Sheep No More
The nuts and bolts of defense against terrorism.

By James A. Swan, “Media Watch” columnist for North American Hunter magazine
September 22-23, 2001

e have learned that the hijackers took over the airliners on September 11 in teams of three to five each, armed with knives, box cutters, and pepper spray, and the threat of a bomb on board. Apparently, two more groups of terrorists were planning the same thing on Thursday, but they were stopped before boarding. Terrorism is no longer a problem that's just going to go away.

The fight against terrorism will range from diplomacy and military action to the nuts and bolts of what happens on board an airplane that hijackers want to take over. To better understand "the nuts and bolts," I interviewed two experts in security, counter-terrorism, and self-defense.

Harry Humphries is the president of Global Studies Group, Inc., one of the world's leading security service providers. Humphries is a former Navy SEAL and trainer of SEALs who runs security operations for major entertainment events and corporations. He is also an instructor for law enforcement agencies and provides training for SWAT teams.

Humphries was very critical of the faulty security procedures on commercial airlines. Obviously this begins with the screening process at check-in, but Humphries also cited the ending of the armed Air Marshal program several years ago as key to our vulnerability. Today Air Marshals are placed randomly on overseas flights, but have been removed from domestic flights. Humphries said one reason for this was that the airlines felt they lost too much revenue providing seats for Marshals.

The Israelis have been using Air Marshals for several years, effectively bringing an end to hijacking. We need to take a lesson from their success. As Humphries points out, contemporary terrorists are a new breed. It used to be that terrorists simply committed their crimes to get attention for their views, e.g. the Unabomber. The "postmodern terrorist," he said, "is not interested in a bully pulpit." They are clandestine, wanting to immobilize their targets with terror and then keep on fighting. Stronger measures are needed to counter this kind of terrorism.

Humphries explained that cockpit crews and flight attendants do not have to be trained in self-defense. If he could design the security on planes, he said, we would have well-armed and trained pilots, armed Air Marshals, a significant physical barrier between the cockpit and the rest of the cabin (such as one built from ballistically-sound polymer), and a special bathroom for the pilot, co-pilot, and navigator.

One of Humphries's instructors is Marshall Teague. A former military kickboxing champion, Teague today teaches for GSGI when not acting in movies such as Armageddon, Crossfire Trail, and (in perhaps his most chilling role) Roadhouse. This is a guy you want on your side in a fight. He's good at portraying violence as an actor because he has faced the real thing.

Marshall said that the techniques used by the hijackers are well known in the security community. There are easy ways to hide metal knives, and ceramic, plastic, and bone knives don't set off metal detectors. Instructional drills employ scenarios of three to five people taking over a plane, because the security community knows a group this small can take over a plane. If we know this, Marshall asked, why are we not taking adequate steps to counter it?

Teague echoed Humphries's remarks about the door to the cockpit, saying that it could easily be kicked in, pried open, or even broken open with a shoulder. He has done this in demonstrations.

Marshall also advocated arming pilots and placing Air Marshals on planes, pointing out that there is only minimal risk of "frangible bullets" penetrating the shell of a plane. Even if a bullet did rupture a wall, the pilot could repressurize the cabin and bring the plane in for a safe landing, he said.

Teague praised the three men who apparently thwarted the hijackers on the plane that crashed in Pennsylvania. He pointed out that when we hear about rowdy passengers on planes, other passengers always seem to be the ones who deal with them. Teague added that we make ourselves more vulnerable to terrorist attacks by not training flight attendants in self-defense, and by failing to be trained ourselves.

I asked Teague what one should do in a life-and-death situation, such as on board a hijacked plane. Mental attitude is number one, he replied. Know that in countering a knife attack you are probably going to get cut — but do you want to be cut, or die? Teague further noted that the detachable seat cushions are very effective shields, and that everyone needs to understand they are not defenseless. We are all armed: pencils, pens, silverware, and chopsticks can be very effective weapons. A key chain can become brass knuckles. A rolled-up magazine can be a very effective offensive or defensive weapon.

Teague says we have become a "nation of sheep": We've lost our will to form teams to survive, except when going for the money on TV reality shows. "When sheep are confronted with wolves, they huddle up in fright. That is why ranchers put llamas and special breeds of dogs in with sheep — because when attacked, they fight back." Teague feels that a grass-roots approach to countering terrorism must begin with us all accepting the fact that terrorism is part of the world we live in. Once we've accepted that, we can start working together to thwart it.