Opening Statements

Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-TX), Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee, made the following remarks on the Committees hearing titled "Evaluation of the Department's Counterterrorism Approach":

"Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and let me join in thanking our witnesses for being here today. It seems to me it is absolutely appropriate for us to take a global look at terrorism today. It was true with Bin Laden and Zawahiri that they moved around from different places before 9/11. It is more true than ever today.

"I note that Bruce Hoffman and Seth Jones, two witnesses who have testified a number of times before our committee over the years, have pointed out of the more than roughly 40,000 foreign fighters who arrived in Iraq and Syria, most of them are still on the loose. Today there are nearly four times as many Sunni extremists around the world as on 9/11. So, we have challenges, not only with a greater number than before, but it is harder to define them in a particular locality than it was before. And that is part of the reason that in the FY '14 NDAA we set up additional mechanisms for this committee to have oversight of special operations and other forces so that we could monitor, under our constitutional responsibility, what our military was doing in a variety of locations around the world, not just in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"I also think it's appropriate to step back and see where we've been, to have things in perspective. As one of the few members left on this committee who was here on 9/11, I never would have expected us to go 17--let's see--18 years, nearly, and not have a repeat of that sort of incident. We have definitely had terrorist attacks here and abroad, but I also think it's important that we pay tribute to our military, intelligence community, and law enforcement for the remarkable success that they have had because--in the years since 9/11 - because the enemy continues to be motivated to attack us, without question.

"I am concerned that with these terrorists who are freer to roam about than ever before, that it is more important than ever before to keep the pressure on them, and it is my view, as others have written, that the number one lesson of the last 18 years is if you let up the pressure they're going to spring back, and they'll spring back quickly. And that's true whether we're talking Syria, Afghanistan, Somalia or Yemen.

"Mr. Chairman, I want to finish with just one other thing. On Saturday, my wife and I had the opportunity to attend a memorial service for the most recent member of our military who was a casualty in this war against terrorists. Army Ranger Sergeant Cameron Meddock was killed a couple weeks ago in Afghanistan on a very important mission, and I bring that up for two reasons. Number one, we can never forget the human sacrifice, the human cost that goes into keeping us safe and free and some members of this committee have participated in that effort. Sergeant Meddock was one who gave everything he had.

"And secondly, it's important because we can't really talk about the mission he was on and so forth, but it was very important, not for Afghanistan, but for us because that mission was designed to make sure that known terrorists were not able to enter the battlefield against our troops and against our homeland.

"And so I think a lot of the questions you outlined, Mr. Chairman, are exactly the appropriate questions we should always ask. I also think it's very important that we never do anything to diminish the importance of the mission that Sergeant Meddock and others have given their life for over the last 18 years because what they have achieved is remarkable, and what they are doing today is remarkable as well.

"Thank you. I yield back."