Executive Summary
We Remain a Nation at War
Today’s terrorist landscape is more fluid and complex than ever. For this reason, counterterrorism remains a top priority for this Administration. Our principal terrorist enemies are radical Islamist terrorist groups that seek to conduct attacks globally, violate our borders, and radicalize and recruit potential extremists within the United States and abroad. We continue to face threats from Iran, the most prominent state sponsor of terrorism, through its global network of operatives and its ongoing support to an array of terrorist groups. Terrorists motivated by other forms of extremism also use violence to threaten the homeland and challenge United States interests. These terrorist threats are different in many ways, but they all seek to use violence to undermine the United States and disrupt the American way of life.
Since September 11, 2001, we have learned that winning the war on terrorism requires our country to aggressively pursue terrorists. We have also learned, however, that we must do more than merely kill or capture terrorists. We must dismantle terrorists’ networks and sever the sources of strength and support that sustain them, that allow them to regenerate, and that permit them to adapt. To secure a lasting victory, we must also maintain sufficient pressure on terrorist organizations to prevent them from reemerging.
This Administration has already taken significant steps to address the terrorist threat. Under the leadership of President Donald J. Trump, the United States has accelerated efforts to defeat those terrorists who pose a threat to the United States. For instance, working with coalition partners, we have liberated nearly all of the territory once controlled by the self-declared Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) in Iraq and Syria. While we have made much progress, additional challenges remain. We must continually work to stay ahead of an adaptive enemy. This means that we must undertake additional efforts to prevent terrorists from acquiring or using weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and other advanced attack capabilities. We must prevent terrorists from exploiting new technologies in today’s dynamic information environment, and we must counter terrorists’ ability to recruit and radicalize online and through other means.
Likewise, experience has taught us that preparedness and prevention must be integral parts of our counterterrorism strategy. We must protect the homeland against the terrorist threat by building strong borders, securing United States infrastructure, and enhancing the preparedness of the American people.
Experience has also highlighted the importance of strong partnerships in sustaining our counterterrorism efforts. Whenever possible, the United States must develop more efficient approaches to achieve our security objectives, relying on our allies to degrade and maintain persistent pressure against terrorists.
This means collaborating so that foreign governments take the lead wherever possible, and working with others so that they can assume responsibility in the fight against terrorists. Domestically, we must empower our frontline defenders—our state and local law enforcement professionals—as well as many other government, civil society, and private sector partners to prevent and counter terrorism in the United States.
Building on the National Security Strategy and the Administration’s progress to date, the National Strategy for Counterterrorism outlines how the United States will combat terrorism at home and abroad and keep America safe. Acting in accordance with this strategy, we will defeat our enemies, just as we have defeated the purveyors of oppression, fascism, and totalitarianism in previous wars. We will always remember September 11, 2001, and the sacrifices made by so many brave patriots in defense of our country against the evil scourge of terrorism. With that same spirit of service and self-sacrifice, we will safeguard the homeland, protect our way of life, and eliminate our enemy’s ability to threaten our country. We are a nation at war—and it is a war that the United States will win.
Click here to read the full report.
Source: The White House