ISIL’S Battlefield Tactics and the Implications for Homeland Security and Preparedness

Abstract

This proposed article investigates the emergency management implications of a terrorist attack directly planned and executed by ISIL in the United States. To do so, we operationalize the Department of Homeland Security’s National Preparedness Goal (NPG) to demonstrate how ISIL-directed attacks might stress national preparedness Core Capabilities. In so doing, we provide a proof of concept, demonstrating how viewing the ISIL threat through an emergency preparedness lens can help better benchmark existing national preparedness activities and policies against emerging threats.