ABSTRACT
Responding to a domestic act of terrorism in the United States will be a major challenge for coordinated federal, state, and local response. The word "will" in the preceding sentence was used intentionally instead of "would." There is general agreement among federal, state, and local governments, as well as the defense community, that the terrorist threat is a question of when, not if, a strike will occur. The Oklahoma City bombing and the World Trade Center bombing brought this harsh reality to the forefront for many in government and academia who were studying terrorism.
