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 with it, but have exactly the same goals and capabilities to use violence against innocents. For that reason our safety as a nation is ultimately inseparable from our ability to meet the fullness of the threat. Our security as a nation also requires, as you said, that we stay engaged in the world beyond our borders. That is the best way to prevent another terrorist attack against america like the one that occurred on 9 11. Yet, increasingly we hear voices on both sides of the political spectrum who say that the threat of terrorism is receding. At the end of the conflict is here or near. And, therefore, we can withdraw from much of the rest of the world. That narrative is the title of this hearing suggests is false and really does endanger our homeland. Theres no question that the United States under president bush and president obama has inflicted Severe Damage to core al qaeda, Senior Leadership that reconstituted itself in the mid2000s in the tribal areas of northwestern pakistan after they were driven by the courageous American Military from neighboring afghanistan after nine 9 11. But to borrow a phrase from general petraeus him while the progress weve achieved against the core al qaeda is real and significant, it is also fragile and reversible. For example, and this is a very timely example, core al qaeda in the tribal areas of pakistan has been degraded by the persistent targeted application of military force against those individuals and networks. The precondition for those operations and the intelligence that enables them has been americas presence in afghanistan. If the United States withdraws all our military forces from afghanistan at the end of this year, the socalled zero option, which somehow advocate, you can be sure that al qaeda will regenerate on both sides of the afghanpakistan border. And if you doubt that i urge you to look at whats now happening in western iraq, where just a few years ago during the u. S. Led surge, al qaeda was dealt an even more crippling blow than core al qaeda has suffered in pakistan. Yet, now it is al qaeda that is surging back in iraq, hoisting its black flag over cities like falluja and ramadi, and murdering hundreds of innocent iraqis just in the last year. To need this leads to an important conclusion which is that while space for core al qaeda and tribal pakistan has been shrunk, thanks to persistent u. S. Action and leadership, New Territory where al qaeda affiliates can find sanctuary has grown significantly during thi the sae period, particularly in the middle east and north africa and subsaharan africa. Al qaeda and other violent islamist extremist groups have long exploited muslim majority countries that have been weakened or fragmented by conflict, and neglected by the international community, including the u. S. They take advantage of these places to recruit, radicalized and train the next generation of extremists foot soldiers. They use these places to plot and plan attacks, including against our homeland. Thats why al qaeda and its affiliates first went to afghanistan in the 1990s. Thats why they later turned to yemen and somalia in the 2000s, and that is why today they are fighting to build sanctuaries in syria, iraq, and libya. There is now a clear, present, and increasing threat to america and our allies from those three countries. But administration policymakers have signified that any involvement, and i stress any of all that by the u. S. Military there, is for all intents and purposes off the table. That means that the u. S. Will not be able to assist our local allies in combating the rise of al qaeda in these countries. It also means that we are failing to help deal with the underlying conditions that are making al qaedas resurgence possible. To put it as bluntly as i can, i do not today see a credible or coherent american strategy for these countries, syria, iraq and libya, that most threaten to emerge as al qaedas newest and most dangerous footholds, places from which terrorist attacks against our homeland can and will originate here. Some in washington look at what is happening area, iraq, libya and down pretty significant for our security and with it or need to get involved. Yes, Al Qaeda Affiliated groups or they are the skeptics say, but they are mostly focused on fighting other. The situation is confusing and chaotic and that draw the sunni shia conflict has gone on forever and will go on forever. It is someone elses double wars it familiar refrain we are here enough then again. That varies often dangerous narratives. Keep in mind 20 years ago during the 1990s, most people in washington dismissed what was happening and asking and as someone elses civil war. And thats, began the road to 9 11. I very much that 20 years from now our last, someone else is going to be sitting here testifying before this committee, saying much the same about pulling back from area, libya interact today. In brief, what do i think the u. S. Should be doing to protect our people against future 9 11 attacks . First, i dont advocate sending tens of thousands of troops to these countries. I dont believe it is within our power responsibility to solve every problem these countries face. These are the standard strawman arguments against what we can and should do and theres a lot we can and should do. In theory we can and should much more aggressively provide militarily relevant support to nonextremist forces. In iraq, we can and should make clear to the government we are willing to support iraqis against al qaeda with u. S. Air power as well as putting a small number of embedded advisers on the ground while using that increased assistance as leverage to encourage the maliki government to politically reconcile, particularly with enemies. In libya, we can put in place and should a large scale well restores led efforts to build a new libyan army and Security Forces as quickly as possible and afghanistan we can choose not to squander the gains of the past decade and dishonor the brave americans who risked and lost their lives there. Instead, we can keep a sufficient one military prisons to sustain increasingly capable Afghan NationalSecurity Forces and our shared fight against al qaeda and the taliban. That will safeguard the games made in human rights and are broadly particularly among afghan women all of which will be erased if the taliban returns. Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member, possible reactions represent quick solutions. There are no easy solutions. They will put them in a better position to deal with the evolving threats here at home and make us safer as a country. Mr. Chairman, i ask that the rest of my statement he entered into the record. Without objection ordered. Thank you, center for analysis at the chair recognizes congresswoman jane harman for her testimony. Thank you, mr. Chairman. Good morning to so many good friends. This feels like a homecoming. As you pointed out, i spent eight years when there is a select committee and for when we finally eked out a little bit of jurisdiction to form a real committee. I work with most of you, certainly on the top row and as you pointed out, chairman sets to come you and i were on the subcommittee of intelligence, mr. Thomas nature of the committee and when he was the Ranking Member travel the world looking at garden spots for terror cells are going. I feel that the history of bipartisanship of this committee has set an example for this house and i hope it will continue to set an example for this house and by the way, that other body somewhere in the capital because my little phrase ive been repeating for years as the terrorists wont check our Party Registrations be where they blow us up. We need to focus on this. Sorting ourselves out by party is not helpful. Now i am at the wilson center, a garden of nonpartisanship. I have to say that feels very good, but i continue to focus on these issues. As he pointed out, im on the policy board, state Department Foreign policy board, dni board recently joined the homeland Charity Board where i will be hopefully if i jay johnson and his new role. I carrington lay about the policies here and getting them right. So at your bipartisan fashion, let me start with an anonymous testimony, but an endorsement of some of the things hes had, chairman mccaul and Ranking Member thompson in your defense because they are altered as are many of the things my good friend, Joe Lieberman, joe said. Chairman mccaul, you said at the Terror Threat is growing and some are not paying adequate attention to that, the Terror Threat has changed from the 9 11 days. Corelle qaeda as you said and i know senator lieberman said has been substantially destroyed by the efforts of two administrations. One a republican and white democrat. Most people would agree that president obama not only continued the efforts of president bush, but he increased those against al qaeda and most highvalue targets have been removed so its less of a force. The Terror Threat is now a loosely affiliated horizontal threat. Many groups are al qaeda. They are opportunistic and they come together like cancer cells. The new organization, the islamist state in iraq and syria is called al qaeda. It isnt technically al qaeda. It is the old zarqawi organization that Osama Bin Laden dislikes. Zardari was taken down, but his successors on the organization and has taken advantage in iraq because unfortunately president maliki makes an adequate effort some of the sunny parts of this country, but also in syria for obvious reasons. So the Terror Threat has changed. The Ranking Member thompson is also correct that to defeat this threat, we need more than kinetic force. Playing whack a mole, which we have done pretty well and we should continue to do in some parts of the world using drones and other activities will eliminate individuals, but it wont defeat the threat. We really in the end have to win the argument and that is why the whole of government approach is so important. That approach is embraced by our Defense Department by the way, which is than some of us Prior State Department by publicprivate partnerships, ngos and both finished studying around the world. We need in addition to plan strategies, to project to american narratives than all of us agree on that. That explains what we are doing, why we are doing it and persuade some kid in the boonies of john meant not to strap on a suicide fast, but rather to hopefully join a productive economy in this country. Go to school but doesnt teach extremism in the guise of having people memorize the quran, but teaches reasonable subjects in a truly dispassionate way. We have to help build the schools by the way and make sure that girls get to go to them. I have a long statement here, but i want to now turn my focus because i remember the fiveminute rule and im about to exceed it, as did my buddy here, on two things that is the more immediate threat to the homeland and they relate to terror obviously. I dont want to lose sight as we are thinking about foreign terror organizations. One of them is homegrown terror, something this committee has focused on extensively. Since 9 11, thereve been almost 400 homegrown terrorism on terror data charges are killed before they could be indicted in this country. Wolves are a big part of this problem. This committee has studied, i know this because i was involved in it. How people who have radical beliefs which are protected under our constitution then transition to wanting to be encouraged in violent acts, which are not protected. We pass legislation a couple times but which unfortunately died in the senate. Its a huge issue and we have to look at it in our country and then we have to look at these disaffected americans being recruited for attacks abroad by alshabaab, groups and syria, et cetera, all of which is recently in the press. The other issue that is a huge eminem problem in you and i were talking about this, mr. Chairman, a cyberterror. It is absolutely imperative that congress pulled together to pass legislation that gives our government the tools to work with private industry, which is a huge partner in this on solving this problem. Congress is the last part is then. Theres been all kinds of problems by bills have passed. I know senator lieberman and my dear friend, senator collins can have a bill in the senate that they couldnt move. You just told me that there may be some chance of moving the bill here. I hope so. Godspeed. Because we are way behind in adapting to and preventing cyberintrusion, especially in the private sector. Sadly, the leaks by Edward Snowden have given her toolkit to bad guys and this is pernicious. In conclusion, the threats today are different. They are in a smaller scale, but they are very serious and we have to keep focused on it. We need a whole of government approach is not jazz or more than we need economic approach in my view. And less partisanship is a huge obstacle and i urge this committee and true Homeland Security committee fashion to pull together and do the right things about homegrown terror and help the mass make the wise decisions about a u. S. International role. Thank you, mr. Chairman. Thank you, jane harman. Its great to see you again. Today congressman pat meehan and Yvette Clarke will be marking up our cybersecurity bill. Ive enjoyed a good relationship. In the spirit of bipartisanship in this committee, it will be passed hopefully unanimously just as the Border Security bill was passed unanimously out of this committee. They dont check our party affiliation. We should Work Together when it comes to National Security. Thank you for that comment. Next the chair recognizes general keane for his testimony. Good morning distinguished members of the committee. Thank you for inviting me to testify today on an important subject. Im honored to share this with three distinguished colleagues, to friends. Senator Joe Lieberman, congresswoman jane harman to say that theyre both Great American future and i want to thank them publicly for many years of Selfless Service in this country. We have asked us to consider the president each at the National Defense university as a basis for commentary in the united people. It is true bin laden is dead. There have been no major attacks on the homeland and fewer troops in harms way. It is not chewer alliances are stronger. Indeed, they are weaker because allies are fundamentally questioning the will of the United States. Many allies believe the united dates will not be there for them any time of peril and some recent polling are indicating the United States standing in the world at its slowest prior to world war ii. How could this happen . Is this because of the wars in iraq and dan . Is that the u. S. Backing of israel and our inability to resolve the israelipalestinian dispute . Absolutely not in my judgment. It is because of American Leadership. When American Leadership is strong in the world a safer place. When inconsistent, indecisive and we are willing to let others lead who do not have the capacity or when we are paralyzed by the fear of adverse consequence that American Leadership is weak in the world is a more dangerous place. As such, adversaries are emboldened. They become more aggressive, take more risks. Results are more deaths, more casualties in the security of the American People are threatened. Tragically, this is where we are today. Despite sanctuary in the al qaeda from afghanistan and pakistan. Defeating al qaeda in iraq and killing Osama Bin Laden, the harsh reality and al qaeda and its affiliates represent an ambitious movement with the committed ideology. It is on the rise in the evidence is overwhelming. The al qaeda are taking control of western iraq where they seize control of northern syria. The border is nonexistent and today there was a bona fide dictionary for much operations can be conducted against allies in the region, specifically jordan. The radical islamists were not the catalyst for the revolutionary change that swept over the middle east three plus years ago, but they see geopolitical change as opportunity to gain influence and as such, controlled territory and people. This is happening in syria, libya, yemen, tunisia and mali. While exerting pressure in somalia and kenya. Because of the failure in my view of