It is just that the events today were known to exist and were being nurtured by enemies of the USA. Avril is an interesting person as well as a magnificent intelligence director.
What is interesting to me is that the National Threat Assessment (click here) does not discuss terrorist organizations, their structure and/or their leadership; either alive or dead. I find that odd. Terrorism is referred to when sovereign authorities, like Iran, are involved.
Yesterday, (click here) Avril Haines took the oath of office to serve as Director of National Intelligence. DNI Haines is the first woman to lead the U.S. Intelligence Community.
Remarks (click here) as prepared for delivery by The Honorable Avril Haines Director of National Intelligence
...The US Senate (click here) has approved Joe Biden’s nomination of Avril Haines, making her the first woman to be director of national intelligence, and the first of the president’s picks to be approved.
The vote was 84-10, with all the “no” votes coming from Republicans.
Both Democrats and leading Republicans issued statements praising the nominee. Among Republicans voting against Haines were senators reputed to have party leadership ambitions; Ted Cruz of Texas and Josh Hawley of Missouri.... (You call that leadership?)
...Moscow will continue to employ a variety of tactics to undermine U.S. influence and erode Western alliances. While Russia does not want a conflict with the United States, Russian officials have long believed that Washington is seeking to weaken Russia and Moscow will use a range of tools to pursue its objectives, including mercenary operations, assassinations, and arms sales. It will also employ, as we have reported, new weapons and cyber capabilities to threaten the United States and its allies, and seeks to use malign influence campaigns, including in the context of U.S. elections, to undermine our global standing, sow discord, and influence U.S. decision-making. Russia is becoming increasingly adept at leveraging its technological prowess to develop asymmetric options in both the military and cyber spheres in order to give itself the ability to push back and force the United States to accommodate Russia’s interests.
Remarks (click here) as prepared for delivery by The Honorable Avril Haines Director of National Intelligence
...The US Senate (click here) has approved Joe Biden’s nomination of Avril Haines, making her the first woman to be director of national intelligence, and the first of the president’s picks to be approved.
The vote was 84-10, with all the “no” votes coming from Republicans.
Both Democrats and leading Republicans issued statements praising the nominee. Among Republicans voting against Haines were senators reputed to have party leadership ambitions; Ted Cruz of Texas and Josh Hawley of Missouri.... (You call that leadership?)
Turning to Iran, Tehran is seeking to project power in neighboring states, deflect international pressure, and minimize threats to regime stability. Iraq will be a key battleground for Iranian influence in the coming year, but Tehran will also continue to pursue a permanent military presence in Syria, destabilize Yemen, and threaten Israel. For its part, North Korea may take aggressive and potentially destabilizing actions to reshape its security environment and will seek to drive wedges between the United States and its allies. These efforts could include the resumption of nuclear weapons and intercontinental ballistic missile testing.
When it comes to transnational threats, the assessment focuses on key issues that intersect with the state-actor threats I just outlined, starting with COVID-19....
