Member Login Become a Member
Advertisement

2025 Homeland Security Threat Forecast: The Converging Nature of Terrorism, Cyber and Internal Threats

  |  
02.03.2025 at 02:05am
2025 Homeland Security Threat Forecast: The Converging Nature of Terrorism, Cyber and Internal Threats Image

In this article featured in Homeland Security Today on January 31, 2025, Dr. John Sullivan of SWJ briefly surveys a chilling landscape where terrorism, transnational organized crime, and advanced technologies intertwine to create a volatile global threat matrix.

Dr. Sullivan breaks the piece down into 3 separate but synergistic categories that are reshaping today’s  homeland security and national security domains.

Terrorism

Forget everything you thought you knew about terrorism. This isn’t a story of simple ideological divisions, but a complex web of actors spanning from white supremacists to Islamist jihadists, with shocking connections that blur traditional boundaries. From a New Year’s Day vehicle ramming in the French Quarter to explosive caches in Virginia, the threat landscape is more unpredictable and diverse than ever before. What hidden connections are lurking beneath the surface of these seemingly isolated incidents?

Cyber and Advanced Technology

Cybercrime has evolved from a nuisance to a strategic weapon. Criminal cartels are no longer just trafficking drugs—they’re trafficking data, using cryptocurrency, digital surveillance, and AI to wage a silent war. Imagine criminal networks that can simultaneously launch ransomware attacks, clone credit cards, and potentially disrupt critical infrastructure—all while using drones and generative AI as their new arsenal. Are we watching the birth of a new form of global warfare?

Internal Threats

The most dangerous threats might be the ones already inside our borders. This analysis reveals how misinformation, foreign influence operations, and the synergy between domestic gangs and transnational cartels create a perfect storm of internal instability. From strategic corruption to hybrid warfare tactics, the lines between criminal activity, terrorism, and geopolitical manipulation are blurring faster than we can comprehend. What if the real battlefield is not overseas, but right here at home?

We must be prepared to deal with converging threats. None of the threat issues addressed in the areas of terrorism and cyber & advanced technology exist in a silo. They all have internal dimensions, can mix with each other, and can combine with critical infrastructure threats, such as threat to the electrical power grid, information systems, and key lifelines. Cyber and physical threats are no longer separate concerns but are fully integrated concerns. -Dr. John Sullivan

 

About The Author

  • SWJ Staff searches the internet daily for articles and posts that we think are of great interests to our readers.

    View all posts

Article Discussion: