Case Study – Aviation Security and al Qaeda in Yemen

Case Study – Aviation Security and al Qaeda in Yemen. From December 2009 to December 2010, al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), based in Yemen, attempted on at least two occasions to attack the U.S. homeland. During the first attack, AQAP attempted a suicide bombing utilizing an underwear explosive device on commercial aviation over Detroit on Christmas Day 2009. The second attempt involved explosive devices encased in office printers shipped in November 2010 aboard cargo aircraft. Both of these attacks failed. However, these attacks demonstrated continued weaknesses in homeland security. Conduct a case study researching and analyzing the following research questions. How were these plots able to occur? What weaknesses in homeland security were exploited by AQAP? Which components of homeland security are responsible for defending against these two attacks? What actions should the U.S. Department of Homeland Security take to stop these attacks in the future? What policies should the U.S. change? What operational changes should the U.S. make to disrupt future atta