11 August 2006
Tracking Terrorists' Travels Essential To Stopping Future Attacks
U.S. counterterrorist strategy stresses partnerships, new technologies
Washington – The announcement from the United Kingdom that a plot existed to bomb U.S.-bound airliners highlights a key challenge in the global War on Terror: how to combat efforts by extremists to exploit the international travel system to plan and execute attacks.
On August 10, British authorities arrested 24 men believed to be linked to the plot, which reportedly involved the use of liquid explosives hidden in drinks, electronics and carry-on baggage to commit, in the words of Paul Stephenson, London’s deputy commissioner of police, “mass murder on an unimaginable scale.” (See related article.)
“Combating terrorist travel globally is a top national security priority,” Admiral John Redd, director of the National Counter Terrorism Center, said May 2, releasing the National Strategy to Combat Terrorist Travel.
“Constraining terrorists’ ability to move freely across borders overseas is critical to diminishing their potential to perpetrate acts of terrorism,” the NCTC strategy document states.
The strategy’s success, according to Redd, requires broadening international partnerships, deploying sophisticated new technologies, and strengthening the security of travel documents, all while balancing the impact of increased security on individual rights and the flow of global commerce.
U.S. AIMS TO SHARE INTELLIGENCE, BUILD SCREENING CAPACITY
President Bush established the NCTC in August 2004 to bring together experts from across the U.S. government, to increase the exchange ideas and develop integrated strategies to fight terrorism.
Experts agree that this collaborative approach is well suited to the challenge, since constraining terrorists’ freedom of movement requires the complementary skills of diplomatic, military, intelligence, and law enforcement agencies to be effective globally.
The NCTC’s strategy for developing the partnerships needed to disrupt terrorist travel has three main components.
The first is to build cooperation among allies in collecting, analyzing and sharing intelligence about terrorist groups. Also featured in this component are special initiatives, such as the State Department’s Terrorist Interdiction Program, which provides participating countries with access to a U.S. database of terrorist watch-list data. The program enables personnel at foreign air, land, and seaports to screen visitors more effectively. Another program is the Secure and Facilitated International Travel Initiative, an effort by the Group of Eight (G8) nations to develop international standards for data exchange on travel documents and terrorist watch lists to make international travel more secure.
Second, the NCTC’s strategy outlines support for partner states, as well as regional and international organizations such as the United Nations, INTERPOL, and the International Civil Aviation Organization, through assistance in upgrading border security systems to deny terrorists safe haven.
Among U.S. initiatives related to this element of the NCTC strategy are the State Department’s Anti-terrorism Assistance Program and the G8’s Counterterrorism Action Group, which both support countries willing to conduct, but unable to fully fund, counterterrorism efforts. Other initiatives feature training and technical security assistance, such as the State Department’s International Law Enforcement Assistance program and the U.S. Coast Guard's International Port Security program.
The strategy also aims to deny terrorists access to the documents, funds and facilitation networks that allow them to travel. Since terrorists rely on falsified documents and financing networks, this element of the NCTC strategy places particular emphasis on working with international partners to develop and distribute travel documents containing advanced security technologies, new cargo-screening equipment and measures to track and freeze terrorist funding.
While terrorists’ mobility has decreased since September 11, 2001, the NCTC concluded that they continually adapt to new security environments, and thus present new challenges. The national strategy, according to Redd, “demonstrates that we are in this fight to win, and signals our aggressive pursuit of terrorists as they attempt to move around the world.”
The strategy document (PDF, 60 pages) is available on the National Counterterrorism Center Web site.
For additional information, see Response to Terrorism.
(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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