A bill to provide for an annual comprehensive report on the status of United States efforts and the level of progress achieved to counter and defeat Al Qaeda and its related affiliates and undermine long-term support for the violent extremism that helps sustain Al Qaeda's recruitment efforts, as carried out under a broad counterterrorism strategy.

Summary: Success in Countering Al Qaeda Reporting Requirements Act of 2008 - Directs the President to submit annual counterterrorism reports to the appropriate congressional committees, including an assessment of U.S. counterterrorism efforts in fighting Al Qaeda and its related affiliates.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Success in Countering Al Qaeda 
Reporting Requirements Act of 2008''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) Al Qaeda and its related affiliates attacked the United 
        States on September 11, 2001 in New York, New York, Arlington, 
        Virginia, and Shanksville, Pennsylvania, murdering almost 3000 
        innocent civilians.
            (2) Osama bin Laden and his deputy Ayman al-Zawahiri remain 
        at large.
            (3) In testimony to the Select Committee on Intelligence of 
        the Senate on February 5, 2008, Director of National 
        Intelligence J. Michael McConnell stated, ``Al-Qa'ida has been 
        able to retain a safehaven in Pakistan's Federally Administered 
        Tribal Areas (FATA) that provides the organization many of the 
        advantages it once derived from its base across the border in 
        Afghanistan''.
            (4) The July 2007 National Intelligence Estimate states, 
        ``Al Qaeda is and will remain the most serious terrorist threat 
        to the Homeland''.
            (5) In testimony to the Permanent Select Committee on 
        Intelligence of the House of Representatives on February 7, 
        2008, Director of National Intelligence Michael McConnell 
        stated, ``Al-Qa'ida and its terrorist affiliates continue to 
        pose significant threats to the United States at home and 
        abroad, and al-Qa'ida's central leadership based in the border 
        area of Pakistan is its most dangerous component.''.
            (6) The ``National Strategy for Combating Terrorism'', 
        issued in September 2006, affirmed that long-term efforts are 
        needed to win the battle of ideas against the root causes of 
        the violent extremist ideology that sustains Al Qaeda and its 
        affiliates. The United States has obligated resources to 
        support democratic reforms and human development to undercut 
        support for violent extremism, including in the Federally 
        Administered Tribal Areas in Pakistan and the Sahel region of 
        Africa. However, 2 reports released by the Government 
        Accountability Office in 2008 (``Combating Terrorism: The 
        United States Lacks Comprehensive Plan to Destroy the Terrorist 
        Threat and Close the Safe Haven in Pakistan's Federally 
        Administered Tribal Areas'' (GAO-08-622, April 17, 2008) and 
        ``Combating Terrorism: Actions Needed to Enhance Implementation 
        of Trans-Sahara Counterterrorism Partnership'' (GAO-08-860, 
        July 31, 2008)) found that ``no comprehensive plan for meeting 
        U.S. national security goals in the FATA have been developed,'' 
        and ``no comprehensive integrated strategy has been developed 
        to guide the [Sahel] program's implementation''.
            (7) Such efforts to combat violent extremism and radicalism 
        must be undertaken using all elements of national power, 
        including military tools, intelligence assets, law enforcement 
        resources, diplomacy, paramilitary activities, financial 
        measures, development assistance, strategic communications, and 
        public diplomacy.
            (8) In the report entitled ``Suggested Areas for Oversight 
        for the 110th Congress'' (GAO-08-235R, November 17, 2006), the 
        Government Accountability Office urged greater congressional 
        oversight in assessing the effectiveness and coordination of 
        United States international programs focused on combating and 
        preventing the growth of terrorism and its underlying causes.
            (9) Section 140(a) of the Foreign Relations Authorization 
        Act, Fiscal Years 1988 and 1989 (22 U.S.C. 2656f(a)) requires 
        that the Secretary of State submit annual reports to Congress 
        that detail key developments on terrorism on a country-by-
        country basis. These Country Reports on Terrorism provide 
        information on acts of terrorism in countries, major 
        developments in bilateral and multilateral counterterrorism 
        cooperation, and the extent of State support for terrorist 
        groups responsible for the death, kidnaping, or injury of 
        Americans, but do not assess the scope and efficacy of United 
        States counterterrorism efforts against Al Qaeda and its 
        related affiliates.
            (10) The Executive Branch submits regular reports to 
        Congress that detail the status of United States combat 
        operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, including a breakdown of 
        budgetary allocations, key milestones achieved, and measures of 
        political, economic, and military progress.
            (11) The Department of Defense compiles a report of the 
        monthly and cumulative incremental obligations incurred to 
        support the Global War on Terrorism in a monthly Supplemental 
        and Cost of War Execution Report.

SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

    It is the sense of Congress that--
            (1) 7 years after the attacks on September 11, 2001, Al 
        Qaeda and its related affiliates remain the most serious 
        national security threat to the United States, with alarming 
        signs that Al Qaeda and its related affiliates recently 
        reconstituted their strength and ability to generate new 
        attacks throughout the world, including against the United 
        States;
            (2) there remains insufficient information on current 
        counterterrorism efforts undertaken by the Federal Government 
        and the level of success achieved by specific initiatives;
            (3) Congress and the American people can benefit from more 
        specific data and metrics that can provide the basis for 
        objective external assessments of the progress being made in 
        the overall war being waged against violent extremism;
            (4) the absence of a comparable timely assessment of the 
        ongoing status and progress of United States counterterrorism 
        efforts against Al Qaeda and its related affiliates in the 
        overall Global War on Terrorism hampers the ability of Congress 
        and the American people to independently determine whether the 
        United States is making significant progress in this defining 
        struggle of our time; and
            (5) the Executive Branch should submit a comprehensive 
        report to Congress, updated on an annual basis, which provides 
        a more strategic perspective regarding--
                    (A) the United States' highest global 
                counterterrorism priorities;
                    (B) the United States' efforts to combat and defeat 
                Al Qaeda and its related affiliates;
                    (C) the United States' efforts to undercut long-
                term support for the violent extremism that sustains Al 
                Qaeda and its related affiliates;
                    (D) the progress made by the United States as a 
                result of such efforts;
                    (E) the efficacy and efficiency of the United 
                States resource allocations; and
                    (F) whether the existing activities and operations 
                of the United States are actually diminishing the 
                national security threat posed by Al Qaeda and its 
                related affiliates.

SEC. 4. ANNUAL COUNTERTERRORISM STATUS REPORTS.

    (a) In General.--Not later than July 31, 2009, and every July 31 
thereafter, the President shall submit a report, to the Committee on 
Foreign Relations of the Senate, the Committee on Foreign Affairs of 
the House of Representatives, the Committee on Armed Services of the 
Senate, the Committee on Armed Services of the House of 
Representatives, the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate, the 
Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives, the Select 
Committee on Intelligence of the Senate, and the Permanent Select 
Committee on Intelligence of the House of Representatives, which 
contains, for the most recent 12-month period, a review of the 
counterterrorism strategy of the United States Government, including--
            (1) a detailed assessment of the scope, status, and 
        progress of United States counterterrorism efforts in fighting 
        Al Qaeda and its related affiliates and undermining long-term 
        support for violent extremism;
            (2) a judgment on the geographical region in which Al Qaeda 
        and its related affiliates pose the greatest threat to the 
        national security of the United States;
            (3) an evaluation of the extent to which the 
        counterterrorism efforts of the United States correspond to the 
        plans developed by the National Counterterrorism Center and the 
        goals established in overarching public statements of strategy 
        issued by the executive branch;
            (4) a description of the efforts of the United States 
        Government to combat Al Qaeda and its related affiliates and 
        undermine violent extremist ideology, which shall include--
                    (A) a specific list of the President's highest 
                global counterterrorism priorities;
                    (B) the degree of success achieved by the United 
                States, and remaining areas for progress, in meeting 
                the priorities described in subparagraph (A); and
                    (C) efforts in those countries in which the 
                President determines that--
                            (i) Al Qaeda and its related affiliates 
                        have a presence; or
                            (ii) acts of international terrorism have 
                        been perpetrated by Al Qaeda and its related 
                        affiliates;
            (5) the specific status and achievements of United States 
        counterterrorism efforts, through military, financial, 
        political, intelligence, and paramilitary elements, relating 
        to--
                    (A) bilateral security and training programs;
                    (B) law enforcement and border security;
                    (C) the disruption of terrorist networks; and
                    (D) the denial of terrorist safe havens and 
                sanctuaries;
            (6) a description of United States Government activities to 
        counter terrorist recruitment and radicalization, including--
                    (A) strategic communications;
                    (B) public diplomacy;
                    (C) support for economic development and political 
                reform; and
                    (D) other efforts aimed at influencing public 
                opinion;
            (7) United States Government initiatives to eliminate 
        direct and indirect international financial support for the 
        activities of terrorist groups;
            (8) a cross-cutting analysis of the budgets of all Federal 
        Government agencies as they relate to counterterrorism funding 
        to battle Al Qaeda and its related affiliates abroad, 
        including--
                    (A) the source of such funds; and
                    (B) the allocation and use of such funds;
            (9) an analysis of the extent to which specific Federal 
        appropriations--
                    (A) have produced tangible, calculable results in 
                efforts to combat and defeat Al Qaeda, its related 
                affiliates, and its violent ideology; or
                    (B) contribute to investments that have expected 
                payoffs in the medium- to long-term;
            (10) statistical assessments, including those developed by 
        the National Counterterrorism Center, on the number of 
        individuals belonging to Al Qaeda and its related affiliates 
        that have been killed, injured, or taken into custody as a 
        result of United States counterterrorism efforts; and
            (11) a concise summary of the methods used by National 
        Counterterrorism Center and other elements of the United States 
        Government to assess and evaluate progress in its overall 
        counterterrorism efforts, including the use of specific 
        measures, metrics, and indices.
    (b) Interagency Cooperation.--In preparing a report under this 
section, the President shall include relevant information maintained 
by--
            (1) the National Counterterrorism Center and the National 
        Counterproliferation Center;
            (2) Department of Justice, including the Federal Bureau of 
        Investigation;
            (3) the Department of State;
            (4) the Department of Defense;
            (5) the Department of Homeland Security;
            (6) the Department of the Treasury;
            (7) the Office of the Director of National Intelligence,
            (8) the Central Intelligence Agency;
            (9) the Office of Management and Budget;
            (10) the United States Agency for International 
        Development; and
            (11) any other Federal department that maintains relevant 
        information.
    (c) Report Classification.--Each report required under this section 
shall be--
            (1) submitted in an unclassified form, to the maximum 
        extent practicable; and
            (2) accompanied by a classified appendix, as appropriate.