Discussion Forum 8 Module 8
Reply to Zachary Whitsel
Thanks, Zachary, for sharing and explaining the CARVER + Shock mitigation technique. As a
former Army Artillery, while deployed in Afghanistan about ten years ago, I often participated in
classified military planning missions with military intelligence staff and special forces military
members in targeting specific resources or terrorist operatives. As you pointed out concerning
the CARVER tool, friendly planners can view and analyze targets as the enemy does but with
different objectives and purposes. According to Nemeth (2017), high-risk targets for terrorist
actions include military and civilian government facilities, international airports, big cities, and
prominent landmarks. Disrupting these essential infrastructures would likely produce the effects
of terrorism that the terrorist actors may seek to achieve. However, using practical mitigation
tools such as the CARVER and the collaboration of governmental entities, stakeholders, and
communities across the country, the likelihood of terrorist operatives attacking people and
infrastructures is lessened.
