For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
January 22, 2004

Fact Sheet: Progress in the War on Terror

January 22, 2004

Fact Sheet: Progress in the War on Terror

Today's Presidential Action

President George W. Bush today visited the New Mexico Military

Institute to address America's leadership in the global War on

Terror.

The President today announced a 9.7% increase in government-wide

homeland security funding in his FY 2005 budget, nearly tripling the

FY 2001 levels (excluding the Department of Defense and Project

BioShield).

o The President's budget will propose increasing

counterterrorism funding through the Department of Justice to

$2.6 billion, a 19% increase over FY 2004 levels. The

additional Department of Justice resources will put more FBI

agents to work on counterterrorism activities, bringing overall

FBI funding to $5.1 billion -- a $1.9 billion (60%) increase

over FY 2001 levels. The additional resources will also

strengthen the FBI's intelligence capabilities and support the

interagency Terrorist Threat Integration Center (TTIC),

announced by President Bush in last year's State of the Union

Address.

o Since 2001, the Federal government has provided more than

$13 billion to help state and local governments prepare for

terrorism.

Over two years have passed since the last attack on American

soil, but the danger is still clear. As President Bush reminded the

Nation in his State of the Union Address, "[I]t is tempting to

believe that the danger is behind us. That hope is understandable,

comforting -- and false." President Bush, joined by a bipartisan

majority in Congress, made the decision that we would not stand by

and wait for another attack. Instead, America has taken the fight to

the terrorists.

America's steadfast resolve is paying dividends. Terrorists are

being rounded up, regimes that harbor and sponsor them have been

defeated, and states pursuing weapons of mass destruction are getting

the message. At the same time, America will redouble its efforts to

spread democracy and freedom as alternatives to terror and violence.

Background: Significant Progress in the War on Terror

Protecting Our Homeland

Under President Bush's leadership, America has made an

unprecedented commitment to homeland security, including leading the

most extensive reorganization of the Federal government in 50 years

by creating the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). DHS is

working to protect our skies, borders, ports, and critical

infrastructure as well as supporting the new intelligence mission and

providing research to develop the next generation of terrorism

countermeasures.

Before DHS was created, there were inspectors from three

different agencies of the Federal Government and Border Patrol

officers protecting our borders. Through DHS, U.S. Customs and

Border Protection (CBP) now consolidates all border activities

into a single agency to create "one face at the border." This

not only better secures the borders of the United States, but

it also eliminates many of the inefficiencies that occurred

under the old system. With over 18,000 CBP inspectors and

11,000 Border Patrol agents, CBP has 29,000 uniformed officers

on our borders.

Since September 11, 2001, the Coast Guard has conducted

more than 124,000 port security patrols, 13,000 air patrols,

boarded more than 92,000 vessels, interdicted over 14,000

individuals attempting to enter the United States illegally,

and created and maintained more than 90 Maritime Security

Zones.

In less than a year, over 45,000 Federal security screeners

were hired, trained, and deployed at America's airports. All

people and their baggage are now being professionally inspected

prior to flying.

Information regarding nearly 100% of all containerized

cargo is carefully screened by DHS before it arrives in the

United States. Higher risk shipments are physically inspected

for terrorist weapons and contraband prior to being released

from the port of entry.

Advanced technologies are being deployed to identify

warning signs of chemical, biological, or radiological attacks.

Since September 11, 2001, hundreds of thousands of first

responders across America have been trained to recognize and

respond to the effects of a WMD attack.

In the past year, DHS has visited several hundred chemical

facilities in high-threat urban areas and has identified

measures to improve their security. As a result, millions of

Americans are safer today.

The Terrorist Threat Integration Center (TTIC) has been

established, integrating and analyzing terrorism threat-related

information collected domestically and abroad, ensuring that

intelligence and law enforcement entities are working in common

purpose.

The Terrorist Screening Center was established to

consolidate terrorist watchlists and provide 24/7 operational

support for thousands of Federal screeners across the country

and around the world. The Center will ensure that government

investigators, screeners, and agents are working off the same

unified, comprehensive set of anti-terrorist information -- and

that they have access to information and expertise that will

allow them to act quickly when a suspected terrorist is

screened or stopped. The Center began operations on December

1, 2003, and remains on schedule to achieve full operational

capability in 2004.

The USA PATRIOT ACT provides authorities that strengthen

law enforcement's abilities to prevent, investigate, and

prosecute acts of terror, facilitating Federal government

efforts to thwart potential terrorist activity throughout the

United States. President Bush, in his State of the Union

Address, called on Congress to take action to ensure that these

vital law enforcement tools do not expire.

Dismantling the Al-Qaida Network

Leader by leader and member by member, Al-Qaida is being hunted down in dozens of countries around the world. Of the senior al-Qaida leaders, operational managers, and key facilitators the U.S. Government has been tracking, nearly two-thirds have been taken into custody or killed. The detentions or deaths of senior al-Qaida leaders, including Khalid Shaykh Muhammad, the mastermind of 9/11, and Muhammad Atef, Usama Bin Ladin's second-in-command until his death in late 2001, have been important in the War on Terror.

Despite these successes, we cannot rest until al-Qaida has been

fully dismantled. Al-Qaida has claimed responsibility for recent

terrorist attacks in Turkey and Saudi Arabia. Al-Qaida supporters

have been arrested in the United States -- including in Buffalo, New

York, and Portland, Oregon -- a clear sign that the terrorists are

still plotting to strike America again.

Freeing the Afghan People and Denying Refuge to Terrorists

In Afghanistan, the Taliban regime, which turned the country into

a training camp for al-Qaida, has been removed from power. America

and more than 20 other allied countries are continuing operations

against Al-Qaida and Taliban elements in the region while helping the

Afghan people rebuild their nation.

More than15 million Afghan citizens have been freed from

the brutal zealotry of the Taliban. Millions of Afghan women

are experiencing freedom for the first time, and thousands of

Afghan girls are going to school -- an act that was illegal

under the Taliban regime.

The United States led the world in providing humanitarian

assistance and reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan. The U.S.

Congress passed the Afghanistan Freedom Support Act, which

authorizes $3.47 billion for Afghanistan over fiscal years

2003-2006. More than 400,000 metric tons of food have been

delivered since operations in Afghanistan began. The United

States is assisting in the repair of more than 7,000 kilometers

of roads, reconstruction of more than 70 bridges, and the

rehabilitation of over 11,000 water wells, canals, dams, and

water systems.

Security and stability are improving as the new Afghan

National Army (ANA) and the Afghan National Police grow in

size. The central government is gradually but surely extending

its authority throughout the country. And the U.S. military is

helping the Afghan people help themselves through provincial

reconstruction teams (PRTs), which carry out both

civil-military operations and security functions. Twelve ANA

battalions consisting of 6,000 troops have been trained and are

on full-time duty, with a goal of 10,000 by June 2004 and

70,000 eventually. The ANA is a disciplined fighting force

capable of conducting both combat and civil-military-affairs,

and is currently helping coalition forces hunt down remnants of

the Taliban regime.

Making Real Progress in Iraq -- the Front Lines of the War on Terror

In Iraq, the United States and its allies liberated 25 million

people from the Saddam Hussein regime. Since then, working with our

allies and the Iraqi people themselves, we have discovered:

Clear evidence that Saddam Hussein was in material breach

of UN Security Council Resolution 1441, a last chance that

promised "serious consequences" if Saddam refused full and

immediate cooperation with international weapons inspections.

Previously unknown human rights atrocities, including at

least 50 mass graves where an estimated 300,000 victims of

Saddam's vicious regime are buried; torture chambers and rape

rooms run by the Iraqi secret police; and systematic oppression

of Iraqi civilians.

More evidence of Iraq's links to international terrorism,

including first-hand accounts of high-level meetings between

Iraqi Intelligence Service officials and al-Qaida.

Working with the Iraqi people and a broad international

coalition, America is helping to bring peace, stability, and

democracy to Iraq.

Forty-five of the 55 most wanted regime members have been

captured or killed, including the dictator himself -- Saddam

Hussein. The capture of Saddam Hussein sent a powerful message

to the Iraqi people that the tyranny of the past will never

return.

America's Armed Forces are taking the offensive against

remnants of the Saddam Hussein regime and foreign terrorists,

leading over 1,600 patrols a day and conducting an average of

180 raids a week. More than 200,000 Iraqis are serving in

Iraqi security forces, including police, border patrol, and the

New Iraqi Army.

A broad coalition of nations is providing support for

efforts to stabilize and rebuild Iraq. More than 30 countries,

including 11 of the 19 NATO countries, have provided over

24,000 troops to help provide security in Iraq. The

international community has pledged at least $32 billion to

improve schools, health care, roads, water and electricity

supplies, agriculture, and other essential services. The World

Bank, International Monetary Fund, the European Union, and 38

countries have pledged to extend loans and grants to Iraq.

Other nations are contributing humanitarian assistance,

extending export credits, and reducing Iraqi debt. This

international support is crucial to improving the lives of the

Iraqi people and reversing the years of neglect under Saddam

Hussein's regime.

The Iraqi Governing Council (IGC) is leading the

transition to full Iraqi sovereignty and democracy. The IGC

will draft a "Fundamental Law" by February 28, 2004, through

which regional caucuses will select an interim legislative body

before June 2004. This interim body will then elect a

transitional Iraqi Administration to which full sovereign

powers will be conveyed by the end of June 2004. The

Fundamental Law will also contain a timetable for: formulating

a permanent constitution through a body elected by the Iraqi

people; holding a popular referendum to ratify the

constitution; and conducting elections for a new permanent

Iraqi government before the end of 2005.

Setting the Conditions for Long-Term Peace

America's steadfast resolve is paying dividends, sending a clear

signal to other nations about the consequences of developing illegal

weapons programs and supporting terror. Just last month, after

months of diplomatic negotiations, Libya voluntarily pledged to

disclose and dismantle all of its weapons of mass destruction

programs, including a uranium enrichment project for nuclear weapons.

In the long term, America's goal is not only to stabilize Iraq

and Afghanistan, but to bring freedom and democracy to those

countries and throughout the Middle East. President Bush announced

that the United States would pursue a "forward strategy of freedom"

to promote democracy throughout the Middle East. Promoting

democracy and freedom in the Middle East is a challenging

undertaking, but it is worthy of America's effort and sacrifice. As

long as freedom and democracy do not flourish in the Middle East,

that region will remain stagnant, resentful, and violent -- and serve

as an exporter of violence and terror to free nations.

President Bush believes that democracy and Islam can co-exist.

America has accomplished the task of spreading democracy where it has

not existed before, and the President believes that the advance of

freedom will increase chances for peace and security for Americans as

well as for the people of the Middle East. To support this effort,

the President proposed a doubling of funding for the National

Endowment for Democracy.