As we continue to pursue terrorist organizations of global reach, there may be a rise in the number of hostages taken overseas. The new policy on U.S. citizens taken hostage abroad, which was promulgated by the Department of State in February 2002, ensures that each incident receives careful review at the federal level. The policy also calls for aggressive law enforcement efforts to apprehend, prosecute, and punish terrorists consistent with crisis resolution and force-protection efforts. All appropriate agencies should be prepared with adequate resources and authorities to assist in the rescue of U.S. citizens taken hostage abroad if the circumstances warrant.
In an effort to ensure U.S. law enforcement interests are properly addressed between the embassy and the host country, the Department of Justice working with the Department of State, will expand, where appropriate, its law enforcement presence abroad to further counterterrorism interdiction, investigation, and prosecution. Additionally, in coordination with host governments, the U.S. government will enhance training of and assistance to host governments in building legal infrastructures to strengthen the rule of law.
Objective: Ensure an integrated incident management capability. In the end, prevention of catastrophic terrorism is dependent upon interdiction of people and materials. However, solid plans, preparations, and immediate response remain key to mitigating acts of terrorism. Unity of effort requires coordination not only at the apex of the federal government, but also at the operational/tactical level, where response and intervention actions may be taken by diverse authorities, acting independently or in coordination with each other. An effective, integrated response requires incident management planning, enhanced interoperability, and coordination, based on and supported by rapid and effective decision-making.
In an effort to ensure rapid crisis response, the U.S. will coordinate with host governments and regional partners to develop plans for alerting, containing, and, if necessary, repelling an attack in progress while ensuring adequate resources are available to mitigate the damage. At the outset of a crisis, an interagency team capable of supporting the affected U.S. Embassy with assessments and recommendations is essential. Consequently, the Department of State, the Department of Defense, and other relevant agencies shall ensure that adequate staffing, training, equipment, and transportation are available for the Foreign Emergency Support Team. All appropriate departments and agencies will review and, if necessary amend, their incident-management procedures for overseas terrorist incidents involving critical infrastructure and facilities of U.S. national security interest.
CONCLUSION
Political violence may be endemic to the human condition, but we cannot tolerate terrorists who seek to combine the powers of modern technology and WMD to threaten the very notion of civilized society. The war against terrorism, therefore, is not some sort of "clash of civilizations"; instead, it is a clash between civilization and those who would destroy it.
Given these stakes, we must persevere until the United States, together with its friends and allies, eliminates terrorism as a threat to our way of life. As our enemies exploit the benefits of our global environment to operate around the world, our approach must be global as well. When they run, we will follow. When they hide, we will find them. Some battlefields will be known, others unknown. The campaign ahead will be long and arduous. In this different kind of war, we cannot expect an easy or definitive end to the conflict.
This National Strategy reflects the reality that success will only come through the sustained, steadfast, and systematic application of all the elements of national power--diplomatic, economic, information, financial, law enforcement, intelligence, and military--simultaneously across four fronts. We will defeat terrorist organizations of global reach through relentless action. We will deny terrorists the sponsorship, support, and sanctuary they need to survive. We will win the war of ideas and diminish the underlying conditions that promote the despair and the destructive visions of political change that lead people to embrace, rather than shun, terrorism. And throughout, we will use all the means at our disposal to defend against terrorist attacks on the United States, our citizens, and our interests around the world.
We will also be resourceful. This strategy relies upon the ingenuity, innovation, and strength of the American people. We will rally others to this common cause. We will not only forge a diverse and powerful coalition to combat terrorism today, but work with our international partners to build lasting mechanisms for combating terrorism and for coordination and cooperation. Working with states that are both willing and able to be full partners in the campaign, we will attack terrorist groups directly and indirectly, help the weak but willing states build their capabilities to fight terrorism, and persuade reluctant states to meet their obligations to the international community in this fight. We will use all our resources and resourcefulness to compel the unwilling states to cease support for terrorism.