This analysis examines female terrorist activity in three cases (the United States, Israel, and Russia) and identifies six counterterrorism deficiencies (exploitation, organizational, technological, denial and deception, tactical, and cultural/ideological) that help to explain why observers failed to anticipate the emergence and scope of female militancy. Drawing from these lessons, two potential scenarios for significant and/or surprising female terrorism are examined with respect to left-wing terrorism in the United States and global Islamism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]; Copyright of Studies in Conflict & Terrorism is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)