John Cornyn: “when it comes to safeguarding the American people, the United States has multiple layers of defenses. We have, of…”

“when it comes to safeguarding the American people, the United States has multiple layers of defenses. We have, of course, the world's most powerful military, whose ranks are filled with courageous and dedicated servicemembers. Our military is equipped with cutting-edge technology, whether it has to do with weapons systems, aircraft, ships, submarines--all the tools necessary to defend our country and our country's freedoms. But an important part of our defenses is our intelligence community, the 17 Agencies that make up what is known colloquially as the intelligence community. It is the intelligence community that collects and analyzes information from around the world to make sure that we can always remain at least one step ahead of our adversaries. This information gathering is an invaluable part of our national defense, and that critical national security information is, of course, carefully safeguarded under what is known as the classification system--secrets. Classification gives us an invaluable edge when it comes to the ability to plan and prepare for threats over the horizon. It strengthens our relationship with our allies around the world, with whom we share much of this information, and it prevents consequential information from falling into the wrong hands. It also protects--and these are the keys to the kingdom, when it comes to classified information--the sources and methods.…”