The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has hired a group of American science fiction writers to consult government officials on potential techniques to avoid future terrorist attacks. To fund the project, DHS will designate $10 million to explore innovative techniques to combat terrorism efforts. As the writers have spent their careers studying technologies and potential disastrous scenarios, the project will aim to assess a US government security weakness that the 9/11 Commission referred to as a “failure of imagination.” Overall, the project will be useful in expanding the scope of US homeland security interests.
Sigma – Science Fiction in the National Interest
DHS enlisted the insight of a science fiction writers group named Sigma in order to address the lack of imagination issue. Officially created by writer Arlan Andrews in the early 1990s, Andrews recruited science fiction author elites with advanced technical or medical degrees. The group specializes in the “hard” science fiction genre that primarily focuses on technical and scientific accuracy. Authors in the group include Jerry Pournelle, Arlan Andrews, Greg Bear, Larry Niven, Yoji Kondo and Sage Walker. Most notably, Pournelle is credited for helping President Ronald Regan’s administration develop methods for the Strategic Defense Initiative, later known as the “Star Wars” missile defense shield. In the early 1990s, the group assembled as Andrews consulted White House officials on potential high impact conflicts that may occur in a post nuclear world. Sigma will now advise DHS on terrorist attack scenarios and types of technologies or methods that may help prevent future attacks.
Accurate Visions of the Future
Science fiction writers have long predicted the creation of new technology and occurrence of future events. Some of the most accurate predictions include:
• In 1914, H.G. Wells published the novel, The World Set Free. The novel was one of the first accurate technical predictions of a bomb closely resembling the atomic bomb and its effects on the political world.
• In the 1948 novel, Space Cadet, science fiction writer Robert Heinlein accurately described personal handheld mobile phones.
• Published in Wireless World magazine in 1945, Sir Arthur C. Clarke wrote a paper titled “Extra Terrestrial Relays: Can Rocket Stations Give Worldwide Radio Coverage?” The paper proposes the use of geostationary satellites for the purpose of telecommunication relays. Clarke’s detailed description was published 20 years before global communication satellites became operational.
• In the 1982 novel, Friday, Robert Heinlein explored sprawling computer network searches for detailed information that resembled modern Internet search engines.
• Tom Clancy’s 1994 novel, Debt of Honor, foreshadowed the attacks of 9/11. Towards the novel’s ending, a terrorist hijacks a 747 aircraft and crashes into the US Capitol building.
Innovative Strategies
At the Homeland Security Science and Technology Stakeholders Conference in May 2007, writers from Sigma suggested some new techniques that could help US government officials fight terrorism. Possible ideas included:
• Developing technology in cell phones that will allow sensors to pick up traces of anthrax spores, TB bacilli spores or other dangerous materials in the area that will automatically notify local authorities.
• Connecting government officials with Hollywood special effects experts to collaborate on facial recognition technology that could help identify terrorists in airports.
• Developing electrical signal technology that allows the matching of brainwaves to thought patterns. The goal would be to utilize this technology for use with bomb sniffing dogs. Sigma suggests that security officials could know what type of bomb was in an area by measuring the brainwaves of a bomb sniffing dog.
Although Sigma’s task in strengthening US security will be difficult, the writers’ creativity will help DHS prepare for a variety of scenarios.
Critics have stated that some ideas may lead to a regrettable lethal outcome as unconstrained thinking may give terrorists more ideas. Before future terrorist plots unfold, the project’s success will take years to fully evaluate.
However, having a forum that expands the debate on how homeland security can best be addressed and focused is essential to achieving the most prudent safety measures.
