Hearing Of The House Armed Services Committee - Cyberspace as a Medium for Radicalization and Counter-Radicalization

Statement

Hearing Of The House Armed Services Committee - Cyberspace as a Medium for Radicalization and Counter-Radicalization

Statement of Terrorism, Unconventional Threats and Capabilities Subcommittee Chairman Adam Smith

"Today, the Terrorism, Unconventional Threats and Capabilities Subcommittee will meet to take testimony on the use of cyberspace as a medium for radicalization and counter-radicalization. This is an important discussion, and I want to thank our witnesses for attending and lending their expert opinions. We welcome you and your thoughts.

"The focus of the hearing will be to explore various case studies of how violent extremist groups utilize cyberspace to spread their ideological message, radicalize and recruit members to their cause. It will further explore how we can disrupt this process and provide lessons learned for U.S. programs aiming to disrupt recruitment to and promote disengagement from terrorist groups.

"In order to counter this message and undermine recruitment efforts, we must first understand the message and the medium violent extremist groups are using to send this message. Once we understand the message and the medium, we must be able to respond quickly and effectively to debunk their message.

"We cannot allow violent extremist group to propagate a false message that demonizes the United States without responding. Currently, we are not responding quickly enough or effectively enough. This must change.

"Al Qaeda and its affiliated groups understand the power of a strongly crafted message and see the internet as much as battle space as the streets of Kandahar. Indeed, we've seen them shift resources from planning attacks to shaping global media perception instead. We must meet them on this battle space in a more comprehensive and effective way.

"Moreover, it is not sufficient to simply deny and debunk their message - we must also be sending a message of our own. Credible resources must be utilized to offer a moderate counter-narrative that shapes a positive message about the United States and sends a negative message about violent extremist groups and the violent ideology they espouse.

"Over the last several months we have seen a number of prime examples of violent extremists groups utilizing cyberspace to recruit members that underscore the importance of why we must improve our efforts. For example, five young American Muslims were arrested in Pakistan and accused of seeking to join a local terrorist organization and receive training. These young men are believed to have used the social networking sites Facebook and YouTube to connect with extremist groups in Pakistan. This instance, and well as many other recent incidents, underscore the urgent necessity of why must get better at disrupting this process and improve upon our efforts at disengagement among terrorist groups.

"The fact that we continue to see individuals recruited through similar means is disconcerting for our intelligence and counterterrorism efforts. Therefore, it is vitally important that we sufficiently monitor and counter -- on a comprehensive scale -- violent extremist's efforts to recruit, self-radicalize, organize and network with like-minded people, and create ideological narratives that undermine or attack our efforts to defeat violent extremist groups.

"In order to sufficiently monitor and counter these efforts, we must first understand how extremists groups think and operate, and how that translates to their utilization of cyberspace as a tool to recruit, proselytize, and spread active misinformation that bolsters their goals.

"We must also better understand what actions the U.S. can take in shaping a strategy to disrupt the radicalization and recruitment process for violent extremist group. That strategy might include how to deal with cyberspace recruitment, as well as how the US might structure and implement effective disengagement or de-radicalization programs.

"Today, this subcommittee will begin to look at these important questions. Again, I thank the witnesses and look forward to an illuminating conversation on how we can more effectively tackle these critical challenges."

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