US objectives

The George W. Bush administration defined the following objectives in the War on Terrorism:

  1. Defeat terrorists such as Osama Bin Laden, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and destroy their organizations
  2. Identify, locate and destroy terrorists along with their organizations
  3. Deny sponsorship, support and sanctuary to terrorists
  1. End the state sponsorship of terrorism
  2. Establish and maintain an international standard of accountability with regard to combating terrorism
  3. Strengthen and sustain the international effort to fight terrorism
  4. Work with willing and able states
  5. Enable weak states
  6. Persuade reluctant states
  7. Compel unwilling states
  8. Interdict and disrupt material support for terrorists
  9. Eliminate terrorist sanctuaries and havens
  4. Diminish the underlying conditions that terrorists seek to exploit
  1. Partner with the international community to strengthen weak states and prevent (re)emergence of terrorism
  2. Win the war of ideals
  5. Defend US citizens and interests at home and abroad
  1. Implement the National Strategy for Homeland Security
  2. Attain domain awareness
  3. Enhance measures to ensure the integrity, reliability, and availability of critical physical and information-based infrastructures at home and abroad
  4. Integrate measures to protect US citizens abroad
  5. Ensure an integrated incident management capability