Combating Terrorism: Department of State Programs to Combat Terrorism Abroad
Published: 2002-09-06T00:00:00

Fast Facts:

Highlights:
section_title: What GAO Found
paragraphs: Efforts to combat terrorism have become an increasingly important part of government activities. These efforts have also become important in the United States' relations with other countries and with international organizations, such as the United Nations (U.N.). The Department of State is charged with coordinating these international efforts and protecting Americans abroad. State has helped direct the U.S. efforts to combat terrorism abroad by building the global coalition against terrorism, including providing diplomatic support for military operations in Afghanistan and other countries. State has also supported international law enforcement efforts to identify, arrest, and bring terrorists to justice, as well as performing other activities intended to reduce the number of terrorist attacks. The State Department conducts multifaceted activities in its effort to prevent terrorist attacks on Americans abroad. For Americans traveling and living abroad, State issues public travel warnings and operates warning systems to convey terrorism-related information. For American businesses and universities operating overseas, State uses the Overseas Security Advisory Councils--voluntary partnerships between the State Department and the private sector--to exchange threat information. To disrupt and destroy terrorist organizations abroad, State has numerous programs and activities that rely on military, multilateral, economic, law enforcement, intelligence, and other capabilities. State uses extradition treaties to bring terrorists to trial in the United States and cooperates with foreign intelligence, security, and law enforcement entities to track and capture terrorists in foreign countries. If the United States has no extradition agreements with a country, then State, with the Department of Justice, can work to obtain the arrest of suspected terrorist overseas through renditions. The State Department leads the U.S. response to terrorist incidents abroad. This includes diplomatic measures to protect Americans, minimize damage, terminate terrorist attacks, and bring terrorists to justice. To coordinate the U.S. effort to combat terrorism internationally, State uses a variety of mechanisms to work with the Departments of Defense, Justice, and the Treasury; the intelligence agencies; the Federal Bureau of Investigation; and others. These mechanisms include interagency working groups at the headquarters level in Washington, D.C., emergency action committees at U.S. missions overseas, and liaison exchanges with other government agencies.

section_title: Letter
paragraphs: Since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, efforts to combat  terrorism have become an increasingly important part of U.S. government  activities. Such efforts have also become more important in U.S. relations  with other countries and with international organizations, such as the  United Nations (U.N.). The U.S. Department of State is charged with  coordinating these international efforts and protecting Americans abroad;  its objective is to reduce the number of terrorist attacks, especially those  on U.S. citizens and interests. While countering terrorism has always been  a part of State’s role, it took on heightened significance in the aftermath of  the 1998 al Qaeda terrorist attacks on the U.S. embassies in Tanzania and  Kenya (see fig. 1). Since the September 11 attacks on the World Trade  Center in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., State has  helped direct the U.S. efforts to combat terrorism abroad by building the  global coalition against terrorism, including providing diplomatic support  for military operations in Afghanistan and other countries. State has also  supported international law enforcement efforts to identify, arrest, and  bring terrorists to justice, as well as performing other activities intended to  reduce the number of terrorist attacks.
This report is intended to assist your committees in overseeing the State  Department’s leadership of U.S. programs to combat terrorism abroad.  Specifically, this report identifies the State Department’s programs and  activities intended to (1) prevent terrorist attacks, (2) disrupt and destroy  terrorist organizations, (3) respond to terrorist incidents, and (4)  coordinate efforts to combat terrorism. Footnotes to this report identify  programs and activities managed by the U.S. Agency for International  Development that complement the State Department’s efforts to combat  terrorism abroad. This report is part of a larger effort that you jointly  requested to review governmentwide programs to combat terrorism  overseas. Regarding some of these programs, it is important to recognize  that the State Department works in conjunction with a number of other  federal agencies, including the Departments of Defense, Justice, and the  Treasury, as well as the Central Intelligence Agency. As agreed with your  staff, we plan to report later this year on governmentwide efforts to combat  terrorism overseas.
State’s organizational chart appears in appendix I to this report. Detailed  information on the State Department’s programs and activities appears in  appendix II. This information includes State’s framework for combating  terrorism abroad, programs and activities for combating terrorism abroad,  and responsible bureaus and offices.
We identified the State Department’s programs and activities for combating  terrorism by reviewing State documents, such as Congressional  Presentation Document, FY 2003 and Patterns of Global Terrorism, and  by conducting interviews with State officials. To identify programs and  activities provided by other departments and coordinated through State,  we reviewed documents and interviewed officials from the Departments of  Defense, Justice, and the Treasury; the Federal Bureau of Investigation  (FBI) and other law enforcement agencies; and the U.S. Agency for  International Development (USAID). In addition, we conducted fieldwork  at the U.S. Embassy in Athens, Greece, to observe programs and activities  to combat terrorism overseas. At selected regional and functional military  commands, we met with State Department Political Advisors at the U.S.  Central Command at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida; the U.S. Southern  Command in Miami, Florida; and the U.S. European Command in Stuttgart-  Vaihingen, Germany. In addition, we conducted fieldwork at the  International Law Enforcement Academy in Budapest, Hungary, to review  programs to combat terrorism that the State Department manages or funds  or both. We did not evaluate the effectiveness of these programs. We  conducted our review from February 2002 through July 2002 in accordance  with generally accepted government auditing standards.
subsections: section_title: Background
paragraphs: According to the State Department’s 2002 Annual Performance Plan, the  department’s counterterrorism goals are to reduce the number of terrorist  attacks, bring terrorists to justice, reduce or eliminate state-sponsored  terrorist acts, delegitimize the use of terror as a political tool, enhance the  U.S. response to terrorism overseas, and strengthen international  cooperation and operational capabilities to combat terrorism.
The Secretary of State is responsible for coordinating all U.S. civilian  departments and agencies that provide counterterrorism assistance  overseas. The Secretary also is responsible for managing all U.S. bilateral  and multilateral relationships intended to combat terrorism abroad.
State requested over $2.3 billion to combat terrorism in fiscal year 2003.  This includes more than $1 billion for overseas embassy security and  construction, as well as for counterterrorism assistance and training to  countries cooperating with the global coalition against terrorism. Table 1  provides a breakdown of State’s funding to combat terrorism.
By contrast, State spent about $1.6 billion in fiscal year 2001 and received  about $1.8 billion to combat terrorism in fiscal year 2002. State received an  additional $203 million through the Emergency Response Fund as part of  the $40 billion appropriated by the Congress in response to the September  11, 2001, terrorist attacks against the United States.
The Office of Management and Budget reported that determining precise  funding levels associated with activities to combat terrorism is difficult  because departments may not isolate those activities from other program  activities. Some activities serve multiple purposes—for example, upgrades  to embassy security help protect against terrorism as well as other crimes.
section_title: Programs and Activities to Prevent Terrorism Abroad
paragraphs: The State Department conducts multifaceted activities in an effort to  prevent terrorist attacks on Americans abroad. For example, to protect  U.S. officials, property, and information abroad, the Bureau of Diplomatic  Security provides local guards for embassies and armored vehicles for  embassy personnel (see fig. 2). In addition, it provides undercover teams to  detect terrorist surveillance activities. Following the 1998 embassy  bombings in Africa, State upgraded security for all missions, which  included strengthening building exteriors, lobby entrances, and the walls  and fences at embassy perimeters (see fig. 3). The upgrades also included  closed-circuit television monitors, explosive detection devices, walk- through metal detectors, and reinforced walls and security doors to  provide protection inside the embassy. In addition, State plans to replace  some existing embassies with buildings that meet current security  standards, such as having a 100-foot setback from streets surrounding  embassies. State also has programs to protect national security information  discussed at meetings or stored on computers. These programs include  U.S. Marine security guards controlling access to embassies, efforts to  prevent foreign intelligence agencies from detecting emanations from  computer equipment, and computer security programs.
State has several programs to help warn Americans living and traveling  abroad against potential threats, including those posed by terrorists. For  example, to warn Americans about travel-related dangers, in fiscal year  2001 the Bureau of Consular Affairs issued 64 travel warnings, 134 public  announcements, and 189 consular information sheets. In addition, missions  employ a “warden system” to warn Americans registered with an embassy  of threats against their security. The system varies by mission but uses  telephone, E-mail, fax, and other technologies as appropriate. Finally, the  Bureau of Diplomatic Security manages the Overseas Security Advisory  Councils program. The councils are a voluntary, joint effort between State  and the private sector to exchange threat- and security-related information.  Councils currently operate in 47 countries.
In addition, State manages and funds programs to train foreign government  and law enforcement officials to combat terrorism abroad. These programs  include the following:  the Antiterrorism Assistance Program, implemented by the Bureau of  Diplomatic Security, to enhance the antiterrorism skills of law  enforcement and security personnel in foreign countries;  the International Law Enforcement Academies, managed by the Bureau  for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, to provide law  enforcement training in four locations around the world. The  Departments of State, the Treasury, and Justice—including the Bureau  of Diplomatic Security, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and other U.S.  law enforcement agencies—provide the on-site training;  the Department of Justice's Overseas Prosecutorial Development and  Assistance Training and the International Criminal Investigation  Training Assistance Program. The State Department provides policy  oversight and funds this training, which is intended to build rule-of-law  institutions, and includes general law enforcement and anticrime  training for foreign nationals.
section_title: Programs and Activities to Disrupt and Destroy Terrorist Organizations Abroad
paragraphs: State conducts numerous programs and activities intended to disrupt and  destroy terrorist organizations. These programs and activities rely on  military, multilateral, economic, law enforcement, and other capacities, as  the following examples illustrate:  The Bureau of Political-Military Affairs coordinates with Department of  Defense on military cooperation with other countries. It has been State’s  liaison with the coalition supporting Operation Enduring Freedom,  processing 72 requests for military assistance from coalition partners  since September 11, 2001.
The Bureau of International Organization Affairs helped craft and adopt  United Nations Security Council Resolution 1373, obligating all member  nations to fight terrorism and report on their implementation of  the  resolution. It also assisted with resolutions extending U.N. sanctions on  al Qaeda and the Taliban and on certain African regimes, including those  whose activities benefit terrorists.
The Department of State’s Office of the Coordinator for  Counterterrorism, the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law  Enforcement, and the Economic Bureau work with the Department of  the Treasury and other agencies to stem the flow of money and other  material support to terrorists. According to the State Department, since  September 11, the United States has blocked $34.3 million in terrorist  related assets.
The Office of the Legal Advisor pursues extradition and mutual legal  assistance treaties with foreign governments. The Office of the Legal  Advisor also works with the U.N. and with other nations in drafting  multilateral agreements, treaties, and conventions on counterterrorism.
The Bureau of Diplomatic Security, working with the Department of  Justice, cooperates with foreign intelligence, security, and law  enforcement entities to track and capture terrorists in foreign countries,  assist in their extradition to the United States, and block attempted  terrorist attacks on U.S. citizens and assets abroad.
The Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism, in conjunction with  the Department of Justice and other agencies, coordinates State’s role in  facilitating the arrest of suspected terrorists through an overseas arrest,  known as a rendition, when the United States lacks an extradition  treaty.
The Bureau of Diplomatic Security manages the Rewards for Justice  Program. This program offers payment for information leading to the  prevention of a terrorist attack or the arrest and prosecution of  designated individuals involved in international terrorism. These  rewards reach up to $25 million for those involved in the September 11  attacks.
The Bureau of Intelligence and Research prepares intelligence and  threat reports for the Secretary of State, high-level department officials,  and ambassadors at U.S. missions. It also monitors governmentwide  intelligence activities to ensure their compatibility with U.S. foreign  policy objectives related to terrorism, and it seeks to expand the sharing  of interagency data on known terrorist suspects.
section_title: Programs and Activities to Respond to Terrorist Incidents Abroad
paragraphs: The State Department is responsible for leading the U.S. response to  terrorist incidents abroad. This includes measures to protect Americans,  minimize incident damage, terminate terrorist attacks, and bring terrorists  to trial. Once an attack has occurred, State’s activities include measures to  alleviate damage, protect public health, and provide emergency assistance.  The Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism facilitates the planning  and implementation of the U.S. government response to a terrorist incident  overseas. In a given country, the ambassador would act as the on-scene  coordinator for the response effort. (See figure 4.)
In addition, several other bureaus respond to the aftermath of a terrorist  attack and help friendly governments prepare to respond to an attack by  conducting joint training exercises.
The Bureau of Political-Military Affairs is tasked with helping to prepare  U.S. forces, foreign governments, and international organizations to  respond to the consequences of a chemical, biological, radiological, or  nuclear incident overseas. For example, the bureau is developing a  database of international assets that could be used to respond to the  consequences of a terrorist attack using weapons of mass destruction. It  also participates in major interagency international exercises, which are  led by DOD. In addition, the bureau assisted in the first operational  deployment of a U.S. consequence management task force, working  with the DOD regional command responsible for conducting the war in  Afghanistan.
Several bureaus and offices deploy emergency response teams to  respond to terrorist attacks. For example, the Office of the Coordinator  for Counterterrorism deploys multi-agency specialists in the Foreign  Emergency Support Team (FEST) to assist missions in responding to  ongoing terrorist attacks. For example, at the request of the  Ambassador, the FEST can be dispatched rapidly to the mission. As one  component of this team, the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs can  deploy a Consequence Management Support Team to assist missions in  managing the aftermath of terrorist attacks. In addition, the Bureau of  Overseas Buildings Operations Emergency Response Team helps secure  embassy grounds and restore communications following a crisis.
See appendix II for a comprehensive list of State’s programs and activities  to combat terrorism.
section_title: Activities to Coordinate U.S. Efforts to Combat Terrorism Abroad
paragraphs: The State Department is responsible for coordinating all federal agencies’  efforts to combat terrorism abroad. These include the Departments of  Defense, Justice, and the Treasury; the various intelligence agencies; the  FBI and other law enforcement agencies; and USAID. In addition, State  coordinates U.S. efforts to combat terrorism multilaterally through  international organizations and bilaterally with foreign nations. State uses a  variety of methods to coordinate its efforts to combat terrorism abroad,  including the following:  In Washington, D.C., State participates in National Security Council  interagency working groups, issue-specific working groups, and ad hoc  working groups. For example, the Office of the Coordinator for  Counterterrorism maintains policy oversight and provides leadership  for the interagency Technical Support Working Group—a forum that  identifies, prioritizes, and coordinates interagency and international  applied research and development needs and requirements to combat  terrorism.
At U.S. embassies, State implements mission performance plans that  coordinate embassy activities to combat terrorism, country team  subgroups on terrorism, emergency action committees to organize  embassy response to terrorist threats and incidents, and ad hoc working  groups. For example, selected embassies have country team subgroups  dedicated to law enforcement matters, chaired by the Deputy Chief of  Mission. Working with related bureaus and agencies such as the  Regional Security Office, FBI Legal Attaché, and Treasury Department  Financial Attaché, these subgroups coordinate efforts to combat  terrorism among the various agencies overseas.
In Washington, D.C., and elsewhere, State exchanges personnel with  other agencies for liaison purposes. In Washington, D.C., for example,  State personnel serve as liaisons at the CIA’s Counter-Terrorism Center.  The department also provides each U.S. regional military command with  a Political Advisor, who helps the respective commanders coordinate  with State Department Headquarters and with U.S. embassies on  regional and bilateral matters, including efforts to combat terrorism.
section_title: Agency Comments
paragraphs: We received written comments from the Department of State that are  reprinted in appendix III. State wrote that the report is a “useful guide” and  “good outline” of State’s activities and roles in the campaign against  terrorism. State noted that there are many more often intangible and hard- to-measure actions taking place as part of the department’s contribution to  fighting terrorism. State also provided technical comments, which we  incorporated where appropriate.
We are sending copies of this report to interested congressional  committees and to the Secretary of State. We will make copies available to  others on request. In addition, the report will be available at no charge on  the GAO Web site at http://www.gao.gov.
If you or your staff have any questions about this report, please contact me  at (202) 512-4128. Another GAO contact and staff acknowledgments are  listed in appendix IV of this report.
section_title: Department of State Organizational Chart
section_title: Department of State Programs and Activities to Combat Terrorism Abroad
paragraphs: The Department of State coordinates U.S. government efforts to combat  terrorism abroad. Within the department, multiple bureaus and offices  manage programs and activities to combat terrorism. State also works with  several U.S. and foreign government agencies in carrying out these  programs and activities. Table 2 presents the programs and activities and  the bureaus responsible for managing them. The table also presents  information about some of the U.S. government agencies with which State  cooperates. Table 2 describes:  the strategic framework of State’s efforts to combat terrorism abroad;  State’s programs and activities to prevent terrorism abroad;  State’s programs and activities to disrupt and destroy terrorist   State’s programs and activities to respond to terrorist incidents abroad.
section_title: Comments from the Department of State
section_title: GAO Contact and Staff Acknowledgments
subsections: section_title: GAO Contact
section_title: Acknowledgments
paragraphs: In addition to the contact named above, Edward George, Addison Ricks,  Steve Caldwell, Mark Pross, James Lawson, Lori Kmetz, Yolanda Elserwy,  Reid Lowe, and Cheryl Weissman made key contributions to this report.
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