Is Al Qaeda Weaker?

(L to R) National Counterterrorism Center Director Matthew Olsen, FBI Director Robert Mueller, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, CIA Director John Brennan, Defense Intelligence Agency Director Michael Flynn, and Assistant Secretary of State for Intelligence and Research Philip Goldberg, testify before the Senate Select Intelligence Committee during a hearing on "Current and Projected National Security Threats to the United States" on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C., capital of the United States, March 12, 2013. (Xinhua/Zhang Jun)

Spy Chiefs Point To A Much, Much Weaker Al-Qaida -- Danger Room

Don’t ever expect the heads of the U.S.’ 16-agency spy apparatus to say it outright. But the testimony they provided Tuesday morning to a Senate panel described al-Qaida, the scourge of the U.S. for 12 years, as a threat that’s on the verge of becoming a spent force, if they’re not already.

James Clapper, the director of national intelligence, and his colleagues at the CIA, Defense Intelligence Agency, National Counterterrorism Center and State Department, never made that contention outright to the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence on Tuesday. But in their annual public briefing on the threats America faces, they focused on their budgets and on cyber attacks more than they did terrorism. Not only was that itself a big change in the annual exercise, what they said about the threat from al-Qaida was mostly cheerful news.

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My Comment: Al Qaeda appears to be weaker on an operational level .... but they still have the support of millions of Muslims who are sympathetic to their goals. And while these sympathizers may not resort to violent Jihad, they will provide support to these organizations through other means .... money, moral support, influencing governments, etc..