Incoming Department of Homeland Security Secretary Gen. John Kelly's toughest test will be battling "radical Islamist terrorism," former Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., said Wednesday.
"The President-elect will ask him to focus on the borders and making sure people aren't coming in illegally," Lieberman said in an interview with The Hill's Molly K. Hooper.
"Fair enough, but to me the No. 1 challenge of the Department of Homeland Security remains to protect our homeland and the American people at home from terrorism — radical Islamist terrorism.
"We've done a pretty good job overall since the department was created, but the threat is very real, present and dangerous."
Kelly, a retired Marine, was tabbed for the position Wednesday.
The U.S. faces its highest threat from Islamist terrorists since 2001, according to the House Homeland Security Committee's December Terror Threat Snapshot released Tuesday, and that threat is expected to persist in 2017. But much of it now stems from individuals who have been radicalized at home.
ISIS conducted 62 attacks worldwide in 2016, killing 215 people. The Iran nuclear deal, along with instability in Yemen, Syria and Iraq, has placed the regime in a stronger position, according to the report.
"Make no mistake: We face a deadlier threat than ever before, not only because our enemies have gotten savvier, but because we took the pressure off them," House Homeland Security Chairman Michael McCaul, said in the report.
"For eight years, the Obama administration reluctantly played global whack-a-mole with terrorists rather than leaning into the fight with decisive leadership."