Barack Obama will defeat terrorism worldwide:
Obama and Biden will find, disrupt, and destroy al Qaeda; prepare the military to meet
21st century threats; and win “the Battle of Ideas” by ensuring American foreign policy
is consistent with America's traditional values.

Prevent nuclear terrorism:
Obama and Biden will lead the effort to secure nuclear weapons materials at vulnerable
sites within four years and help our allies stop the smuggling of weapons of mass
destruction.

Strengthen American biosecurity:
Obama and Biden will work to prevent bioterror attacks and mitigate consequences by
improving U.S. intelligence collection and response management.

Protecting our Homeland
The Problem
Conventional thinking has failed to adapt to a world of new threats. Barack Obama and Joe
Biden understand that a range of risks, both natural and manmade, can have major
consequences for the security, prosperity, and well-being of Americans at home and
abroad. We need a president who understands these new security threats - and who has
effective strategies for addressing them. 

Barack Obama and Joe Biden's Plan
The first responsibility of any president is to protect the American people. Yet, seven
years after the 9/11 attacks, we are not as safe as we can and should be. As president,
Barack Obama will provide the leadership and strategies to strengthen our security at
home.

Barack Obama's strategy for securing the homeland against 21st century threats is focused
on preventing terrorist attacks on our homeland, preparing and planning for emergencies
and natural disasters and investing in strong response and recovery capabilities. As
president, Barack Obama will strengthen our homeland against natural or accidental
disasters and terrorist threats - ensuring the federal government works with states,
localities, and the private sector as a true partner in prevention, mitigation, and
response.

Defeat Terrorism Worldwide 
Find, Disrupt, and Destroy Al Qaeda: Obama will responsibly end the war in Iraq and focus
on the right battlefield in Afghanistan. An Obama Administration will work with other
nations to strengthen their capacity to eliminate shared enemies.

New Capabilities to Aggressively Defeat Terrorists: Barack Obama and Joe Biden will
improve the American intelligence apparatus by investing in its capacity to collect and
analyze information, share information with other agencies and carry out operations to
disrupt terrorist operations and networks. 

Prepare the Military to Meet 21st Century Threats: Barack Obama will not hesitate to use
military force to take out terrorists who pose a threat to America. Obama will ensure
that our military becomes more stealthy, agile, and lethal in its ability to capture or
kill terrorists. He will bolster our military's ability to speak different languages,
navigate different cultures, and coordinate complex missions with our civilian agencies.


Win the Battle of Ideas: An Obama Administration will defeat al Qaeda in what the 9-11
Commission called "the Battle of Ideas" by returning to an American foreign policy
consistent with America's traditional values and by working with moderates within the
Islamic world to counter al Qaeda propaganda. Barack Obama will establish a $2 billion
Global Education Fund to work to eliminate the global education deficit and offer an
alternative to extremist schools. 

Restore American Influence and Restore Our Values: Thwarting terrorist networks requires
international partnerships in military, intelligence, law enforcement, financial
transactions, border controls, and transportation security. To make diplomacy more
effective, Obama will stop shuttering consulates and start opening them in the tough and
hopeless corners of the world. He will expand our foreign service, and develop the
capacity of our civilian aid workers to work alongside the military.

Prevent Nuclear Terrorism
Barack Obama and Joe Biden have a comprehensive strategy for nuclear security that will
reduce the danger of nuclear terrorism, prevent the spread of nuclear weapons
capabilities, and strengthen the nuclear nonproliferation regime.

Secure Nuclear Weapons Materials in Four Years and End Nuclear Smuggling: Barack Obama
will lead a global effort to secure all nuclear weapons materials at vulnerable sites
within four years - the most effective way to prevent terrorists from acquiring a nuclear
bomb. Barack Obama will fully implement the Lugar-Obama legislation to help our allies
detect and stop the smuggling of weapons of mass destruction. 

Strengthen Policing and Interdiction Efforts: Barack Obama will institutionalize the
Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI), a global initiative aimed at stopping shipments
of weapons of mass destruction, their delivery systems, and related materials worldwide.


Convene a Summit on Preventing Nuclear Terrorism: Barack Obama will convene a summit in
2009 (and regularly thereafter) of leaders of Permanent Members of the UN Security
Council and other key countries to agree on implementing many of these measures on a
global basis. 

Eliminate Iran's and North Korea's Nuclear Weapons Programs Through Tough, Direct
Diplomacy: Barack Obama will use tough diplomacy - backed by real incentives and real
pressures - to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons and to eliminate fully and
verifiably North Korea's nuclear weapons program. 

Strengthen the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA): Barack Obama will seek to
ensure that the Agency gets the authority, information, people, and technology it needs
to do its job. 

Control Fissile Materials: Barack Obama will lead a global effort to negotiate a
verifiable treaty ending the production of fissile materials for weapons purposes.

Prevent Nuclear Fuel from Becoming Nuclear Bombs: Barack Obama will work with other
interested governments to establish a new international nuclear energy architecture -
including an international nuclear fuel bank, international nuclear fuel cycle centers,
and reliable fuel supply assurances - to meet growing demands for nuclear power without
contributing to the proliferation of nuclear materials and fuel production facilities.

Set the Goal of a Nuclear-Free World: Barack Obama will show the world that America
believes in its existing commitment under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty to work to
ultimately eliminate all nuclear weapons. Barack Obama fully supports reaffirming this
goal, as called for by George Shultz, Henry Kissinger, William Perry, and Sam Nunn, and
the specific steps they propose to move us in that direction. He has made clear that
America will not disarm unilaterally. 

Seek Real, Verifiable Reductions in Nuclear Stockpiles: Barack Obama will seek deep,
verifiable reductions in all U.S. and Russian nuclear weapons and work with other nuclear
powers to reduce global stockpiles dramatically by the end of his presidency. 

Work with Russia to Increase Warning and Decision Time: Keeping nuclear weapons ready to
launch on a moment's notice is a dangerous relic of the Cold War. Barack Obama believes
that we must address this dangerous situation. As president, Barack Obama will aim to
work with Russia to end such Cold War policies in a mutual and verifiable manner.

Appoint White House Coordinator for Nuclear Security: Barack Obama will appoint a deputy
national security advisor to be in charge of coordinating all U.S. programs aimed at
reducing the risk of nuclear terrorism and weapons proliferation. 

Strengthen Nuclear Risk Reduction Work at Defense, State, and Energy Departments:
Thwarting terrorist networks requires international partnerships in military,
intelligence, law enforcement, financial transactions, border controls, and
transportation security. To make diplomacy more effective, Obama will stop shuttering
consulates and start opening them in the tough and hopeless corners of the world. He will
expand our foreign service, and develop the capacity of our civilian aid workers to work
alongside the military.

Strengthen American Biosecurity
Biological weapons pose a serious and increasing national security risk. Barack Obama and
Joe Biden will work to prevent bioterror attacks and mitigate consequences.

Prevent Bioterror Attacks: Obama and Joe Biden will strengthen U.S. intelligence
collection overseas to identify and interdict would-be bioterrorists before they strike.


Build Capacity to Mitigate the Consequences of Bioterror Attacks: A well-planned,
well-rehearsed, and rapidly executed epidemic response can dramatically diminish the
consequences of biological attacks. Barack Obama will ensure that decision-makers have
the information and communication tools they need to manage disease outbreaks by linking
health care providers, hospitals, and public health agencies. 

Accelerate the Development of New Medicines, Vaccines, and Production Capabilities:
Barack Obama will build on America's unparalleled talent to create new drugs, vaccines,
and diagnostic tests and to manufacture these vital products much more quickly and
efficiently than is now possible. 

Lead an International Effort to Diminish Impact of Major Infectious Disease Epidemics:
Senator Obama was one of the first legislators to recognize the dangers of a potential
avian influenza pandemic and was successful in securing $25 million for U.S. agencies to
combat and contain widespread outbreaks of avian flu and worked to provide $4 billion in
funding to the Centers for Disease Control to combat avian flu. Barack Obama will
continue to promote international efforts to develop new diagnostics, vaccines, and
medicines that will be available and affordable in all parts of the world. 

Protect Our Information Networks 
As president, Barack Obama will lead an effort, working with private industry, the
research community and our citizens, to build a trustworthy and accountable cyber
infrastructure that is resilient, protects America's competitive advantage, and advances
our national and homeland security.

Strengthen Federal Leadership on Cyber Security: Barack Obama will declare the cyber
infrastructure a strategic asset and will establish the position of national cyber
advisor who will report directly to the president and will be responsible for
coordinating federal agency efforts and development of national cyber policy.

Initiate a Safe Computing R&D Effort and Harden our Nation's Cyber Infrastructure: Barack
Obama will support an initiative to develop next-generation secure computers and
networking for national security applications. He will work with industry and academia to
develop and deploy a new generation of secure hardware and software for our nation's
critical cyber infrastructure. 

Protect the IT Infrastructure That Keeps America's Economy Safe: The public and private
infrastructure that keeps America running is increasingly brought online to improve
efficiency and reduce costs. Barack Obama will work with the private sector to establish
tough new standards for cyber security and physical resilience for critical
infrastructure. 

Prevent Corporate Cyber-Espionage: Innovations in software, engineering, pharmaceuticals
and other fields are being stolen online from U.S. businesses at an alarming rate. These
losses are making America less safe and less competitive and costing us jobs here at
home. Barack Obama will work with industry to develop the systems necessary to protect
our nation's trade secrets and our research and development. 

Develop a Cyber Crime Strategy to Minimize the Opportunities for Criminal Profit: Barack
Obama will shut down the mechanisms used to transmit criminal profits by shutting down
untraceable Internet payment schemes. Barack Obama will also initiate a grant and
training program to provide federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies the tools
they need to detect and prosecute cyber crime. 

Mandate Standards for Securing Personal Data and Require Companies to Disclose Personal
Information Data Breaches: Nearly 10 million Americans are victims of identity theft each
year, costing more than $55 billion. We must ensure that the privacy of personnel data in
computer systems is better protected. The federal government must partner with industry
and our citizens to secure personal data stored on government and private systems. An
Obama administration will institute a common standard for securing such data across
industries and will back strong legislation to protect the rights of individuals in the
information age. 

Improve Intelligence Capacity and Protect Civil Liberties
Improve Information Sharing and Analysis: Barack Obama will improve our intelligence
system by creating a senior position to coordinate domestic intelligence gathering;
establishing a grant program to support thousands more state and local level intelligence
analysts and increasing our capacity to share intelligence across all levels of
government.

Give Real Authority to the Privacy and Civil Liberties Board: Created by Congress and
recommended by the 9/11 Commission, the Privacy and Civil Liberties Board needs to be
substantially reformed and empowered to safeguard against an erosion in American civil
liberties. As president, Barack Obama will support efforts to strengthen the Board with
subpoena powers and reporting responsibilities, will give the Board a robust mandate
designed to protect American civil liberties and will demand transparency from the Board
to ensure accountability.

Strengthen Institutions to Fight Terrorism: Overseas, Barack Obama will establish a
Shared Security Partnership Program to invest $5 billion over three years to improve
cooperation between U.S. and foreign intelligence and law enforcement agencies. This
program will include information sharing, as well as funding for training, operations,
border security, anti-corruption programs, technology, and the targeting of terrorist
financing.

Protect Americans from Terrorist Attacks and Natural Disasters 
Allocate Funds Based on Risk: Barack Obama believes that the President and Congress
should allocate our precious homeland security dollars according to risk, not as
pork-barrel spending or a form of general revenue sharing. He will eliminate the waste,
fraud and abuse that cost the nation billions of Department of Homeland Security dollars.


Prepare Effective Emergency Response Plans: Obama passed legislation to provide funding
for planning for evacuating individuals with special needs from emergency zones and to
create a National Family Locator System to help families locate loved ones after a
disaster. As president, Obama will further improve coordination between all levels of
government, create better evacuation plan guidelines, ensure prompt federal assistance to
emergency zones, and increase medical surge capacity. 

Support First Responders: Barack Obama is committed not only to rolling back the
Bush-McCain funding cuts that have affected our first responders - police, firefighters,
and emergency medical professionals - but also to increasing federal resources and
logistic support to local emergency planning efforts.

Improve Interoperable Communications Systems: Barack Obama supports efforts to provide
greater technical assistance to local and state first responders and dramatically
increase funding for reliable, interoperable communications systems. He will appoint a
National Chief Technology Officer who will have the responsibility to ensure that the
current non-interoperable plans at the federal, state, and local levels are combined,
funded, implemented and effective.

Working with State and Local Governments and the Private Sector: Barack Obama believes
the federal government must be a better partner to states and localities, listen to local
concerns and consider local priorities. Barack Obama will reach out to the private sector
to leverage its expertise and assets to protect our homeland security. 

Protect Critical Infrastructure
Create a National Infrastructure Protection Plan: Barack Obama's Department of Homeland
Security will develop an effective critical infrastructure protection and resiliency plan
for the nation and will work with the private sector to ensure that targets are protected
against both natural disasters and terrorist attacks. 

Secure our Chemical Plants: Chemical plants are potential terrorist targets because they
are often located near cities, are relatively easy to attack, and contain multi-ton
quantities of hazardous chemicals. As president, Barack Obama will work with all
stakeholders to enact permanent federal chemical security regulations. 

Improve Airline Security: Barack Obama believes we must redouble our efforts to determine
if the measures implemented since 9/11 are adequately addressing the threats our nation
continues to face from airplane-based terrorism. Airline passengers are still not
screened against a comprehensive terrorist watch list. Such a list must be developed and
used in a way that safeguards passengers' privacy while ensuring the safety of air
travel.

Monitor our Ports: Barack Obama has been a consistent supporter of strengthening our port
security, will redouble our efforts to develop technology that can detect radiation and
determine the danger it poses, and he will work with the maritime transportation industry
to integrate this technology into their operations so as to maximize security without
causing economic disruption.

Safeguard Public Transportation: Every weekday, Americans take 34 million trips on public
transportation systems to get to work, school and beyond. Despite recent international
attacks on mass transit systems, the Bush administration has invested only a small
fraction of the $6 billion that transportation officials have said is necessary to
implement needed security improvements. Barack Obama will fill this critical hole in our
homeland security network.

Improve Border Security: Americans know that our national border security system is
broken, leaving our country vulnerable. Barack Obama will support the virtual and
physical infrastructure and manpower necessary to secure our borders and keep our nation
safe.

Modernize America's Aging Infrastructure
Build-in Security: Barack Obama will ensure that security is considered and built into
the design of new infrastructure, so that our critical assets are protected from the
start and more resilient to naturally-occurring and deliberate threats throughout their
life-cycle. 

Create a National Infrastructure Reinvestment Bank: Barack Obama will address the
infrastructure challenge by creating a National Infrastructure Reinvestment Bank to
expand and enhance, not supplant, existing federal transportation investments. This
independent entity will be directed to invest in our nation's most challenging
transportation infrastructure needs, without the influence of special interests. The Bank
will receive an infusion of federal money, $60 billion over 10 years, to provide financing
to transportation infrastructure projects across the nation. 

Invest in Critical Infrastructure Projects: Barack Obama will invest in our nation's most
pressing short and long-term infrastructure needs, including modernizing our electrical
grid and upgrading our highway, rail, ports, water, and aviation infrastructure. Obama
will establish a Grid Modernization Commission to facilitate adoption of Smart Grid
practices to improve efficiency and security of our electricity grid. He will also build
on his work in the U.S. Senate to ensure that the federal government prioritizes
strengthening our critical infrastructure.