Terrorism is effective because we don't understand it and, too often, treat it as either a criminal offense or a form of conventional warfare. We do not address it as a form of asymmetric conflict and psychological warfare, but instead try to combat it with traditional military tactics. Too often, these merely play into terrorist hands. By adopting the language and mindset of conventional warfare, we constrain our thinking, and, by extension, our options. As my father used to say: “When the only tool you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.” To be successful, we must expand our operational tool kit, with heavy emphasis on PsyOps and Covert Action. These are critical if we are to be successful in the protracted conflicted in which we are currently engaged.