d the ease of intercontinental
transportation enable terrorist organizations to more easily acquire,
manufacture, deploy, and initiate a WMD attack either on U.S. soil or
abroad.

While new instruments of terror such as cyber attacks are on the rise,
and other conventional instruments of terror have not diminished, the
availability and potential use of a WMD is in a category by itself.

We know that some terrorist organizations have sought to develop the
capability to use WMD to attack the United States and our friends and
allies. Motivated by extreme, even apocalyptic ideologies, some
terrorists' ambitions to inflict mayhem seem unlimited. The Aum
Shinrikyo's unsuccessful efforts to deploy biological weapons and its
lethal 1995 sarin gas attack in the Tokyo subway provided an early
warning of such willingness to acquire and use WMD. In 1998, Usama bin
Laden proclaimed the acquisition of WMD a "religious duty," and
evidence collected in Afghanistan proves al-Qaida sought to fulfill
this "duty." The threat of terrorists acquiring and using WMD is a
clear and present danger. A central goal must be to prevent terrorists
from acquiring or manufacturing the WMD that would enable them to act
on their worst ambitions.

+Summary+

While terrorism is not new, today's terrorist threat is different from
that of the past. Modern technology has enabled terrorists to plan and
operate worldwide as never before. With advanced telecommunications
they can coordinate their actions among dispersed cells while remaining
in the shadows. Today's terrorists increasingly enjoy a
force-multiplier effect by establishing links with other like-minded
organizations around the globe. Now, with a WMD capability, they have
the potential to magnify the effects of their actions many fold. The
new global environment, with its resultant terrorist interconnectivity,
and WMD are changing the nature of terrorism. Our strategy's
effectiveness ultimately depends upon how well we address these key
facets of the terrorist threat.

STRATEGIC INTENT

"_We must take the battle to the enemy, disrupt his plans
and confront the worst threats before they emerge.
In the world we have entered, the only path to safety is
the path of action. And this nation will act._"

PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH

JUNE 1, 2002

The intent of our national strategy is to stop terrorist attacks
against the United States, its citizens, its interests, and our