The Obama Administration has now released its Strategic Implementation Plan for Empowering Local Partners to Prevent Violent Extremism in the United States. This represents a milestone in our nation’s effort to work together collaboratively to keep our communities safe and secure.
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This article originally appeared as a blog post on the Department of Homeland Security’s website.
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At DHS, our approach to countering violent extremism (CVE) emphasizes the strength of local communities. As part of our CVE efforts, DHS works closely with our international, federal, community, state, local, and tribal partners. You can learn more about our work here. (Also see related counterterrorism stories on Breaking Gov).

One important focus of this work is to better understand behaviors, tactics, and indicators that of terrorist activity. Specifically, DHS takes a three pronged approach to CVE:

• Support and coordinate efforts to better understand the phenomenon of violent extremism, including assessing the threat it poses to the Nation as a whole and within specific communities;

• Bolster efforts to catalyze and support non-governmental, community-based programs, and strengthen relationships with communities that may be targeted for recruitment by violent extremists; and

• Disrupt and deter recruitment or individual mobilization through support for local law enforcement programs, including information-driven, community-oriented policing efforts that for decades have proven effective in preventing violent crime.

This effort is based on the simple but powerful premise that our homeland security begins with hometown security. Indeed, we believe that well-informed and -equipped families, communities, and local institutions represent the best defense against terrorist ideologies.

We must all be part of the effort to keep our families and communities, our businesses, our social networks, and our places of meeting and worship, secure and resilient.

John Cohen is Deputy Counterterrorism Coordinator and Senior Advisor to the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.

Photo caption: New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly points to pieces of a pipe bomb confiscated from alleged ‘lone wolf’ terrorist Jose Pimentel at a City Hall news conference on November 20, 2011 in New York City. Authorities say the suspect planned to detonate pipe bombs at postal facilities and police stations in New York City, as well as against U.S. military personnel returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)