Publications that have been published on terrorism events around the world, and what can be done to deal with them. I would like to report to you in summary, after 18 years of looking at the issue at the Potomac Institute that things are improving. I was to put a happy face on it, those focusing on the issue, the academic study of it, the political focus of it around the world, is increasing by vitally and with great purpose. Unfortunately, the threat is still there growing, metastasizing, and involving more people. Unfortunately, this is something that is most like we are gradual deal with. It is up to us to give them the tools. To ask you all to join me at this moment in recognizing professor alexander. His contributions to conduct is academic, but to the world, are something we should all applaud and encourage and hope it will go on for the future. Professor alexander. [applause] brought together today we brought together today a very experienced and senior panel to discuss these issues. We have a keynote speaker who is currently serving as the director of the Defense Intelligence agency ended in i would like to introduce general outbreak, the 29th, don of the marine corps. Is going to kick me out the state, i know. Published by the Potomac Institute, which general gray. [laughter] i want to add my welcome to all of you. We are honored this afternoon to have a very distinguished officer speak to us in this keynote address. General Vincent Stewart is a great leader, and a great moraine, and i am very honored to tell you more about it. Is in your notes here, so i wont go through all that, but i do want to mention that general stewart not only has had and held all of the key command assignments in the single intelligence arena and marine corps, and combat intelligence arena in the marine corps, but also served in command positions. You name it, he has done it. He is also a distinguished communications officer. He is an armour officer by trade. He has been too many, many schools. In fact, eight Different Military schools. Five of them were on my watch. That is my fault. [laughter] i say this because i think it is crucial that the intelligence ammunity be infiltrated with number of nonintelligence people, operational people. Do not just the intelligence analysis, but the operational analysis, Data Analysis etc. From that standpoint. Some of our greatest and allence victories to our history was created because you had operations and intelligence operating together, working together, and making together. Am very proud without further do, i will turn things over to you. [applause] thank you. Thank you. General gray promised he was going to do a very short introduction. He has never called me distinguished. That is a purse. So, thank you, sir. I am going to try to talk a little bit about the terrorism topic. Then i want to touch a little think weat we are doing to counterterrorism. First of all, it is truly an honor to be here. To sit next to governor ridge on the podium with senator our distinguished public servants, it is truly an honor. So, thank you all for inviting me to this event. Combating terrorism is unmistakably an important topic on everyones might. Today positive agenda constitutes a significant opportunity for sharing, debating ideas, and defining the threat, as well as to identify opportunities to undermined forces that use terror. I emphasized the finding of the threat for this reason i have heard, and will talk more about this in detail, but i have heard it is all of islam is thanks and criminals. Until we settle upon which of we will not be able to define a coherent strategy. We will take the opportunity to highlight what we are doing. Terrorism is a direct assault on humanity. Terrorismtnessed transform into a continuum of sheer barbarism covering best areas and shrouded in religious symbolism. Although terrorism is not new, it is a reality with increasing intensity. The time i pute on a uniform in the 1980s, tools. Sts use violent paris, San Bernardino attacks has become a direct terrorist threat around the world, especially europe and here in america. More information is coming out about operatives allegedly here on u. S. Soil. May be just attacks the beginning of violence their lone wolf fighters, andn directed coordinated attacks. , we areious simultaneously confronting with a quasimilitary force with state like features and transnational terrorist organizations driven by religious ideology. Like a state that claims territory, it has an executive, a commander and control structure, a set of loss, a taxation system, army, and supposedly provide services as well. While not recognized as a stated by modern nation state standards, it has been recognized by affiliates around the world who have accepted dioecious goal of a global caliphate. They have advanced this notion tomarrying its notion transform cyberspace into another dimension. One with immediate effects on nontraditional battlefields marked by terrorist attacks all over the world. The idea that the caliphate physical andin diocesedomain, is demand. Libya,t globally to afghanistan, nigeria, algeria, saudi arabia, yemen, and the caucuses. It even inspired terrorist attacks in beirut at the same time as the pairs attacks. This year, dioecious has grown more dangerous to emergent branches in mali, somalia, and indonesia. It would not surprise me to see them extend further into egypt. To increase likely their tax their attacks. We know that they do not represent islam with a 1. 5 billion muslims around the world. Yet, dioecious claims to be claiming by force a true caliphate. It is important to know that it takes all three of these words together to describe the environment. In this setting, dioecious not only to seeks not only seeks invoke m, but to the group c to created the create violence. Middle east countries fear external and internal threats. Some nations have even attempted to eliminate their adversaries under the guise of combating terrorism. That you may be at the forefront of our thoughts today, they are not the only fairies organizations in town. Increased International Focus on dioecious allows al qaeda to recover from its state and enable similar groups to flourish. We must not forget al qaeda and its affiliates still exist. We cannot count them out. The afghanistan ended in pakistan bauder while they may have goals, similarir ideology ended in a necklace tools of terror drive them. Furthermore, the jury is still out on the largest statesponsored terrorism iran and its affiliates. We do not know yet if iran will behave responsibly, or how they will invest 100 billion they receive as a result of the joint comprehensive agreement. Forget, that since january 19, 1984, iran has been listed as a state sponsored terrorism. We will not take our eyes off of these threats. We also face uncertainty in south asia, the taliban has launches first ever defensive in order to make a comeback in afghanistan. It has increased attacks in pakistan, the ies is also attempting to expand their enterprise in the south and central asia, as well as southeast asia. Draw your attention to africa, creating permissible environments for terrorism. In north africa, several strongholdstablish a n libya. Has contended with a number of violent groups. The recent terrorist attacks in highlights the terrorism threat. , terror attacks by , are the most violent dioecious affiliates. They are likely to continue they arey since aligned with dioecious. Parts of central ended in Central Africa remains at risk of instability over the next year. Alshabaab attacks in control of role areas will persist in mali. Of episodic violence in the Central African republic, the democratic republic of the congo, south sudan will continue this fight for peace and stability efforts. ,he key causes of instability lack of political transparency, corruption, suffocated civil societies, violation of human rights, religious extremism, insufficient Economic Opportunities are some among many. They will continue to serve as drivers were civil conflict, social cleavages, instability spillover, and regional spillover involvement. All of these dioecious claims upon. And therrorist threats drivers of conflict alone, are not taking into account the many other global concerns, the economy, technology have profound impact on the way the h where one of three of all intelligence agencies effectively incorporates operations analysis as well as toence and Technology Support a mission. We face a complex security environment marked by Broad Spectrum of threats. From aggressive nation states that have adopted nonstate actors. Many of these threats wage war in the war fighting domains in multiple regions. All of these have implications andfuture joint multipartnership on all levels. Especially to counterterrorism in the gray zones. Whether we are talking about the mountains of afghanistan ended while thesee, efforts continue in the military realm, military action alone is not sufficient. Collaborationugh is also a significant force multiplier. Therefore, we must think about how we do business. We have to take a broader approach to partnerships, laboration across collaboration is no longer enough. Fully integrated partnership with our allied nations is now imperative. Our relationship with our allies, military responses, and the way we practice intelligence must therefore adapt and the future. We must be prepared to operate with greater speed, flexibility, partnership, ended in accuracy. The way to do this is through integration. Not as an instate, but as a means to an end. To address this challenge, our sittingers analyst next to collectors. Collectors next to collection managers. All in close contact with a full array of intelligence capabilities. This reflects the success we expense on the battlefield in afghanistan ended in iraq. Y andizing efficiency ende we integrate critical defense collection to enable precise action within the war fighters operating environment and their network. We maintain a broad set of capabilities. We build identity intelligence. We have integrated our foreign partners because in todays complex environment, we can understand the work without them. When it comes to our partners, and other key partners, it is unlikely we will go to war again without them. We will be in combat as a coalition. Fight andnt we integrate as a Coalition Today . Almost two years ago in march of 2014, we set up our center cast with integrating dia in commonwealth capability. The center advocates improvements, collection, analysis, crisis planning, operations, and information planning. I would like to inc. The dia is on the forefront of International Intelligence integration. Acrosse we can expand our agencies, the more we can advance effective policies and operations. The goal is to take dia from an enclave to an agency that inks thinks and acts as an agency. Before encountering terrorism around the world, whether in afghanistan, iraq, syria, north africa, we maintained lateral intelligence sharing and other intelligence. Partnerships with the majority muslim countries are violet vital. Integration, innovation, monetization it gives us an edge due to the multitude of challenges. In closing, let me go back to the topic at hand. Let me take a moment to share with you. Year,er the of this past in the british house of commons, sir hillary been spoke of his support an action against dioecious. While he explained that dioecious in poses a threat, what struck me was his description of the enemy. Faced bywe are here fascist, not just their calculated brutality, but there believes that that they are superior to every single one of us in this chamber tonight. ,ll of the people we represent they hold our believe in decency innd contempt. They hold our democracy in contempt. But we know about fascists is that they need to be defeated. The caliphate must be destroyed. This Movement Must be defeated. This is definitely something to think about. Betterome to a understanding. Thank you for enduring me this afternoon. I am paired, i think, to answer your questions. I inc. , topared, answer your questions. [applause] how are you . Norm used to be one of my instructors. The reason i went to a lot of schools is that i could not learn that quickly, so i had to keep going back to more. [applause] but you have done very well. I have a question. Can you give us an assessment of iran as a de facto coat facto and as a de the challenges it prevents . Conflictderlined running across the middle east is the saudiyuan conflict. Odds which complete makes getting after dioecious in iraq and syria very difficult. I always say that we saw this kind of terrorism that goes back to 1979 with the irani in revolution. They play a difficult role on the battlefield because they continue to use, or advocates, statesponsored terrorism. They comforted actions across the region. Theyave action complicate actions across the region. They are not terribly helpful. I do not know if that answers your photo. I am i do not know if that answers your question. Sir . I am wondering i generally stay from the , but here i am at a National Press form. Is there anything that you can share with us no. [laughter] i am going to ask anyway about the north Korean Missile launch and what you might be able to tell us about that launch and whether it put a satellite into orbit . I continue that they conducted a space launch that looks too many of us like the characteristics you would want to have for an intercontinental missile. Fair to say that the launch achieved its orbit. Um. Might stop there. It did achieve its orbit and think i may be safer to stop here. [indiscernible] are those objects being tracked . I dont know if it would be a good idea to talk about how we track it. But the fact that it is in the open does not mean i should confirm it. I am not going there. Nice try though. [laughter] i think i probably told you that i should have. I am very, very careful. Sir . Thank you for your keynote speech. [indiscernible] our government legislation is bad. [indiscernible] we have very effective, meaningful cooperation of the u. S. Government to combat terrorism. I would be happy if you if i could in bangladesh. Dioecious their own publication offers five characteristics of someone to join being an affiliate of days. Unityation of allegiance, and nominated a leader, develop a strategy to implement islamic law, establish contact with isill leadership leadership. Whether to define the scope of it, elements in bangladesh are on their way now to meeting all five criteria that dioecious has published in their own publication. [indiscernible] there is no the government has successfully contained the the country is free of any islamic groups. Will probably, i not take them off my list just yet. I will take your word for it, but i will not take them off my list just yet. Sir . R. Was program manage i was not able to get anybody in United States government interested in using any of this fantastic technology. That dioecious and the chinese and the russians is up to this point, god completely unchallenged. I dont see that changing any time soon. Ideaser if you have any come our way to see it go that . D and to change those adversaries cannot confront us and be effective using conventional military capabilities. We will augment their win theties by try to warfare in the information space. That must be countered. My agency will not do that. That theys important are starting to do some things now in a number of different agencies that will counter the narrative and confront dioecious and the information space. It requires that we find the tools and approaches and techniques to present a more compelling narrative to our adversaries. I can get toose as giving you an answer. I agree with you, but i dont like this conversation. Tools now record, the exist. It is only a question of having a will to use them. Our adversaries are using them spectacularly well, and we are not. Antiagree with you. And i agree with you. Intelligencened integration. Can you talk about the challenges of timely intelligence attacking isis. There has been some criticism that the u. S. Bombing operations are not vigorous enough. Some people claim that they are being super cautious. Can you discuss the difficulties in getting good information. Also confirming targeting. I did an experiment many years ago where we tried to find small, fleeting targets in a large desert environment. That is difficult. They are not massing their movements. Finding targets gets after the critical vulnerabilities, we are starting to pick up the pace on that. Youink you may read, if have not already, some attacks have done on some of their we are going after the oil infrastructure. I am comfortable with that space because it separates us from other nation states who are not as careful in how the employee weapons. I think we are seeing an increase understanding the systems that make up this state. I think you will see increased decision targeting of those critical vulnerabilities, but we err on the side of limiting our casualties to civilians. Thank you very much. [laughter] [applause]. [applause]. Moving on just a few hours ago, the president of the United States announced a 1. 8 billion program to deal with the zika virus. Which is a relatively innocuous, can be deadly, can cause problems virus that is moving up from south america, but has not resulted in any widespread casualties, or problems in United States, except for fear. Thethings cause fear and potato to terrorize as. And hashings cause fear the potential to terrorize us. In the last year, a blueribbon study panel was empowered to look at bioterrorism and inform washington d. C. , the congress, and the president on these threats. We have with us today the two chairman of the panel. They have just released the first report from the panel with recommendations on how to deal with one of the most frightening terror scenarios that could ever be brought together. The two chairman i have speaking of our two of the most distinguished, bipartisan, Public Officials that washington has seen in the last century. Both of them have served on National Security issues for many decades, and we are privileged to have them in the country, we are privileged to have them here today. I would first like to introduce governor ridge, and later on, senator joe lieberman, cochairman of the panel. Lets start with governor ridge who served as governor for quite a long time and the first secretary of