The Director of the Antiterrorism Assistance Program (ATA) describes the steps that the ATA follows when determining the type of assistance needed. First, ATA teams travel to host nations and gather information from government and private agencies. Programs are then tailored to meet specific needs and to improve functioning police skill for all levels. For countries to participate in ATA training programs specific standards, such as human rights, are required to be followed. In addition, as new problems emerged new initiatives would be created and added to the program. ATA has had many positive results, and participants have gained new skills, confidence, and advancement individually. Moreover, ATA training techniques have also had direct effects on terrorism incidents and crimes in several countries. Overall, the program is well on the road to achieving its major goals of training foreign police and security forces throughout the world to confront and deter, as well as solve crimes involving terrorists within their own countries, and improving both bilateral and international cooperation in the fight against terrorism.