Rep. Brian Mast Questions Counterterrorism Funding and Strategy in Africa, Asia, and Beyond

FY26 Budget Allocation for Counterterrorism

• 💰 The FY26 budget requests include $215 million for anti-terrorism assistance and $45 million for the terrorist interdiction program (Pisces system).
• 🎯 The bureau ensures these funds deliver measurable security benefits to the American people through annual reviews and broader assistance reviews aligned with strategic priorities.

Geographic Focus Areas for Assistance

• 🌍 Major focus areas for allocating Anti-Terrorism Assistance (ATA) include Central Asia (due to ISIS Khorasan), the Middle East (due to Iran and its proxies), and West Africa (due to terrorist attacks in the Sahel).
• 🇵🇭 Assistance is also provided to other partners like the Philippines facing their own distinct threats.

Prioritizing Foreign Partners for Counterterrorism Efforts

• 🇺🇸 Partner prioritization is based on whether terrorist groups or activities in a given area pose a threat to the United States.
• ✅ The bureau assesses the ability to work with a partner government accountably and utilizes vetting processes to ensure assistance keeps America safe.

Addressing Specific Threats and Partnerships

• 🇵🇰 Partnership with Pakistan has yielded results against ISIS Khorasan, including the return of the Abbey Gate bomber.
• 🌍 In West Africa, programs in Togo, Benin, and Côte d'Ivoire aim to prevent ISIS and JNIM (an al-Qaeda affiliate) from establishing safe havens, with significant mileage gained per dollar spent.
• 🇦🇷 The influence of groups like Hamas, Hezbollah, and the IRGC in South America is being addressed, with Paraguay designating the IRGC as a terrorist organization.

Burden Sharing and Repatriation Efforts

• 🏕️ Counterterrorism efforts in Northeast Syria have focused on repatriating ISIS family members from displaced persons camps, reducing the population from 70,000 to approximately 30,000.
• 🤝 The US has outlaid about 85% of the costs for maintaining these camps and is engaging partners like France, Germany, and the UK on burden sharing, emphasizing that shared risk requires shared burden.