In his speech, John Brennan also addressed the one-year anniversary of the U.S. killing of Osama bin Laden in Pakistan.

John Brennan: “The death of bin Laden was our most strategic blow yet against al-Qaeda. Credit for that success belongs to the courageous forces who carried out that mission, at extraordinary risk to their lives; to the many intelligence professionals who pieced together the clues over the years that led to bin Laden’s hideout; and to President Obama, who gave the order to go in.”

The killing of bin Laden is shaping up to be a hot topic in the presidential race. The Obama campaign released an ad last week questioning whether the presumptive Republican nominee, Mitt Romney, would have ordered a raid inside Pakistan. Romney responded on Monday.

Reporter: “You would have given the order, Governor?”

Mitt Romney: “Of course. Even Jimmy Carter would have given that order.”

In 2007, Romney had criticized Obama for saying he would go into Pakistan to hunt down members of al-Qaeda.