Editing Counterterrorism (section)

{{Short description|Activity to defend against or prevent terrorist actions}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2019}}
[[File:PI2G 2F.jpg|thumb|[[GIGN]] operators in 2015. GIGN is the counterterrorist [[Police tactical unit|tactical unit]] of the [[National Gendarmerie]] of France.]]
'''Counterterrorism''' (alternatively spelled: '''counter-terrorism'''), also known as '''anti-terrorism''', relates to the practices, [[military tactics]], techniques, and strategies that governments, [[law enforcement]], businesses, and [[Intelligence agency|intelligence agencies]] use to combat or eliminate [[terrorism]] and [[violent extremism]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Stigall|first1=Dan E.|last2=Miller|first2=Chris|last3=Donnatucci|first3=Lauren|title=The 2018 National Strategy for Counterterrorism: A Synoptic Overview |journal=American University National Security Law Brief |date=October 7, 2019 |ssrn=3466967 }}</ref>

If an act of terrorism occurs as part of a broader [[insurgency]] (and insurgency is included in the [[definition of terrorism]]) then counterterrorism may additionally employ [[counterinsurgency]] measures. The [[United States Armed Forces]] uses the term "[[foreign internal defense]]" for programs that support other countries' attempts to suppress insurgency, [[lawlessness]], or [[subversion]], or to reduce the conditions under which threats to [[national security]] may develop.<ref>{{Cite web |date=1 February 2020 |title=Introduction to Foreign Internal Defense |url=https://www.doctrine.af.mil/Portals/61/documents/AFDP_3-22/3-22-D01-FID-Introduction.pdf |website=U.S. Air Force Doctrine}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|title=Introduction to Foreign Internal Defense|url=https://doctrine.af.mil/download.jsp?filename=3-22-D01-FID-Introduction.pdf|journal=Curtis E. Lemay Center for Doctrine Development and Education|access-date=July 10, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170124234528/https://www.doctrine.af.mil/download.jsp?filename=3-22-D01-FID-Introduction.pdf|archive-date=January 24, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://sofrep.com/specialoperations/differences-fid-coin-relate-sof/|title=Differences Between Foreign Internal Defense (FID) and Counter Insurgency (COIN)|website=SOFREP}}</ref>