[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 96 (Thursday, June 16, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E941]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               RECOGNIZING COLONEL VICTOR GABRIEL GARCIA

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JOE WILSON

                           of south carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 16, 2016

  Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I would like to commend 
Colonel Victor Gabriel Garcia, Information Operations Chief for 
CENTCOM, for his work combatting the Islamic State of Iraq and the 
Levant (ISIL). In the last two years, ISIL has developed and 
implemented never before seen tactics by using social media to recruit 
foreign fighters and the internet to propagate and instill fear. With 
the emergence of this continually evolving threat, Colonel Garcia has 
overhauled and expanded the CENTCOM J39 directorate to counter ISIL's 
internet propaganda machine.
  Currently, he is spearheading an effort for the Department of Defense 
to train and equip a joint force capable of addressing emerging 
terrorist threats on the internet and social media. They plan to 
develop a permanent and suitable solution to incorporate the policy, 
personnel, training, and facilities for all military commanders across 
the Department of Defense to better understand the tactics of ISIL as 
well as engage and influence their target audience.
  Additionally, Colonel Garcia and his team are in the process of 
developing a Web Operations Center for the Department of Defense. For 
the first time, the Department of Defense plans to have a centralized 
location where hostile internet activity can be monitored and addressed 
accordingly. This will provide an early warning system to assist 
military commanders with a variety of operations and allow them to 
react quickly, possibly saving the lives of our troops.
  I am grateful for Colonel Garcia's admirable service and dedication 
in developing countermeasures against ISIL.

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