Terrorism is an act that requires will, determination, conviction, and intelligence to number merely a few attributes. Whereas the first three regard purely motivational attitudes, the latter implies the skillfulness to act according to what drives the act. Today, technology facilitates terrorist activities and thus national security is more so endangered and with it, people's lives and the well being of societies are put at risk. Modern technological means of communication and information technology allow for prospective terrorist individuals to connect with each other at unlimited level, whereas no previous time boundaries and distances restrict them. Director of National Intelligence James Clapper admitted to the ever-growing concern for an increase in number of advanced cyber attacks within the following years. If, in 2011, the issue was among the last addressed, cyber threats moved ahead of the list a year later when it was acknowledged that ?we currently face a cyber environment where emerging technologies are developed and implemented faster than governments can keep pace. This is indeed concerning because the U.S., like the majority of modern societies are extremely dependent of information technology and most, if not all information is compressed into cyber space. This further makes the country vulnerable to attacks while it is also more difficult to predict the course of cyber terrorism because, by the time a route is established and a predicament is made, evidence leading to the uncover is likely to have moved or disappeared completely.

In 2011, the assessment over Al-Qa'ida revealed the continuous danger that the group...

And Europe. James Clapper predicted that Al-Qa'ida would follow up on methodological techniques and would look towards recruiting individuals in small operational plots ?to demonstrate its continued relevance to the global jihad.
However, a year later, it was concluded that regional affiliates were actually relevant in combating the movement and it was expected that Al-Qu'ida would suffer a decentralization. Nevertheless, that was not to underestimate the potential danger because the group was expected to subsequently be representative to operatives who are looking to seize any opportunity and attack conformingly. Therefore, Cladder was suggesting and indeed emphasized that the group is as dangerous in action as it is ideologically. Because individuals worldwide adhere to the movement's beliefs, Al Qu'ida is unlikely to dismiss terrorist attacks in favor of symbolic status in the near future.

Both agendas prioritized developing of weapons of mass destruction. It was understood that nations' initiatives in this respect were limited by deterrence and diplomacy but that terrorism is not subject to similar principles. In Iran's case, the 2012 assessment brought no new insights but the idea persisted that the country is likely to follow up on nuclear weapon construction. Indeed, Clapper admitted that the U.S. had knowledge of Iran's ?scientific, technical, and industrial capacity to eventually produce nuclear weapons.

Clapper also admitted to keeping track of North Korea's investments in uranium exploitation as the possibility was maintained that the country might make use of nuclear…