VOA常速英语2008年-US Intelligence Chief Warns of Continued Threat

By Deborah Tate
Capitol Hill
05 February 2008
 

The top U.S. intelligence official says al-Qaida remains¹ the chief security threat facing the United States. In testimony² on Capitol Hill, the Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell also expressed concern that al-Qaida in Iraq could mount attacks outside the country.  VOA's Deborah Tate reports from Capitol Hill.

In his annual report to Congress, Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell told the Senate Intelligence Committee that al-Qaida remains "the preeminent³" terror threat facing the United States both at home and abroad.

"Despite our successes over the years, the group has retained or regenerated⁴ key elements of its capability⁵, including its top leadership, operational lieutenants⁶, and a defacto safe haven⁷ in the Pakistani border area with Afghanistan," McConnell said.

McConnell said al-Qaida's affiliates⁸ - particularly al-Qaida in Iraq - pose a significant regional threat.

"We are increasingly concerned that even as coalition⁹ forces inflict¹⁰ significant damage on al-Qaida inside Iraq, they may deploy¹¹ resources to mount attacks outside that country," he said.

McConnell also expressed concerns about weapons of mass destruction.

He noted¹² that a national intelligence estimate released last year concluded that Iran halted its nuclear weapons program in response to international pressure, but continues to enrich uranium.

"Therefore, we remain concerned that Iran is a potential nuclear weapons threat.   The earliest possible date that Iran could technically¹³ be capable of producing enough fissile material for a weapon is late 2009, but we judge that to be unlikely," McConnell said.

The National Intelligence Director questioned North Korea's commitment to the six-party agreement on nuclear disarmament, noting that Pyongyang missed a December 31 deadline to declare all its nuclear programs.

"While Pyongyang denies a program of uranium enrichment, and they deny their proliferation activities, we believe North Korea continues to engage in both," he said.  "We remain uncertain about Kim Jung Il's commitment to full denuclearization as he promised in the six-party agreement."

McConnell also cited the potential for cyber-attacks on U.S. information systems as worrisome.   

He expressed concern about increases in military spending and military modernization¹⁴ by Russia and China.

"If present trends continue, the global development of counter-space capabilities¹⁵ continues, Russia and China will have an increasing ability to target U.S. military and intelligence satellites and command and control systems in the future," McConnell said.

On the issue of Cuba, McConnell predicted little political instability if the ailing¹⁶ President Fidel Castro should die - at least in the short term.

"We assess the political situation in Cuba probably will remain stable during at least the initial months following Fidel Castro's death," he said.  "Policy missteps or the mishandling of the crisis by the leadership could lead to political instability, raising the risk of mass migration¹⁷."

Besides Admiral McConnell, several other top intelligence officials appeared before the committee, including the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, Michael Hayden.

Hayden confirmed that the CIA used the extreme interrogation technique known as waterboarding on three detainees following the September 11, 2001 attacks on New York and Washington.

"We used it against these three high-valued detainees because of the circumstances of the time," he said. "Very critical to those circumstances was the belief that additional catastrophic attacks against the homeland were imminent¹⁸."

Hayden said waterboarding has not been used for almost five years, but remains a tool for CIA interrogators.  He said its future use would require the consent of the president and legal approval from the attorney general. 

Critics say waterboarding, which induces the feeling of imminent drowning, amounts to torture.

1 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

2 testimony   

n.证词；见证，证明

参考例句：

• The testimony given by him is dubious.他所作的证据是可疑的。
• He was called in to bear testimony to what the police officer said.他被传入为警官所说的话作证。

3 preeminent   

adj.卓越的，杰出的

参考例句：

• Washington was recognized as the preeminent spokesman of American Negroes by 1895. 到1895年,华盛顿被公认为美国黑人的卓越代言人。
• He is preeminent because his articles are well written. 他的文章写得很漂亮,卓尔不群。

4 regenerated   

v.新生，再生( regenerate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• They are regarded as being enveloped in regenerated gneisses. 它们被认为包围在再生的片麻岩之中。 来自辞典例句
• The party soon regenerated under her leadership. 该党在她的领导下很快焕然一新。 来自辞典例句

5 capability   

n.能力；才能；(pl)可发展的能力或特性等

参考例句：

• She has the capability to become a very fine actress.她有潜力成为杰出演员。
• Organizing a whole department is beyond his capability.组织整个部门是他能力以外的事。

6 lieutenants   

n.陆军中尉( lieutenant的名词复数 )；副职官员；空军；仅低于…官阶的官员

参考例句：

• In the army, lieutenants are subordinate to captains. 在陆军中，中尉是上尉的下级。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Lieutenants now cap at 1.5 from 1. Recon at 1. 中尉现在由1人口增加的1.5人口。侦查小组成员为1人口。 来自互联网

7 haven   

n.安全的地方，避难所，庇护所

参考例句：

• It's a real haven at the end of a busy working day.忙碌了一整天后，这真是一个安乐窝。
• The school library is a little haven of peace and quiet.学校的图书馆是一个和平且安静的小避风港。

8 affiliates   

附属企业( affiliate的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• She affiliates with an academic society. 她是某学术团体的成员。
• For example, these security affiliates participated in the floating of 19,000,000,000 of issues in 1927. 例如，这些证券发行机构在1927年的流通证券中，就提供了一百九十亿美元的证券。

9 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

10 inflict   

vt.(on)把…强加给，使遭受，使承担

参考例句：

• Don't inflict your ideas on me.不要把你的想法强加于我。
• Don't inflict damage on any person.不要伤害任何人。

11 deploy   

v.（军）散开成战斗队形，布置，展开

参考例句：

• The infantry began to deploy at dawn.步兵黎明时开始进入战斗位置。
• The president said he had no intention of deploying ground troops.总统称并不打算部署地面部队。

12 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

13 technically   

adv.专门地，技术上地

参考例句：

• Technically it is the most advanced equipment ever.从技术上说，这是最先进的设备。
• The tomato is technically a fruit,although it is eaten as a vegetable.严格地说，西红柿是一种水果，尽管它是当作蔬菜吃的。

14 modernization   

n.现代化，现代化的事物

参考例句：

• This will help us achieve modernization.这有助于我们实现现代化。
• The Chinese people are sure to realize the modernization of their country.中国人民必将实现国家现代化。

15 capabilities   

n.能力( capability的名词复数 )；可能；容量；[复数]潜在能力

参考例句：

• He was somewhat pompous and had a high opinion of his own capabilities. 他有点自大，自视甚高。 来自辞典例句
• Some programmers use tabs to break complex product capabilities into smaller chunks. 一些程序员认为，标签可以将复杂的功能分为每个窗格一组简单的功能。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

16 ailing   

v.生病

参考例句：

• They discussed the problems ailing the steel industry. 他们讨论了困扰钢铁工业的问题。
• She looked after her ailing father. 她照顾有病的父亲。

17 migration   

n.迁移，移居，（鸟类等的）迁徙

参考例句：

• Swallows begin their migration south in autumn.燕子在秋季开始向南方迁移。
• He described the vernal migration of birds in detail.他详细地描述了鸟的春季移居。

18 imminent   

adj.即将发生的，临近的，逼近的

参考例句：

• The black clounds show that a storm is imminent.乌云预示暴风雨即将来临。
• The country is in imminent danger.国难当头。