Training of Terrorists

Training and Ideology

When considering terrorist training efforts, pictures of individuals learning how to shoot or build bombs, or even just engaging in physical fitness training to make themselves better fighters immediately come to mind. This sort of functional content—teaching new and existing group members skills they can use in operations—is indeed a central part of terrorist training. Although there are differences among different terrorist groups, the functional areas that are covered in most training regimens cover topics such as how to maintain and use firearms, the construction and use of improvised explosive devices, military tactics, operational security and counterespionage, intelligence collection, and how to stage specific types of terrorist operations relevant to the group (e.g., [Page 584]kidnapping, hijacking, or bombing operations). For clandestine groups that almost always are under direct pressure from military, intelligence, or law enforcement agencies, learning techniques for secure communication and how to remain hidden from surveillance is also a prominent goal of most organized training efforts.

Though skills are a major component, a central element of organized group training frequently focuses on ideology—on not just the how but the “why” of being a terrorist. Generally labeled “indoctrination,” to distinguish it from the teaching of functional skills, ideological training is intended to build or maintain group members’ commitment to the cause around which the group is organized, as well as their commitment to the group itself. Though such ideological indoctrination is often associated with religiously driven groups—notably al Qaeda—it has also been important for nationalist groups, such as the Irish Republican Army (IRA) in Northern Ireland, and for political terrorists, such as the left-wing groups that operated in Europe during the 1970s and 1980s. Building such commitment is important to clandestine organizations, both to motivate members to act to advance the group's goals and to build their resistance to being subsequently turned against the group.

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