Morning Jolt: The Age of Sophisticated Terrorism

TODAY'S JOLT IS SPONSORED BY

WITH NOAH ROTHMAN

June 26 2024

The Age of Sophisticated Terrorism

This is Noah Rothman filling in for Jim Geraghty.

On the menu today: terrorism, and the growing threat to the United States and its allies. But we're not just talking about low-tech terrorism defined by improvised explosive devices, hijacked commercial vehicles, and indiscriminate acts of violence against civilian targets. Today, America's armed forces are facing a far more symmetrical threat from non-state actors.

The Changing Terrorist Threat

"The Houthis are the first entity in the history of the world to use anti-ship ballistic missiles ever," Navy vice admiral Brad Cooper recently told CBS's 60 Minutes. He added that it would convey a "false sense" of superiority to describe the Yemen-based militia group as "ragtag." "Ten years of being supplied by the Iranians very sophisticated, advanced weapons," he added, has produced a well-armed and adept force firing powerful ordnance at both commercial vessels and U.S. Navy ships.

In recent days, U.S. armed forces positioned around the Gulf of Aden destroyed ...

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