Patriotism and jubilance have certainly taken over the streets in this country. It is a well deserved celebration. But it comes with a word of caution: The war against terrorism is not over. Al Qaeda remains active.

While I share in the euphoria regarding the successful efforts to bring Osama bin Laden to justice, as former Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, I also understand that this victory brings with it the serious and real threat of retaliation. If distracted by a momentous achievement, we may fail to be vigilant against the next strike. Since 9/11, the U.S. has foiled 38 terrorist plots. It is certain that more attempts are to come.

Bin Laden’s legacy is creating an international organization that survives him. He was the unifying figurehead for Al Qaeda but its operations will continue under new leadership. Aymon al-Zawahiri in Pakistan, Saif al-Adel in Iran, and Anwar al-Awlaki in Yemen will certainly see his death avenged and ensure the organization continues to grow. Our most serious concerns may yet be over the rise of subsidiaries such as Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and continual decentralization of the organization. In recent years, AQAP, with its base of operations in Yemen, has been responsible for most of the plots against the U.S. And undoubtedly, scattered, rather than centralized, extremist leadership is more difficult to target.

I thank President Bush for his commitment to dismantle this terrorist organization. President Obama and CIA Director Leon Panetta deserve credit for keeping the green light on actionable intelligence. Previously, there were too many steps that had to be taken, and we did not have specific military capability to follow-up on intelligence. But through legislative reform and lessons learned, we have the imperative capability today.

Additionally, this successful action must be followed up with efforts to improve our relationship with Pakistan and the rest of the Arab world, in particular Afghanistan, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia. And, finally bringing Osama to justice should send a strong message to both Syria and Iran and all those who harbor terrorists.

With General Petraeus soon in charge of the CIA and Panetta to become Secretary of Defense, I hope we can see more military action against those who are now actually in command within Al Qaeda. Personally, having been to Islamabad and visiting at length with at least 40 CIA and military personnel whose only and primary mission was to find Osama and bring him to justice, I know this successful effort has come with both satisfaction and the feeling of finally achieving the goal.

We will probably never be able to personally thank all responsible for ending the reign of terror of bin Laden, but I thank each and every individual who contributed to accomplishing this moment. Today, bin Laden’s death brings justice for the thousands of Americans who died at the hands of Al Qaeda’s extremism, and victory to all those committed to the war against terrorism.