• 2 days ago
DNI Tulsi Gabbard delivers her opening statement at today's House Intel Committee hearing.

Fuel your success with Forbes. Gain unlimited access to premium journalism, including breaking news, groundbreaking in-depth reported stories, daily digests and more. Plus, members get a front-row seat at members-only events with leading thinkers and doers, access to premium video that can help you get ahead, an ad-light experience, early access to select products including NFT drops and more:

https://account.forbes.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=growth_non-sub_paid_subscribe_ytdescript


Stay Connected
Forbes on Facebook: http://fb.com/forbes
Forbes Video on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/forbes
Forbes Video on Instagram: http://instagram.com/forbes
More From Forbes: http://forbes.com
Transcript
00:00Chairman yields, now recognize Director Gabbard to make a statement on behalf of the intelligence
00:06community.
00:07Thank you very much, Chairman Crawford and Ranking Member Himes, members of the committee.
00:13Thank you for the opportunity for us to be here to present the 2025 Annual Threat Assessment.
00:19I'm joined here by my colleagues from the CIA, DIA, FBI, and NSA.
00:25Our testimony today offers the collective assessment of the 18 U.S. intelligence elements
00:30making up the U.S. intelligence community and draws on the intelligence collection and
00:35information available to the IC from open source and private sector and the expertise
00:40of our analysts.
00:41It evaluates what the IC assesses most threatens our people and our nation's ability to live
00:47in a peaceful, free, secure, and prosperous society.
00:52As you know very well, we face an increasingly complex threat environment that is threatening
00:57us here at home and our interests abroad.
01:00I'll begin by focusing on what most immediately and directly threatens the United States and
01:05the well-being of the American people, the non-state criminal groups and terrorists putting
01:09American lives and livelihood at risk.
01:13I'll then move on to focus on the key nation states who have the capability to threaten
01:17our security and the interests of the United States.
01:22Cartels, gangs, and other transnational criminal organizations in our part of the world are
01:25engaging in a wide array of illicit activity, from narcotics trafficking to money laundering,
01:31smuggling of illegal immigrants, and human trafficking, which endanger the health, welfare,
01:37and safety of everyday Americans.
01:40Based on our latest reporting available for the year-long period ending October 2024,
01:45cartels were largely responsible for the deaths of more than 54,000 American citizens due
01:51to synthetic opioids.
01:54Mexico-based transnational criminal organizations are the main suppliers of illicit fentanyl
01:58to the U.S. market and are quickly adapting to enforcement and regulatory pressures by
02:04using multiple sources and methods to procure precursor chemicals and equipment, primarily
02:10from China and India, many of which are dual-use chemicals used in legitimate industries.
02:16Illicit fentanyl producers are also increasingly fragmenting the drug trade in Mexico.
02:23The ready availability of precursor chemicals and ease of making illicit fentanyl have enabled
02:28independent actors to increase illicit fentanyl production and smuggling operations in Mexico.
02:34Cartels are profiting from human trafficking and have likely facilitated more than two
02:38million illegal immigrants encountered by law enforcement at the U.S. southwest border
02:43in 2024 alone, straining our vital resources and putting the American people at risk.
02:50Criminal groups drive much of the unrest and lawlessness in the Western Hemisphere.
02:55They also engage in extortion, weapons and human smuggling, and other illicit and dangerous
03:00revenue-seeking operations, including kidnapping for ransom, forced labor, and sex trafficking.
03:08While some of these key drivers of migrants are expected to persist, heightened U.S. border
03:12security enforcement and deportations under the Trump administration are proving to serve
03:17as a deterrent for migrants seeking to illegally cross our borders.
03:21U.S. Border Patrol apprehensions along the southwest border in January 2025 dropped 85
03:27percent from the same period in 2024.
03:31Transnational Islamist extremists such as ISIS and al-Qaeda and affiliated jihadi groups
03:36continue to pursue, enable, or inspire attacks against the United States and our citizens
03:42abroad and within the homeland to advance their ultimate objective of establishing a
03:48global Islamist caliphate.
03:52This includes heightened efforts to spread their ideology to recruit and radicalize individuals
03:56in the U.S. and the West.
03:59While the New Year's Day attacker in New Orleans had no known direct contact with ISIS terrorists,
04:05he was influenced and radicalized by ISIS ideological propaganda, as one example.
04:11Al-Qaeda and its affiliates continue to call for attacks against the United States as they
04:16conduct attacks overseas.
04:19These jihadist groups have shown their ability to adapt and evolve, including using new technology
04:25and tactics to spread their ideology and recruit new followers.
04:30A range of non-state cyber criminals are also targeting our economic interests, our
04:35critical infrastructure, and advanced commercial capability for extortion, other coercive pursuits,
04:40and financial gain.
04:43These actors are using a variety of tactics, including phishing, ransomware, and denial
04:47of service attacks to disrupt our systems and steal sensitive and lucrative information,
04:53using available technologies, and taking advantage of U.S. cyber vulnerabilities.
04:59Cyber actors last year, for example, attacked the largest payment processor for U.S. health
05:03care institutions, and another set of criminal actors conducted cyber attacks against U.S.
05:09water utilities.
05:11Some of these non-state cyber actors also operate as proxies for or emulate similar
05:16activities being carried out by major state actors.
05:20The IC sees China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea engaging in activities that could challenge
05:26U.S. capabilities and interests, especially related to our security and economy.
05:31They are in some cases working together in different areas to target U.S. interests and
05:35to protect themselves from U.S. sanctions.
05:39At this point, the IC assesses that China is our most capable strategic competitor.
05:44Under the leadership of Xi Jinping, the People's Republic of China seeks to position itself
05:48as a leading power in the world stage, economically, technologically, and militarily.
05:54Beijing is driven in part by a belief that Washington is pursuing a broad effort to
05:58contain China's rise and undermine CCP rule.
06:03China's most serious domestic challenge is probably China's slowing economy and the potential
06:07instability that could occur if socioeconomic grievances lead to large-scale unrest.
06:13Growing economic tensions with the United States and other countries could also weigh
06:16on China's plans for economic growth and domestic job creation.
06:21China's military is fielding advanced capabilities, including hypersonic weapons, stealth aircraft,
06:27advanced submarines, stronger space and cyber warfare assets, and a larger arsenal of nuclear
06:33weapons.
06:34While it appears they would like to develop and maintain positive ties with the United
06:38States and the Trump administration to advance its own interests and avoid conflict, China
06:44is building its military capability in part to gain an advantage in the event of a military
06:49conflict with the United States around the issue of China's efforts towards unification
06:54with the Republic of China or Taiwan.
06:58Beijing is advancing its cyber capabilities for sophisticated operations aimed at stealing
07:03sensitive U.S. government and private sector information and pre-positioning additional
07:08asymmetric attack options that may be deployed in a conflict.
07:13China's cyber activities have been linked to multiple high-profile breaches, including
07:18last year's massive compromise of U.S. telecom infrastructure, commonly referred to as Salt
07:23Typhoon.
07:25Beijing currently dominates global markets and strategically important supply chains,
07:29for example, with the mining and processing of several critical minerals.
07:34In December, China imposed an export ban to the United States on gallium, germanium, and
07:40antimony, all of which are important to the production of semiconductors and our defense
07:44technologies.
07:46This was in direct response to U.S. export controls on chips designed to broadly limit
07:51PRC access to advanced chips and chip-making equipment.
07:57China also aims to compete in other critical global industries, including AI, legacy semiconductor
08:02chip production, biomanufacturing and genetic sequencing, and medical and pharmaceutical
08:08supply production.
08:11Russia's nuclear and conventional military capabilities, along with its demonstrated
08:15economic and military resilience, make it a formidable competitor.
08:19Moscow has more nuclear weapons than any other nation that could inflict catastrophic damage
08:24on the United States and the world in the event of a major war that Russian leaders
08:29feared put them and their regime at serious risk.
08:33In late 2024, Russia announced updates to its public nuclear doctrine, expanding the
08:38conditions under which Russia would consider using nuclear weapons.
08:43Russia is building a more modern and survivable nuclear force designed to circumvent U.S.
08:48missile defense through reliable retaliatory strike potential.
08:52It intends to deter the U.S. by holding the U.S. homeland at risk and by having the capabilities
08:58to threaten nuclear war in a conflict.
09:01Russia has developed advanced cyber capabilities and has attempted to pre-position access to
09:07U.S. critical infrastructure for asymmetric options and make it a persistent cyber threat.
09:14Russia's cyber activities have been linked to multiple high-profile breaches, including
09:18the 2023 hack of Microsoft.
09:21Russia is also fielding new capabilities and anti-satellite weapons meant to degrade U.S.
09:26and allied space infrastructure.
09:29Among Russia's most concerning developments is a new satellite intended to carry a nuclear
09:33weapon as an anti-satellite weapon, violating longstanding international law against such
09:38activity and putting the U.S. and global economy at risk.
09:44Iran continues to seek to expand its influence in the Middle East, despite the degradation
09:49to its proxies and defenses during the Gaza conflict.
09:54Iran has developed and maintains ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and UAVs, including
09:58systems capable of striking U.S. targets and allies in the region.
10:03They've shown a willingness to use these weapons, including during a 2020 attack on U.S. forces
10:07in Iraq and in attacks against Israel in April and October 2024.
10:13Iran's cyber operations and capabilities also present a serious threat to U.S. networks
10:18and data.
10:20The IC continues to assess that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon, and Supreme Leader
10:24Khamenei has not authorized the nuclear weapons program that he suspended in 2003.
10:30We continue to monitor closely if Tehran decides to reauthorize its nuclear weapons program.
10:37In the past year, we've seen an erosion of a decades-long taboo in Iran on discussing
10:42nuclear weapons in public, likely emboldening nuclear weapons advocates within Iran's decision-making
10:48apparatus.
10:50Iran's enriched uranium stockpile is at its highest levels and is unprecedented for a
10:54state without nuclear weapons.
10:58Iran will likely continue efforts to counter Israel and press for U.S. military withdrawal
11:02from the region by aiding, arming, and helping to reconstitute its loose consortium of like-minded
11:09terrorist actors, which it refers to as its axis of resistance.
11:14Although weakened, this collection of actors still presents a wide range of threats, including
11:20to Israel's population and U.S. forces deployed in Iraq and Syria, as well as U.S. and international
11:26military and commercial shipping and transit.
11:31North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is pursuing stronger strategic and conventional capabilities
11:35that can target U.S. forces and allies in the region, as well as the U.S. homeland,
11:41to bolster North Korea's leverage and stature, defend its regime, and achieve at least tacit
11:47recognition as a nuclear weapons power.
11:51Kim's recently cemented strategic partnership with Russia supports these goals by providing
11:56him with greater financial, military, and diplomatic support, reducing its reliance
12:01on China, and providing North Korean forces and weapons systems with warfighting experience.
12:08Kim views his strategic weapons advances, its deepening ties with Russia, and its economic
12:14durability as strengthening his negotiating position against Washington's demands for
12:18denuclearization and lessening Kim's need for sanctions relief.
12:25Since 2022, China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea have grown closer.
12:30Removing the accelerant of the war in Ukraine is unlikely to revert these bilateral relationships
12:35to a pre-war 2021 baseline, leaving room for new strategic priorities and world events
12:41to create new incentives or challenges to their expanded cooperation.
12:48Russia has been a catalyst for much of this expansion, driven heavily by the support it
12:52has needed for its war against Ukraine, including protection from U.S. and Western sanctions.
12:59In addition to exchange of military and other resource capabilities with North Korea, Russia
13:03has relied more heavily on China's financial and defense industry backing, and has increased
13:09combined military exercises with China.
13:13With Iran, Russia has also expanded financial ties to mitigate sanctions.
13:17Iran has become a critical military supplier to Russia, especially of UAVs, in exchange
13:22for Russian technical support for Iranian weapons, intelligence, and advanced cyber
13:26capabilities.
13:29The threats that we see to U.S. national security are both complex and multifaceted.
13:37In closing, I want to address briefly the signal chat issue that I know many of you
13:41are concerned about.
13:42The President and National Security Advisor, Waltz, held a press conference yesterday with
13:46a clear message.
13:48It was a mistake that a reporter was inadvertently added to a signal chat with high-level national
13:53security principals, having a policy discussion about imminent strikes against the Houthis
13:59and the effects of the strike.
14:03National Security Advisor has taken full responsibility for this, and the National Security Council
14:08is conducting an in-depth review, along with technical experts working to determine how
14:14this reporter was inadvertently added to this chat.
14:19The conversation was candid and sensitive, but as the President and National Security
14:23Advisor stated, no classified information was shared.
14:28There were no sources, methods, locations, or war plans that were shared.
14:33This was a standard update to the National Security Cabinet that was provided alongside
14:39updates that were given to foreign partners in the region.
14:46The Signal Message app comes pre-installed on government devices.
14:51In December of 2024, CISA stated, quote, we strongly urge highly targeted individuals
14:56to immediately review and apply best practices provided in the guidance to protect mobile
15:01communications, including consistent use of end-to-end encryption.
15:06And they named Signal as an app as an example of such an end-to-end encrypted messaging
15:11app.
15:12Ideally, these conversations occur in person.
15:15However, at times, fast-moving coordination of an unclassified nature is necessary, where
15:21in-person conversation is not an option.
15:25I'm also aware that a lawsuit was filed yesterday on this issue.
15:29As a result of that pending litigation, I'm limited in my ability to comment further on
15:34that specific case.
15:36My Office of General Counsel will be in close contact with the Department of Justice on
15:40this matter.
15:43The most important thing to the American people and to all of us is the success of this military
15:49operation against terrorists who have been and continue to attack American service members
15:54was extremely successful, thanks to the leadership of President Trump and the actions of our
16:00brave men and women in uniform.
16:03As the heads of the American people's intelligence community, we will continue to provide the
16:08President, you in Congress, and our warfighters with timely, unbiased, relevant intelligence
16:16to keep our country secure, free, prosperous, and at peace.
16:21Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Recommended