May 2015 How California’s Drought Exacerbates the Terrorism Threat Commentary # 2015-03 Scott Somers, Ph.D. Senior Fellow GW Center for Cyber & Homeland Security HowCalifornia’sDroughtExacerbatestheTerrorismThreat ScottSomers,Ph.D. TerroristorganizationsincludingISIS,Hezbollah,andal‐Qa’idahaveopenly promulgatedastrategyofecologicaljihad.Incontrasttoothermethodsemployed byterrorists,environmentaltactics,suchascontaminatingwatersuppliesor startingfires,canbequicklyplanned,requirelittletechnicalexpertisetoexecute, andhavelowerriskofdetection.Watershortagesduetodroughtincrease vulnerabilitytotheseterrormethodswithsignificantconsequencesforpeople, infrastructure,andtheeconomy. CaliforniaisonthevergeofanepicdroughtandmanywesternStatesarenotfar behind.Nearly60percentofthestateisunderextremedroughtconditions.The ColoradoRiverBasin,whichsupplieswaterto40millionpeopleinsevenstates,has lostabout65cubickilometersoffreshwateroverthepastnineyears.Thekeywater reservoirsofLakePowellandLakeMeadareat45and41percentcapacity, respectively.HydrologistswarnthatCaliforniacouldrunoutofwaterwithinayear and17ruralcommunitiesareatriskofconsumingtheirwatersupplywithin60 days.ThecrisispromptedGovernorJerryBrowntoorder400localwateragencies toreduceconsumptionby25percentoverthecomingyear. SeveredroughtinthewesternUnitedStatesraisesvulnerabilitytowater terrorismasreservoirscontinuetodryup.Wateristhelifebloodofhumanand economicwelfareand,asaconsequence,hasbeenexploitedasaweaponofwarfor centuries.Asglobalwatersuppliesbecomeincreasinglyscarceduetodrought, terroristgroupsaresteppingupattacksandmanipulatingsupplyasastrategic tacticofcoercion.ISISgainedasignificantportionoftheirinfluenceintheMiddle Eastthroughwaterterrorism.1Militantsseizedcontrolofkeyriversanddams cuttingoffsupplytoChristian,Kurd,andShiiteminoritydistrictsandleveraging watersupplyasameanstoextortmoneytofinancetheiroperations. Waterterrorismhasalsoyieldedresultsforal‐ShabaabinSomalia.2AsUN‐backed governmentforcessqueezedal‐Shabaabfightersoutofkeycities,militantsshifted tacticsandattackedthewaterinfrastructuresupplyingnewlyliberatedareas.Itwas ameansforal‐Shabaabtocontinueexertingcontrolevenwithoutanoccupying presenceinacity. Internationalterroristgroups,includingal‐Qa’ida,haveexpressedinterestin contaminatingdrinkingwaterintheUnitedStates.AreportbytheNewJerseyOffice Strozier,C.B.&Berkell,K.A.(2014,November29).HowclimatechangehelpedISIS[Weblogcomment].Retrievedfrom http://www.huffingtonpost.com/charles‐b‐strozier/how‐climate‐change‐helped_b_5903170.html 2PRI(2014,August12).Al‐Shabaab’s‘waterterrorism’isyieldingresultsandtragedyinSomalia’scivilwar.Retrievedfrom http://www.pri.org/stories/2014‐08‐08/how‐al‐shabaab‐using‐water‐tool‐terrorism 1 HowCalifornia’sDroughtExacerbatestheTerrorismThreat Page3 ofHomelandSecurityandPreparednessidentified26specificopen‐sourcethreats ofwatercontaminationintheU.S.between1968and2008.Theirremotelocation, lackofsecurity,andeasyaccessmakesreservoirsparticularlyattractivetargets;and rawwatersourceshavebeenapointofaccessforpastattacks,thoughwithlimited success.Mostanalystssuggestthat,sincewateritselfwoulddiluteanytoxinor pathogen,thequantityofmaterialneededtosufficientlycontaminatesupplymakes suchanattacktechnicallydifficult.But,asthelevelofwaterinreservoirscontinues tofallduetodrought,thistacticbecomesincreasinglyfeasible. DroughtinformationfromtheNationalResourcesDefenseCouncilwarnsthat shrinkingwaterreserveshavealreadycreatedhealthrisksbyconcentrating contaminantssuchasheavymetals,industrialchemicals,andpesticides.3Lowwater levelsalsomakesuppliessusceptibletobiologicalcontaminationfromalgaeand othermicroorganisms.Thereisahistoryofnaturallyoccurringmicrobiological organismscontaminatingwatersourcesintheU.S.,whichdemonstratesthe potentialconsequencesofdomesticwaterterrorismagainstdepletedlakesand reservoirs. The1992CryptosporidiumoutbreakinMilwaukeesickenedover400,000peoplein afive‐countymetropolitanareaandresultedinover$96millionincombined healthcarecostsandproductivitylosses.4Althoughrarelylethal,69deathswere attributedtotheoutbreak,mostlyamongtheelderly,infants,andthosewith immunodeficiencydisorders.A2013articleintheJournaloftheRoyalArmy MedicalCorpsconfirmedthefeasibilityofCryptosporidiumtransmissionfor terroristpurposesundercertainenvironmentalconditions.5Cryptosporidiumdoes notneedtoinfiltratedrinkingwatertothreatenhealthortheeconomy.California’s reservoirscontributetoan$85billionoutdoorrecreationindustry.Lowwater levelsduetodroughtarealreadyimpactingtourismrevenue,andcontaminationof recreationalwatersinfectingswimmerscouldfurtherundermineeco‐tourism. Toxinsfromspeciesofcyanobacteriaareanotherpotentialagentinwaterterrorism. Cyanobacteriaarenaturallyoccurringinlakes,ponds,andslow‐movingstreams. Peoplebecomeexposedbydrinkingorimmersingincontaminatedwater.In2014,a cyanobacteriaalgaebloomcontaminatedfreshwatersuppliesfornearlyhalf‐a‐ millionpeopleinnortheasternOhio.6Thenewstouchedoffarunonstoresfor bottledwaterandbagsofice.Whilethecontaminationwastheresultofanatural ecologicalevent,thewatercrisisneverthelesspromptedthemayorofToledoto NationalResourceDefenseCouncil,Drought:Threatstowaterandfoodsecurity[Weblogcomment].Retrievedfrom http://www.nrdc.org/health/climate/drought.asp 4Coroso,P.S.,Kramer,M.H,Blair,K.A.,Addiss,D.G.Davis,J.P.,&Haddix,A.C.(2003).CostofIllnessinthe1993Waterborne CryptosporidiumOutbreak,Milwaukee,Wisconsin.EIDJournal,9(4),Retrievedfrom http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/9/4/02‐0417_article 5Hagen,R.M.,Loderstaedt,U.,&Frickmann,H.(2014).AnevaluationofthepotentialuseofCryptosporidiumspeciesasagents fordeliberaterelease.JournaloftheRoyalArmyMedicalCorps,160(4):289‐294.doi:10.1136/jramc‐2013‐000186 6Jervis,R.(2014,August3).Ohio’s4thlargestcityhasnodrinkingwater.USAToday.Retrievedfrom http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/08/02/toledo‐ohio‐water/13505697/ 3 HowCalifornia’sDroughtExacerbatestheTerrorismThreat Page4 compareittoaterroristattack.7TheOhiooutbreakdemonstratesthatawater terrorismeventneednotproducemassivecasualtiestocausepanic,societal disruptions,andevenoverreactiononthepartofgovernmentofficialsandthe public. Thedroughthasalsocreatedtinderboxconditionsincreasingthepotentialfor aterroristtosetseverewildlandfiresnearpopulatedareasandcritical infrastructure.Fireasatoolofwarfareiswelldocumented.Whilethereisnodirect evidenceofaterroristgrouphavingemployedwildfireasaweapon,firehasbeen promotedasasimpleandpotentiallyeffectivewaytoinflictfearandcause considerabledamage.In2012,anissueofInspiremagazinesurfacedonjihadi Internetforumsdetailinghowtoconstructan“emberbomb”totargetforested areasoftheU.S.ThisspurredtheDHSOfficeofIntelligenceandAnalysisandeight stateorlocalagenciestoissueajointreportraisingawarenessofterroristinterests inutilizingwildfireasatacticagainsttheHomelandtocausecasualties,economic damage,andresourcedepletion.8 TheLebanesemilitantgroup,Hezbollah,usedwildfireasamilitarystrategy–as wellaseconomicandpsychologicalattack–duringits2006conflictwithIsrael. MilitantsfiredKatyusharocketsignitingnumerousfiresintheNaftalimountain range.Thewildfireswerepartofadiversionarytactictodrawresourcesawayfrom battlesinsouthLebanon.Morethan10,000acreswereburnedcausing considerabledamagetoforestsandgrazingfields.Fouryearslater,duringthe MountCarmelFire,awaveofsuspiciousfiresstruckIsraelandtheWestBank.The motivationfortheseattackswasnotdetermined,buttheycausedconfusionand drewscarceresourcesawayfromfiresuppressionefforts.TheJewishNationalFund estimatesthatitwilltake50yearstorestoretheforests.910 Onlyabout7percentofIsraelisforested,yetfirehasbeenusedasaneffective terrortacticagainsttheIsraelipeople.Bycomparison,theCarltonComplexFirein WashingtonStatein2014destroyed322homesandconsumed256,000acres,an arealargerthanthe247,000acrescomprisingallIsraeliforests.In2012alone, wildfiresburned9.3millionacresoflandintheU.S.,moreacreagethantheentire StateofIsraelitself.TheNationalAssociationofStateForestersclaimsthatsome 72,000U.S.communitiesareexposedtowildfire.The2015WildfireHazardRisk ReportbyCoreLogicestimatesthat1.1millionhomesfallintothehighestwildfire riskcategorywithareconstructionvalueofmorethan$268billion.11 7Brush,M.(2014,August19).ToledoMayorcompareswatercrisistoaterroristattack.Retrievedfrom http://michiganradio.org/post/toledo‐mayor‐compares‐water‐crisis‐terrorist‐attack 8U.S.DepartmentofHomelandSecurity.(2012,May31).TerroristInterestsinUsingFireAsaWeapon.Retrievedfrom https://info.publicintelligence.net/DHS‐TerroristFireWeapon.pdf 9Bodner,J.(2007,January3).TherecoveryofNorthernIsraelthroughaforest’seyes.Retrievedfrom https://secure2.convio.net/jnf/site/SPageServer/;jsessionid=64CC81C444F970947C217A63353047FA.app207a?pagename= Recovery 10Bodner,J.(2010,June30).ForestfiresrageacrossIsrael.Retrievedfromhttp://www.jnf.org/about‐jnf/news/press‐ releases/2010/forest‐fires‐rage‐across.html 11Botts,H.,Jeffery,T.,McCabe,S.,Stueck,B.,&Suhr,L.(2015).WildfireHazardRiskReport:ResidentialWildfireExposure EstimatesfortheWesternUnitedStates.Retrievedfromhttp://www.corelogic.com/research/wildfire‐risk‐report/2015‐ wildfire‐hazard‐risk‐report.pdf HowCalifornia’sDroughtExacerbatestheTerrorismThreat Page5 TheexposureofU.S.communitiestowildfiremakespyro‐terrorismapotentially potentweaponforeconomicwarfareandmassdestruction.Onemilitaryofficer wroteinhis2005thesis:“Anopportunisticterroristcanunleashmultiplefires creatingaconflagrationpotentiallyequaltoamulti‐megatonnuclearweapon.”12 WilliamScott,aformerNationalSecurityAgencyofficial,calledpyro‐terrorism“an extremelyhigh‐leverageweaponofmasseffect.”13Armedwitharudimentary understandingoffirebehavior,weather,andtopography,apyro‐terroristcanset firesthatinflictsignificantdamage. Dryvegetationfromthelackofrainisincreasingthefrequency,severity,and damagecausedbywildfires.Thedroughtisalsodepletingnaturalwatersupplies usedforfirefighting.InSanDiegoCounty,whichhasahistoryofseverewildfires, BartlettLakeisdowntolessthan6percentcapacityfromits2006levelof96 percent.Sutherlandhasdroppedto8.4percentandMorenaisnearlydryat3.2 percent.14 Thenegativeeconomiceffectofwildfirehasoftenbeenunderestimated.Damage assessmentstendtofocusonthedirectcostsoffiresuppressionandpropertyloss. AstudybySanDiegoStateUniversityreassessedtheeconomicimpactofthe2003 SanDiegowildfiresandconcludedthefirecost$2billionmorethanoriginally estimated.15Additionallossesincluded$365millioninlostbusiness,$10millionin medicalcosts,$47millioninwatershedmitigation,and$147.3millionin infrastructuredamage.Losteconomicactivitywasconservativelyestimatedat10 percentregionalgrossproductivity.Thiswasbasedonthedestructionof24 commercialbuildings,a$32.5milliondropintourism,and5,000affectedjobs. Wildfirecanthreatencriticalinfrastructure,especiallytheelectricalgrid,causing damagetopoles,transmissionlines,andgeneratingstations.Directflame impingementisnotnecessarytodisruptpowersystems.Densesmokeand particulatematterfromfirescanionizetheaircreatinganelectricalpathway betweenlinestrippingcircuitsandthreateningwide‐scaleoutages. Thethreattotheelectricalgridhasacascadingeffectonotherinfrastructure.On September8,2011,atransmissionlinetrippedduetohightemperatures,startinga chainofeventsthatcutpowertoportionsofArizona,California,andMexico.Allof SanDiegolostpower.Theoutagesnarledtrafficduringrushhour;flightsandpublic transportationweredisrupted;schoolsandbusinessesclosed;waterandsewage pumpingstationslostpowerresultingincontaminatedbeachesandunsafedrinking Baird,R.A.(2005).Pyro‐Terrorism–TheThreatofArsonInducedForestFiresasaFutureWeaponofMassDestruction. Retrievedfromhttp://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a509220.pdf 13WashingtonExaminerEditorial.(2013,June17).ExaminerEditorial:Onlyyoucanpreventterroristsfromstartingforest fires.Retrievedfromhttp://www.washingtonexaminer.com/only‐you‐can‐prevent‐terrorists‐from‐starting‐forest‐ fires/article/2532034 14ReservoirlevelsforSanDiegoCountyretrievedApril21,2015fromhttp://www.sdcwa.org/reservoirs 15Rahn,M.(2009).WildfireImpactAnalysis.Retrievedfrom http://newscenter.sdsu.edu/sdsu_newscenter/images/rahn2009fireanalysis.pdf 12 HowCalifornia’sDroughtExacerbatestheTerrorismThreat Page6 water.TheNationalUniversitySystemInstituteforPolicyResearchconservatively estimatedlossestothelocaleconomyof$97to$118millionasaresultofthe blackout.16Whilenotcausedbyafire,thisincidentforetellspyro‐terrorism’s potentialforlarge‐scalesocialdisruptionandeconomicdamage. Sustainabilitypracticesandecosystemmanagementareintegraltoacohesive strategytoprotectcriticalinfrastructureandkeyresources.TheU.S.haslong recognizedtheneedtoprotectitswaterresourcesagainsttheterrorismthreat.But, currentinitiativestendtofocus–somewhatmyopically–onbuilding“robust, comprehensive,andfullycoordinatedsurveillanceandmonitoringsystems…”to provideearlydetectionofagents.17Amoreholisticapproachtodomesticwater securitywouldincludethefollowing: 1. Recognizetheconnectionbetweenthenaturalenvironmentandterrorism vulnerabilityinhomelandsecuritystrategy.TheU.S.militaryrecognizesthat globalcompetitionforfinitenaturalresourcesisanationalsecurityconcernand hasembracedsustainabilityasavitalstrategicsecurityelementandmission enabler.18Integratingsustainableprinciplesandpracticesintothenational homelandsecuritystrategynotonlyprotectsvaluablenaturalresources;it reducesthepotentialfortheenvironmenttobeexploitedasatoolofterror. 2. Facilitateinvestmentsinsmaller‐scale,distributedinfrastructuresystems. Centralizedutilitieswithlarge,complexdistributionsystemsaremore vulnerabletotargeteddisruptionswiththeconsequencesoffailurespread acrossalargerpopulation.Theconceptofdistributedinfrastructurerefersto technologiesinstalledattheneighborhoodorindividualsitescale.Distributed powersystems–suchason‐sitephotovoltaicsormicro‐gridgeneration–not onlyreducetheriskofwidespreadpowerfailures,butthecascadingeffectsand economicdamagethatresults.Similarly,newsustainablewatertechnologiesare emergingthatintegratedecentralizedsystemswithtraditional,centralized conveyanceandtreatmentnetworks.Integratingprinciplesandtechnologiesof distributedinfrastructuremightenhancetheEPAWaterSecurityInitiative. 3. Restoreecosystemsasameanstoreduceriskandprotectnatural resources.Forestersandfireprotectionexpertsareincreasinglyrealizingthata centuryofaggressivefederalfiresuppressionpolicyhasledto uncharacteristicallydenseforests.Suchconditionsgeneratemoreintense conflagrations,preventmorewaterfromreachingundergroundaquifers,and reducethehealthoftheforests.Exploringtherelationshipbetweenhealthy forestsandwatersupplythroughthelensofhomelandsecuritycouldhelp bolsterburgeoningeffortstorestoreecosystems. NationalUniversitySystemInstituteforPolicyResearch.(2011,September9).EconomicimpactofSeptember9thPower Outage:Conservativelyestimatedat$97to$118Million.Retrievedfrom http://www.nusinstitute.org/assets/resources/pageResources/PrelimReportSDBlackoutEconImpact.pdf 17HomelandSecurityPresidentialDirective9 18Hartman,J.,Butts,K.,&Bankus,B.(2012).SustainabilityandNationalSecurity.CarlisleBarracks,PA:USArmyWarCollege. 16 HowCalifornia’sDroughtExacerbatestheTerrorismThreat Page7 AbouttheAuthor ScottSomersisaSeniorFellowwiththeGWCenterforCyberandHomeland Security.HeservedtwotermsasDistrict6CouncilmemberandwasViceMayorin Mesa,Arizona.HechairedtheNationalLeagueofCitiessteeringcommitteeon PublicSafetyandCrimePrevention,whereheledthedevelopmentandadvocacyof nationalmunicipalpolicyinvolvinghomelandsecurityanddomesticpreparedness. Dr.Somersisactivelyinvolvedinnationaldomesticpreparednessefforts.Hehas servedontheNationalHomelandSecurityConsortium,theSAFECOMExecutive Committee,theFirstNetPublicSafetyAdvisoryCouncil,andtheNationalEMS AdvisoryCouncil.HecurrentlyvolunteersontheAmericanRedCrossScientific AdvisoryCouncil,PreparednessandDisasterHealthsub‐council,andisapublic safetyissueadvisorforRepresentativeMattSalmon(AZ‐CD5). Dr.SomersreceivedaPh.D.inpublicadministrationfromArizonaStateUniversity. Hisworkfocusesontheorganizationalstructuresandprocessesthatleadto resilienceinunstableoperationalenvironments.Severalofhishomelandsecurity‐ relatedrefereedjournalarticleshaveappearedinPublicAdministrationReview,the JournalofContingenciesandCrisisManagement,andPublicWorksManagement andPolicy.Papershehaswrittenonthehealthcaresystem’sresponsetoWMD eventsarepublishedasbookchaptersintheHomelandSecurityHandbook(CRC Press)and21stCenturyManagement(Sage).Dr.Somerslecturesregularlyandhas workedwithinternationalorganizationsonpromotingcontinuityplanningamong smalltomid‐sizedbusinessesforbetterglobalsupplychains. Inadditiontohispoliticalandacademicbackground,Somershasnearly20yearsof operationalexperiencewiththePhoenixFireDepartmentservingasahazardous materialsspecialistforFEMAArizonaTaskForce1,respondingtodomesticnatural disastersandnationalsecurityevents. AbouttheGWCenterforCyberandHomelandSecurity TheCenterforCyberandHomelandSecurity(CCHS)attheGeorgeWashington Universityisanonpartisan“thinkanddo”tankwhosemissionsistocarryout policy‐relevantresearchandanalysisonhomelandsecurity,counterterrorism,and cybersecurityissues.Byconveningdomesticandinternationalpolicy‐makersand practitionersatalllevelsofgovernment,theprivateandnon‐profitsectors,and academia,CCHSdevelopsinnovativestrategiestoaddressandconfrontcurrentand futurethreats.CCHSwasestablishedinearly2015andintegratestheactivitiesand personneloftheHomelandSecurityPolicyInstitute(HSPI)andtheGW CybersecurityInitiative.MoreinformationontheworkoftheCentercanbefound onitswebsiteathttp://cchs.gwu.edu/.
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