Synopsis "Combating Terrorism Technical Support Office Review Book 2012"
New ways to wage war - and to wage terror - promise both small and large changes in established assumptions. But whether that technique is a new explosive mixture, a computer virus, or a disinformation campaign, it always goes back to the same assumptions. The attacker is always trying to get by the defender, and the defender is trying to deploy the right countermove. New threats require new strategies. Innovation enables the United States to increase our own defenses, identify weaknesses in those who attack us and our allies, and change the rules in our favor. Innovation has many forms. It ranges from basic research - technology that will not be available for decades but that promises to truly alter how we understand and interact with the world - to small, but key, innovations, to current equipment with delivery schedules measured in days, weeks, or months. All are essential, and all must work in concert. In a time when innovation often comes from new and emerging companies, it is interesting to look at an organization that has been involved with innovation for more than 25 years. The Combating Terrorism Technical Support Office (CTTSO) doesn't just pursue innovation for the sake of innovation - it pursues innovation to meet the needs of its diverse user base. A new way to build blast resistant buildings is one thing, but it only becomes powerful when directly meeting the needs of the people who live and work in those buildings. CTTSO acts as a matchmaker, ensuring that those on the front lines of the fight against terrorism get what they need to do their job just a little easier, and that the people who build those things reap the rewards. Two such examples that have been provided to the users who needed them are the Enhanced Mortar Targeting System, which is a better mortar system for soldiers operating from remote, austere sites, and the Mass Alert Emergency Mobile Responding System, which warns large groups in crisis situations and is currently deployed with Customs and Border Protection along the Arizona border. And this year, the Advanced Diver Mask Mounted Display and the Parachute Simulator promise to continue the tradition of requirements going to end users who need them. The Advanced Diver Mask Mounted Display is the result of a requirement from those diving in pitch-black water that allows them to clearly see what they are doing, whether looking for mines, scanning for intruders, inspecting ship hulls, searching for evidence, or recovering a body. The Parachute Simulator is being developed to train special operations forces on parachute jumps to significantly improve operational skills without danger or risk of training injury. This year has been one of significant change, and it is expected that 2013 will be no different. In such turbulent times, it is natural to take refuge in places with a history of success. No matter what changes the future brings, whether big or small, CTTSO will continue to be there to do its part in supporting the combating terrorism mission.
