Gone....But Not Forgotten

Au Revoir, Arrivederci, Ciao, Goodbye Osama.

After years of being sought by every asset the free word could commit, Osama Bin Laden is dead. Reports that a S.E.A.L. team operation ended with the killing of the worlds most wanted man in a compound just outside Abbottabad Pacistan are all over the world press.

I wont even try to address the number of theories concerning Why now? or if it was indeed him, If he was dead years ago and shadowy government types kept him on ice to perpetuate the war and thus occupy lands rich with oil, was his body buried at sea or dropped over some remote mountain range. I don't care. I don't need to see his death photo, birth certificate or body. I have been seeing too much of him over the last decade. On Television, in News Papers and of course all over the Internet. I myself once thought I spotted him staring longingly out of a window at a Comfort Inn near Niagara falls N.Y. The thing is, as of now, the world believes him to be dead. Who am I to doubt that? (Its a grassy knoll thing)

What does that mean to us as a nation and particularly as a industry?

As a nation, we sigh with a kind of relief that an evil man has met with Justice and can no longer hurt Innocent people. Al Kidea may still be active and state sponsored acts of terror may still happen, but we as a people feel we have struck a decisive blow against radical Islam.

Is that true? who really knows, only time will tell.

As an industry, terrorism has been very good to us. Corporations and businesses of all kinds have been made aware of the need for security professionals to work close by their side and be considered in day to day decisions. The Europeans have known this for decades and made use of security professionals in many aspects of their lives both publicly and privately.
Carlos the Jackel (llich Remirez Sanchez) once the worlds most sought after terrorist (and trained in Iraq) started a trend in 1975 with his attack on OPEC and subsequent attacks of western businesses. Security teams were used as never before. Most were recruited from the military upon discharge with a high number of personnel coming from the Air Force. Their back ground in keeping secrets and "area security" being a commodity. Special training schools such as ESI in Colorado or later Clearwater in Great Britain sold their unique knowledge and skills to "worthy" patrons. Even the under world began using professional security staff to over see their business. The Cartels of Mexico have some of the highest numbers of security teams.
Hmmmm, I wonder why?

So it goes that the realization of legitimate threat has spawned an industry that grows even today. On the domestic scene, incidents such as Oklahoma City, the Unibomer even Virgina Tech and the attempt on Congresswoman Giffords, have proved that there will surely be no shortage of People, Places and Things that need security protection and oversight.

Will the demise of Bin Laden slow our growth or reduce the need for security? I think not.

There is always the threat of reprisal and the need for the enemy (whomever that is) to prove they are still out there. Moreover, now that the top gun is gone, someone will surly feel the need to take his place. It wont be long before we are forced to learn the proper pronunciation of some new name or to recognize that new face. We've done this all before and I expect we are doomed to repeat it over and over again. As the new improved head of the snake rears up, we will need to counter it with whatever new deterrent we can learn and exploit.

He is gone but the lessons he taught us, like those of Carlos, Timothy Mcveigh, Ted Kaczynski or Jared Lee Loughner will live on in the hearts of security professionals around the world. Our time honored quote "Not On My Watch" still echos in our ears and is felt in our hearts.

Keep the faith

RJ Mosca