Terrorists, smugglers, and other organized crime groups have learned from each other and, in some cases, are collaborating to threaten Western democracies in new ways. Michael Sheehan, assistant secretary of defense for special operations and low-intensity conflict, testified before the U.S. Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities, and described a menacing trend in which “terrorism, drug trafficking and other types of transnational organized crime are increasingly intertwined.”