Ambassador Daniel Benjamin spoke about the Bureau of Counterterrorism's budget, priorities and programs. The Office of the Director for Counterterrorism was created in 1994 by congressional law with the goal to oversee and coordinate international counterterrorism initiatives.
The office was upgraded to a full bureau in January following the recommendations of the Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review. The upgrade did not result in an increase in budget for 2012.
According to its website, the bureau's mission is "to develop and lead a worldwide effort to combat terrorism using all the instruments of statecraft: diplomacy, economic power, intelligence, law enforcement, and military."
Ambassador Benjamin testified at a similar hearing in April 2011 that "we continue to see a strong flow of new recruits into many of the most dangerous terrorist organizations."
He testified before the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade.