Salute the counterterrorism finishers, but remember the finders and fixers

The culmination of counterterrorism operations — the “finish” of a target via their capture or killing — often involves dramatic actions such as the Delta Force raid which led to Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al Baghdadi’s death. But to finish a target, that target must first be found, then fixed in a location. The hard work of the finders and fixers allows the finishers to act.

As former Delta Force officer Jim Reese noted to me, the finish of any manhunter operation involves “surprise, speed, and violence of action.” But the prior two stages require painstaking efforts, often over many months or years, and often leading to dead ends before the result finally arrives.