Terrorist Threats

Floor Speech

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Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, in recent weeks we have again been reminded of the pervasive threat posed by Islamic terrorists to the world. We have seen ghastly images in places as diverse as Brussels, Yemen, and Lahore. Attacks seem to be coming nearly weekly now, and it feels as if we hear of a new one almost every time we flip on the news.

Over the weekend, the chairman of the Intelligence Committee delivered an address focused on the threat facing us and what we can ultimately do to overcome it. Senator Burr noted that he could not remember a time when the United States and its allies faced a greater array of threats across the world, which is why, as he put it, ``we cannot simply focus our efforts on how to best respond to attacks once they've already happened.'' Senator Burr spoke on the significance of working with our allies to target threats at every level. He talked about the importance of ensuring that law enforcement has the tools and authorities needed to keep Americans safe. He also underlined the need for President Obama to do more in directly taking on ISIL and made clear that doing so would require leadership that reached beyond the administration's current containment strategy.

It is clear that defeating ISIL, Al Qaeda, and its affiliates will require concerted action by our military, the intelligence community, and international partners around the globe. That is why we have continued to press the administration for a serious plan to defeat these terrorist groups and not simply attempt to contain them. In addition to the ongoing air campaign, the President has lauded deploying special operations forces to target and pursue ISIL. It is a positive step, but a credible ground force will be needed to defeat ISIL.

As Senator Burr put it, ``We're beyond containment and must move decisively and with purpose to eliminate the Islamic State.''

``The President,'' he continued, has accurately stated ``that `ISIL poses a threat to the entire civilized world.' Now is the time for our strategy to match that threat.''

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