From the Chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives Homeland Security Committee, a gripping look at the most dangerous and unexpected threats to our national security—and the actions needed to protect us.

America’s inability to foresee the September 11, 2001 attacks was deemed a collective “failure of imagination.” Our political leaders and intelligence professionals failed to anticipate the wide-ranging and unorthodox threats to the nation’s security.

Nearly a decade and a half later, imaginations in Washington D.C. are still failing.
Despite assurances from our leaders that America is safer today than it was before 9/11, the truth is, we are still vulnerable.

Congressman Michael McCaul has spent years in Washington watching the Obama administration ignore or dangerously underestimate the most pressing threats to the country.

Now in Failures of Imagination: The Deadliest Threats to Our Homeland—and How to Thwart Them, the sitting chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, who receives daily intelligence about threats materializing against America, depicts in real time the hazards that are closer than we realize. From cyber-warriors who can cripple the Eastern seaboard to radicalized Americans in league with Islamic jihadists to invisible biological warfare, many of the most pressing dangers are the ones we've heard about the least—and are doing the least about.

In this compelling and action-packed narrative, McCaul outlines realistic scenarios that could inflict more damage on the nation than any attack we’ve yet faced. He then explains how our vulnerabilities were created, why our enemies are actively contemplating them, and what we can do to solve them before it’s too late.

Failures of Imagination offers a call to action for Americans to address these very real and present dangers, and the need for the White House—whoever its occupant will be—to combat them with the seriousness and urgency they require.

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Editorial Reviews

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“Congressman Mike McCaul has become one of our nation’s leading experts on homeland security. This excellent book gives us a very us a very useful analysis of dangers we face and the things we must do to prepare ourselves for the challenges presented to us.”
—Rudy Giuliani, Former Mayor of New York City

"A critically important book that every American should read. Congressman McCaul has captured the very real threats facing our Homeland, the factors that have contributed to them, and, most important, what we should do about them. A work of non-fiction, the book reads like a spy thriller. A reader will not be able to put it down.”
–Michael Morell, Former Acting Director and Deputy Director of the Central Intelligence Agency and author of The Great War of Our Time

“Threats to the homeland didn’t end with 9/11. To stop future threats, you have first to envision them. Chairman McCaul does that vividly.”
– Richard Clarke, Former National Coordinator for Security, Infrastructure Protection, and Counter-terrorism

“Chairman Michael McCaul shows in careful detail how the evil that still exists in the world can quickly and stealthily visit destruction on the United States, its people and its friends. With its eight frightening (but very plausible) scenarios, Failures of Imagination should be must reading for anyone responsible for or just concerned about American security in a turbulent time.”
–Michael Hayden, General, USAF (retired), Former Director of CIA and NSA

“Wow! Scared straight is a phrase I would use to describe Failures of Imagination. If lack of imagination failed us on 9/11, 2001, this book, Failures of Imagination, should make all of us sit up straight and take stock in what we are failing to do against, what I personally know is a vicious assault on our way of life. Homeland Security Chairman Mike McCaul’s book fills an important gap in the threats to our homeland better than all of our intelligence agencies and law enforcement services combined. The threats and scenarios presented are real and they are here in our country. Take notice, danger ahead.”
– Michael T. Flynn, Lieutenant General, United States Army (Retired), Chairman & CEO of Flynn Intel Group, Inc.

About the Author

Congressman MICHAEL MCCAUL represents the state of Texas as a Republican in the U.S. House of Representatives. Born in 1962 and raised in Dallas, he served in the U.S. Department of Justice for over a decade and was the Chief of Counterterrorism and National Security in the U.S. Attorney's office in Texas. He was elected to Congress in 2005, and then appointed the chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security in 2013. He currently lives with wife Linda and five children in Austin, Texas.

Product details

Hardcover: 304 pages
Publisher: Crown Forum (January 12, 2016)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1101905417
ISBN-13: 978-1101905418
Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 1 x 9.5 inches
Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
Customer Reviews: 80 customer ratings
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #630,343 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1421 in Political Intelligence
- #1134 in National & International Security (Books)
- #1065 in Terrorism (Books)

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Gripping Accounts of Potential Threats to Our Civilization

Reviewed in the United States on January 12, 2016

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Some readers might criticize this book for giving ideas to our enemies, but that criticism would be misguided. Nothing described in Failures of Imagination can't be found in the public domain, and we can be assured that terrorists and state sponsors of terrorism are already exploring these avenues. As such, Mr. McCaul is doing our nation a great service by highlighting the need for the civilized world to think outside the box when it comes to terrorism. The format of this book is unusual but gripping. Each of the 8 scenarios is described in a compelling and often frightening fictionalized narrative, followed by a detailed analysis of the facts behind the story. The story telling aspects of the book are truly entertaining, but the explanation of the facts that give rise to the story is often quite disturbing. This is a book that our leaders and security experts should study. Although I received it late in the evening, I couldn't put it down.

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catippins

A Sobering Look at the Threats We Face

Reviewed in the United States on January 20, 2016

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This sobering book details 8 possible scenarios of attacks on the US, the most terrifying of which is a smallpox attack by Islamic fundamentalists that begins in Disney (google "Operation Dark Winter" for this already gamed out scenario and its horrific ramifications).

While our government assures us we are dealing with a "jv" team, our enemies make plans to decapitate the US and this book describes how they could go about it.

The 9/11 commission called the attacks of that day “a failure of imagination”.

This book, written by U.S. House Homeland Security Chairman Michael McCaul, picks up where the commission left off revealing just how vulnerable we are to a myriad of threats, including bioterrorism, nuclear attack, cyber warfare and threats to our NATA alliances among others.

These types of attacks are not only plausible, they are probable and the foundations for the scenarios in this book all have basis in fact, detailed in the book as well as steps we can take to mitigate them.

More on “Operation Dark Winter” here:
[...]

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Timothy Riecker

Failures of Imagination Delivers

Reviewed in the United States on February 16, 2016

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Failures of Imagination: The Deadliest Threats to our Homeland – and how to Thwart Them by Michael McCaul. A few months ago I put up a short post in my blog at [...] when I heard about this book coming out. I speculated a bit on what I anticipated and fortunately those were good assumptions.

Michael McCaul is chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee. Congressman McCaul (R-TX) has served with the US Department of Justice and was chief of Counterterrorism and National Security for the US Attorney’s Office in Texas. Along with chairing the House Homeland Security Committee, he is also a member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs. The background all contributes to some interesting insights and perspectives on the threats our nation faces. Several of those threats have been presented to us in this book.

Failures of Imagination presents several scenarios including an attack on our seat of government, a radiological dispersion device (RDD), foreign influence on an election, a mass shooting in a public space, a cyberattack on finance and infrastructure, a bioterrorism attack, an airplane bombing, and an invasion by foreign powers. Each scenario is introduced with what I will term a short story, followed by a fictionalized executive situation report, and concluded with a factual review of how the scenario is plausible.

The short stories that introduce each scenario are fairly compelling. They read like any popular thriller novel, establishing two or three converging story lines with a brief bit of character development which quickly establish motive, plot, and execution. The timelines are set anywhere from two to 10+ years from now.

With the those scenarios set further in the future, I feel the author has taken some liberties assuming that little has changed in comparison to the current global politics and state of affairs, but that doesn’t bother me too much. I expect that some readers might feel these fictionalized stories sensationalize the scenarios a bit. While on the surface that is understandable, consider that the plots as they unfold in these stories may not be far from reality, and that the Congressman has discovered that a mix of fiction and non-fiction can help enhance the readers’ experience and sell more books. Also consider that we often do the same thing when doing scenario-based planning, training, and exercises.

As a follow-on to each scenario’s short story, a mock executive-level situation report is provided which gives an overview of the impacts of each scenario as presented in the short story. The basis of this is something we also do in many of our preparedness efforts as we try to gauge a realistic scope of impact. The Congressman outlines in many of these not only the casualties, but broader impacts such as those to the economy, and takes some realistic stabs at longer term recovery matters. These situation reports give a good perspective to the reader about the potential impacts of each scenario beyond the more narrow scope of the short story.

Lastly, McCaul provides some narrative on how each scenario presented is rooted in reality. These summaries provide information on the current situation as it relates to each scenario, typically regarding the modus operandi of certain terrorist groups or state sponsors of terrorism, relationships these groups may have with each other across the globe, and weaknesses in our own security construct which may permit these groups to gain access to the US and do us harm. While much of the information and recommendations provided by Mc Caul in these sections are factual, practical, and eye-opening, I have to admit that I was significantly turned off by several instances of what I can only call antagonistic political finger pointing. While I don’t disagree with what the Congressman was saying about certain policies and actions of other elected officials which have influenced our ability to prevent, protect, and prepare for these types of attacks, the messages often came across as snarky and partisan – something I have little patience for, especially in this election cycle.

Failures of Imagination certainly delivered. While the focus of this book is on threats to the US, I would suggest that the foundational issues identified can apply to most nations and are a good read for anyone in emergency management and homeland security. The short stories included in each scenario feed our desire to be entertained and contribute to the book being a quick read. While the scenarios overall don’t serve as much of a resource for emergency management planning, as many of these types of scenarios are already in use in our efforts, the book does provide some context for each scenario which could be referenced, especially in regard to impacts. Of most importance are the recommendations which Congressman McCaul provides for each scenario. Many of the recommendations indicate higher-level actions we as a government need to take to prevent, protect, and prepare for attacks of these types. Increased awareness of these actions will hopefully lead to development, funding, and implementation.

(originally posted to [...]

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A Must-Read for Any Young Person Considering a Career in Intelligence or Anti-Terrorism

Reviewed in the United States on April 22, 2020

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As the saying goes; "You know you are going to have a bad day when you turn on the TV in the morning and they are showing evacuation routes out of your city."

The scenarios featured in Rep. McCaul's book are precisely the kind used in training analysts to think through situations and put yourself in the mindset of terrorists. Persons born and raised in the US and educated in our system find it hard to believe that the Tsarnaev brothers could benefit and take from our society everything that was available to them and yet commit the act of terror they did, namely the Boston Marathon bombing.

Rep. McCaul's book is an excellent primer for want-to-be anti-terror professionals or serious students of ordinary readers who want to fully understand the mind of a terrorist. See something, say something only has meaning if people are educated enough to see danger and recognize it for what it is, and then have the courage an resolve to actually report it. This book not only instructs on what signs to look for it also has sections detailing how such attacks could be prevented. It would be a good exercise for the reader to examine the facts then outline their own plan for prevention and see how it matches up to the author's solution. This is an excellent learning tool for those interested in stopping terrorism.

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Chasya

Read the Book; Ignore the Politics

Reviewed in the United States on February 27, 2016

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From following various websites, I knew about most of the scenarios in this book. I feel the fictional stories helped place each one in a relatable way to the reader. I did find the "briefings" a bit on the dry side. I'm not sure they were necessary. While I'm not a fan of Obama (or several others who have held that office), I do feel the minor attacks against him should have been left out. It takes away from the information and may put a reader who likes him into a defensive frame of mind, thereby making them unwilling to take the warnings seriously. I think people should read the book and ignore the "politics" as best they can.

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Zed

Four Stars

Reviewed in Canada on March 18, 2016

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Found the book both interesting and informative.

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Get it and read.

Reviewed in Canada on October 26, 2016

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Persuasive and an easy read.

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