Countering Terrorism

Countering Terrorism

Terrorist groups such as ISIS, al-Qa’ida, and Hizballah continue to plot attacks against the United States and our allies and partners. As the threats posed by these organizations continue to evolve, the Department of State works to build global consensus to degrade and defeat these adversaries.  Through a combination of diplomatic engagement and foreign assistance, the Department works with foreign government partners to build the capabilities necessary to prevent, degrade, detect, and respond to terrorist threats.  This includes efforts to strengthen law enforcement and judicial capabilities, expand aviation and border security, deepen global information sharing, counter terrorist financing, improve crisis response, and counter violent extremism.  Through its global engagement, the State Department promotes greater burden sharing to address terrorist threats and encourages countries to build counterterrorism capacity in their own regions.  The State Department also works closely with the Departments of Defense, Homeland Security, Justice, Treasury, and the Intelligence Community to lead an integrated whole-of-government approach to international counterterrorism.

Read more about what specific bureaus are doing to support this policy issue:

Bureau of Counterterrorism (CT): CT promotes U.S. national security by leading the effort to defeat terrorism abroad through coordinated strategies and approaches with the cooperation of international partners. Read more about CT