What does "threat" do in The Division?

After hours of playing all missions that are available as challenging I'm almost certain that threat is a bonus that allows the user to suppress enemies more easily.

This actually makes sense in these cases:

• Weapons with attachments with increased threat can be used to CC enemies very easily
• Weapons (especially snipers) with silencers (decreased threat) can be used to snipe enemies without them ducking down.

I will add a reliable source as soon as I find one.