Response of Federal Government to Protect Americans From Attacks Targeting Civilians

Federal Government Response to Protect Americans From Attacks Targeting Civilians

With the rise of the Islamic state, many more people are becoming aware of global Islamist terrorism. The group's ability to carry out attacks on Western capitals is also causing concerns among security policymakers all over the world (Usher). One of the key objectives of America's national policy is to make Americans less vulnerable to terrorism and to deter terrorist attacks both home and abroad. The federal government has put in place several measures to achieve this objective (Patel). The best defense strategy is offense. The government knows this as it has come up with initiatives to prevent radicalization of American youths and thus preventing attacks that could have been carried out by such youths, had they been turned into terrorists.

Preventing VERLT (Violent Extremism and Radicalization that Lead to Terrorism), is something that requires a multiagency approach. The Justice Department, the Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Bureau of Investigations and the National Security Agency ought to work closely together to bring an end to radicalization and violent extremism. Different agencies have to fully carry out their mandates without any undue bias, if the war against terrorism is to be won. For instance, the police have a criminal justice role in countering violent extremism and radicalization, however, many more lives could be saved, if police departments acted more proactively (Bjelopera; Usher).

The federal government should also act more proactively by engaging families, communities and friends who are usually the parties that can best identify vulnerable youths and help them avoid becoming extremists (Bjelopera; Ramirez, O'Connell & Zafar, 2). The other way that the U.S. government should use to counter violent extremism is through helping prevent extremism abroad. The efforts at home should be complemented by global efforts to combat terrorism through partnership with regional powerhouses and concerned international organizations, such as the United Nations and Interpol. Approaches, such as the sharing of intelligence, joint operations, monitoring of terrorist groups and freezing the assets of suspected financiers of terrorist groups can go a long way in countering violent extremism. The U.S. government can also use its military equipments, such as drones to neutralize the ability of terrorist organizations to carry out attacks. The government is already doing this by conducting drone strikes on IS targets in Syria (Ramirez et al., 2).

Agencies in the DHS (Department of Homeland Security) should also be well funded so that they can have the ability to disrupt terrorist activities. However, despite the proven ability of national security agencies to prevent major attacks, low-capability lone wolf attacks, such as random shootings or stabbings, are difficult to prevent. This is because such attacks entail very little lead time, making them challenging to detect or even prevent (Bjelopera; Capellan, 397). The federal government should also investigate the intentions of terrorist organizations, if they are to better deter their attacks. There should be a policy on how security agencies gather, analyze and share information amongst themselves about specific threats. Once the threats have been analyzed, no efforts or resources should be spared in apprehending or neutralizing the culpable individuals (Bjelopera).