st-effective best
practices and standards to maximize security. Where appropriate, we
will coordinate with the host country to ensure its security and
response network is adequate.

Sufficient defense is a balance between our need to accommodate the
enhanced flow of "low risk, high volume" people and goods essential to
our economic vitality, while at the same time focusing energy and
resources on the criminal, hostile and fraudulent few. It places a
premium on effective domain awareness activities, such as accurate
identification of containerized goods before they depart for the United
States.

Implementation of the U.S. Smart Borders Initiatives with Canada and
Mexico, as well as the Third Border Initiative for the Caribbean Basin,
address potential vulnerabilities in the many critical physical and
information-based infrastructures shared with our two North American
allies. Moreover, the U.S. Government's comprehensive border management
strategy will greatly enhance the ability of the U.S. to screen, verify
and process the entry of people and goods into the country.

_Objective: Integrate measures to protect U.S. citizens abroad_.
Defense of our economic vitality must be matched by increased security
of U.S. citizens abroad. The nature of the threat confronting our
citizens has expanded. U.S. citizens living or traveling abroad may now
be at greater risk as potential terrorist targets. Protective measures
must benefit facilities privately owned by U.S. interests as well as
embassies and military installations abroad. Similarly, U.S. travelers
and citizens living abroad must be provided meaningful, up-to-date, and
coordinated threat information. The Department of State will work to
enhance existing programs to inform U.S. citizens traveling or living
abroad about the potential terrorist threats.

As we continue to pursue terrorist organizations of global reach, there
may be a rise in the number of hostages taken overseas. The new policy
on U.S. citizens taken hostage abroad, which was promulgated by the
Department of State in February 2002, ensures that each incident
receives careful review at the federal level. The policy also calls for
aggressive law enforcement efforts to apprehend, prosecute, and punish
terrorists consistent with crisis resolution and force-protection
efforts. All appropriate agencies should be prepared with adequate
resources and authorities to assist in the rescue of U.S. citizens
taken hosta