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Strategic Objective

Prevent, disrupt, and defeat terrorist operations before they occur

Strategic Objective

Prevent, disrupt, and defeat terrorist operations before they occur by integrating intelligence and law enforcement efforts to achieve a coordinated response to terrorist threats

Lead Office: FBI

Themes:

National Defense Administration of Justice

DOJ.gov

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Overview
Progress Update

Overview

Combating terrorism is DOJ’s top priority. The Attorney General, acting primarily through the FBI, has principal investigative responsibility for all criminal acts of terrorism (18 U.S.C. § 2332b(f)). A key tenet of this objective is to ensure that intelligence and law enforcement agencies are able to use all available tools to investigate vigorously and prevent acts of terrorism in a manner consistent with law.

Progress Update

Strategic Objective Review Summary of Findings: On track and making satisfactory progress

Terrorism is the most significant national security threat that the United States of America faces. As such, combating terrorism is, and will continue to be, the top priority of the Department. The Department focuses on targeting and disrupting terrorist threats and groups by leveraging its workforce and ensuring use of the latest technology to thwart emerging trends. In FY 2015, the Department disrupted 440 terrorist threats and groups, greatly surpassing its annual target of 125.

The Department could not have achieved its success in terrorism disruptions without operational prioritization of having talented and highly-skilled agents. The FBI prioritized specialized training for eligible counterterrorism Task Force Officers to ensure a highly-skilled workforce, and full-time Task Force Officers have achieved a completion rate of 90 percent for counterterrorism (CT) operations training. Innovations regarding this objective include the enhancement of FBI’s Guardian system to follow leads. Some notable successes include the fact that expanded use of the FBI Tip Line has led to multiple leads and arrests, including the capture of AME Church shooting suspect, Dylann Roof, on June 18, 2015. Other notable successes include the arrest of Christopher Lee Cornell in January 2015 for plotting a small arms and bombing attack on the U.S. Capitol building and nine CT arrests by the FBI and Joint Terrorism Task Forces in conjunction with the Iraq/Syria conflict.

The nature of terrorist threats continues to evolve. The Department is committed to stopping terrorism of any kind at any stage, from thwarting those intending to conduct an act of terrorism to investigating the financiers of terrorist operations. Some companies and foreign partners do not currently have the capabilities or tools to help track or mitigate dynamic terrorist risk areas (e.g., social media, foreign fighters, virtual currency), which increases the Department’s workload burden. In light of this, the FBI will continue to work with public companies and foreign partners to identify candidates with the ability and resources to support intelligence integration and law enforcement efforts. Similarly, advancements (e.g. information sharing venues and advanced encryption techniques) have increased the complexity and breadth of threats and made it difficult for the Department to keep pace with constantly changing and new technologies. In response to the evolving nature of the terrorist threat, the Department is taking numerous actions. The National Security Division (NSD) is ensuring that the law enforcement and intelligence community is able to make efficient use of legal authorities, including foreign intelligence information collection authorities, and is improving how we counter violent extremism, including by exploring ways to counter radicalization to violence before a crime is committed and studying alternative dispositions that may be appropriate. Additionally, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) continues to use its Certified Explosives Specialist program to provide agents and officers a specialized skillset to execute explosives operations and risk management/safety functions; and the FBI, Criminal Division, and INTERPOL Washington continue to work with partner agencies abroad to expand capacities and share intelligence.

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Strategic Goals

Strategic Goal:

Prevent Terrorism and Promote the Nation’s Security Consistent with the Rule of Law

Statement:

Prevent Terrorism and Promote the Nation’s Security Consistent with the Rule of Law

Strategic Objectives

Prevent, disrupt, and defeat terrorist operations before they occur

Statement:

Prevent, disrupt, and defeat terrorist operations before they occur by integrating intelligence and law enforcement efforts to achieve a coordinated response to terrorist threats

Description:

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FY 14-15 Priority Goal: National Security

Statement:

National Security: Protect Americans from terrorism and other threats to National Security, including cyber security threats.

By September 30, 2015, the Department of Justice will: Disrupt 175 terrorist threats and groups and disrupt and dismantle 600 cyber threat actors.

Description:

Terrorism is the most significant national security threat that the country faces. Accordingly, the Department’s number one priority is, and will continue to be, protecting the security of this Nation’s citizens. The Administration has recognized that terrorism cannot be defeated by military means alone. The Department of Justice serves at the forefront of the fight against terrorism, providing a broad spectrum of tools, resources, and skills to combat terrorists. Specifically, the Department’s agents, analysts, and prosecutors will continue to use every available resource and appropriate tool to detect, deter, and disrupt terrorist plots, investigate and prosecute terrorists, and aid in developing rule of law programs in post-conflict countries to help prevent terrorism abroad. The Department will aggressively pursue emerging threats around the world and at home, enhance the ability to gather and analyze actionable intelligence, and engage in outreach efforts to all communities in order to prevent terrorism before it occurs.

Cyber activities, likewise, constitute a growing threat to our national security. As an initial matter, an increasing number of sophisticated state and non-state actors have both the desire and the capability to steal sensitive data, trade secrets, and intellectual property for military and competitive advantage. In addition, cyber-enabled terrorism poses a viable threat to national security. Although the United States has not yet encountered terrorist organizations using the Internet to launch a full-scale cyber-attack, the Department believes that it is a question of when, not if, they will attempt to do so. The cyber threat demands ready and fluid means of sharing information and coordinating actions and responses. In order to successfully investigate and disrupt cyber threats, the Department must be creative and forward-looking in its approach, considering what kinds of tools, investigations, and outreach can be launched now to lay the groundwork for future cyber protective efforts.

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Prosecute those involved in terrorist acts

Statement:

Prosecute those involved in terrorist acts

Description:

Vigorously investigating and prosecuting terrorism offenses is a critical tool in the effort to incapacitate terrorists, gather valuable intelligence, and deter future acts of terrorism. Since September 11, 2001, DOJ’s counterterrorism successes include achieving numerous criminal convictions of high-profile terrorists, defeating would-be terrorists, and protecting the Nation through prevention efforts. The investigation, disruption, and prosecution of terrorism will continue to be the top priority for the Department.

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Investigate and prosecute espionage activity against the United States

Statement:

Investigate and prosecute espionage activity against the United States, strengthen partnerships with potential targets of intelligence intrusions, and proactively prevent insider threats

Description:

Foreign espionage strikes at the heart of U.S. national security, impacting political, military and economic arenas. The foreign intelligence threat to the United States is expanding, becoming more complex and less predictable. While traditional threats to national defense, military operations and policy, and intelligence, and science and technology remain, many intelligence threats are expanding their targets to include the burgeoning population of cleared defense contractors and other sectors affecting U.S. security, most notably sensitive economic information and emerging proprietary technology. Concurrently, foreign threats now have sophisticated networks of governmental and non-governmental entities using a wide array of intelligence collection platforms and engaging in long-term efforts to obtain sensitive information and threaten the security of the United States.

The Department will combat espionage by, among other things, vigorously investigating and prosecuting violations of espionage statutes and regulations. Additionally, DOJ will investigate and prosecute violations of export control and embargo statutes and regulations by combining intelligence and law enforcement to target individuals and networks involved in the illicit trafficking of controlled technologies and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and will expand its export control initiative to ensure nationwide coverage.

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Combat cyber-based threats and attacks

Statement:

Combat cyber-based threats and attacks, through the use of all available tools, strong private-public partnerships, and the investigation and prosecution of cyber threat actors

Description:

A range of cyber activities can diminish our security and siphon off valuable economic assets. A growing number of sophisticated state and non-state actors have both the desire and the capability to steal sensitive data, trade secrets, and intellectual property for military and competitive advantage. The other major national security threat in cyberspace is cyber-enabled terrorism. The Department believes that it is a question of when, not if, there will be attempts to do so.

The cyber threat demands ready and fluid means of sharing information and coordinating actions. To successfully investigate and disrupt cyber threats, the Department must be creative and forward-looking in its approach, considering what kinds of tools, investigations, and outreach can be launched now to lay the groundwork for future cyber efforts. As an example, the Department has partnered with nations worldwide in the INTERPOL Global Complex for Innovation, which will enhance its operational and investigative cyber capabilities through international cooperation and innovative technical solutions and systems. Collaboration with the private sector is also crucial to prevent breaches and protect confidential and proprietary information.

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FY 14-15 Priority Goal: National Security

Statement:

National Security: Protect Americans from terrorism and other threats to National Security, including cyber security threats.

By September 30, 2015, the Department of Justice will: Disrupt 175 terrorist threats and groups and disrupt and dismantle 600 cyber threat actors.

Description:

Learn More

Agency Priority Goals

FY 14-15: National Security

Statement:

National Security: Protect Americans from terrorism and other threats to National Security, including cyber security threats.

By September 30, 2015, the Department of Justice will: Disrupt 175 terrorist threats and groups and disrupt and dismantle 600 cyber threat actors.

Description:

Learn More

Agency Priority Goals

FY 14-15 Agency Priority Goal:

National Security

Statement:

National Security: Protect Americans from terrorism and other threats to National Security, including cyber security threats.

By September 30, 2015, the Department of Justice will: Disrupt 175 terrorist threats and groups and disrupt and dismantle 600 cyber threat actors.

Description:

Learn More

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