Astounding number, there are over 200,000 isis tweets per day. How can we possibly get a handle over this . The chatter is so high and the volume is so loud that its difficult to get a handle. This isnt terror as usual. This is terror gone viral. I come mebd the fbi, Homeland Security and state and locals for their disrupting of these many plots. But as we saw in chattanooga, we cannot stop all of them. In this age of peer to peer terrorism, authorities are searching for suspects who use secure aps we call dark space, to communicate and crowd source their calls for attack, inspiring operatives who never have crossed into the borders of syria, but cross over borders through the internet to conduct acts of terror. Isis cyber commanders now regularly send out internet directives and missives to their followers, as we saw in garland, texas. Sometimes our first indication of a hatched plot is an internet hash tag. We need to have a frank conversation in america about the challenges posed by violent extremists using social media and dark space to further their violence plots. Extremists have migrated away from telephones and onto new platforms, but our laws and policies have not kept pace making it for difficult to uncover terrorist plots. They communicate in darkness and we cant shine a light on the darkness to see what the communications are to attack in the United States. I dont claim to have all the answers to this. Ive started a working group with the fbi and homeland and justice to and the high tech community, to get some answers, but what i do know is that we all share some Common Ground from Silicon Valley to the halls of congress, that we want to see terrorists ss brought to justice. This has to be the starting point between the high tech sector and policy makers to find solutions for the lawful monitoring of violent extremists while, at the same time protect protecting several liberties. We also need to do more to stop the spread of fanaticism before it leads to violent plotting. We spend billions of dollars to detect and disrupt terror plots, but we have dedicated few resources towards combatting and preventing the radicalization at the root of terror. This is called the crucial prevention aspect of counterterrorism. And sadly, while extremists recruiters are moving at Broadband Speed we are moving at bureaucratic speed. The administration has not appointed a lead agency in charge of combatting domestic radicalization and few resources or personnel or even allocated to it. When asked by our committee, the top departments and agencies can only identify around 15 million, with an m, million being spent and around two dozen people working fulltime on this issue. Thats basically it. And that means weve arrested twice as many isis recruits in the United States this year than there are fulltime officials working to prevent isis from radicalizing americans in the first place. In a high threat environment, i believe this is unacceptable. And every day we wait, we see more ground to oured a verve tears. As chairman of the Homeland Security committee, i will not stand on the sidelines asking for more reports and studies while terrorists plot inside our communities. Murder or people. Murder our military. Kill our u. S. Marines and servicemen and seek to divide our nation. Last week, my committee decided to push forward a bill to streamline and raise the priority and focus of the department of Homeland Securitys efforts to combat the viral speed of violent extremism. For instance our bill would give dhs the tools to combat isis and al qaeda prop propaganda here at home through counter narratives that show islamist terror for what it really is. And it would also help dhs empower local communities to spot signs of violent radicalization and help them develop offramps to discourage individuals from being lured overseas to fight with terror groups or from being convinced to commit acts of violence at home. Ultimate ultimately, we must recognize the best Homeland Defense is a good offense. And to win this war against islamist terror, we have to take the fight to the enemy overseas. I spent the last weekend in tampa, florida meeting with our generals and leaders and top intelligence and operations officers at the u. S. Central command and special Operations Command at Mcdill Air Force base. And im proud of the work they have done to dismantle terror groups and their focus on defeating isis and the recent victory in taking out the leader of the Khorasan Group. But the white house strategy under which they are operating is flawed. It only gives them the authorities to contain isis rather than to roll back and defeat it. I was in turkey and they said we need to drain the swamp so we dont have to swat the mosquitos. We all know isis will replenish its ranks. And thats a fact. For the number we have killed over there in strikes they have replenished to an equal amount. And we all know they will expand globally until weve eliminated at the source in iraq and syria. Yet right now, we are fighting with one arm tied behind our back. Under the current strategy the rules of engagement are apparently too high to strike important targets and the number of military trainers is too low. Our forces being kept from fully assists with the fight and the president has taken options like Ground Troops off the table, telegraphing weakness to our enemies. As a result, isis has been able to hold and extend key territory in syria and iraq, despite our air strikes and the Iraqi Government is beginning to rely on shia militias, iran approximatyeproxies, to fight back, a development that could empower iran and inflame secretary tensions with the sunnis. I expressed this concern several weeks ago when i was in baghdad, meeting with the Prime Minister and the speaker, but its clear without expanded American Leadership and regional assistance, they are running out of options to win this fight. The bottom line is this. Right now, i believe that we are losing the war against isis. And the wider war against islamist terror. The president s strategy has failed. And the evidence of failure mounts with every terror plot in america, every attack against our ally and every emerging terror sanctuary used to radicalize and recruit foot soldiers willing to die in the name of a deprived and depraved ideology. The time has come to overhaul our counter isis strategy and it is time for the president to level with the American People about what the threat really is. And about what is needed to win this generationlong war with radical islamists. So, today i want to outline a basic framework for both. Starting with the campaign against isis. We must take immediate steps to strengthen our efforts, including increasing the number of u. S. Military trainers in iraq and expanding partner participation. By bolsters the air campaign through Forward Air ControllersClose Air Support and easing the rules of engagement beyond zero collateral damage. Authorizing American Military personnel to accompany and assist the iraqis in combat including ramping up the number of special Operation Forces. And accelerating the delivery of weapons to Kurdish Peshmerga forces and sunni tribes. But even with these improvements, more will be needed to win this campaign. The president s iraq first strategy has left us with a credible ground force has left us without a credible ground force to fight isis in its main stronghold in syria. Recently, defense secretary carter announced, this month, that we have only trained 60 60 Syrian Rebels to combat this group which can range between 30,000 to 50,000 strong depending on who you talk to. Our reasons we have one of the reasons we have so far is that reportedly, we make them pledge not to fight the assad regime. An absurd policy, especially when their hometowns are being attacked by assad. In short, we lack a serious ground force in syria while isis itself boasts an estimated 30,000man army. Today, im calling upon the president to stand up a Multinational Coalition to build the force needed to clear the terrorist sanctuary in syria. We need a combined air and Ground Campaign in syria now. One composed of vetted Opposition Forces western trainers and advisers, special Operation Forces and most importantly, Regional Military partners including indigenous partners. The coalitions immediate mandate should be to strengthen the opposition so that they can take the lead in taking back their country, not just from isis but from all sunni extremist terrorists groups. And this Coalition Must also force assad to step down. We cannot clear the isis terror safe haven in syria any time soon with the current regime in power. Assads brutal oppression is one of the main Drivers Behind the growth rapid growth of isis in syria in the first place. And he continues to decimate the moderate syrian opposition, including with chemical weapons recently that we we need these moderate sunnis to fight these extremists. With assad out of the way internationally backed Syrian Rebels stand a far better chance of rolling back terror groups and our regional partners who want assad gone and would be far willing to engage in the fight if they had that assurance. Before taking action, the coalition would first need to develop a postassad transition plan. Syria cannot go the way of libya, which has fallen apart in the absence of security and a strong central government. As a result, Coalition Action in syria must be paired with a viable plan to stabilize the country and prevent it from becoming a lawless vacuum. We must step up moderate inclusive parties for success and sideline extremist factions eager to exploit the postassad chaos. Our regional partners would play a central role on the ground in this coalition. Ive spoken with syrias neighbors on many delegation trips, both in turkey and saudi and jordan and other allies who are willing to put forward these resources. Willing to put forward combat troops on the ground. But they ask me, what is your strategy . And its hard to articulate that we have one, because we dont. And they want the assurance that assad will be out of the equation, because they will not do anything that will em power an embolden the assad regime. These countries cannot live with an extremist sanctuary next door and the spillover affects of terror including refugee flows and suicide attacks. Some are helped to stabilize syria by committing their own Ground Troops, especially if it means the end of assad. This is, after all, their backyard. It is their mess and i think its incouple bent upon them to clean it up under American Leadership and for us not to have to carry their water. But there is no substitute for American Leadership and right now, there is no other nation capable of rallying a coalition to this cause other than the United States of america. I was pleased earlier this year to see arab leaders propose the consideration of a Regional Military force to tackle the spread of violent extremism. But such an organization is years away from reality. Regional partners are not ready to do this alone and we cannot afford to wait the president s piecemeal strategy to play out a strategy he admits will take years. We need to take the lead in assembling this coalition of nations, like we did in the persian gulf war. We also cannot forget the core principals needed to win the wider war against islamist terror. The reach of isis and al qaeda extends far beyond their primary territories. Yet, the administrations global counterterrorism approach can be best described as a whackamole by drone. This may be low cost, but it is also shortsighted. Make no mistake, we have e eliminated key terror leaders including the head of al qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula yesterday im sorry earlier this month. The leader of the Khorasan Group in syria. Khorasan group in syria the biggest leader of external operations against the west to blow up airplanes using nonmetallic ieds. But these terror groups are Getting Better and quickly replacing fallen leaders. We can chase these fanatics, we can chase them through the gates of hell, but to win, we must destroy sanctuaries and defeat their insidious eyology. And to do so we need to identify and confront threats early, wherever they emerge, in places like yemen and libya. We need to work with regional partners to develop fullfledged stabilization plans before power vacuums turn into extremist hot spots. And we must counter the ideology at the core of islamicst terror. Because when left unheeded, we have seen it spread to all corners of the globe in the same way ideals like communism and fascism led to the decades of destruction. In the short run, this means exposing the brutality and naked tyranny of life under the role of islamist terrorists to potential recruits will realize that they are headed to a prison, instead of a communal paradise. This is the counter narrative that is not happening right now at the state department, the d. O. D. Is trying, and its not happening at dhs. And in the long run, we need the president to outline a whole of government grand strategy for this fight. The strategy should draw on all elements of American Power to promote liberty and Human Dignity as the great alternatives to oppression, fear and terror. History has shown that authoritarian systems are the well spring of fanaticism. Political and Economic Development are the only reliable longterm antidotes to terror, which is why American Foreign policy must be geared towards shaping a balance of power in the International System that favors the expansion of free states. We have learned the hard way that leading from behind leads us into danger. Indeed weakness inviting es aggression, as churchill talked about, and leaves us to face more enemies in our city streets, rather than on the battlefield overseas. I do believe we are in for a generational struggle. As Prime Minister cameron talked about. But i have confidence that our country will prevail. Our ideas prevail. Every time we witness events like we saw in chattanooga, americas vow not to be intimidated by violence. And we send a clear message to fanatics. If you try to bring terror to our shores, we will bring justice to yours. That is a resolve the American People and our resolve will propel us to event chul victory in this war against islamist terror. Thank you very much. Thanks. And thanks for the opportunity to kind of follow up and unpack this speech a little bit and some of the ere issues. And the first question i want to ask you is to really kind of ask you a question by putting your assessment in context. So, when president obama got elected, we never really understood what his counterterrorism strategy was going to be. For the first two years of his presidency, we joked it was bushlight. He was doing the similar things, adopting different rhetoric in talking about it. In 2010 you really saw the administration put its imprint on how it was going to fight the war on terror and we saw that enshrined in the counter counterterrorism strategy of 2011. Between 2010 and now, weve been doing president obamas strategy and your assessment is, it hasnt worked. There are more terrorist attacks, they are a bigger threat than they ever were. Realistically the odds of president obama saying, i got it all wrong and doing Something Different and nowbetween now and the last year and a half of his presidency, are really slim to none. We need to have a vigorous year and a half debate about what the next president is going to do to address this . I think youre spoton. This president , his narrative was to end iraq and afghanistan and close down beganguantanamo. He failed to negotiate a status of forces agreement, unlike what we did in world war ii after korea. Left a very dangerous hot spot because we had no security left in iraq. I think that coupled with the political malfeasance of maliki. Secretary clinton traveled to baghdad, one time for three hours and it imploded. That was the consideration of isis. That created the threat that we see today. So, the president couldnt get his head wrapped around isis. This wasnt supposed to happen under his watch. His narrative. It defies his Campaign Narrative and so i think strategy for him is running the clock out, not having a strategy to defeat and destroy isis as isis enters our hometowns. And i theys a huge mistake in Foreign Policy, makes it dangerous to the homeland. I want to see this one of the driving issues in the 2016 debate. Im not seeing it right now. I have to tell you. Im not seeing a lot of candidates, quite frankly, with experience, in National Security and Foreign Policy. I think usually its about the company, economy, its about the economy, stupid, but this election, i predict, that this issue will be one o