Interagency Taskforce

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Who Should Be Part of the Interagency Taskforce?
The East African region faces threats from terrorist organizations such as Al Shabab and the sympathizers of these organizations. Al Shabab has different factions that operate throughout the East African region. These factions have managed to infiltrate into the East African society where they pose as harmless residents. As the Special Assistant to the President for National Security, I am proposing a taskforce that will incorporate different agencies. The taskforce will formulate policy options that will address the terrorism situation in the East African region.
The taskforce will comprise of agencies such as intelligence agencies, aid agencies, and the Department of Defense, Federal Bureau …show more content…

The Secretary of Defense will represent the department in the taskforce. The Secretary of Defense is important to the taskforce because the secretary exercises control over the administrative and operational control of the country’s military. The secretary can also authorize the country’s combatant commands, including the African Command. The FBI will be included in the taskforce because it is the country’s leading counterintelligence, counterterrorism, and criminal investigative organization. The bureau also plays a crucial role in supporting national security functions (Hastedt 212). The Director of the FBI Counterterrorism Division will represent the FBI in the taskforce. The director will provide additional information on terrorism activities in the East African region and track known terrorists in the region. The Department of Homeland Security will be included in the taskforce because of the recognition of the threat of the Al Shabab and its sympathizers to the country’s internal security. The objective of the DHS will be to collect information on cash out-flow from the U.S to the East African region. A significant percentage of remittance from the U.S to …show more content…

Drones are effective in the elimination of threats without risking ground military personnel. They have successfully been used to eliminate threats in Somalia and other hotspots such as Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Syria. Increased marine surveillance will help in the elimination or reduction of the activities of pirates in the region (Pillar 53). Marine surveillance in cooperation with allies will help in capturing pirates and reduce, the sources of income from piracy. Captured pirates can also provide information about terrorists in Somalia. Increasing humanitarian aid to Somalia will help in the reduction of the impact of terrorism on civilians. Somalis and other East Africans have borne the brunt of Al Shabab terrorists. They need assistance to recover from terrorism, lack of leadership, and poverty. The taskforce should consider policies that seek to strength democracy and democratic institutions within the region. The strengthening of these institutions can help in the provision of leadership to the residents and elimination of terrorism. Terrorism in East African thrives in Somalia because of the leadership vacuum in the country. The policy to strength democracy will ensure that residents participate in leadership and change their perception on radicalism. In response to increased Al Shabab terrorist activities, the African Union has

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