Changing Face of Terrorism | The Crime Spike Is No Mystery | Nuclear War in the Trenches, and more

Recognizing the reality and urgency of this challenge, we introduce the term “composite violent extremism” (CoVE) and provide an accompanying typology as a mechanism for more rigorously conceptualizing violent extremists who defy neat categorization.

DHS, FBI Warn National Security Threats ‘Have Never Been Greater or More Complex’  (WFTV9)
The country’s top counterterrorism officials are warning the threats here at home are evolving and growing. U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, FBI Director Christopher Wray, and Christine Abizaid, Director of the National Counterterrorism Center, all testified before a Senate Committee on Thursday. “The threats facing our homeland have never been greater or more complex,” said Mayorkas. “Congress may not have predicted the extent of today’s threat environment when our department was created 20 years ago. But our mission has never been more vital.” Their testimony warned the threats we face today often come from individuals instead of large organizations. “Terrorist organizations such as ISIS and Al-Qaeda remain committed to attacking inside the United States,” said Abizaid. “However, unlike 21 years ago, the threat today is more likely to take the form of an individual attacker inspired by these groups rather than a networked and hierarchal directed plot.” The threats can range from cyber-attacks against our hospitals, water systems and electric grids, to violent domestic terrorism attacks. “What makes our current situation unique, and I add particularly serious, is the fact that we’re seeing so many different threat areas all elevated at the same time,” said Wray.

Chicago Coder Sentenced to 7 1/2 Years for Terrorism Charge  (AP)
A former Chicago college student was sentenced to 7 1/2 years in federal prison for attempting to help the Islamic State group. Thomas Osadzinski, 23, designed, used, and taught a computer program to disseminate violent propaganda online, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. He was convicted last year of attempting to provide material support and resources to a foreign terrorist organization. The sentence handed down Thursday was less than the 15 years prosecutors had sought. The former DePaul computer science student has been in custody since being arrested in Chicago in 2019 during an FBI sting. Defense attorneys painted Osadzinski, who was born and raised in the Chicago suburb Northbrook, as a naive student who “got sucked in” to radical ideologies, the Chicago Tribune reported. His attorney, Joshua Herman, told AP: “This sentence will allow Tommy to have a life, which is all he and his family asked for.” Herman added that the defense plans to appeal based on First Amendment issues. Before Osadzinski was sentenced, he apologized to his parents in the courtroom and told the judge, “I completely reject ISIS.” U.S. District Judge Robert Gettleman, who ordered that the prison term be followed by 10 years of court-supervised release, said there was a wide gulf between poor judgment and Osadzinski’s conduct, which included pledging fealty to a “hideous group” such as the Islamic State and “promoting and encouraging” its violent message around the globe. “I think you understand now how serious this is,” Gettleman told Osadzinski. “You have shown remorse. Is it genuine? I hope so.

Twitter, Others Slip on Removing Hate Speech, EU Review Says  (Kelvin Chan, AP)
Twitter took longer to review hateful content and removed less of it in 2022 compared with the previous year, according to European Union data released Thursday.
The EU figures were published as part of an annual evaluation of online platforms’ compliance with the 27-nation bloc’s code of conduct on disinformation.
Twitter wasn’t alone — most other tech companies signed up to the voluntary code also scored worse. But the figures could foreshadow trouble for Twitter in complying with the EU’s tough new online rules after owner Elon Musk fired many of the platform’s 7,500 full-time workers and an untold number of contractors responsible for content moderation and other crucial tasks.
The EU report, carried out over six weeks in the spring, found Twitter assessed just over half of the notifications it received about illegal hate speech within 24 hours, down from 82% in 2021.

How Is Climate Change Affecting the U.S.? The Government Is Preparing a Nearly 1,700 Page Answer.  (Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA TODAY / MSN)
While the release of the fifth National Climate Assessment is still a year away, people across the country have two opportunities to contribute, either by commenting on a recently released draft or by submitting artwork to illustrate the report.
The assessment, updated every four years, analyzes trends in global climate change and looks at how the warming planet affects people, resources, environment, agricultural and biological diversity.
“Every part of the U.S. is feeling the effects of climate change in some way,” said Allison Crimmins, assessment director.

The Crime Spike Is No Mystery  (Patrick Sharkey, The Atlantic)
By zooming out and looking at the big picture, the question of what causes violence becomes quite answerable.

The Rise and Fall of the Pentomic Army  (R. F. M. Williams, War on the Rocks)
Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev failed to reach an agreement on the elimination of nuclear weapons while in power, but both men agreed in 1985 “that a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought.” These words were not always widely accepted and, for decades, the United States and the Soviet Union rehearsed fighting and winning a nuclear war. In one such scenario from early in the Cold War, U.S. Army units would be asked to use nuclear weapons on the battlefield to offset perceived conventional disadvantages and win a nuclear war before it escalated to the use of long-range missiles.
Developing this doctrine was left up to the U.S. Army, but the service was left without a clear role for nuclear weapons at the dawn of the atomic age. During the 1950s, the Army developed methods to fight a “limited atomic war” that was to occur without an exchange of long-range nuclear missiles at each other’s populations. This time in Army history is referred to as the “Pentomic Era,” in reference to five-sided pentagonal division structure implemented during this period known as the Pentomic Division, which was in effect from 1956 to 1962.
The lessons from the Pentomic Era are many, but Army leaders quickly understood that a reliance on nuclear weapons was disadvantageous — a truism that has held true ever since. The Pentomic Division was a lighter division concept that included five subordinate battle groups of five companies each as opposed to the three-sided structure of World War II and Korea. However, leaders quickly realized this was too “light” for conventional combat and also lacked the proper command and control to effectively use nuclear weapons when dispersed. After four years of experiments, the Pentomic Division was disbanded.