Jonathan T Gilliam, CEO / FBI Special Agent / SEAL

Using my extensive experience as a small unit leader, on-scene commander, and special events/crisis management coordinator to help secure our homeland. Over 17 years of service as a Police Officer, Navy SEAL, Federal Air Marshal, Private Security Contractor, and FBI Special Agent, my opinion is one you can trust. Built through experience, tested operationally. www.continuedservice.com

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How well do you understand our Constitution? By Jonathan T Gilliam

The Constitution of the United States of America. Do most Americans know what it actually is? I don't think they do! Do most Americans understand why the Constitution even exists? Or how important it is to sustain their free way of life? I don't think they do! Does the Constitution live and breathe as so many liberals believe it does? Or is it a finite tool of governance, created by men with real world historical reasons for each and every word they included? Does the Constitution ensure equal social happiness and financial status? Does it allow the few to control the many, even if it means infringing on the rights of the many? This is the truth: The Constitution of the United States does NOT ensure social happiness or financial equality. It is not a tool of portion equality among the citizenry, but it is the very foundation that ensures your equal opportunity to get the biggest portion you strive to acquire. It does NOT give the few a more powerful voice than the many, but it does ensure an equal voice amongst all. And it does NOT conform because of pressures brought down by special interests, loud mouth journalists or power hungry politicians. No matter what your political affiliation, financial status, sexuality, skin color or gender, the Constitution exists as the foundation of your freedom and your opportunity in life to be what you want to be. Simply put, the Constitution of the United States was created to establish the foundation of limited governance, and to ensure the rights granted to all of us by God. Rights that ensure freedom. Freedom to fail and freedom to succeed. Freedom to speak and freedom to refrain from speaking. Freedom to be secure in your home, your things, your self, and the freedom to protect YOURSELF and the citizenry from a tyrannical government. The Constitution does not protect you from being punched in the mouth when you utilize your free speech to insult someone. However, it does give you the freedom to use your speech in constructive, sometimes critical ways, to change the rolling tide of government. Without the fear of being punched back by that government. Motivations to alter amendments such as the Second Amendment, are largely based upon the opinions and interpretations of small groups of individuals with naïve, elitist attitudes, or masses of misguided citizens uneducated in the truth of our rights. These Ego driven interpretations of the Constitution, and a failure to understand the experiences of our founding fathers, are the factors most responsible for the deterioration, of the constitutional foundation of this country. Bottom line, the Constitution of the United States is in fact one single finite document, that represent individual freedoms. However those individual freedoms are dependent upon the cooperation of the entire citizenry, functioning as an individual collection, of We The People. My name is Jonathan Gilliam and for over 15 years I officially swore an oath to uphold the Constitution of the United States as a Navy SEAL, Federal Air Marshal, Security Contractor and FBI Special Agent. That, is my interpretation of the Constitution of this great country. That is the truth!

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Our future is not yet written. Who will wright it? By Jonathan T Gilliam

When it is time for war let the war drums beat and when it is time for peace let it reign.

But make no mistake about it, where there is peace, there will always be the threat of war. And where there is freedom there will always be the need for those dedicated to defending it.

Today, we, the citizenry of the United States of America, are facing a dissension into servitude at the hands of increasingly tyrannical leaders. It’s a position which this nation has not seen since Americas Founding Fathers fled Europe seeking opportunity and freedom of the individual to be the best they can possibly be. And so we must ask ourselves these questions:

- What if the enemy is within our border?

- What if the enemy is not only within our borders, but is also in fact responsible for weakening the national security of this nation and at the same time convincing our citizenry to depend on those that wish to destroy us?

- What if our citizenry relinquished their ability to defend themselves and our Constitution from this league of destroyers, believing they would be protected and taken care of, only to find out that no such protection would come in time of great crisis?

- What if our citizenry gave this league of evil doers hundreds of years to perfect their craft of deception?

- What if, this league of ravenous liars owned our government?

- What if these liars, murderers, felons and deceivers were in fact those that sit in every seat of the political government, pulling the strings of the mass of puppets that do their dirty work?

- And what if I told you that terms like liberal and conservative are those strings in which they pull.

- What if I told you that you are in fact one of those puppets?

- What if I told you that you yourself were responsible for hiring and sustaining this evil?

- What if I told you, that you are in fact responsible for the destruction of this country?

- Where would you turn?

- Who would do the righteous work of correcting what is wrong and re-establishing what is right?

- Would it be you?

- Would it be us?

Or is it too late?

.

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14 years after September 11, 2001, Al Qaeda is still focused on the grand attack. By Jonathan T Gilliam

Al Qaeda is once again in the news with death threats to CEOs of large companies.

It is interesting how Al Qaeda is still drawn towards the bigger, more dramatic threats and attacks in their quest to spread terror globally.  Al Qaeda still seems to be focused on the idea that big grandiose attacks breed massive terror. This says a lot about how little the mindset of Al Qaeda's leadership has changed over the years since September 11, 2001. In comparison, ISIS has figured out that carrying out simple bloody killings on obscure individuals thousands of miles away from the United States seems to be working just as well when spread quickly worldwide on the Internet.

When it comes to mitigating the threats here at home inside the U.S. most CEOs have some sort of security, however most of this security is smoke and mirrors.  

Because these CEOs are also public figures, they and their security tend to compromise a lot in order to sustain their image.

What most security professionals fail to realize is that simply avoiding the public is the greatest way to ensure safety from potential attackers that are targeting their public figure clients specifically.

In contrast to the CEOs public image, many celebrities try and hide when not performing as to have some kind of a normal life. This is a simple technique that power CEOs can also incorporate in their daily security routines.

Utilizing obscure entrances and exits, avoiding large uncontrolled areas, and not telegraphing where and when they will be are tactics that are often neglected.

This day and age unfortunately has produced a high price for fame, fortune and notoriety.  A normal life for those people that have these things can be somewhat obtainable but they have to be lived with some focus of tactics and a firm grasp on reality.

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THE SYSTEM OF OFFICIAL EXECUTIVE AND POLITICAL LADDER CLIMBING IN THE UNITED STATES By Jonathan T Gilliam

Have you ever wondered how the people that are least capable to lead in an official capacity end up in leadership positions and then go on to live the lives of kings a queens?  Well, as a trained investigator, I have considered this problem. Having worked in several city level agencies and four federal level agencies, I have seen enough to realize that this is a repetitive phenomenon and that it couldn't just be a coincidence.  

In the simplest steps, this is how I believe it is broken down.  Although this is a much deeper and complicated subject, I have carved it down to 10 basic levels on the official ladder of executive success.

1. Typically creepy, awkward, narcissistic individuals will pick an agency or political office, then climb the executive ladder achieving as little operational knowledge as it takes to get promoted.

2. Once these individuals have reached the executive level, they will identify companies or individuals with agendas and lots of money. These are otherwise known as Pocket Feeders.

3. The executives will then proceed to fulfill promises to potential Pocket Feeders by answering their requests or predicting those requests and completing them without meeting anyone but with the understanding that it is what the Pocket Feeders want.  In both cases requests are fulfilled with the knowledge and hope that it will be repaid when official service is finished.

4. During this Pocket Feeder Grooming Time (PFGT) executives will purposely ignore the advice of the subject matter experts and continue to make decisions that favor the Pocket Feeders.

5. Once the executives’ official service is finished, tickets are cashed in and cards are punched so that they may become a paid Power Player.

6. Power Players set on multiple boards for $100,000 to $500,000 per board, making incompetent decisions.  This is the easiest and most common way the Power Players are paid back for scratching the back of the Pocket Feeders.

7. Next, Power Players will write a book. Pocket Feeders help get the books published while the true subject matter experts struggle to educate the public with their wisdom and knowledge.

8. Power Players go on speaking tours saying the same useless executive party lines as they did when they were on official duty and serving the Pocket Feeders.

9. Power Players are experts at skating on taxes and living like kings and queens which is mandatory behavior once they have made a lot of money.  

10. Power Players, like everyone else, die with nothing, except they typically leave the world in just as bad, if not a worse, condition than what it was when they were in it…

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FREEDOM AND THE INEVITABILITIES OF LIFE By Jonathan T Gilliam

In life there are certain inevitabilities:

Everyone will breathe. Everyone will hunger. Everyone will thirst. And Everyone will die.

There will always be war. There will always be killing.

Freedom however is God given but it is not inevitable.  Some people are born with it, some are not.

Where freedom exists it is inevitable that people rise up to preserve and protect it.  

The modernized world lives under an illusion that freedom is protected by God Himself.  The truth is, God guarantees one freedom, the freedom to choose Him.  All other freedoms must be fought for by men and women who live freely, it is our duty.  

Those that have never served on behalf of freedom but are propelled to speak and criticize those that protect it, are individuals that know neither the honor of sacrifice for their fellow human, nor the feeling of embracing true freedom.

Those of us that have served in the military, in law enforcement, as doctors, nurses, firemen, paramedics, etc., and for those that understand freedom comes at a price, living free is like holding hands with a child as you walk through life.  It completes you, and it motivates you to protect it at all costs.  

All those that have a platform to speak let them speak, but be prepared to be knocked down off that platform if you disparage those that fight for freedom.  Public opinion has a wrath like a forest fire.

As for the Hollywood mouth pieces and the politicians in office, they should lead, fight, or get out of the way, we the people are not interested in that same old useless inflammatory banter.  To those people I say this, the terms liberal and conservative no longer matter.  Effective thinking matters now.  Our freedom depends on it.

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2014 NATIONAL SECURITY REVIEW AND THE TOP 10 SECURITY ISSUES FACING 2015 by Jonathan T Gilliam

2014 was a year full of exploitations of gaps in security and growing threats that face the United States.  Looking back at the crisis and incidents of 2014, it’s easy to make educated predictions about what security vulnerabilities are most likely on our enemies' hit list in the year to come.  2014 saw a rapidly scaled back approach to fighting overseas war and a breakdown of proactive military planning.  This weakened the already shaky U.S. Foreign Policy and National Security and set the precedence for 2015.

Likewise, border security also took an amazing hit in 2014 simply because politics trumped safety, preventing any real effective improvement.  This lack of action enlarged the country’s most vulnerable avenues of approach that allows millions of unchecked people to cross into the U.S. every year.  As ISIS emerged as the major player in international terrorism with billions of dollars at their disposal, a thirst for nuclear weapons, and a dialogue of direct threats to the U.S., a lack of border security has created 360 degrees of attack possibilities.

2014 saw the arrival of the Ebola virus that produced wide spread fear all across the U.S. even though there was relatively no threat.  This was due in large part to the mishandled initial response of the first case of Ebola in the U.S., coupled with the terrible communications and management of the crisis by the CDC.  As the saying goes perception is reality, and in the case of Ebola in 2014, the perception was chaotic at best. 

This was also a year of multiple large-scale cyber hackings that compromised millions of bank accounts, personal information such as celebrity nude photos and emails. These types of hacks culminated with a dramatic year-end attack on Sony Entertainment that literally froze their ability to function. 

2014 saw major failures in airport security with numerous intrusions into large airports across the country.  Newark International Airport, for instance, was the location where an intoxicated intruder scaled a $100 million dollar security fence before reaching the passenger terminal.  San Jose International Airport had three major intrusions including a 13 year old boy who breached a fenced area before boarding a plane inside the wheel well and flying to Hawaii.

If all that wasn’t enough, two of the most secured locations on the planet turned out to be not so secure.  The Freedom Tower, located at the hallowed ground of the World Trade Center memorial in downtown New York City, had numerous intrusions past its security fence, including yet another teenager that made his way to the top of the tower before taking a selfie.  These breaches of the supposedly hardened security boundaries around the Freedom Tower pale in comparison to the 10 fence jumpers at the White House in Washington D.C.  Of those 10 fence jumpers, one individual actually made it all the way into the White House, which was completely unlocked. 

These examples of exploitations of gaps in security and growing threats in 2014 have placed a spotlight on several enormous security vulnerabilities that will absolutely,100% cause and/or allow all of the major problems we will face in 2015. 

So, as an expert in vulnerability mitigation, I give you the top 10 Security Vulnerabilities that will be exploited in 2015; 

10. Thinking That You’re Safe Because You’re Wealthy And/Or Powerful – As Sony Entertainment has demonstrated, even the biggest companies are vulnerable to cyber attacks.  In fact, cyber crime is a great equalizer of economic classes.  Securing your computer system is like having a mansion with thousands of windows that may or may not be secured.  The house is continuously expanding, but every time you build a new section, there are thousands of additional windows that need to be secured.  Chances are most large companies and wealthy and famous individuals will eventually become a victim of a cyber attack.

9. Thinking No One Will Bother With You Because You’re Poor – See number 10.  If you are broke, but you have a smart phone, computer, or credit card, you’re still building a virtual house of windows that could be compromised.  What’s that?  You don’t have anything for them to take?  Not a problem, they will just convince the bank that you paid for something you didn’t and now it’s up to you to prove it wasn’t you.  Yes, you can be broker than broke, and criminals will exploit cyber vulnerabilities in order to help you get there. 

8. Being Comfortable – Jonathan Gruber called the American people stupid when he spoke about sneaking Obamacare into law without anyone reading it.  He was in fact wrong in calling the American people stupid.  However, if he said the American people were so comfortable they could be easily exploited, he would have been a little closer to accurate.  Comfort kills!  It is the second greatest personal vulnerability each of us face.  

7. Waiting For A Problem To Happen – Politicians, the airline industry, and executives are the worst violators of number 7.  Sitting down and self-analyzing yourself and your surroundings is the beginning of a superior mindset and proper defenses.  It is amazing how little this is done even by the federal government.

6. Throwing Money At The Problem – Ah yes, one of America’s favorite pastimes, wasting money on technology to solve problems.  The common practice of throwing about 50 to 100 cameras around a facility with one guy to watch them all has become standard practice in security and it’s a great example of expensive useless security tactics.  Throwing money into technology is a huge vulnerability that can easily be exploited by criminals and terrorists alike.  For example, each year the retail industry loses billions of dollars to loss prevention despite the latest cameras and security tags.  2015 won’t be any different. 

5. Choosing The Wrong Experts And Executives – This is probably the most common mistake made by large companies and federal agencies.  A true security expert will be able to identify where the vulnerabilities are located and choose the right person to fix that particular compartment.  Vulnerabilities are compartmentalized like the sections of a department store.  An expert in menswear is not necessarily an expert in women's shoes.  Likewise, any security expert or senior executive that tries to convince you that they know it all, is a giant vulnerability themselves.  

4. Lack Of Understanding Of Compartmentalized Vulnerabilities And Threats – Whether you’re the director of security or an individual trying to stay safe, understanding what areas are vulnerable and how they can be exploited will help you choose the right people and technology to mitigate the threat. 

3. Lack Of Forward Thinking – Military units always forward think their plans because their mission success means life or death.  This is not the same for political cabinets, federal executives, and business executives.  Even though forward thinking is virtually free, it is one of the top vulnerabilities facing the U.S. daily.  If you are prepared on paper, you will be more likely to have an effective plan in place before something happens.  Remember, action always beats reaction.   

2. Lack Of Effective Leadership – There are two great epidemics plaguing the U.S. in today’s world, a lack of educated effective leaders, and a lack of awareness by the American citizenry.  Incompetent leaders pose the greatest vulnerability that groups like ISIS have exploited in order to move their fight closer to our own homeland.  Incompetent leadership does not know race or sex, and it seems to be directly related to a person’s executive rank and the speed at which they rose to the top. This is definitely not improving in 2015.

1. Lack Of Awareness – And number one goes to an overall lack of awareness on the part of almost every American Citizen and leader.  Awareness is key because no matter how much money you spend, how many meetings you have, how many guards you hire or cameras you install, nothing will ever be as effective at securing vulnerabilities as an aware human.  Human awareness is the ultimate security technology and it’s the cheapest.  Every American is a virtual security guard, and an expert in their surroundings, if they are aware.  So far, 2015 looks like most of our citizen security guards will still be asleep on the job… 

As a Navy SEAL and FBI Special Agent, I developed a deep understanding of unconventional warfare and the effectiveness of utilizing vulnerability exploitation for offensive attacks and defensive planning.  Finding the gaps in security and awareness, leadership and understanding are how small units crush big forces.  Vulnerability exploitation is how the Greeks entered the city of Troy with a gift of a wooden horse, and it’s how attackers, hackers, criminals and daredevils get in and do what they want in today’s modern world. 

We are a nation of free people, and with that freedom comes great opportunity to relax as much as possible.  However, the more relaxed we become, the further our guard falls.  Procrastination, relaxed security procedures, and unchecked policies are vulnerabilities that grow when things are looking brighter.  Never be comfortable with being completely comfortable.  That is where trouble lurks and it is where our national security will continue to suffer in 2015.

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Humble yourself and the world will notice you. Be a silent professional and the world will seek your wisdom.

Jonathan T Gilliam

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OPEN LETTER TO REAR ADMIRAL BRIAN L. LOSEY, COMMANDER, NAVAL SPECIAL WARFARE COMMAND - By Jonathan T. Gilliam November 1, 2014

On October 31, 2014, Rear Admiral Brian L. Losey, Commander Naval Special Warfare Command, sent an open letter to his active and former teammates in the Naval Special Warfare (NSW) community. The public letter was a reaction to the upcoming Fox News special that will identify the supposed Navy SEAL that shot Osama bin Laden. The Fox News special is being advertised as the shooter's first hand account of the famous mission that took place in 2011.  

Ironically, in the letter, Admiral Losey preached the ethos of the silent professional, yet at the same time he decided to publish the letter publicly instead of reaching out to the NSW community personally in a silent, professional manner.

Because I am in the press weekly as an expert military / national security / and law enforcement analyst on many national and local television stations, I am making my letter to Admiral Losey public.  In doing so, I am hoping to show the U.S. Citizenry how many of the current and former NSW operators feel about the importance of being silent in regards to tactics and classified information.  My goal is not to slander the Admiral or slam NSW, but to give pause to our community so that we may see the publics perception of our community that is growing.  

I am a civilian now, having left active duty as a SEAL in 2002, then serving as a Federal Air Marshal, Security Contractor, and FBI Special Agent until 2013.  Despite my distance from active duty, I will always be a SEAL because the man that is created through completing Basic Underwater Demolition / SEAL (BUD/S) training transcends the Navy.  Those in my community that are still active, or have left active duty but haven't figured out how SEALs can properly function in the world outside of NSW, please take my advice.  You are a leader in whatever you choose to do, however if you choose to subscribe to the "notice me" rockstar mentality of today's generation and political leadership, our Brotherhood of super men will continue to take a super plunge.  Humble yourself and the world will notice you.  Be a silent professional and the world will seek your wisdom.  

Please join me and pass this around and take my advice to heart.  Do it for our fallen warriors.  Do it for those that will follow in our footsteps.  Do it for the SEAL Brotherhood that so desperately needs to refocus and come together as one, because perception is reality...

Long Live The Brotherhood,

Jonathan T Gilliam

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November 1, 2014 

Rear Admiral Brian L. Losey

Commander, Naval Special Warfare Command

Admiral Losey, Please explain to our community how sending an open letter to your "Teammates" through the press, preaching about the quiet professional was somehow the proper example to your fellow SEALs. Naval Special Warfare Command (NSWC) has a list of who we are. The UDT/SEAL Association has our emails. Instead, you chose to further the unprofessional and dysfunctional perception growing in the public’s eye by flexing your pen in a public forum. Perception is reality regardless of the incredible community we actually are. Your inability to enforce the rules and set standards within the Navy is the biggest hindrance to our brand, even more than any other particular SEAL. You proved it by sending that letter publicly. It is time for you to start setting the example for all of the NSW community. Get off social media, stop cuddling up with press, and start building silent professionals that used to make up Naval Special Warfare (NSW). Every warrior knows that action always beats reaction. Regardless of what Team we served at, or how long we were active, we all earned the Trident. If we really are a community of brothers, then take action and reach out to us personally. Challenge us. Bring us together and lead us. Otherwise this community will continue to be a brotherhood of individuals. A warrior should never mimic the politicians that govern because it is a recipe of destruction, and a SEAL should always set the standard. It is time to BE THAT MAN! Very Respectfully, Jonathan T. Gilliam BUD/S Class 218 Founder/CEO United States Continued Service "Still Serving" www.continuedservice.com 

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DIVULGING CLASSIFIED INFORMATION AND THE OSAMA BIN LADEN SHOOTER By Jonathan T Gilliam 10/30/2014

Four main things have led to the continued divulgence of classified information to the public with little or no consequence atmosphere in our country. Whether it is the “SEAL that shot Osama Bin Laden” or Leon Panetta, or even Vice President Joe Biden, classified leaks should not happened, and those that divulge classified information should fall under the full penalties of the law.

1.  The President – Classified information has become a political tool to “pump up the home team” when needed, and is NEVER punished or even acknowledged when it is done by members of the administration. Our current presidential administration has set the bar so low on guarding classified information that often there is absolutely no thought by people in the know divulging what they know because if the Obama administration went out and hammered every military or government worker that wrote a book or spoke out revealing classified information, they then would have to be held to the same standard. So clearly, there are no standards enforced or to follow, regardless of the law. 

2.  The Operators – Our military and government operators work in an environment that has grown to support the executives and not the workers. In my experience of being a SEAL, a Federal Air Marshal, and an FBI Special Agent, the problem was always the same; Executives hold positions of stature over their subordinates and fail to function as team leaders. In other words, the simple fact is that Executives are able to check boxes to hold executive positions and that manifests itself into justification in their minds that they know more than those they lead. 

This has been a growing problem since the Clinton administration when being a “warfighter” in law enforcement and the military was first frowned upon by the President. Warfighters got out, politicians stayed in. 

3.  The ME Generation – Simply put, the ability to take a “selfie” has destroyed the American culture of professional exceptionalism. Instant gratification without having to earn it has become the norm. People (not just kids) want to be noticed because they can position themselves into a persona or leadership position without having to really be good at anything. Just like a selfie picture with a cell phone, anyone can look awesome if they find the right lighting and angle (that’s why match.com is so popular). Instead of taking care of your physical person, or going out and meeting like minded people, it has become easier to take a really good picture and convince yourself that that’s the real you. But the same goes for the issues in problems 1 and 2 discussed above. If a person gets the right job regardless of their qualifications, they believe they are worthy of being in charge. Psychologists call this narcissism.   

4.  The Press – If I sell you a car that is stolen, and you know it's stolen, and you get caught driving that car, you will go to jail for either accessory to a crime, or being in possession of a stolen vehicle. For some strange reason (not protected by the constitution) the press has become immune to this when accepting classified information. Whether they believe they are doing the public a favor or out of their own self interests, receiving and then publishing classified information should be held to the same legal ramifications as the person that is expected to protect that information. 

When it comes to the “SEAL that shot Osama Bin Laden,” I see someone that is seeking to prosper off his knowledge and involvement in a classified operation. And for that, he should be punished. I see a self indulging operator that has no regard for the safety of his family or fellow Teammates. I also see a member of a Team, SEAL Team SIX, that has outgrown its position. The SEAL Teams were created to be covert and secretive, and by and large the SEAL Teams have remained that way.  With the exception of one Team, SIX. 

SEAL Team SIX was created for the purpose of counterterrorism. But when the Navy officer corp discovered that the potential to gain a fast track promotion platform had been created, the SEAL Teams grew too fast, and too big, and Team SIX became something other than what it was created for. 

Any SEAL Team could have done the assault on Osama Bin Laden. With the right equipment, adequate training and rehearsal time, and asset coordination, I could have put a blindfold on and picked the SEALs and the mission would have been just as successful. 

SEALs are so much more than shooters. We are men with deep vision and abilities to understand a problem, dissect it, and create a plan that is effective in resolving the issue. Any issue. Unfortunately because of issues like this shooter that can’t seem to keep his mouth shut, SEALs are becoming a trinket to show to friends instead of the experts most people should be hiring to solve their problems.

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Jonathan T Gilliam Presents The Experts.  Episode 5:1 Defining Terrorism

The Experts - Effective answers from the people with real world experience

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The Experts Episode 5:1 Defining Terrorism

Jonathan Gilliam presents The Experts Episode 5:1 talks about the true definition of terrorism Music: "ERA-The Champions", sound recording administered by: UMG

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UNCONVENTIONAL WARFARE AND THE CHANGING TACTICS OF TERRORISM By Jonathan T Gilliam

With the recent attack on NYPD officers showing how quickly and easily, and unconventionally an attack can be carried out, local authorities as well as Federal agencies should realize the nature of what is actually confronting us. Unconventional warfare does not subscribe to uniforms, specific tactics, or well-defined battle lines. Unconventional warfare is the practice of thinking as far outside of the box as possible in order to carry out attacks. Often in unconventional warfare, the message is the biggest thing being emphasized. Not necessarily tactical destruction or specific targets. This is why terrorism fits in unconventional warfare so well. Terrorism is the cheapest and easiest tactic to carry out. It doesn't matter if you are shooting up a parliament, or if you are attacking a police officer with a hatchet, the goal of terrorism is to affect fear on a population in an attempt to change their political views. It doesn't matter how big the attack or what technique you use. I do believe the attack yesterday on NYPD officers was terrorism, whether directly related to any Islamic group or not. If a mad man kills 20 people in a mass murderer and we find evidence that he did not like people of a certain race, that person is identified as a crazy person that committed a hate crime. Similarly, if an individual is crazy and he shoots up a public space or hits a police officer in the head with a hatchet, and his motivation is Islamic Jihad, he is an Islamic warrior using terrorism.

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U.S. RESPONSE SYSTEM NOT READY FOR MULTIPLE COORDINATED TERROR ATTACKS By Jonathan T Gilliam 10/20/2014

Today, ISIS carried out around fifteen raids simultaneously proving that they are capable of large-scale coordinated attacks. Whether the attacks were successful is really secondary to the fact that they were able to plan, coordinate, supply, and then carry them out. If ISIS were to simultaneously strike half as many targets inside the United States simultaneously as they did today, it would cripple the federal response because we are only set up for one large scale attack such as 9/11 or a couple of simultaneous attacks that might be spread out around the country.  In fact, almost the entire immediate response to such attacks would fall solely on the backs of local law-enforcement and first responders.  In order to put this in understandable terms, consider a large city’s response to a massive snowstorm for clearing the roads.  Every year in New York City there’s at least one major snow storm. This typically is not a big deal for the salt trucks because of the stockpiles of salt and familiarity with a well rehearsed, effective plan. But, as we’ve seen recently, when there are multiple storms arriving one after another, the ability to maintain clear roads everywhere in NYC begins to quickly break down, and certain neighborhoods begin to suffer. Also, the budget will take a quick hit because of overtime pay and maintenance on the vehicles. In other words sustaining any type of offensive plan is always easier than having to react to multiple unseen incidents in a defensive manner. This is exactly the way it will happen with a federal response against multiple ISIS attacks in cities across the United States if they are coordinated like the ones from today against Kurdish forces. The overall response to initial attacks would be handled by local first responders and backed up by tactical teams from the FBI and other agencies. As we saw in Boston this worked somewhat effectively, however even with the massive response there were holes in the plans because they were basically being made up as they went along.  Resources were quickly depleted, the response was unorganized, and everyone threw everything they had at that one problem.  If multiple attacks like the Boston Bombing, the Washington DC Sniper, and the Fort Hood Shooting all happened at the same time, US federal resources would be stretched thin.  If you added to that 10 more simultaneous attacks of varying size throughout the country, you would see a country wide response mechanism fail miserably and a citizenry that would be in hysterics.   With the unorganized and unprepared response to the Ebola crisis by local and federal responders, we see yet another example of how our national response system is not ready for any major crisis.  The US Citizenry is not prepared for or familiar with, how to handle a major crisis.  First Responders are not super heroes, and they can’t be everywhere at once, nor can they sustain a fight indefinitely.  We can only imagine how much more magnified the overwhelming hysteria caused by having to contemplate a virus would be if our country was dealing with attacks from the enemy in multiple locations simultaneously. Our lack of planning, lack of coordination among authorities, and preparing the United States Citizenry to mentally handle crisis, is our greatest national security problem…  Fix these three problems and the US will be able to withstand any enemy, win any fight, and sustain our freedom.

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WHAT IT TAKES TO STOP THE MODERN ISLAMIC CALIPHATE by Jonathan Gilliam 09/29/2014

If the DOJ is in fact developing a policy that prohibits the profiling of mosques “except in mosques where some criminal activity is underway”, it should be easy for an agent to articulate that 100% of mosques have connections to criminal activity because they are a part of the same ideology as those that outwardly confess a plan to destroy the US.  Although this sounds like a logical conclusion, dealing with the incompetent, freshly graduated, liberal lawyers in the DOJ make logical conclusions practically impossible.

Fundamentals are fundamentals.  The core beliefs and value systems of a country or region’s population are based on the fundamental beliefs of their founding fathers.  Religions are similar.  Buddha cleansed his mind, Christ saved through faith, hope, and love, and Muhammad conquered with force…  And so you see people that are energized in their religion mimicking these same fundamentals.  

Likewise, nations that were built by Immigrants have hearts of fighters that defend freedom and equality.  Nations that were built through conquest have a citizenry that is submissive and crumble easy when they do fight.  This is why the U.S. hasn’t been conquered, and it’s also why the Middle East cannot be expected to fight and win against a forceful movement like the Islamic Caliphate.   

In order to win against an enemy like ISIS, you need to do seven (7) particular things:

1.  Embrace a war plan that is based on conquering the big picture enemy.  This includes all fundamental Islamic groups and individual Muslims that subscribe to the ideology and motivation of the Islamic Caliphate, who are actively operating or supporting the operations of the Caliphate to propel it forward.  This is the big picture enemy and they are in fact one group.  Although the individual groups may have different names and locations, although they may be in the Middle East or home grown here in the United States, they are in fact a part of the same ideology.  Our overall war plan should embrace this and have a strategic goal to fight the big picture instead of being made up of numerous tactical plans to combat many single groups.

2.  Start using tactics that are affective against unconventional warriors, not tactics that offer the results that give the desired political results.  When a war is fought with a scope that is political in nature, the target will often be of little effect to the overall strategic goal.  And the results will only produce short-term tactical change. 

Scientists will often produce desired results in experiments because they only follow the results they hope to find.  Therefor the experiment is useless.  Likewise, wars fought with political results in mind will most likely only have the results that give the politicians what they desire, not the elimination of the enemy.

3.  Embrace the fact that the Islamic Caliphate will continue forever unless you eliminate the belief and those that believe completely from humanity.  It is an ideological movement that will have to be beaten back to a inconsequential number of believers, then managed by future generations in order to keep it in check.  Since it is not realistically possible to expect the Muslim community worldwide to do this, it is up to the free world to police the ebb and flow of fundamental Islam.

4.  Secure our Homeland.  Plain and simple, close the borders.  Set up an immigration policy that allows productive people in easier, and keeps bad people out.  It’s not rocket science, it’s just good policy that does what the federal government was tasked to do by our constitution, ensure our safety and freedom… 

5.  Give the people the ability to protect themselves and each other.  If we are going to allow our population to grow unchecked, we have to realize that law enforcement cannot be everywhere at once.  Outlawing guns and punishing people for taking a stand for their lives is not realistic.  What happened in Oklahoma is not just a sign of what is to come from Islamic fundamentalists, but it was also a perfect example of how to make sure a single murder does not turn into a mass killing.  Eliminate the threat as fast as possible… 

6.  Realize the enemy is already inside the US.  Because of our immigration policies and incompetent leaders, Islamic fundamentalists warriors have either been smuggled across the borders or converted in prisons and mosques.  Attacks will continue to happen and they need to be publicized so that the US citizenry can get past the fear and embrace the spirit of our founding fathers.  Otherwise we will be conquered…

7.  The US citizenry needs to rise up and develop a procedure to quickly terminate politicians and leaders when they are incompetent and/or ineffective.  Because of the advance in civilization around the world, the danger posed by narcissistic, psychopathic and/or sociopathic and criminal leaders can be terminal for a country.  I love our Country and its Constitution.  However, even one leader with enough power in the US today can cause a cancer that spreads faster than the seasonal flu.  We need an updated election system that propels effective leaders to the front, prevents politicians from leading, and punishes those that take advantage of their positions for personal gain over the protection of the United States Citizenry. 

Are the seven steps listed above over the top or unrealistic?  Was it viewed as unrealistic when the 13 colonies were established in America?  Great Britain would have said yes back then, but they would whole-heartedly say it was “realistic” today.  

The Islamic Caliphate is a fight that must be won and then maintained.  Without significant changes to our system, we will not be able to combat or control this movement.  The Caliphate has been growing since 1979 when the government of Iran was taken over by Islamic fundamentalists.  In 2004, ten years ago, ISIS was designated a terrorist organization.  In the past 6 months, ISIS has swelled in numbers, grown financially independent, and declared war on the world, with special interest on the United States. 

ISIS and the Islamic Caliphate are real, their movement is real, and the steps we must take to eliminate the threat of this enemy are very real and must begin today…

[jonathangilliam]

Talking points concerning the missing Malaysia airplane:

By Jonathan T Gilliam

7:30 EST 03/14/2014

As of now we are starting to see three things; an investigation that is highly uncoordinated, Pieces of a puzzle that could lead to possible terrorist activity, and/or possible unforeseen mechanical issues. 

The uncoordinated investigation by Malaysia and the surrounding countries have been reminiscent of the failed hostage rescue of the Israeli athletes in 1972, where the uncoordinated and unprepared response led to the death of the entire team. 

  Investigations are actually active responses to an event, and in the United States the National Incident Management System is used to coordinate agencies and personnel into a unified response. 

  “The National Incident Management System (NIMS) identifies concepts and principles that answer how to manage emergencies from preparedness to recovery regardless of their cause, size, location or complexity.  NIMS provides a consistent, nationwide approach and vocabulary for multiple agencies or jurisdictions to work together to build, sustain and deliver the core capabilities needed to achieve a secure and resilient nation.

Consistent implementation of NIMS provides a solid foundation across jurisdictions and disciplines to ensure effective and integrated preparedness, planning and response. NIMS empowers the components of the National Preparedness System”

  Lets take this uncoordinated investigation of the Malaysian Airlines mystery and contrast it to how a well structured investigation should be set up. 

  Investigations / Crisis Response 101:

  Pre-Incident Preparations:

Coordination of chain of command 

                        i.      Utilizes NIMS or other pre-determined systems

                        ii.     Should take place long before incident happens. 

                        iii.     Coordination of executives

                        iv.     Coordination of investigators and how they will cover    leads. 

Cooperation within this chain of command system should also be agreed upon in advance of anything occurring. 

                         i.     Cooperation between state and agency executives and investigators

  Leads:

Leads are like several puzzles broken into various size pieces and scattered around. 

When you find a puzzle piece it should be scrutinized for leads to other pieces but unless that piece is absolutely significant you treat it like any other piece. 

                           i.     Categorized so lead is not repeated. 

                           ii.     Verification so time is not wasted on false leads

When a second piece of the same puzzle is found, that should be followed a bit more heavily. 

With every new piece of that puzzle, the picture becomes clearer exponentially

                             i.     Good example of this is the Iranian passengers that had stolen passports

                              ii.     Four pieces brought that picture to a close for the overall investigation (at least for now)

  Puzzle we have now:

Engines (may) have been running for 4 hours longer than thought

Transponder (and redundant system) turned off (manually or malfunction)

Plane may have turned around

Phones of passengers continue to ring (may not be a lead but did not hear of any attempt by investigators to have phone service providers try and ping the phones to locate them)

  Covering these leads:

Looking into;

                           i.     How long plane continued to fly

                           ii.     Start looking at potential landing locations

                           iii.     QUERY SOURCES

                           iv.     Expand perimeter

  My Thoughts on new leads:

I'm skeptical of new potential leads because there has been so many released before they were properly vetted.  However, major US resources would not be used in an uncoordinated response like this unless they were sure there might be something to find in that area.

If the engines were actually continuing to run, the puzzle expands to the point that global sources should be queried. This potentially could be the best thing that happens because sources work faster than satellites at times.

Investigation needs to continue following leads and not conspiracy theories. 

Would like the phone issue to be put to rest by having the phone companies track the phones, or if families have access to passwords if they have tried to “track” their phones using the apps like “track my Iphone.”

Would like to know how long China had been watching the debris they thought they saw so we can calculate how quickly the current is moving.

Would like to know the background of both pilots and more about the people on the passenger manifest.

  Summary of where the investigation is leading:

  US is in a supportive role and has little say in the direction and scope of the investigation directly.  However, counterterrorism units could, and most likely are, seeking information from sources and past / present data, about the location of the plane had it in fact been flown out of the area.

  I foresee this investigation continuing to waste a lot of resources and money due to the scattered coordination unless a piece of the evidence that is starting to appear gives more insight to specific locations of the planes last known location.  Because the investigators did not set a perimeter on a map to begin with to determine the distance the plane could have flown in any direction, the chances of tracking it if it continued to fly is slim.  As stated above, human intelligence collection (HUMINT) otherwise known as source work, is basically the only way to find the plane if it has been flown out of the crash search zone and landed.

  Why is this plane any concern for the US? Besides the fact that a US citizen was on board, if the plane was hijacked it represents the biggest evolution in terrorist tactics since the September 11, 2001 attacks in New York.  Although previous hijackings have occurred where the plane was flown to remote locations, the plane did not usually disappear off of radar, and the hijackers were in constant contact relaying demands etc.  Also, the potential for this plane to be used for future attacks is huge if it was flown to a remote region. 

  Because this took place in that area of the world, it is also possible for some type of nefarious cargo to have been smuggled on board.  This could have major implications on whether the plane crashed or was flown somewhere to download the cargo.  All these possibilities seem unreal, but they are in fact plausible when criminals and terrorists have easy access and uncoordinated authorities to work around. 

  Important to note, conspiracy theories are dangerous to an investigator.  If an investigator gets lost in an idea that has no factual basis, or has a minimum evidentiary footprint, their attention to the facts can be skewed.  Having theories is always important, however seeking clues to build a picture that can be built upon is much more successful and structured. 

[jonathangilliam]

Investigations start off as individual pieces of different puzzles. Once you find two matching puzzle pieces, there is a higher chance a picture may develop. Each additional puzzle piece increases the investigative picture exponentially.

Jonathan T Gilliam

[jonathangilliam]

MORE CLUES HEIGHTEN TERROR POSSIBILITY IN THE CASE OF THE MISSING MALAYSIA 777

Jonathan Gilliam, 1:30pm EST 03/10/2014

INCREASED TERRORISM CONNECTION CAUSING CONCERN:

  So many different things are being reported about the missing Malaysia plane resulting in leads getting pumped out faster than they are being confirmed.  So far, the debris, oil slicks, and higher numbers of suspicious passengers have been leads that have turned out to be refuted, then brought up again, and then refuted. 

  As was being reported early on, an Interpol spokeswoman said a check of all documents used to board the plane had revealed more "suspect passports" that were being further investigated. She was unable to say how many, or from which country or countries although this was later recanted.  From my own investigative experience, I am starting to think that the authorities may be on to something and are now backtracking on releasing so much to the media in order to further the expanding investigation.  While this is speculation, when this is added to the information just released that an Iranian national bought the tickets in cash that were used by the two individuals confirmed to have been using stolen passports, I am starting to see a possible terrorist link arise.   

  Initially, database checks of the flight manifesto revealed two stolen passports were used by two unidentified individuals to board the Malaysian 777.  The fact that two stolen passports were used is a rare occurrence and began to raise concerns that two people on that plane were connected, albeit loosely if they were just trafficking or being smuggled (ie., something criminal).  However, now that we know that the tickets were bought by one individual and that individual turned out to be Iranian, the possibility of these two people actually being part of a more coordinated movement onto the plane becomes very plausible.  The ticket buyer is the glue that gives us this identifiable connection between the two covert passengers. 

  The two stolen passports were acquired at two completely different times (about two years apart), but somehow ended up on the same flight with passengers who’s tickets were bought by the same person in cash.  Again, the investigative pie with a terrorism angle begins to grow.    

  However, in that part of the world where criminal use of stolen identification is much more common, this could in fact just be human smuggling or some other criminal movement.  

  DIFFICULTY OF SEARCHING A LARGE GRID

  I was the first FBI Agent on the scene for the US Airways Crash on the Hudson River that was safely landed in the water. 

  Myself and a Detective also from the JTTF pulled the first passengers that had been brought on shore and questioned them determining the incident had been caused by a bird strike. That investigation unfolded quickly due to our ability to be on scene instantly. However, had the plane crashed off the coast it could have been a completely different story. 

  Building a grid and then systematically searching that grid is a time consuming process. That is what is happening right now along with active investigating to determine who the four suspicious people were aboard the plane. 

  As these investigations and grid searches unfold, hopefully there will be some type of clue that answers at least some of these questions. 

  CIVILIAN PSYCHE

  Already conspiracy theories are swirling including some that think the plane was taken over and landed so it could be used to fly into a specific target. While that is extremely not likely, it is evidence of how terrorism has changed the psyche of people's thinking.  

  Terrorism is not just about affecting the psyche of the world population into submission, it is also a tool to motivate fighters and would be attackers.  Just like a bully in school, those that follow the harsh acts of an individual that preys on the fear of people, fighters and attackers can be motivated by violent large scale acts, even if the terrorist group does not take responsibility.