Combating Terrorism: Additional Steps Needed to Enhance Foreign Partners' Capacity to Prevent Terrorist Travel
Abstract
Eliminating the threat of terrorist attacks continues to be a primary U.S. national security focus. According to the 9/11 Commission, constraining the mobility of terrorists is one of the most effective weapons in fighting terrorism. This report does the following: (1) describes key gaps the U.S. government has identified in foreign countries' capacity to prevent terrorist travel overseas, (2) evaluates how U.S. capacity-building efforts address those gaps, and (3) assesses the extent to which the U.S. government is measuring progress in its efforts to close those gaps. To identify the key gaps, GAO reviewed government-wide assessments of vulnerabilities in the international travel system. GAO reviewed the strategies and documentation of U.S. agencies funding and/or implementing foreign capacity-building efforts to prevent terrorist travel overseas, including those of the Departments of State (State) -- which coordinates U.S. efforts overseas -- Defense (DoD), Homeland Security (DHS), Justice (DOJ), and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). GAO also interviewed officials from the National Security Staff of the National Security Council (NSC), which oversees counterterrorism policy. GAO met with these agencies and conducted field work in Kenya, Pakistan, the Philippines, and Thailand. GAO has identified four key gaps in foreign countries' capacity to prevent terrorist travel overseas. GAO recommends the following: (1) that State develop a mechanism to improve coordination of various agencies' efforts to provide fraudulent travel document training to foreign partners; and (2) that NSC develop a mechanism to measure, track, and report on overall progress toward the goal of enhancing foreign partners' capacity to prevent terrorist travel overseas. State concurred with the first recommendation. NSC did not comment on the draft report.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 2011
- Accession Number
- ADA564970
Entities
People
- Amber Keyser
- Charles M. Johnson Jr.
- Eileen Larence
- Eric Erdman
- Heather Latta
- Jason Bair
- Julia Jebo
- Kevin Copping
- Martin de Alteriis
- Nina Pfeiffer
Organizations
- United States Government Accountability Office