NATIONAL STRATEGY FOR COUNTERING DOMESTIC …

1 NATIONALSTRATEGYFORCOUNTERINGDOMESTICTER RORISMJUNE2021 NATIONALSECCOUNCILTHEWHITEHOUSEWASHINGTO NT oooftenoverthepastseveralyears, ,anditposesadirectchallengetoAmerica'sna tionalsecurity,ourdemocracy, ,threatenspublicsafety, ,local,tribal,andterritorialgovernmentsa ndincivilsociety,theprivatesector,academ ia,andlocalcommunities, ,whichbelongtoallAmericansinequalmeasure , ' ,overcenturies, ,forexample,theKuKluxKlanwagedacampaigno fterrortointimidateBlackvotersandtheirwh itesupportersanddeprivethemofpoliticalpo wer, ,wehaveseenaresurgenceofthisandrelatedth reatsinonehorrificincidentafteranother:t heshootingandkillingof23peoplearetailsto reinElPaso;thevehicularkillingofapeacefu lprotestorinCharlottesville;theshootinga ndkillingofthreepeopleatagarlicfestivali nGilroy;thearsoncommittedamosqueinVictor ia,Texas;theappallingriseinviolenceandxe nophobiadirectedagainstAsianAmericans;th esurgeinanti-Semitism; , , , ,ananti-authorityviolentextremistambushe d,shot, , ,onJanuary6,2021, ' , ,JointTerrorismTaskForces,nowanationwide stapleofFederal,state,local,tribal,andte rritoriallawenforcementcooperationagains tallformsofterrorism,werecreatedtomaximi zeinformationsharingandaddressthefullran geofterrorismthreats, 'srootsandelementsofourresponsemaybelong standing, , elevated ' ,2021(seepage10).

2 Today'sdomesticterroristsespousearangeof violentideologicalmotivations, ,fromloneactorsandsmallgroupsofinformall yalignedindividuals,tonetworksexhortinga ndtargetingviolencetowardspecificcommuni ties,toviolentself-proclaimed"militias who,despitelegalprohibitionsinallfiftyst atesagainstcertainprivatemilitiaactivity , ,individualsandsmallgroupsbothformalandi nformal ,raciallyorethnicallymotivatedviolentext remists(principallythosewhopromotethesup eriorityofthewhiterace) 'ssecurityandAmerica'svalues, ,responsibly, ,includingtheFederalBureauofInvestigatio n;bolsteringeffortsthataddressdomesticte rrorismacrosstheFederalGovernmentandrene wingpartnershipswithstate,local,tribal,a ndterritorialgovernmentsaswellascivilsoc iety,theprivatesector,andbeyond; ,moreover, ,inciting, , :theunlawfulviolencethatconstitutesdomes ticterrorismistheresultofacomplex, 'SSECURITYANDAMERICA'Swillnotignorethose dynamics, ' ,thisisaStrategyspecificallyfocusedonthe terroristviolencethat,alltoooften, , ,today'sdomesticterrorismthreatposesadan gertoAmericans,ourdemocraticsocietyandou rnationalsecuritythatwemustcounteraggres sively,comprehensively, , ' ' as activitiesthatinvolveactsdangeroustohuma nlifethatareaviolationofthecriminallawso ftheUnitedStatesorofanyState;appeartobei ntendedtointimidateorcoerceacivilianpopu lation,toinfluencethepolicyofagovernment byintimidationorcoercion,ortoaffecttheco nductofagovernmentbymassdestruction,assa ssination,orkidnapping;andoccurprimarily withintheterritorialjurisdictionoftheUni tedStates.

3 Overtime, 'sdomesticterrorismthreat,asassessedcomp rehensivelybyintelligenceandlawenforceme ntprofessionalsinearly2021, ,onekeyaspectoftoday'sdomesticterrorismt hreatemergesfromraciallyorethnicallymoti vatedviolentextremistsandnetworkswhosera cial,ethnic,orreligioushatredleadsthemto wardviolence, ,butmanyfocustheirviolencetowardsthesame segmentorsegmentsoftheAmericancommunity, whetherpersonsofcolor,immigrants,Jews,Mu slims,otherreligiousminorities,womenandg irls,LGBTQI+individuals, ,attimes, ,attimes,belessexplicit,lurkinginideolog iesrootedinaperceptionofthesuperiorityof thewhiteracethatcallforviolenceinfurther anceofperverseandabhorrentnotionsofracia l purity or 'sthreatincludesself-proclaimed ;anarchistviolentextremists,whoviolently opposeallformsofcapitalism,corporateglob alization,andgoverninginstitutions,which theyperceiveasharmfultosociety;sovereign citizenviolentextremists,whobelievetheya reimmunefromgovernmentauthorityandlaws.

4 Oranyother8 NATIONALSTRATEGYFORCOUNTERINGDOMESTICTER RORISM individualorgroupwhoengagesinviolenceori ncitesimminentviolence-inoppositiontoleg islative,regulatory, ,animalrights-,environmental-,orinvolunt arycelibate-violentextremism,aswellasoth ergrievances , , ,evolving, ,insomeinstances, ,attimes,rapidnatureofsuchmobilizationto violenceposesaparticularlyacutechallenge tolawenforcementandothersseekingtopreven t,disrupt, ,file-uploadsites,andend-to-endencrypted platforms, 'sdigitalageaswellaslongstandingrootsind omesticterrorismchallengesthroughoutourc ountry' (IC)assessesthatdomesticviolentextremist s( , ,conditionsrelatedtotheCOVID-19pandemic, , (RMVEs)andmilitiaviolentextremists(prese ntthemostlethalDVEthreats, ,smallerwebsiteswithtargetedaudiences,an dencryptedchatapplicationstorecruitnewad herents,planandrallysupportforinpersonac tions, ,includingescalatingsupportfrompersonsin theUnitedStatesorabroad,growingperceptio nsofgovernmentoverreachrelatedtolegalorp olicychangesanddisruptions,andhigh-profi leattacksspurringfollow-onattacksandinno vationsintargetingandattacktacticsDVElon eoffenderswillcontinuetoposesignificantd etectionanddisruptionchallengesbecauseof theircapacityforindependentradicalizatio ntoviolence,abilitytomobilizediscretely, ,responsibly,andenduringlyrequiresmoving swiftlybutsustainably;creativelybutcaref ully.))

5 ,suchasthosethatbelongtotheDepartmentofJ ustice,includingtheFederalBureauofInvest igation, , ,thisStrategydemandsthatthebroaderFedera lGovernmentcoordinateandcollaborateonpro grammaticaspectsofcounteringdomesticterr orism,suchasinformationsharing,training, prevention, ,whileprotectingthespecificworkoflawenfo rcementthatmustbeleftwhollytoappropriate lawenforcemententities,whetherFederal,st ate,local,tribal, ,local,tribal,andterritorialgovernments, aswellasforeignalliesandpartners,civilso ciety,thetechnologysector,academia, ,expertise,analysis, ,theFederalGovernmentcanenergize,connect , ,wewillfocusspecificallyonviolenceandfac torswhichcontributetoitwhilerespectingci vilrights,civilliberties,andprivacyprote ctions, ,aswellasotherlaw,protectsawiderange12 NATIONALSTRATEGYFORCOUNTERINGDOMESTICTER RORISM ofexpressionevenexpressionthatmanymightd isagreewithorfindabhorrent, ; ,however,aregenerallyneithertoleratednor protected;indeed,violenceisgenerallycrim inal, ,tonationalsecurity,andtothegenuinefreee xpressionofideasindeed, , domesticterrorism inourlawmakesnodistinctionbasedonpolitic alviewsleft,right, , , , ,disrupting, ,includingincitementtoimminentviolenceon line,sometransnationallinkages,andcertai nselfproclaimedprivate militia activitythat,tovaryingdegrees, ,inpart,ameanstoachievingthefirstobjecti veofpreventingtheviolenceitselfandhandli ngthethreatswefacetoday.

6 Butitmustalsobeitsownobjective, ,pursuingthegoalofpreventing,disrupting, ,whichcanhelptoavoidpreciselythatoverrea ctionandinsteadthwartterrorists' ,broaderstill,cultivatingthetypeofdigita lliteracythatcanempowertheAmericanpublic toresistthosewhowoulduseonlinecommunicat ionsplatformsandothervenuestorecruit,rad icalize, , 'sdomesticterrorismthreatiscomplex,multi faceted, ,implementedinanintegratedmanneracrossre levantpartsoftheFederalGovernmentandincl osecoordinationwithnon-Federalpartners, ' ,implementationofthisStrategywillproceed inparallelwith, 'sshiftinganddiversedomesticterrorismthr eat, ,withsupportfromtheNationalCounterterror ismCenterandothersasappropriate, ,moreover,willbenefitfromincreasedexplor ationofpubliclyavailable,threat-relatedi nformation, ,acomprehensiveunderstandingofthedomesti cterrorismthreatlandscaperequiresfacilit atingasystematicprovisionofinformationan ddatatotheappropriatepartsoftheFederalGo vernmentfromstate,local,tribal, , ,local,tribal,andterritorialpartners, , ' ,andconsistentwithcivillibertiesandpriva cyprotections,theDepartmentofHomelandSec uritywillintroduceanewsystematicapproach forutilizingpertinentexternal,non-govern mentalanalysisandinformationthatwillprov ideenhancedsituationalawarenessoftoday' ,whereappropriate,specializedareasandtyp esofanalysis.

7 IMPROVEINFORMATIONSHARINGACROSSALLLEVELS WITHIN,ASWELLASOUTSIDE, , ,wewillcontinuesharinginformationwidelya crosstheFederalenterprise,including,asno tedabove, ,theFederalGovernmentmustconstantlyupdat eandadvanceitseffortstosharerelevantinfo rmationexternally,assomeofthefirsttoiden tifyapotentialthreatofdomesticterrorisma reoftenstate,local,tribal,orterritorialp artners, ,providing,attheunclassifiedlevel,morein formation,withmoredetails, , ,fasterinformationsharingwillcontinueand expand,aswearecommittedtoensuringthatsta te,local,tribal,andterritorialpartnersre ceivenotjustwarningsofspecific,crediblet hreatsofviolencebut,whereappropriate, ,wearealsodevelopingnewresourcesaspartof ourbroaderefforttoboostsupporttostate,lo cal,tribal,andterritoriallawenforcementi ntacklingdomesticterrorism,includingreso urcesthatwillcoverrelevanticonography,sy mbology, 'sinterconnectedworld,verylittleremainsw hollywithinasinglecountry'sborders, ,recruitandencouragemobilizationtoviolen ceacrossinternationalboundaries, ,andinparticularthoserelatedtoraciallyor ethnicallymotivatedviolentextremism, ,confronting, ,inconsultationwiththeDepartmentoftheTre asury,isworkingwithothercomponentsoftheF ederalGovernmentandwithourforeignalliest oassesswhetheradditionalforeignentitiesl inkedtodomesticterrorismcan,undertherele vantstatutorycriteria, ,theDepartmentoftheTreasury,incoordinati onwithlawenforcementandotherinteragencyp artners,isexploringwaystoenhancetheident ificationandanalysisoffinancialactivitya ssociatedwithdosticterroristsandtheirfor eigncounterparts,aswellasenhancingengage mentwithfinancialinstitutionsondomestict erroristfinancing, ,andarenowimplementing, ' ,capturingitinwrittenreporting, ,whereappropriate, 'challengesandsuccessesindisruptingplots andrespondingtoattacks, ,LOCAL,TRIBAL.

8 ANDTERRITORIALPARTNERSBYPROVIDINGMOREINF ORMATION,WITHMOREDETAILS, ,theintelligenceandlawenforcementcommuni tieswillenhancethegovernment'sunderstand ingofhowforeignmaligninfluenceoperations andthedisseminationofdisinformation,incl udingbyforeigngovernments, 'scoordinatedactivitiestorecognize,under stand, , ,illuminatingthetransnationalcontextrele vanttoaspectsoftoday'sdomesticterrorismt hreatcan,inappropriatecircumstances, ,thefullrangeoftoolsapplicabletoundersta ndinginternationalterrorismthreatsbecome potentiallyavailable, ,wherethefactsandlawsupporttheiruse,inan ideologicallyneutral, ,abetter,moreholistic,andcoordinatedunde rstandingofandinformationsharingontoday' , , ,includingprivacyprotections,andwhileavo idingdiscrimination,bias, , , ,ourapproachtodomesticterrorismpreventio ndrawsontheexpertise,experience, , ,theDepartmentofHomelandSecurityandother sareeithercurrentlyfundingandimplementin gorplanningevidencebaseddigitalprogrammi ng,includingenhancingmedialiteracyandcri ticalthinkingskills, ,EXPERIENCE, ,educational, ,inaddition, ,families,andlocalcommunitieswithresourc estoreducetheriskfromindividualswhomaypo seadangertothemselvesorothers, ,moreover, ' , ,theNationalCounterterrorismCenter,Feder alBureauofInvestigation,andDepartmentofH omelandSecuritywillreleasepubliclyanewed itionoftheFederalGovernment' ,synthesizing,andpublicizinginformationo nresearch,grants,technicalassistanceandt raining,andotherFederalresourcesthatcanh elptoadvancedomesticterrorismprevention, ,HealthandHumanServices,Education,andHom elandSecurity,departmentsandagenciesarew orkingtodevelopaneasilyaccessibleandnavi gableone-stopwebsitetoincreasethetranspa rencyandaccessibilityofsuchresourcestoab roadrangeofstakeholders.

9 Includingcommunity-basedorganizations,st ateandlocalpartners,academicsandresearch ers, , ,includingsocialmedia,gamingplatforms,fi le-uploadsites,andend-to-endencryptedcha tplatforms, , ,suchascybersecurity,internationalterror ism, , ,especiallythetechnologysector, ,aswellasonend-to-endencryptedplatformsw heresuchmaterialcanbehardertoidentify, 'sdigitalagerequiresanAmericanpopulation thatcanutilizeessentialaspectsofInternet -basedcommunicationsplatformswhileavoidi ngvulnerabilitytodomesticterroristrecrui tmentandotherharmfulcontentdeliberatelyd isseminatedbymaliciousactorsonline,sucha sinternationalterroristgroupslikeal-Qa' ,wewillpursueinnovativewaystofosterandcu ltivatedigitalliteracyandrelatedprograms , , ,includingtheFederalBureauofInvestigatio n, 'seffortstoaddressthethreatofdomesticter rorism,includingbyconductinginvestigatio nsandprosecutionswherethelawandthefactsm akethosestepsappropriate,andtheFederalBu reauofInvestigationremainstheleadFederal lawenforcementandintelligenceagencyforin vestigatingallformsofterrorism, ,investigatory,andprosecutorialwork, , 'sFiscalYear2022 Budgetincludessignificantadditionalresou rcesfortheDepartmentofJusticeandFederalB ureauofInvestigationtoensurethattheyhave theanalysts,investigators, , , ' , , 'sOfficehastheexpertise,training, ,incoordinationwithinteragencypartners,w illcontinuetosupportlawenforcementaction againstdomesticterroristsandtheirforeign supportersthroughtheprovisionoffinancial intelligence,information, ,itisoftenstate,local,tribal,andterritor iallawenforcementthatserveasthefirstline ofdefenseagainstdomesticterrorismincommu nitiesacrosstheUnitedStates, ,itisessentialthatweempowerthesevitalnon -Federalpartnerstoeffectivelyaddresstoda y'sdomesticterrorismthreatandtoanticipat etomorrow' ,local,tribal, ,FederalBureauofInvestigation.

10 AndDepartmentofHomelandSecurity,withsupp ortfromtheNationalCounterterrorismCenter , ,includingthroughthedevelopmentofmobilea pplicationsdesignedtoprovideabroaderreac htononon-Federallawenforcementpartners, ,Federallawenforcementisofferingenhanced domesticterrorism-relatedresourcesandtra iningtostate,local,tribal, ,NationalCounterterrorismCenter,andDepar tmentofHomelandSecurity,forexample,arede velopingstrategiestoprovideenhancedtrain ingondomesticterrorismiconography,symbol ogy,andphraseology,andinformationonhowto recognizepotentialindicatorsofmobilizati ontodomesticterrorism,includingthroughth eexistingJointCounterterrorismAssessment TeamFir