emotional impact. Maybe these foiled attempts represent our most important lessons. The Army believes this is true.
By increasing awareness and vigilance we will succeed in our goal of preventing terrorist attacks. The building blocks are as simple as knowing how to act and recognizing suspicious activity.
On Aug. 1, the Army implemented a new terrorist watch program known as iWATCH. iWATCH is a nation-wide modern version of neighborhood watch designed to encourage and enable members of the community to help protect their communities by identifying and reporting suspicious behavior. Two important elements of the iWATCH program involve individual situational awareness of their surroundings and taking action to report suspicious behavior or activities to law enforcement.
Remember, See Something ... Say Something! Report all suspicious activity to (309) 782-6116 or 5507.
Related Links:
iWATCH Aims to 'Enlist' Army Community as Anti-Terrorism Sensor
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