RAMs provide vital part of security posture Published Sept. 14, 2012 By Michelle Ingrahm 934 AW Anti terrorism officer MINNEAPOLIS-ST PAUL AIR RESERVE STATION -- Since the tragedy of Sept. 11, bombing of public transportation system in London, the on-going situations in Iraq and Afghanistan and recent bombings in Syria, there are thousands of people who think we are unable to prevent these horrible acts of senseless violence; however, there are many ways to step up to the challenge terrorists present. Education is one of the most important elements of defending against terrorists who threaten our very lives with their terrible acts of violence. Intelligence tells us terrorists increasingly look for "soft targets" or areas that generally don't have physical security measures. We have multiple programs and initiatives that go a long way in securing our installation and our families, one of which is the Random Anti-Terrorism Measure Program. RAMs are random, multiple security measures that consistently change the look of an installation's security posture; these measures introduce uncertainty to an installation's overall force protection program to defeat surveillance attempts and make it difficult for a terrorist to accurately predict our actions. Surveillance is one of the first steps of planning. Terrorists observe a target looking for vulnerabilities in our security posture and one of our weaknesses is predictability. Terrorists may observe an area or facility for several weeks, taking notes on what we do and when we do it. From this, they are able to establish a pattern of our predictability. Once this happens, would-be terrorists have the capability to plan and circumvent the system. RAMs can effectively reduce the predictability factor and eliminate a terrorist's advantage. Building managers across 934th Airlift Wing are tasked to complete security measures involving resources and facilities. The number of RAMs conducted varies depending on the current threat and security postures we are in. When conducting RAMs, it is important to be as overt and visible as possible so that you are seen, and there is no doubt to any onlookers you are conducting a security measure. RAMs are effective because they are truly random; the time, place and location are always different. If someone is conducting surveillance on your building, it makes it extremely difficult to figure out your pattern of security because there is no pattern. Conducting RAMs can be an inconvenience at times, but necessary and a vital part of the 934th Airlift Wing overall security posture. The RAM program is a simple and effective method to secure our people and resources, and it gets everyone involved in the process. Remember, each of us play a vital role in fighting terrorism.