Committee Examines Evolving Threats to National Security

Statement

Today, Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Tom Carper (D-Del.) held the hearing, "Cybersecurity, Terrorism, and Beyond: Addressing Evolving Threats to the Homeland." The hearing examined several key global threats and the impact they have on the U.S. homeland including cyber threats, terrorist threats from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), foreign fighters in Syria, and terrorist travel.

"Although, in many respects, the United States is more secure than it was 13 years ago today, we still live in a dangerous world and in complicated and challenging times," said Chairman Carper. "Almost every day, we hear about criminals and nation states launching cyber attacks that could undermine our national security and cause wide-scale economic damage or even physical harm to Americans. In recent weeks, we have seen deeply disturbing examples of the brutality from terrorist groups like the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria as it expands overseas. From cyber threats to terrorists abroad, the threats facing our homeland have become more sophisticated, diffuse and complex. Our government must be ready to identify these threats, to counter them before they bring harm to our shores, and anticipate how these threats will evolve in the coming months and years. But keeping Americans safe from these ever-evolving threats is no small task - and that is why I believe we must work together and seek to recapture the sense of unity that swept over the country 13 years ago. From what we learned today, it is essential."

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