Today, Congress took an important step forward in making sure that we’re developing the capabilities necessary to make America safer.
As the President’s Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Advisor, I welcome the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee markup of the FY 2015 Defense Appropriations Act. Its ultimate passage would allow us to move forward on a number of priority national security initiatives, including the Counterterrorism Partnerships Fund (CTPF).
As President Obama announced during his West Point speech in May, this new fund will help us take the fight to terrorist organizations by strengthening the capacity of our friends on the frontlines. The CTPF presents a new, sustainable model for strategic engagement with our partners from South Asia to the Sahel. Because today’s principal terrorist threats no longer emanate from al-Qa’ida central leadership but from an evolving and decentralized set of actors, we need the flexibility to develop tailored regional solutions to terrorist groups that pose the greatest threat to the United States, wherever they are located.
