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Address- Ing the Evolving Threat to Domestic Security Hearing THE FUTURE OF COUNTERTERRORISM: ADDRESS- ING THE EVOLVING THREAT TO DOMESTIC SECURITY HEARING BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON COUNTERTERRORISM AND INTELLIGENCE OF THE COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ONE HUNDRED FIFTEENTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION FEBRUARY 28, 2017 Serial No. 115–6 Printed for the use of the Committee on Homeland Security Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/ U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE 26–904 PDF WASHINGTON : 2017 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Publishing Office Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: toll free (866) 512–1800; DC area (202) 512–1800 Fax: (202) 512–2104 Mail: Stop IDCC, Washington, DC 20402–0001 VerDate Mar 15 2010 10:55 Oct 02, 2017 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 5011 Sfmt 5011 H:\115TH CONGRESS\17CT0228\26904.TXT HEATH Congress.#13 COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY MICHAEL T. MCCAUL, Texas, Chairman LAMAR SMITH, Texas BENNIE G. THOMPSON, Mississippi PETER T. KING, New York SHEILA JACKSON LEE, Texas MIKE ROGERS, Alabama JAMES R. LANGEVIN, Rhode Island JEFF DUNCAN, South Carolina CEDRIC L. RICHMOND, Louisiana TOM MARINO, Pennsylvania WILLIAM R. KEATING, Massachusetts LOU BARLETTA, Pennsylvania DONALD M. PAYNE, JR., New Jersey SCOTT PERRY, Pennsylvania FILEMON VELA, Texas JOHN KATKO, New York BONNIE WATSON COLEMAN, New Jersey WILL HURD, Texas KATHLEEN M. RICE, New York MARTHA MCSALLY, Arizona J. LUIS CORREA, California JOHN RATCLIFFE, Texas VAL BUTLER DEMINGS, Florida DANIEL M. DONOVAN, JR., New York NANETTE DIAZ BARRAGA´ N, California MIKE GALLAGHER, Wisconsin CLAY HIGGINS, Louisiana JOHN H. RUTHERFORD, Florida THOMAS A. GARRETT, JR., Virginia BRIAN K. FITZPATRICK, Pennsylvania BRENDAN P. SHIELDS, Staff Director KATHLEEN CROOKS FLYNN, Deputy General Counsel MICHAEL S. TWINCHEK, Chief Clerk HOPE GOINS, Minority Staff Director SUBCOMMITTEE ON COUNTERTERRORISM AND INTELLIGENCE PETER T. KING, New York, Chairman LOU BARLETTA, Pennsylvania KATHLEEN M. RICE, New York SCOTT PERRY, Pennsylvania SHEILA JACKSON LEE, Texas WILL HURD, Texas WILLIAM R. KEATING, Massachusetts MIKE GALLAGHER, Wisconsin BENNIE G. THOMPSON, Mississippi (ex officio) MICHAEL T. MCCAUL, Texas (ex officio) MANDY BOWERS, Subcommittee Staff Director NICOLE TISDALE, Minority Staff Director/Counsel (II) VerDate Mar 15 2010 10:55 Oct 02, 2017 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 H:\115TH CONGRESS\17CT0228\26904.TXT HEATH C O N T E N T S Page STATEMENTS The Honorable Peter T. King, a Representative in Congress From the State of New York, and Chairman, Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intel- ligence: Oral Statement ..................................................................................................... 1 Prepared Statement ............................................................................................. 2 The Honorable Kathleen M. Rice, a Representative in Congress From the State of New York, and Ranking Member, Subcommittee on Counterter- rorism and Intelligence: Oral Statement ..................................................................................................... 3 Prepared Statement ............................................................................................. 4 The Honorable Bennie G. Thompson, a Representative in Congress From the State of Mississippi, and Ranking Member, Committee on Homeland Security: Prepared Statement ............................................................................................. 5 The Honorable Sheila Jackson Lee, a Representative in Congress From the State of Texas: Prepared Statement ............................................................................................. 5 WITNESSES Mr. Edward F. Davis, III, Chief Executive Officer, Edward Davis, LLC: Oral Statement ..................................................................................................... 7 Prepared Statement ............................................................................................. 9 Mr. Thomas Joscelyn, Senior Fellow, The Foundation for the Defense of Democracies: Oral Statement ..................................................................................................... 11 Prepared Statement ............................................................................................. 14 Mr. Robin Simcox, Margaret Thatcher Fellow, Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom, Davis Institute for National Security and Foreign Policy, Heritage Foundation: Oral Statement ..................................................................................................... 22 Prepared Statement ............................................................................................. 24 Mr. Peter Bergen, Vice President, Director, International Security and Fel- lows Programs, New America: Oral Statement ..................................................................................................... 27 Prepared Statement ............................................................................................. 29 FOR THE RECORD The Honorable Scott Perry, a Representative in Congress From the State of Pennsylvania: Letter ..................................................................................................................... 50 The Honorable Sheila Jackson Lee, a Representative in Congress From the State of Texas: Article, New York Times ...................................................................................... 60 Article, Southern Poverty Law Center ................................................................ 63 APPENDIX Questions From Honorable Mike Gallagher for Edward F. Davis, III ................ 83 Questions From Honorable Mike Gallagher for Thomas Joscelyn ...................... 84 (III) VerDate Mar 15 2010 10:55 Oct 02, 2017 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 H:\115TH CONGRESS\17CT0228\26904.TXT HEATH IV Page Questions From Honorable Mike Gallagher for Robin Simcox ............................ 84 Questions From Honorable Mike Gallagher for Peter Bergen ............................. 86 VerDate Mar 15 2010 10:55 Oct 02, 2017 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 H:\115TH CONGRESS\17CT0228\26904.TXT HEATH THE FUTURE OF COUNTERTERRORISM: ADDRESSING THE EVOLVING THREAT TO DOMESTIC SECURITY Tuesday, February 28, 2017 U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY, SUBCOMMITTEE ON COUNTERTERRORISM AND INTELLIGENCE, Washington, DC. The subcommittee met, pursuant to notice, at 10:02 a.m., in room HVC–210, Capitol Visitor Center, Hon. Peter T. King (Chairman of the subcommittee) presiding. Present: Representatives King, Perry, Hurd, Gallagher, Rice, Jackson Lee, and Keating. Mr. KING. Good morning. The Committee on Homeland Security Subcommittee on Counterterrorism Intelligence will come to order. The subcommittee is meeting today to hear testimony from four counterterrorism and homeland security experts. I would like to welcome the Members of the subcommittee, particularly Ranking Member Kathleen Rice, and express my appreciation to witnesses who traveled to be here today. Now I recognize myself for an opening statement. In the weeks and months after the terror attacks of September 11, Congress and the administration worked together to fix the weaknesses which our enemies exploited to carry out their attacks. We created the Department of Homeland Security, restructured the intelligence community, and launched a war on terror to take the fight to our enemy, all to ensure that a similar attack would not happen again. In the years that followed, however, much of the energy behind these reforms has been lost. Budgets were cut and important legis- lative initiatives were delayed. By 2013, leaders in National secu- rity warned that the country was paralyzed with, ‘‘terror fatigue.’’ At the same time, the al-Qaeda network evolved and metasta- sized and spread and ISIS began to take root, hundreds of Ameri- cans have been radicalized. A year ago, senior National security leaders testified that the United States is facing its highest threat level since 9/11. Few could have predicted in 2001 how the world would change over the next 16 years. There has yet to be another spectacular at- tack claiming thousands of lives, due largely to the heroes in the ranks of our intelligence community, armed forces, first responders, and law enforcement and vigilant citizens. (1) VerDate Mar 15 2010 10:55 Oct 02, 2017 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6633 H:\115TH CONGRESS\17CT0228\26904.TXT HEATH 2 As Commissioner Davis well knows, the increase in other at- tacks, though, across the United States carried out by adherents to the global jihadist ideology and the rapid revolution of terrorist tac- tics reveal that our enemy has changed with the times. We must prepare for even more change: Increased pressure on terror cell safe havens and the caliphate in Syria may result in a new terrorist diaspora as thousands leave the conflict zone. Our ad- versaries, including a newly emboldened Iran, will continue to ex- ploit any available chaos. As the new administration settles in, there is no doubt that we are at a crossroads in U.S. counterterrorism strategy. We must have an aggressive, long-term strategy for addressing Islamic ter- rorist threat abroad and in the homeland. For years, this committee has worked hard to identify and elimi- nate weaknesses in U.S. security defenses. Professionals and ex- perts have warned repeatedly about failures to connect the dots and share information between agencies.
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