Drones: The next evolution of low-tech terror.

• Author: Lerner, Ben
• Position: Commentary

The wave of jihadist terrorist attacks on soft targets throughout Western Europe and the United States in recent months have a common tactical thread running through them.

All of them--whether the shooting attack at the Orlando nightclub, the use of a truck to viciously mow down bystanders at a Bastille Day celebration in Nice or the use of an ax to attack passengers on a train in Germany--are examples of what analysts previously have referred to as "low-tech terrorism." They involve simpler, less-elaborate and lower-budget weapons and planning.

Adding to this is the fact that the targets are not confined to a short list of high-profile, iconic structures like the World Trade Center, but rather expanded to any publicly accessible location where a group may gather, simplifying the planning even further.

From a tactical perspective, these attacks are also notable because the terrorists had to be physically present at the target in order to attack it, and in some cases were present prior to the attack, to conduct reconnaissance in advance. In other words, what the terrorists have lacked thus far is the advantage of evasiveness--the ability to carry out or provide critical support for an attack without actually being on site.

There is reason to be concerned that drones may soon fill that gap, and add an additional layer of complexity as law enforcement and other domestic security services try to tackle the low-tech terrorism threat.

Small drones, flown for commercial or recreational purposes, are now available throughout the world, and are relatively inexpensive to obtain or build from component parts. The U.S. military has noted that groups like the Islamic State have already configured them to carry small explosives and act as aerial improvised explosive devices against ground forces in the Middle East. That threat can migrate easily into the homeland security space, where a drone could be flown with precision to detonate in a specific place, without someone having to walk or drive toward a crowd and risk possibly being thwarted by security personnel.

There have been other ominous warnings of the possibilities in this regard far from the battlefields of Iraq. Back in 2013, a member of the German Pirate Party, in an apparent attempt to make a political statement about drone surveillance, managed to remotely pilot a small aircraft through a crowd at an outdoor rally in Germany, landing it near the podium in front of Chancellor Angela Merkel and...