Counterterrorism Chief Discusses Evolving Threat:

Written by IVN

Sunday, 17 April 2011

Washington, DC - Mark Giuliano, assistant director of the FBI's Counterterrorism Division, spoke at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy about the challenges we face in understanding and getting in front of the terrorism threat. He describes four dynamic terrorism threats.

"I do not think this nation has ever faced a more fluid, more dynamic, or more complex terrorism threat," he said. "We are seeing an increase in the sources of terrorism, a wider array of terrorism targets, a greater cooperation among terrorist groups, and an evolution in terrorist tactics and communication methodology."

Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen. I am honored and privileged to be here today to talk about the evolving terrorism threat and how the FBI is addressing this threat. I have seen the list of previous speakers and am humbled to be among them. I would also like to the thank Matt Levitt with the Washington Institute for Near East Policy for extending me the opportunity to speak with you today. Before getting started, I want to take a couple of minutes to talk about one of the FBI family who recently passed away…Mike Resnick.

Michael Resnick

Mike passed away on February 2 after a bout with cancer and left behind a great legacy. He was a devoted family man who loved his wife Sarah and their young daughter Jordan. He was also a dedicated FBI special agent who embodied the FBI core values of courage, honesty, and integrity.

He never backed down from a challenge or sidestepped the tough issues. He took them head-on. Mike held many positions within the FBI, to include his time running the Charlotte JTTF and the Charlotte SWAT team, but his last position as the senior director for information sharing and technology for the National Security Council is where he made the greatest impact. He worked tirelessly to overcome myriad issues on information sharing, which not only affected the FBI but also the intelligence community and our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners.

Mike’s legacy is best exemplified by a quote from John Brennan, the President’s Advisor on Homeland Security and Terrorism: “(Mike) wanted to make sure everything was in order for those who will carry on his work.â€