Research Paper on Counterterrorism and Organized Crime Operations

Introduction

Over the past few years, members of organized criminal gangs and terrorist groups continue to issue threats and conduct attacks on unsuspecting civilians. These groups have evolved and continue to expand their membership and capability through the use of improved technology. This paper focuses on counterterrorism and organized crimes measures that have been undertaken by the government of the United States of America (USA).

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The Role of the FBI

The Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) is the lead agency responsible for counter-terrorism investigations in the USA. The office of the Attorney General gives the Director of the FBI the mandate to investigate crimes connected to terrorist activity (Pjelopra, 2013). The FBI is not only an intelligence agency but also a law enforcement agency.

Functions of the Director of National Intelligence Regarding Terrorism and Organized Crime (DNI)

The is appointed by the president subject to consultation with the Senate. His function as chairperson of the intelligence community is mostly advisory in nature. He advises the president on matters that relate to national security. He also issues advisory opinions to the National Security Council (NSC) as well as the Homeland Security Council. In January 2012, for example, the DNI issued a report to the USA Security Council to the effect that organized crimes and terrorism activities ranked among the most serious national security issues. He went further to outline the specific areas of concern (Rollins & Wyler, 2013).The DNI also has the responsibility of overseeing the implementation of the National Intelligence Program.

Tactics Employed by Terrorist Gangs

Domestic Terrorist Groups

Domestic terrorist groups have resorted to criminal activity, especially drug trafficking to finance their operations. These gangs are mostly committed to overthrowing the government. Its members have exhibited a desire to govern themselves and have no allegiance to the law or public order. They continue to radicalize individuals in a bid to increase their membership. This practice is common especially in prisons where there are plenty of disoriented inmates who are susceptible to radicalization and are receptive to anti-USA teachings (Organized Crime in California Annual Report to the Legislature, 2010). This form or radicalization is difficult to eradicate and has recently attracted the attention of law enforcement agencies.

International Terrorist Gangs

The major international terrorist groups are Al-Q'aida and Al Shabaab. These groups are responsible for mounting armed conflict in defense of Islam and are usually funded by their sympathizers across the globe. In so doing, they have perennially waged war against western countries especially the United States of America, Britain, and Israel. In recent years, Al-Q'aeda has resorted to recruiting members of non-Middle Eastern descent as these are harder to identify by law enforcement agencies. It is not uncommon, for example, to find a member of Al-Qaeda of American or Asian descent (Organized Crime in California Annual Report to the Legislature, 2010). Although Al-Qaeda has significantly become weaker since the death of Osama Bin Laden, its founder, there have been upcoming smaller terrorist groups emulating its example. These smaller groups require fewer resources to run their operations. These developments have posed a real challenge to law enforcement agencies as smaller groups are flexible and more difficult to detect. Al-Shabaab, on the other hand, is an extremist group focused on establishing an Islamic state in Somalia by eradicating all foreigners from the land. Although Al-Shabaab has been recruiting members from the United States, it doesn't pose a big threat to the government as its members have recently focused their energies within Somalia's borders to help establish the transitional government.

Counterterrorist and Counter Organized Crime Methods Available to the United States

In recent years, the FBI has enacted reforms to enable it to conduct intelligence activity rather than merely carrying out investigations into terrorist attacks. These reforms will enable it to convert itself from a reactive law enforcement agency to a more proactive, agile agency capable of offering preventive solutions to terrorism and organized crimes (Bjelopera, 2013). For the FBI to increase its capability to combat terrorist activity, the US Congress needs to enhance its collaboration with other law enforcement agencies as well as enhance its predictive capacity as regards terrorist activity. The Congres should consider increasing access to information about specific Joint Terrorism Task Force investigations (JTTF).The FBI also needs to collaborate with the Department of Homeland Security and other law enforcement agencies to enhance access to information to enable them to tackle emerging difficult threats (Bjelopera, 2013). The Congress also needs to increase funding for the FBI and other law enforcement agencies dedicated to combating crime related activity (Finklea, 2010). The above reforms will ensure preparedness in dealing with upcoming terrorist attacks.

Conclusion

Other measures that could be adopted in combating terrorism activity should include a disruption of the connection between terrorism and crime. These include efforts to ensure a reduction in the distribution of illicit drugs as well as a mitigation of the size and influence of these criminal organizations across the country. Such efforts require cooperation with the international community to block any financial assistance offered to these terrorist gangs (Rollins and Wyler, 2013).

The government of USA has come a long way in combating criminal activity to ensure security to its citizens. The above recommendations will empower the FBI as an intelligence agency and enable it to put in place preventive measures for emerging terrorism and organized criminal activities.

References

Bjelopera, J.P. (2013) The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Terrorism Investigations

Specialist in Organized Crime and Terrorism [online] p. 1, 25 & 26

Available at https://fas.org/sgp/crs/terror/R41780.pdf[Accessed 5 Mar. 2018].

Finklea, K. (2010). Organized crime in the united states, trends and issues for Congress, [online] p.25. Available at: https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R40525.pdf [Accessed 5 Mar. 2018].

Kamala, H. (2010). Organized Crime in California. Trends in Organized Crime, [online] 10(3), pp.37-49.

Available at: https://oag.ca.gov/sites/all/files/agweb/pdfs/publications/org_crime2010.pdf[Accessed 5 Mar. 2018].

Rollins J. and Wyler L.S. (2013). Terrorism and Transnational Crime: Foreign Policy Issues for Congress [online] p.2. Available at: https://fas.org/sgp/crs/terror/R41004.pdf[Accessed 5 Mar. 2018].