Rules of the Game Still Apply (Terrorism)1989 G. Gordon Liddy Article Continues To Resonate

As an avid Omni magazine reader years ago, one particular "after-the-fact" fictional article from the Jan 1989 issue captivated my attention- penned by former Nixon Administration convicted confidant G. Gordon Liddy.

• Rules of the Game By G. Gordon Liddy (Omni, Jan 1980)   - archive.org
  MEMO
  TO:   THE PRESIDENT
  FROM:  G. GORDON LIDDY
  SUBJECT: NEAR FUTURE POTENTIAL FOR MASSIVE TERRORISM ON U.S. SOIL

The fictional memo characterizes critical infrastructure concerns and analysis from postulated events that continues to remain in many ways applicable and a challenge today:

1. U.S. COMMERCIAL AIRCRAFT INDUSTRY: 90% INOPERATIVE
   -  Since 9/11, air terminal facilities security upgrades provides substantial mitigation from the threat of liquid metal embrittlement (LME) agents.
2. NATION'S CAPITAL AND SEVEN LARGEST METROPOLITAN AREAS BLACKED OUT INDEFINITELY
   -  Potential electric grid physical attacks on high voltage transformers across a wide area would be quite debilitating and difficult to recover from even with progress on spare transformer programs.  Other significant types of physical grid damage blackout risks include larger area electromagnetic pulse attacks  (commission findings) and geomagnetic storm events being address with NERC's Geomagnetic Disturbance Task Force - GMDTF.
     
3. NORTH-SOUTH RAIL TRAFFIC IN EASTERN UNITED STATES SEVERED; MUCH OF STRATEGIC RAIL CORRIDOR NETWORK (STRACNET) OUT
   -  continuing Preserving Strategic Rail Mobility - ongoing  STRACNET program
4. NATURAL GAS SUPPLY FOR INDUSTRIAL UTILITY, COMMERCIAL, AND RESIDENTIAL USE IN NORTHEASTERN AND ATLANTIC COASTAL U.S. CUT BY 75%; RESTORATION TO TAKE A YEAR.
    - DHS: Hackers Mounting Organized Cyber Attack on U.S. Gas Pipelines  (5/2012)
5. COMPUTER DATABASE ERASURE OF WALL STREET, SIX FEDERAL RESERVE BANKS, TWO IRS SERVICE CENTERS, SEVERAL OF LARGEST COMMERCIAL BANKS, AND NUMEROUS CORPORATIONS PRODUCES FISCAL CHAOS - since 9/11, financial organizations have bolstered offsite backup facilities and continuity planning that would help at least in part mitigate the impact today.

The memo goes on to provide insights and recommendations:

• ... the "prayer" of public officials has always been that a disaster will be either so immense as to be perceived as an "act of God" and thus engage the loyalty and team spirit of both the government and a patient populace or so small that it will go away by itself. The dread of officials is the one in between, affecting more than one choke point, the one with which government cannot cope. It is dreaded because it damages the faith of the people in their government and the way of life.
• .. current situation is a nightmare. The people know this was not an act of God. What has happened is so immense as to be almost incomprehensible to them. The people expect their government to do something about it; to fix the problem and punish those responsible. And the American people are not patient.
• ..  delay in the use of force, and hesitation to accept responsibility for its employment when the situation clearly demands it, will always be interpreted as a weakness. Such indecision will encourage further disorder, and will eventually, necessitate measures more severe than first instance."
  --The United States Marine Corps Small Wars Manual (1940), page 27, paragraph (d)

Cybersecurity continues  gaining an increasingly important role bolstering critical infrastructure security with a rising flood of IT risks, including those associated with Smart Grid.  The potential for serious  impacts from physical or blended attacks also demands ongoing attention.