Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard testified before the Senate on the current global threat environment, outlining what she described as an evolving and persistent danger posed by Islamist terrorist groups and their ideology.
Gabbard told lawmakers, “The United States continues to face a complex and evolving threat landscape with the geographic geographically diverse set of Islamist terrorist actors seeking to propagate their ideology globally and harm Americans.”
She noted that while major terrorist organizations have been weakened, the broader ideological movement remains a concern.
“Even as Al Qaeda and ISIS remain weaker today than they were at their respective peaks,” Gabbard said, “the spread of Islamist ideology, in some cases, led by individuals and organizations associated with the Muslim Brotherhood, poses a fundamental threat to freedom and the foundational principles that under underpin Western civilization.”
According to Gabbard, extremist ideology continues to be used for recruitment and financial support of terrorist networks.
She said, “Groups and individuals use this ideology for recruiting and financial support for terrorist groups and individuals around the world and to advance their political objectives of establishing an Islamist caliphate which governs based on Sharia.”
She also pointed to developments in Europe as examples of the ideology’s reach.
“There are increasing examples of this in various European countries,” Gabbard said.
Gabbard highlighted actions taken under President Donald Trump to address the threat, stating, “President Trump’s designation of certain Muslim Brotherhood chapters as foreign terrorist organizations is a mechanism to secure Americans against this threat.”
She told senators that terrorist groups have adjusted their tactics following setbacks in their operational capabilities.
“In response to setbacks to their capabilities of conducting large scale, complex attacks, Islamist terrorist groups have shifted toward focusing on executing Information Operations to spread propaganda and inspire or enable individuals located in or with access to The West.”
Gabbard also detailed recent U.S. counterterrorism efforts, particularly in regions where extremist groups have maintained a presence.
“US counter terrorism efforts, primarily in Iraq, Somalia, Yemen and Syria in 2025 were instrumental in removing key terrorist leaders and operatives,” she said.
She added that those operations have “degrading the ability of al Qaeda and ISIS to quickly reconstitute its leadership and plan large scale attacks against the homeland and US interests abroad.”
In addition to overseas operations, Gabbard emphasized the role of domestic policy in addressing potential threats.
She stated, “Strict US border enforcement measures that Increase Deportations of individuals with suspected links to Islamist terrorists have reduced access to the homeland and removed some potential sources of future terrorist attacks.”
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Her testimony outlined a multifaceted approach to counterterrorism, combining military operations abroad with domestic enforcement measures, while emphasizing that the ideological component of the threat remains a central concern for U.S. national security officials.