Hearing with the U.S. Department of State's Counterterrorism Bureau

Nathan Sales, the Coordinator for Counterterrorism at the U.S. Department of State's Counterterrorism Bureau, testified before Congress at a November 14, 2018 hearing titled “Counterterrorism Bureau: Ensuring Resources Match Objectives.”

The CT Bureau is responsible for tackling transnational terrorist organizations that threaten America’s security. Their budget for FY 2019 is $237 million dollars. The funds will be spent implementing the new ‘National Strategy for Counterterrorism’ released in October 2018. The previous strategy was released in 2011.

The strategy focuses on thematic elements and offers a range of tools to counter an array of terrorist threats. The strategy also reaffirms the commitment to defeat ISIS and al-Qa’ida as well as the destructive activities of Iran -- and its proxies -- who remains the leading state sponsor of terrorism.

The six lines of effort outlined by the strategy are:

1. Pursue terrorist threats to their source;
2. Isolate terrorists from financial, material, and logistical sources of support;
3. Modernize and integrate a broader set of United States tools and authorities to counter terrorism and protect the homeland;
4. Protect United States infrastructure and enhance preparedness;
5. Counter terrorist radicalization and recruitment; and
6. Strengthen the counterterrorism abilities of international partners.

At minute 33:50 of the 72 minute hearing, Chairman Poe asks Mr. Sales about Iran's $1 billion a year spending on proxies, the relationship of the CT Bureau with South America, the number of Iranian proxies, why specific proxies have not been named as terrorist groups, about the composition of the Iraqi government, etc.



Here is an outline and other key notes from Mr. Sales' written testimony:

Outline:

• Intro
• Terrorist Threats to the United States and our Interests
• Prioritizing Targeted Assistance
• Disrupting Terrorist Travel
• Countering the Financing of Terrorism
• Countering State Sponsors of Terrorism
• Strengthening Law Enforcement Capacity and Multilateral Cooperation
• Countering the Threat of Returning FTFs and Homegrown Terrorists

Key Notes:

• 99% of ISIS-held territory in Iraq and Syria is now liberated
• Foreign terrorist fighters (FTFs) are leaving Iraq and Syria; heading home or to third countries
• al-Qa-ida's network is quietly growing, footprint includes Afghanistan, Pakistan, Syria, Mali, Yemen, Somalia, and other countries
• Iran is the leading state sponsor of terrorism; sometimes it acts though state bodies like the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' Qods Force, other times it acts through terrorist partners like Hizballah or proxies including Shia militia groups; Iran supports Palestinian terrorists in Gaza
• CT Bureau is requesting assistance for other governments so they can face these threats independently; requesting Nonproliferation, Antiterrorism, and Demining Related programs (NADR) and Economic Support Funds (ESF) in FY 2019
• Last December the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 2396
• UNSCR 2396 calls for other countries to raise standards, utilize US counterterrorism tools developed after 9/11; requires all UN members to collect and use Passenger Name Record (PNR) data; requires member states to maintain watchlists of known and suspected terrorists; calls for states to share this information
• CT Bureau increasing investments in Antiterrorism Assistance program, Terrorist Interdiction Program (TIP), and Counterterrorism Partnerships Fund (CTPF)
• The U.S. and Morocco launched the Terrorist Travel Initiative for many groups to develop international practices and share expertise on watchlisting and screening tools; working through the Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF)
• Improving and expanding Personal Identification Secure Comparison and Evaluation System (PISCES) program, through TIP
• This year, State Department has made 50 terrorist designations against groups and individuals under the Foreign Terrorist Organization and Executive Order 13224 authorities