Islamic Extremists Love the Internet, and Reconceptualizing Radicalized Groups and Their Messages - Making of Potential Home-Grown Terrorists, Counter-Strategies, Use of Social Media, Opsec Process

Two excellent reports are compiled in this unique document. The first, Islamic Extremists Love the Internet, explores the exploitation of the World Wide Web to develop home-grown terrorists. The second, Reconceptualizing Radicalized Groups and Their Messages, explores alternative approaches for special forces to engage with radicalized groups. Our compilation reproduction also includes, as a bonus, the complete 2019 U.S. Intelligence Community Worldwide Threat Assessment, a substantial document with updated analysis of dozens of critical national security issues.Islamic Extremists Love the Internet - Al-Qaeda and its network of followers have had great success during this decade with their efforts to influence the West. Which cyber tool have these terrorists used as their main weapon to achieve their objectives? What effect is this having on America's younger generation? Since September 11, 2001 Islamic extremist terrorists have been exploiting the Internet to promote their radical ideology and today they are targeting select youth, developing them into homegrown terrorists who support their cause. A careful study of select terror Web sites reflects that jihadists are promoting their propaganda and highlighting successful operations directed against our government and the U.S. military. What cyber techniques are being used for persuasion? This author's thesis is that Islamic extremists are exploiting the Internet resulting in the development of homegrown terrorists a serious vulnerability which the U.S. government has inadequately addressed. How does this threat impact the Department of Defense and the combat commander's mission? This premise illustrates how the terrorists are gathering sensitive information, occasionally critical information, and valuable data points from the Internet and using these resources to construct combat operational planning directed against our forces. Operational security education is paramount for all department employees and military commands. This paper illustrates the OPSEC process. It also recommends a strategic counter-strategy to the extremists' Web site influence.Reconceptualizing Radicalized Groups and Their Messages - What this occasional paper explores are alternative approaches for SOF to engage with radicalized groups. As an example, at present, mainstream defense and intelligence analysts proclaim the prowess of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in social media-a result of both reach and authenticity. The solution? Comprehensive engagement in the narrative space to defeat the effects of ISIS in the psychological and sociological aspects of the human domain. TThe Department of State's recently activated Global Engagement Center (GEC) is tasked with an arguably overdue role in coordinating U.S.-wide, counter-violent-extremist communication efforts. The GEC not only aims to reduce duplication of effort, it likewise aspires to identify nationwide priorities and ways and means for agencies to complement each other's counter-narrative efforts by comparing notes across those agencies. Even with improved coordination and perspective, communication narratives can never tell an entire political violence or radicalization story. For example, research finds that individuals pre-disposed to causing harm are more vulnerable to terrorist recruitment.. Also, assessment of narratives and/ or social media data ignores the impact/effect of a growing female recruitment base on vulnerable males. Therefore, it's important to think wider and deeper. Rethinking this problem from a joint social psychology-notably realistic conflict theory (RCT)- and social network analysis approach can yield unprecedented insights on the inner workings of radicalized groups and their penchant for political violence.