An Examination of the U.S.’s Approaches to Terrorism Prevention Recommends Increased Federal Government Facilitation of Local Efforts

A newly published report from the RAND Corporation provides a comprehensive examination of past countering violent extremism and current terrorism prevention efforts by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and its interagency partners and explores options for this policy area going forward. A theme across many of the report’s recommendations is for the federal government to prioritize facilitating local programs and capability-building for terrorism prevention. One finding, for example, is that personnel who are based locally but who are aware of the federal picture could help to build relationships, strengthen trust, and act as on-the-ground facilitators of local terrorism prevention efforts. According to the report, this could both deliver immediate results and help to build for the longer term.