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KEEPING WMD OUT OF TERRORISTS’ HANDS: President Donald J. Trump is releasing a new National Strategy for Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) Terrorism.

  • President Trump’s new strategy will focus on deterrence, detection, and disruption.
  • The strategy emphasizes on preventing terrorists from conducting WMD attacks and deterring hostile states and individuals from assisting them. This will include:
    • Making acquisition of WMD and associated materials as difficult as possible.
    • Strengthening our defenses to a degree that such terrorist attacks will be unsuccessful.
    • Deterring state and individual support for WMD terrorism.
  • The President’s strategy addresses the need to disrupt and degrade the technical capabilities of terrorists plotting WMD attacks.
  • The United States will make investments to identify and protect against technological trends that may enable terrorists to develop, acquire, or use WMD.
  • Educational campaigns and other efforts will seek to increase the preparedness of State, local, tribal, and territorial governments, as well as our citizens.
  • Given the potential global effects of WMD terrorism, the United States will assist other countries where necessary to build their capacity to combat this growing threat.

COUNTERING THIS GROWING THREAT: The Trump Administration is taking these new aggressive steps to counter the growing threat posed by WMD terrorism.

  • Despite decades of efforts, past approaches have insufficiently mitigated the WMD threat to the United States.
  • Over the past 40 years, multiple groups have attempted to develop WMD and, in some cases, have successfully used them against military and civilian targets.
    • ISIS, for instance, has used sulfur mustard, chlorine, and other toxic chemicals on the battlefield.
  • Technology has enabled terrorists to more easily acquire the capability to use WMD.
  • Past terrorist attacks suggest that terrorists would not hesitate to use WMD should they acquire them.
  • Without our intervention, the historical trend indicates that the development and use of WMD by terrorists will continue to increase at a significant rate.

DEFENDING THE AMERICAN PEOPLE: President Donald J. Trump is committed to defending the American people from the threat of terrorism and WMD.

  • President Trump’s new strategy to combat WMD terrorism is just the latest in a string of efforts to increase the defense and security of the American people.
  • In September, President Trump urged the United Nations Security Council to counter the proliferation of chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons.
  • This year, the Trump Administration has released other new strategies on counterterrorism, biodefense, and cybersecurity to address the wide-ranging threats our country faces.

Read the strategy here.