Chapter 2

We will _diminish_ the underlying conditions that terrorist seek to exploit by enlisting the international community to focus its efforts and resources on the areas most at risk. We will maintain the momentum generated in response to the September 11 attacks by working with our partners abroad and various international forums to keep combating terrorism at the forefront of the international agenda.

Most importantly, we will _defend_ the United States, our citizens, and our interests at home and abroad by both proactively protecting our homeland and extending our defenses to ensure we identify and neutralize the threat as early as possible.

+Victory in the War Against Terror+

Victory against terrorism will not occur as a single, defining moment. It will not be marked by the likes of the surrender ceremony on the deck of the USS Missouri that ended World War II. However, through the sustained effort to compress the scope and capability of terrorist organizations, isolate them regionally, and destroy them within state borders, the United States and its friends and allies will secure a world in which our children can live free from fear and where the threat of terrorist attacks does not define our daily lives.

Victory, therefore, will be secured only as long as the United States and the international community maintain their vigilance and work tirelessly to prevent terrorists from inflicting horrors like those of September 11, 2001.

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

"_America is no longer protected by vast oceans. We are protected from attack only by vigorous action abroad, and increased vigilance at home._"

PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH

JANUARY 29, 2002

+_Goal_: Defeat Terrorists and Their Organizations+

The first tenet of the 4D strategy (Defeat, Deny, Diminish and Defend) calls for defeating terrorist organizations of global reach through the direct or indirect use of diplomatic, economic, information, law enforcement, military, financial, intelligence, and other instruments of power. The evolution of terrorist organizations into loose, flexible networks with small, informal groups compounds the challenges of combating them. The United States will use all its resources, including the ability to marshal and sustain international coalitions, to defeat networks and prevent the growth of new organizations. The United States and its partners will target the individuals, state sponsors, and transnational networks that enable terrorism to flourish.

An analysis of the history of combating terrorism confirms that the best way to defeat terrorism is to isolate and localize its activities and then destroy it through intensive, sustained action. Political pressures and economic sanctions have moderated some state sponsors, but have had little effect on individual groups that can sustain an independent presence. However, due to the broad expanse and sophistication of some of these global terrorist organizations, we must first act to reduce their scope and capability. This effort requires us to identify the terrorists, locate their sanctuaries, and destroy their ability to plan and operate.

We cannot wait for terrorists to attack and then respond. The United States and its partners will disrupt and degrade the ability of terrorists to act, and compel supporters of terrorism to cease and desist. Preventing terrorist groups from gaining access to technology, particularly that which supports WMD, will be one of our highest priorities.

_Objective: Identify terrorists and terrorist organizations_. "Know your enemy" is one of the most accepted maxims in warfare. Unfortunately, our knowledge of the inner workings of some terrorist organizations remains incomplete. The Intelligence Community and law enforcement agencies will therefore continue their aggressive efforts to identify terrorists and their organizations, map their command and control and support infrastructure, and then ensure we have broad, but appropriate, distribution of the intelligence to federal, state, and local agencies as well as to our international allies. While we will not ignore regional or emerging threats, our operational efforts and intelligence will focus primarily upon the most dangerous groups, namely, those with global reach or aspirations to acquire and use WMD.

We will prioritize our efforts based on the immediate threat and our national interests. Based on this prioritization and mapping of terrorist organizations, we will determine where to position forces and collection assets to identify terrorist ground, air, maritime, and cyber activities. Timely and advantageous positioning of these assets will be crucial for obtaining intelligence and developing options for decisive action.

A key component of this force and asset alignment will be our ability to understand the terrorist intent through technical and document exploitation. This will require a dramatic increase in linguistic support. Consequently, all government agencies will review their language programs to ensure adequate resources are available to meet this demand.

The Intelligence Community will continue to enhance its collection on terrorist WMD capabilities, including bioterrorism threats against agriculture and the food supply.

_Objective: Locate terrorists and their organizations_. The shadowy nature of terrorist organizations precludes an easy analysis of their capabilities or intent. The classic net assessment of the enemy based on the number of tanks, airplanes, or ships does not apply to these non-state actors. For intelligence to succeed in this war on terrorism, the United States must not only rely on technical intelligence, but renew its emphasis on other types of intelligence needed to get inside the organizations, locate their sanctuaries, and disrupt their plans and operations.

The Intelligence Community will review its current capability to gather human and technical intelligence on terrorist organizations and make recommendations, as necessary, to expand its recruitment, training, and operations. The Intelligence Community will continue its comprehensive effort to acquire new reporting sources, then use those sources to penetrate designated terrorist organizations to provide information on leadership, plans, intentions, modus operandi, finances, communications, and recruitment. The law enforcement community, using the leverage provided by our criminal justice system, will continue its efforts to identify and locate terrorist organizations operating at home and abroad.

Our regional partners are often better poised than the United States to gain access to information and intelligence. Therefore, the intelligence and law enforcement communities will continue to expand and improve their relations with their foreign counterparts in an effort to take better advantage of their source reporting.

_Objective: Destroy terrorists and their organizations_. Once we have identified and located the terrorists, the United States and its friends and allies will use every tool available to disrupt, dismantle, and destroy their capacity to conduct acts of terror. The final element to the Defeat goal is an aggressive, offensive strategy to eliminate capabilities that allow terrorists to exist and operate--attacking their sanctuaries; leadership; command, control, and communications; material support; and finances.

While divulging the details of this aspect of the strategy would be imprudent, we will focus our efforts on three pillars. First, we will expand our law enforcement effort to capture, detain, and prosecute known and suspected terrorists. Second, America will focus decisive military power and specialized intelligence resources to defeat terrorist networks globally. Finally, with the cooperation of its partners and appropriate international organizations, we will continue our aggressive plan to eliminate the sources of terrorist financing.

To synchronize this effort, the Department of State will take the lead in developing specific regional strategies for the defeat of terrorism. We will further leverage regional relationships, by ensuring appropriate allied participation with the regional Combatant Commanders as they prosecute the war on terrorism.

+_Goal_: Deny Sponsorship, Support, and Sanctuary to Terrorists+

The National Strategy's second front stresses denying terrorists the sponsorship, support, and sanctuary that enable them to exist, gain strength, train, plan, and execute their attacks. The United States has a long memory and is committed to holding terrorists and those who harbor them accountable for past crimes. The states that choose to harbor terrorists are like accomplices who provide shelter for criminals. They will be held accountable for the actions of their "guests."

The strategy to deny sponsorship, support, and sanctuary is three-fold. First, it focuses on the responsibilities of all states to fulfill their obligations to combat terrorism both within their borders and internationally. Second, it helps target U.S. assistance to those states who are willing to combat terrorism, but may not have the means. And finally, when states prove reluctant or unwilling to meet their international obligations to deny support and sanctuary to terrorists, the United States, in cooperation with friends and allies, or if necessary, acting independently, will take appropriate steps to convince them to change their policies.

The goal of this front is to choke off the lifeblood of terrorist groups--their access to territory, funds, equipment, training, technology, and unimpeded transit. This approach will therefore weaken terrorist organizations and their ability to conduct operations. Of particular importance is working to prevent terrorists from acquiring the capability to use chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear weapons, or high-yield explosives.

Non-state actors play an important role in the international environment. Nongovernmental organizations are important in combating international terrorism and we will work with them to prevent terrorists from taking advantage of their services.

_Objective: End the state sponsorship of terrorism_. The United States will assume a clear and pragmatic approach in prosecuting the campaign against terrorism. This will include incentives for ending state sponsorship. When a state chooses not to respond to such incentives, tough decisions will be confronted. At all times within this new dynamic we will balance a nation's near-term actions against the long-term implications and consequences.

The United States currently lists seven state sponsors of terrorism: Iran, Iraq, Syria, Libya, Cuba, North Korea, and Sudan. We are firmly committed to removing countries from the list once they have taken the necessary steps under our law and policy. A checkered past does not foreclose future membership in the coalition against terrorism.

It is important for all countries to adopt a "zero tolerance" policy for terrorist activity within their borders. In the new global environment it is also important for states to understand how terrorists and their supporters may use legitimate means of communication, commerce, and transportation for illegal activities.

Each state that gets out of the business of sponsoring terrorism represents a significant step forward and offers a tangible measure of success. America will never seek to remove states from the sponsorship list by lowering the bar; instead, these states should be encouraged--or compelled--to clear the bar.

We will not have a single, inflexible approach to handling the recognized state sponsors of terrorism. Each case is unique, with different interests and legacy issues involved. Each situation demands specifically tailored policies.

We will be open to overtures from states that want to put their sponsorship of terrorism behind them, but we will not compromise on the essential principle that there are no "good" or "just" terrorists. We will be relentless in discrediting terrorism as a legitimate means of expressing discontent.

To ensure we have a well orchestrated and synchronized policy, the Department of State will take the lead in developing policy action plans that employ both incentives and disincentives to end state sponsorship of terrorism. All appropriate departments and agencies will engage key allies to develop common or complementary strategies to support the above plans. So that no state miscalculates U.S. resolve, we will articulate these policy goals through appropriate public and diplomatic channels.

_Objective: Establish and maintain an international standard of accountability with regard to combating terrorism_. In addition to U.S. pressure to end state sponsorship, we will strongly support new, strict standards for all states to meet in the global war against terrorism. States that have sovereign rights also have sovereign responsibilities. UNSCR 1373 clearly establishes states' obligations for combating terrorism.

This resolution calls upon all member states to cooperate to prevent terrorist attacks through a spectrum of activities, including suppressing and freezing terrorist financing, prohibiting their nationals from financially supporting terrorists, denying safe haven, and taking steps to prevent the movement of terrorists. Additionally, the 12 international counterterrorism conventions and protocols, together with UNSCR 1373, set forth a compelling body of international obligations relating to counterterrorism. We will continue to press all states to become parties to and fully implement these conventions and protocols.

Together, UNSCR 1373, the international counterterrorism conventions and protocols, and the inherent right under international law of individual and collective self-defense confirm the legitimacy of the international community's campaign to eradicate terrorism. We will use UNSCR 1373 and the international counterterrorism conventions and protocols to galvanize international cooperation and to rally support for holding accountable those states that do not meet their international responsibilities.

This baseline level of commitment has four other basic advantages. First, it reaffirms the primacy of local efforts--the vital principle that each nation bears primary responsibility for fighting terrorism within its territory. Second, it provides an internationally recognized baseline against which the efforts of all nations--including the United States--can be evaluated. Third, this foundation does not prevent the formation of coalitions of willing nations for special tasks above and beyond the requirements of UNSCR 1373 and the international counterterrorism conventions and protocols. Fourth, the United States remains free to emphasize reciprocity in its counterterrorism policies. While we will always meet our baseline responsibilities, U.S. efforts can prioritize support to our allies, protect vital interests, and assist those international partners who prove themselves most willing to cooperate in the campaign against terror.

The steady increase in the number of countries that are fully implementing UNSCR 1373 will thus provide a tangible measure of progress in the years ahead.

Additionally, we will encourage international, regional, and subregional organizations to call upon their members to adopt and fully implement the counterterrorist conventions, protocols, and UNSCR 1373, and subsequently we will support them in their effort. To help ensure compliance and maintain oversight, the U.S. Government will support the establishment of a comprehensive plan to monitor and, when appropriate, publicize nations' counterterrorist activities.

To maintain the momentum since September 11 and keep the global war on terrorism in the forefront, all departments and agencies of the U.S. Government will promote combating terrorism as a standard agenda item for their bilateral and multilateral discussions.

_Objective: Strengthen and sustain the international effort to fight terrorism_. Defeating terrorism is our nation's primary and immediate priority. It is "our calling," as President Bush has said. But it is not our challenge alone. Unlike the Cold War, where two opposing camps led by superpower states vied for power, we are now engaged in a war between the civilized world and those that would destroy it. Success will not come by always acting alone, but through a powerful coalition of nations maintaining a strong, united international front against terrorism.

+Working with Willing and Able States+: An essential element of our strategy remains working with others to reorient existing partnerships and create new mechanisms for cooperation among the willing and able states around the world. No support will be more important to success than that from the other nations that have the will and resources to combat terrorism with us at the state, regional, and even global level.

In the aftermath of the September 11 attacks we have reaped the rewards of the investments made in our major alliances during the past 50 years. These rewards are evident in NATO's unprecedented invocation of Article V of the NATO Treaty, Australia's invocation of Article IV of the ANZUS Treaty, and in the way both our NATO and ANZUS allies have matched words with deeds on every front in the war against terrorism.

Military forces representing a broad coalition of countries from North America, Europe, the Middle East and Oceania have participated in vital operations in Afghanistan. Japan has also provided historic support to the campaign against terrorism. Our Western Hemispheric neighbors invoked the Rio Treaty and have shown a commitment to combat terrorism through a new Inter-American Convention Against Terrorism adopted in June 2002. But these alliances cannot be taken for granted or remain static. We will strive to help them evolve to meet the demands of this new era.

At the same time, through our common efforts against terrorism, we are recasting our relations with Russia, China, Pakistan, and India. The cooperation forged with these countries in the war on terrorism highlights how our future relations need not be constrained by past differences.

Ensuring that the current level of international cooperation is a lasting feature of our world will be a defining challenge of this era.

+Enabling Weak States+: Some countries are committed to fighting terrorism but lack the capacity to fulfill their sovereign responsibilities. Some governments, for example, lack the legal framework, training, or technical capabilities needed to fight money laundering. Others do not have the law enforcement, intelligence, or military capabilities to assert effective control over their entire territory. After September 11, we redoubled our efforts to develop programs that help them to acquire the necessary capabilities to fight terrorism through a variety of means, including improved legislation, technical assistance, new investigative techniques, intelligence sharing, and law enforcement and military training. For example, we are stepping up our efforts in the Balkans to help governments secure their borders and refocusing our assistance to place increased priority on efforts to promote the rule of law. We are helping the Armed Forces of the Philippines to build their capacity to fight terrorism through a robust training and professional education program.

The United States will continue to develop comprehensive plans to build strong and agile partnerships, particularly in regions that historically have been difficult to engage. We will work together to develop programs to train foreign governments in tactics, techniques, and procedures to combat terrorism. We will review funding for international counterterrorism training and assistance programs and ensure adequate resources are available to strengthen the capabilities of key states.

We will continue to negotiate extradition and Mutual Legal Assistance Treaties (MLATs) and expand the international coalition that supports the war on terrorism. We will conduct an extensive review to determine the viability of establishing new institutions that may help combat terrorism. And at every opportunity we will continue to enhance international counterterrorism cooperation through the further expansion and sharing of intelligence and law enforcement information. While focusing on terrorism, this effort will strengthen our strategic alignments and transform the international environment.

+Persuading Reluctant States+: In waging the campaign against terrorism, the United States will also confront difficult cases involving countries that, although capable, prove reluctant to comply with their responsibilities in the fight against terror. Some countries will cooperate on some fronts but not others. This unwillingness can spring from many sources, such as external threats, internal schisms that enable one faction to use the state to extend tacit or active support to terrorists, or cultural or political differences that lead to disagreements over what constitutes "terrorist" or criminal activity.

These cases will be the most delicate. The United States recognizes that some governments might place themselves in the crosshairs--and not just figuratively--by joining the war against terrorism. Therefore, constructive engagement, with sustained diplomacy and targeted assistance will be used to persuade these regimes to become more willing and, eventually able, to meet their international obligations to combat terrorism.

+Compelling Unwilling States+: The unwilling states are those that sponsor or actively provide sanctuary to terrorists. Those states that continue to sponsor terrorist organizations will be held accountable for their actions.

_Objective: Interdict and disrupt material support for terrorists_. A key component of any nation's sovereignty is control of its borders. Every nation bears responsibility for the people and goods transiting its borders.

While we expect states to fulfill their obligations, we will nevertheless be prepared to interdict terrorist ground, air, maritime, and cyber traffic by positioning forces and assets to deny terrorists access to new recruits, financing, equipment, arms, and information. As part of this undertaking, our National Strategy to Combat Weapons of Mass Destruction addresses the most serious of these threats and outlines plans and policies to execute timely, effective interdiction efforts against WMD-related materials, technologies, and expertise.

Some irresponsible governments--or extremist factions within them--seeking to further their own agenda may provide terrorists access to WMD. Such actions would be unacceptable to the United States. We are prepared to act decisively to stop terrorists from acquiring WMD or precursors.

Interdiction, whether against terrorist material support or WMD, will be carefully coordinated to ensure prioritization of intelligence, proper allocation of resources, and, when necessary, swift, decisive action. We will not permit the world's most dangerous regimes and terrorists to threaten us with the world's most destructive weapons.