John Arquilla:

It seems that a new "Mumbai model" of swarming, smaller-scale terrorist violence is emerging. But the fact is that Al Qaeda and its affiliates have been using these sorts of swarm tactics for several years.

Americans should brace for a coming swarm.

Yes, the swarm will be heading our way, too. We need to get smaller, closer and quicker. The sooner the better.

Arquilla from the archive:

We are trying to wage war as if it still mattered that our forces are comprised of ‘the few and the large' -- a few large heavy divisions, a few large aircraft carrier battle groups -- when in fact war is migrating into the hands of the many and the small -- little distributed units. We live in an era when technology has expanded the destructive power of a small group and the individual beyond our imaginations.

Another Arquilla, from right after 9/11:

To win the war against terrorism, we have to think like a street gang, swarm like a soccer team, and communicate like Wal-Mart.

Finally:

In the long run, the "swarming" that really counts is the wide-scale mobilization of the global public.