the coseries of georgetown professor bruce hoffman sends regrets. he's unfortunately enable to be with us today. i'd like to extend a particular welcome to those who is viewing's today meeting on c-span. i welcome those who are attending in person. and the usual format after this meeting is over in one hour we will adjourn to a reception in the adjacent room. today's topic could not be more topical counter terrorism in the obama administration tactics and strategy and our speaker could not be more authoritative daniel benjamin a position held since me of last year. prior to his the placement as the state department counterterrorism coordinator can benjamin was a senior fellow and a research from the brookings is a tuition and room during the clinton did the industry should it was a foreign policy speech writer then went on to become a director in the office of transnational threats on the national security council staff the prior to entering government service he was a foreign correspondent for "time" magazine and "the wall street journal" progress

barack obama and by the middle east program directed by the co-chair of this series, professor bruce hoffman sends regrets. he is unable to be with us today. i would like to extend a particular welcome to those who are viewing today's meeting on c-span, welcome those who ra attending here in person. as is usual, the urge format after this meeting is over in one hour we will adjourn to a reception in an adjacent room. today's topic could not be more topcal. counter terrorism in the obama administration, tactics and strategy. and our speaker could not be more authority tative. he is ambassador daniel benjamin, the state department's coordinator. it's a position he has held since may of last year. prior to his appointment as the state department's counter terrorism coordinator, dan benjamin was a -- served as a senior fellow and a research director both at brookings institution and the center for strategic and international studies. prior to that during the clinton administration, he was a foreign policy speech writer for several years and then went on to become a director in the office of tran

the clute ed meese and tom ridge, richard thornburgh, dave mccurdy, jim turner, peter bergen, bruce hoffman, spence abraham and stephen flynn. together, all of us are pleased to host the conference today to discuss the state of intelligence reform. it's now been five years since john nader ponty was sworn in as the first director of national intelligence. and it is us an appropriate time to look at the record of this dni, dnc tc and other groups. tom and i am not 9/11 commission report recommended of course the establishment of the dni and we are supporters of it and believe it success, the office is critical to our national security. the purpose of this conference is to ask whether we have made progress in intelligence reform, whether we as a nation are safer because of it and what needs to be done to ensure its success. we've assembled i think a remarkable group of experts. i want to thank each one of them as they will be participating this morning. congresswoman jane harman who was one of the key players on the hill in helping write the intelligence reform act. admiral blair will be with