Naval postgraduate school monterey, california thesis

3. 
Barricade vs. Non-Barricade Hostage Situation 
Barricaded hostage situations are those where the hostage takers have barricaded 
themselves in with the hostages, fortifying their location and blocking its access from any 
outside contact. The terrorists cannot leave the site and neither can they receive 
reinforcements; they also have a weapon or weapons that can harm others, and are 
threatening to use them (McMains & Mullins, 2001, p. 39). Barricades include explosive 
booby traps, alarms, use of furniture to block entrances, chains and locks, and any other 
equipment that will aid the terrorists in securing themselves from any outside 
intervention. For obvious reasons, the special equipment requirements for an assault 
force to breach an entrance into these target areas vastly differs from those not fortified.
A non-barricaded hostage situation involves any type of hostage scenario that does not 
require an effective breach to enter the target area. An example of a non-barricade 
hostage scenario is a terrorist holding someone hostage at gun point out in an open area. 
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In 1974, Dr. Brian Jenkins from the Rand Corporation in California coined the term “the theater of 
terror”, to describe the shock value created from a hostage incident, and how terrorists will take full 
advantage of the attention gained. The perpetrator is the star of the production, that is, the leading actor 
(Bolz, Dudonis, & Schulz, 2002, p. 156). 
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The term clandestine is given to an operation sponsored or conducted by governmental departments 
or agencies in such a way as to assure secrecy or concealment. A clandestine operation differs from a 
covert operation in that emphasis is placed on concealment of the operation rather than on concealment of 
identity of sponsor. In special operations, an activity may be both covert and clandestine and may focus 
equally on operational considerations and intelligence-related activities (Joint Pub 1-02, 2003, p. 89).

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