Director Of U.S. National Intelligence: We Underestimated The Islamic State

Director of National Intelligence James Clapper testifies before a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on ''Current and Projected National Security Threats to the United States'' on Capitol Hill in Washington March 12, 2013. Credit: Reuters/Kevin Lamarque/Files

James Clapper: We Underestimated The Islamic State -- David Ignatius, Real Clear Politics/Washington Post

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. has made the same mistake in evaluating fighters from the Islamic State that it did in Vietnam -- by underestimating the enemy's will, according to James Clapper, the director of national intelligence.

Clapper's comments came in a telephone interview Wednesday, in which he summarized the elements of a new "National Intelligence Strategy" released this week. Clapper also agreed to answer some broader questions about intelligence issues confronting the country.

Asked whether the intelligence community had succeeded in its goal of providing "anticipatory intelligence" about the extremist movement in Syria and Iraq that has declared itself the Islamic State, Clapper said his analysts had reported the group's emergence and its "prowess and capability," as well as the "deficiencies" of the Iraqi military. Then he offered a self-critique:

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My Comment: Besides underestimating the will of the Islamic State .... I would also add that the U.S. overestimated the will of the American equipped and trained Iraqi army on confronting them. But in defense of James Clapper .... this blog has been covering the rise of the Islamic State since the end of last year .... so U.S. intelligence must have been aware on what they were doing and what they were capable of .... and I am sure this intelligence was passed along to the politicians. If this is the case ..... and I am confident that it is .... blame should be more directed at the White House for not taking the appropriate steps to protect our interests in Iraq .... and on Congress for not asking the tough and proper questions last year.