Disrupting Threat Finances: Using Financial Information to Disrupt Terrorist Organizations

Terrorist financing is a critical issue in the current fight against transnational terrorist networks or groups. Conceptually, this issue is considered one of numerous types of terrorist support activities; however, as the author argues quite persuasively, it may be the most important of these activities. Major Wesley Anderson initially developed the concept for this paper while a student at the Army Command and General Staff College and with the School for Advanced Military Studies (SAMS) at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. SAMS published an original version of this monograph electronically in April 2007. Joint Special Operations University (JSOU) asked the author to adapt his work to JSOU's monograph requirements for adding to its series of works on terrorist networks and their support structures.Major Anderson provides an excellent overview of terrorist financing and expands upon how it fits into the broader construct of threat financing. He articulates the significant challenges any government faces in trying to interrupt the terrorist networks use of the global financial system. The sheer immensity of this system provides ample opportunity for terrorists to operate undetected or unhindered. He also highlights that the very international nature of the global economic system presents enormous challenges in trying to coordinate amongst the almost 200 sovereign states that comprise the current world order.