Secretary of Defense Panetta held this press conference previewing his final international trip as secretary, on January 14, 2013. His travel will include Portugal, Spain, Italy, and Great Britain.

A "disposition matrix," the continuously expanding database that highlights intelligence on targets and strategies for handling them, has become an important aspect in one of the most difficult categories of suspected terrorists: U.S. citizens.

Deputy Secretary of State William Burns gave these remarks at the Global Counterterrorism Forum Plenary in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on December 14, 2012.

Richard A. Falkenrath says Showtime's blockbuster series Homeland is great television, but not a useful guide to real-world homeland security. Hint: we always tap the suspect's cell phone.

White House counterterrorism adviser John O. Brennan is compiling a "playbook" that will lay out the administration's procedures for the targeted killings that have come to define its fight against al-Qaeda and its affiliates.

Prospects for a smooth handover of security to Afghan authorities appear dismal, but new leadership from Washington could improve this interval, says Daniel Markey.

For the past two years, the Obama administration has been developing a "disposition matrix," or tool for pursuing terrorists.

Max Boot says Obama repeated Bush's mistake, and the power vacuum in Libya has now been filled by jihadists.

The expansion of North Africa's AQIM into Mali and links to attacks against the U.S. consulate in Libya have spurred fears about the group's threat to the region, explains this CFR backgrounder.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton gave this October 15, 2012 interview with CNN, regarding intelligence on and investigation of the consulate attack in Benghazi.

Pir Zubair Shah says the attack on Malala, the Pakistani girl gunned down by the Taliban, proves the Taliban's resilience and shows the uphill task of fighting them without a firm plan in place.

American approach to deadly drone strikes in Pakistan proves overly blunt, says journalist and Waziristan native Pir Zubair Shah.

Micah Zenko says, in the aftermath of the attacks in Benghazi, President Obama faces tremendous pressure to "do something" in response, but force won't stop another attack.

U.S. Treasury Department Under Secretary David Cohen gave these remarks on "Kidnapping for Ransom: The Growing Terrorist Financing Challenge" at Chatham House in London on October 5, 2012.

The Senate's Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs , Subcommittee on Investigations, released this report on "Federal Support for and Involvement in State and Local Fusion Centers" on October 2, 2012.

The Haqqani network, a semi-autonomous arm of the Taliban, is one of the deadliest factions of the latter group; and the most financially diverse and sophisticated as well.

Micah Zenko examines the public comments of John Brennan, Obama's closest adviser for intelligence and counterterrorism issues, and finds that there are seven half-truths and direct contradictions between stated U.S. policies and actual practices.

In the wake of the deadly attacks on U.S. diplomatic missions in Egypt and Libya, Bobby Ghosh writes that the newly-formed democratic governments which replaced long-standing dictatorships, as a result of the Arab Spring, has contributed to greater instability and a more chaotic and unstable Middle East.

Israeli authorities in the West Bank have long worried about stopping Palestinian terrorism.

Isobel Coleman and Ed Husain discuss the details surrounding the recent attacks on U.S. diplomatic missions in Libya and Egypt and how these attacks could alter U.S. diplomacy and future assistance.