2026 White House Counterterrorism Strategy Overview

This strategy dictates the operational priorities for U.S. security agencies, including the targeting of specific foreign organizations and domestic groups, and shifts diplomatic engagement with African nations by linking security cooperation to trade rather than social policy.

• •The strategy prioritizes the neutralization of hemispheric terror threats, specifically targeting criminal cartel operations.
• •The administration aims to remove cartel and gang members who entered the U.S. during the Biden administration.
• •The U.S. will use Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) designations to restrict the commercial and logistical networks of cartels.
• •The strategy targets the top five Islamist terror groups, including al-Qaeda, ISIS, AQAP, and ISIS-K.
• •The Muslim Brotherhood was officially designated as a terrorist organization in January 2026.
• •The administration plans to depoliticize security agencies and prioritize the neutralization of violent left-wing extremist groups, specifically naming Antifa.
• •A 'special strategic category' is established to combat the non-state acquisition of weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear or radiological devices.
• •The strategy seeks to neutralize the Iranian regime's influence and its proxy groups, including Hamas, Hezbollah, Iraqi Shiite militias, and the Houthis.
• •The administration intends to rebuild bilateral counterterrorism relations with African nations by focusing on trade and commercial relations rather than social policy agendas.
• •The document claims maritime drug smuggling has decreased by over 90 percent since the initiation of drug boat strikes.