I think its very important that youre holding this hearing, and let me briefly explain why. In the aftermath of the attacks of september 11, 2001, the overwhelming focus of our government and of the American People was on the threat of terrorism. 12 years later this is no longer the case. Our loss of focus is in part a consequence of the success we have achieved, namely, that we have not had another catastrophic attack on our homeland since that terrible Tuesday Morning in september of 2001. But pride in this achievement must be tempered by an awareness of some harsh realities. First, al qaeda and its affiliates remain a ruthless, determined, and adaptive adversary. Second, the underlying ideology that inspires and drives al qaeda to attack us and our allies, namely, the ideology of violent islamist extremism is neither defeated nor exhausted. It manifest itself not just in a resurgent al qaeda, but in terrorist organizations that are either unfairly with al qaeda or loosely affiliated