Terrorists have adopted an international approach in their attacks; September 11, 2001, marked the beginning of indiscriminate terrorist’s attacks. Terrorists have shifted their mode of operations from the initial traditional operation to a globally well organized and funded groups such as al-Qaida (Howard, 2016) which has forced the FBI have had to adopt a combative strategy to be able to deal with this.
The prior administrative strategies that FBI used to combat external terrorists was to stopping them from entering into America to carry out their attack from within. They did this by thoroughly screening people entering the United States through the airports and its borders. This strategy used to work before when terrorists were not well organized and funded.
However after multiple attacks such as the 9/11 attack on the United States soil, the attack on the US embassy in Nairobi and Dar-es-Salaam in 1998, and the attack on USS Cole In Yemen in 2001; meant that the strategy used to combat terrorism had to be reviewed and changed. Fighting terrorism is a worldwide catastrophe that calls for unity among the various state agencies to fight it at its roots. Terrorists also have technologically sophisticated devices to communicate both locally and globally in carrying out their attacks.
Furthermore, terrorists are well funded through drug businesses, kidnapping of tourists worldwide, pirate activities such as hijacking ships in the oceans which forms major part of their funding. Such amount of funding has enabled terrorists to easily access weapons of mass destruction unlike in the past. There has been an increased production of chemical, radiological, biological and nuclear explosives. This means that the old strategies used before cannot deal with the new version of terrorism since it has evolved.
The best strategy FBI should adopt to deal with terrorism in the current age is the combative approach; this involves directly striking terrorism in the slightest sign. Frequent attacks will distort their organization and will leave no place for them to hide and regroup. The agency should use technology to identify and locate terrorists through facial recognition algorithms and also to use technology where necessary to eliminate them. Terrorism takes advantage of individuals’ poverty and spiritual ignorance to recruit its members.
Adopting combative strategy will bear positive impacts since there will be reduced chances of occurrence of terrorist activities within the country (Howard, 2016). It will also lead to a reduced strain on resources because it advocates for a collaborative effort with other nations state agencies in combatting terrorism. The use of technology to eliminate terrorists also will help in reducing the chances the organization officers being killed; this is unlike before where the officers had to combat face to face with criminals. Furthermore, this strategy will instil trust regarding the organization both internally and globally since its presence will be felt.
The FBI is the most equipped criminal agency in the world with a large pool of resources such as post-modern technology and innovations that deal with terrorism threats inside and outside the country (Wasko-Owsiejczuk, 2015). However, many changes can still be legislated and implemented for the agency to be more efficient and effective, for instance, taking training programs more serious and having a national plan of educating the public about terrorism.
The organization should channel its financial resources in the establishment of its intelligence fusion centre that will be helpful in the collection, analysis and characterization of terrorism information which will then help in knowing the cause and eventually coming up with control measures. The centres can be developed in terrorism hotspots all over the world with the aid of willing governments to promote the multinational effort of dealing with the issue. Reasonable amount of funds should be channelled to the centres to help in bringing in ultra-modern types of equipment and promoting high intelligence terrorism analysis that will assist in curbing the problem.
The agency should also take an effort in the training of its specialized agents and other members of the human resource team by giving them information on all aspects of terrorism including biological, chemical or nuclear information that will help in protecting the public from terrorism and increasing safety. Knowledge about explosives is very helpful to the agents and members of the public because currently, most terrorism is executed through the act of suicide bombing attacks that can be prevented with right knowledge and skill (Morello 2013). The agency can also come up with simpler protocols that can be easily implemented in the onset of terrorist activity. The agents can be empowered in identification, recording and reporting of potential terrorist activities by embracing the ‘all crimes’ approach that requires everybody in the agency to be vigilant.
The agency should also mobilize its grants towards embracing of new technology and communication tools such as the internet in the field of modern terrorism. Social media is the latest tool that famous terrorist groups such as ISIS use in cultivating fear among people around the world. Therefore, the agency should come up with a working strategy in accumulating latest technological resources to gain an advantage over terrorist groups. Modern detection technologies can be acquired by the agency to help in the packaging and transmission of data and hence reducing terrorist threats.
Conclusion
The Federal Bureau of Investigations can improve its counterterrorism efficiency through the embracing of an administration paradigm shift that will be important in eliminating terrorism within and without the country. The resources can be adequately strategized to ensure that agency can deliver its functions in addressing the delicate issue of terrorism.
References
Howcroft, J. (2016). The Strategy and Tactics of Terrorism. Combating Transnational Terrorism, 33-48. doi:10.11610/ctt.ch03
Morello, L. (2013). US budget deal would ease science agencies’ pain. Terrorism. doi:10.1038/nature.2013.14356
Waśko-Owsiejczuk, E. (2015). National Security Letters — A Controversial FBI Tool to Fight Terrorism. Internal Security IS, 7(2), 51-70. doi:10.5604/20805268.1208086
What is the Main Cause of a Heart Attack? What is its Solution? A heart attack is the blockage of… Read More
In the vast economic arena, one term that often takes center stage, inciting extensive debates and discussions, is the "debt… Read More
De-Dollarization: The Changing Face of Global Finance The financial landscape is in a state of flux, with an intriguing economic… Read More
The curtains closed on a dramatic Bundesliga season with Bayern Munich standing tall once again, clinching their 11th straight title.… Read More
The Unfolding Story of Celine Dion's Health In recent news that has left fans across the globe stunned, iconic singer… Read More
As the echoes of the recent NBA season start to fade, the attention of enthusiasts is firmly glued to one… Read More
View Comments
Thanks for supplying your information references. With respect to adapting, adjusting or modifying their strategy or approach to dealing with terrorism, domestic and internationl, I think all of our law enforcement agencies, including but not limited to the FBI, who have national security as an integral component of their mission statement, have “a plan”. I am not privy to their information. It's just a confident assumption based on an educated guess, having had my own experience working for a federal law enforcement agency.