FAS

Joint Doctrine: Counterterrorism, and Countering WMD

11.17.14 | 1 min read | Text by Steven Aftergood

New military doctrine from the Joint Chiefs of Staff “narrows the definition of counterterrorism” to focus on activities designed to neutralize terrorist networks. It excludes actions to “counter root causes” of terrorism, which have now been removed from the definition.

The new publication also “describes the activities of the global special operations network as it relates to CT [counterterrorism],” though without providing much detail. See Joint Publication 3-26, Counterterrorism, 24 October 2014.

Another Joint Chiefs publication introduces a revised framework for “Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction,” replacing the former “combating weapons of mass destruction”. See Joint Publication 3-40, 31 October 2014.