That’s exactly what the ARMOR system aims to do. The software delivers a randomized schedule for security forces that produces the same level of overall coverage as a conventional schedule and can be deployed on a large scale. The strategy also considers different types of adversaries, numerous threats and aims while coordinating the activities of a number of individual agents in the field who face an unknown number of hostile forces. Officials believe that the randomization technique will make their security measures less vulnerable and maximize the impact of their deployment.

“To interrupt or deter a terrorist plot in the surveillance phase is the safest and most efficient manner to protect the airport,” said James Butts, director of law enforcement for Los Angeles’ airports, which include LAX, Van Nuys, Palmdale and Ontario. “The significance of the program is found in basic game theory wherein you attempt to learn from the past behaviors of your opponent to anticipate future behavior and pre-emptively counter the opponent’s strategy, while simultaneously randomizing your own behavior to lessen or eliminate the predictability of your deployments and operations. Because this artificial intelligence program allows for the construction of tables of assumptions to be factored into deployment decisions, it allows intelligent randomization of our deployments.”

Interest

The software has generated a lot of interest among different security agencies and airport officials, who believe that it will make the checkpoint situation at airports less vulnerable.

Erroll Southers, a former FBI special agent who serves as an associate director for the Department of Homeland Security-funded Center for Risk and Economic Analysis of Terrorism Events (CREATE), told HSToday, “ARMOR is designed to reduce the risk of predictability regarding protective systems—checkpoints, patrols, individual screening, et cetera. I believe that for every target environment where surveillance is critical to an attacker’s success (which would be most, if not all, of them), ARMOR may be a viable deterrent. The cornerstone of terrorist attack methodology rests in knowing what, when and how possible targets are being protected. If those factors become unpredictable, why would an attacker risk failure? There are probably few targets in the world that are ‘musts’ on a terrorists’ menu.”

The system is being used to randomize the deployment of officers at checkpoint locations at LAX. Security officials now plan to use the program to deploy their bomb detection K9 squad.