Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson has called for closer cooperation between his department and the U.S. Army to counter threats and address public concerns through fact-based dialogue and messaging, DoD News reported Tuesday.
Jim Garamone writes Johnson noted the need to align efforts, particularly in counterterrorism, as threats evolve and terrorists utilize technology to recruit fighters and spread their message.
“[A] phenomenon we’re seeing among terrorist organizations is a very adept use of social media,” Johnson told his audience at an Association of the United States Army conference this week.
“You look at some of it and it is about as slick as I’ve ever seen in advertising [and] promotion.”
The detection of so-called “lone-wolf” terrorists who are integrated within local communities and foreign fighters who are a security risk in their countries of origin are some of the main concerns, he said.
Johnson added that DHS and the Army work together through cooperation between the U.S. Northern Command, the National Guard and the Army Corps of Engineers, among others.
