Anti-Terrorism Assistance Program [ATA] Law and Legal Definition
The Anti-Terrorism Assistance Program (ATA) is a United States Department of States initiative designed to improve counterterrorism activities of the government. It provides the U.S. Government anti-terrorism training and equipment to the law enforcement agencies of partner nations. The Coordinator for Counterterrorism funds and provides policy guidance to the ATA program and determines which countries are authorized to participate in the program.
The Program aims to:
a. foster cooperation between the U.S. law enforcement officers and of the partner nations engaged in anti-terrorism efforts;
b. provide advanced counterterrorism training and equipment grants to maintain and increase our partners' capabilities to find and arrest terrorists; and
c. advance the U.S. foreign policy goals by strengthening bilateral relationships.
The ATA trains foreign law enforcement personnel to protect national borders, protect critical infrastructure, protect the national leadership, respond to and resolve terrorist incidents, investigate and prosecute those responsible for terrorist acts, respond to weapons of mass destruction attacks, manage kidnapping for ransom crimes, and respond to terrorist incidents resulting in mass casualties or fatalities.
