Scott Stewart and Fred Burton Discuss the Attack Cycle and Pre-Operational Surveillance

Whether in person or in a movie, everyone has seen a threat actor trying to blend in. They may be looking at a newspaper upside down on a park bench or staring a little too intently at their target. Being hyper aware of these situations that just don’t feel right are innate in the lives of security professionals.

In this episode, Fred and Scott Stewart, veteran executive protection professional and former Special Agent, discuss this topic as it relates to the attack cycle — specifically, in light of the violent events in Nashville on Christmas Day 2020 and on January 6, 2021 at the U.S. Capitol. They discuss everything from the details that factor into pre-operational surveillance, to piecing together an impenetrable plan, to categories of threat actors. As we look ahead on the year and anticipate trends and behaviors, the attack cycle is here to stay. It will be invaluable to our safety and security in years to come.

Scott Stewart is a seasoned protective intelligence practitioner with 35 years of analytical, investigative and security experience. He is Vice President at TorchStone Global, a premier global risk mitigation and security firm. He led global analysis of terrorism and security topics at Stratfor from 2004 to 2020. Prior, Scott was the protective intelligence coordinator for Dell, and served as a member of Michael Dell’s executive protection team. He also spent ten years as a special agent with the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS), where he was involved in a large number of high-profile terrorism and protective intelligence investigations.

Mr. Stewart was one of the DSS Special Agents profiled in the book “Relentless Pursuit: The DSS and the Manhunt for the Al-Qaeda Terrorists” by Samuel M Katz.