Napolitano: Our Defenses Must 'Continue To Evolve To Defeat' Violent Extremists

In an op-ed today, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano addressed the attempted attack on Flight 253, and wrote that the Obama administration "is determined to find and fix the vulnerabilities in our systems that allowed this breach to happen."

In an op-ed for USA Today, Napolitano wrote that the attempted bombing "is a powerful illustration that terrorists will go to great lengths to try to defeat the security measures that have been put in place since September 11."

"The administration is determined to find and fix the vulnerabilities in our systems that allowed this breach to happen," she said.

Napolitano continued:

While the investigation continues into the affiliations of the attacker, and as we address the circumstances behind this specific incident, we must also recognize the evolving threats posed by violent extremists, and take action to ensure our defenses continue to evolve to defeat them.

Napolitano also called fighting and preventing terrorism a "shared responsibility," and concluded: "Make no mistake: The Department of Homeland Security and agencies across the federal government are working quickly to address what went wrong on Christmas Day. If we work together, if we remain vigilant and if we refuse to live in fear, we can and will protect our country."

Napolitano has been under fire for her comment that the "system worked" in the wake of the Flight 253 incident, which some have interpreted to be referring to the intelligence failures that resulted in the attempted attack.

Napolitano backtracked on that comment the next day.