The Combating Threats Exchange is a quarterly peer-reviewed online journal whose contributors are the men and women at the frontlines of counterterrorism. We publish firsthand accounts and analysis written by special operations personnel, as well as discussions of policy, trends, and operations written by government officials, researchers, CT professionals, and investigative journalists on five continents. The mission of CTX is to foster camaraderie within the CT community by giving its members a forum in which to share their knowledge, experience, and stories with peers from around the world.

CTX was founded in 2011 by Dr. Michael Freeman, with executive editor Dr. Anna Simons, managing editor Julie McClennon, and designer and research associate Amelia Simunek. The inaugural issue appeared in August 2012. The journal was conceived as the flagship product of a new initiative called Global Education Community Collaboration Online (Global ECCO), whose purpose is to enable and encourage communication, partnership, and mutual support among CT professionals around the globe. Global ECCO is supported by the Combating Terrorism Fellowship Program.

CTX is an unusual publication in the military realm, featuring original articles written for practitioners, by practitioners. Most of its features are in the first person, recounted by the people who've "been there, done that." From the beginning, CTX has encouraged submissions that challenge conventional wisdom or offer new perspectives and insights.

CTX also offers an occasional special issue devoted to a single topic of particular relevance to the CT community. Topics in the past have included terrorism in the realm of cyberspace, evolving intelligence concerns and requirements in the global CT community, net assessment as a tool of irregular warfare, and the potential roles of NATO special operations forces in an era of hybrid operations and hybrid warfare.

DISCLAIMER

This journal is not an official DoD publication. The views expressed or implied within are those of the contributors and do not necessarily reflect the views of any governmental or nongovernmental organization or agency of the United States of America or any other country.

TERMS OF COPYRIGHT

Copyright © 2018 by the author(s), except where otherwise noted. The Combating Threats Exchange journal (CTX) is a peer-reviewed, quarterly journal available free of charge to individuals and institutions. Copies of this journal and the articles contained herein may be printed or downloaded and redistributed for personal, research, or educational purposes free of charge and without permission, except if otherwise noted. Any commercial use of CTX or the articles published herein is expressly prohibited without the written consent of the copyright holder. The copyright of all articles published herein rests with the author(s) of the article, unless otherwise noted.

EDITORIAL STAFF

ELIZABETH SKINNER Editor
ELIZABETH ROBINSON Copy Editor
SALLY BAHO Copy Editor