Assignment:
United States Government Options to Counter Terrorism
Over the last couple of weeks, you have focused on terrorist groups and their tactics, techniques, and capabilities. You will focus on the options available to the U.S. government to counter terrorist activity which will utilize in your policy proposal. The central focus of this assignment is your analysis that aligns the policy initiatives for your selected federal department chosen in Week Two (DHS, DOD, or DOS) to counter the tactics and capabilities of international you chose in Week Two.
Prior to beginning work on this interactive assignment, read Chapter of the Martin (2016) text, paying special attention to the tables that lay out general counterterrorism policy options available to governments. In addition, consult at least one other source to identify policy initiatives that would be effective in countering an international terrorist attack within in the United States or a U.S. interest abroad.
For portion of the interactive assignment you will refer to the table you created in Week Four. Create a new document which, through a table, depicts the tactics, techniques, and capabilities of your chosen terrorist organization you researched in Week Four. You will also include the vulnerabilities that need to be addressed by your chosen department and either propose department strategy changes or justify current strategies.
A sample document has been provided for your convenience. In addition, you may wish to access the provided Quick Start Guide on how to add colors to a table cell.
The document must contain:
Incorporation of the following from the Week Four Interactive Assignment document:
o The terrorist organization name
o The organization's location
o Socio-political structure/environment of the Terrorist Organization
o Stated Goals and Objectives of the Terrorist Organization
Additional information:
o Chosen Government Department (DHS, DOD, DOS)
o Department Counterterrorism Policy: Briefly describe the current counterterrorism policy in place.
A table which contains the following three columns:
o Left column: "Tactic, Technique, & Capability." List the attack modes from your table from the Week 4 Interactive Assignment, including the color-coding.
o Middle column: "Identified vulnerability." For each tactic, identify a vulnerability that needs to be addressed by your chosen department.
o Right column: "Proposed Department Policy Changes." Propose changes to existing policy for each tactic. If no changes are recommended, you must provide a rationale.
Once you have created the document, for your initial post, you will take on the role of a program manager in your chosen department. As such, you have learned of a credible threat from your chosen terrorist organization. Select one of the following targets: a train, a school, a high rise office building, a state Capitol building, or a cruise ship. Clearly identify your chosen international terrorist organization and describe the threat to the United States or the U.S. interests abroad. Review the government response options from the table you created, determine a course of action, and identify potential ramifications of action or inaction to this new threat. You must also use at least one or a combination of the policy options found in Chapter 13 of the Martin (2016) text when considering effective policies to counter the tactics and capabilities of your selected international terrorist organization. The policy options are:
o Antiterrorism policies to counter terrorist activity
o Use of Force Counterterrorism Options
o Repressive options other than war
o Conciliatory options other than war
o Legalistic options
Support your post with examples from required material(s) and/or other scholarly or official government sources. Cite your sources in text as well as at the end of your post. Sources must utilize APA formatting.