Complex Coordinated Terrorist Attack (CCTA) is the term used in U.S. federal homeland-security planning for what the ASIM model calls a Complex Coordinated Attack (CCA): an incident involving the killing or threatened killing of multiple unrelated individuals where there are three or more attackers, a simultaneous attack on multiple sites, or an act of terrorism that overwhelms the local jurisdiction’s response capabilities.
Source: Active Shooter Incident Management: Instructor Guide, C3 Pathways, Inc., 2026.
The Complex Coordinated Terrorist Attack (CCTA) label emphasizes terrorist intent and appears in federal and DHS-FEMA grant and planning language. The ASIM model uses the term Complex Coordinated Attack (CCA) instead, because the response is the same whether or not intent is known early in the incident.
For the full treatment, including the three qualifying conditions, the role of Area Command, and who responds, see Complex Coordinated Attack (CCA).
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