The Army and the Department of Homeland Security have intersecting missions "and need to be more aligned" in the future, the secretary of homeland security told attendees at the Association of the United States Army’s Annual Meeting and Exposition.Jeh Johnson, who served as the Defense Department’s chief counsel and has been Homeland Security secretary for a year, added, "The public sees the threat from ISIL (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant), Ebola, and at our borders."Adding, "The public is anxious right now. We owe the public responsible dialogue … the facts, not speculation and rumor."Johnson said at the core, al Qaeda has changed and looks very different from 2001 when it launched the terrorist attacks on the United States – but it has spawned a number of affiliated organizations.One of those organizations, since denounced by al Qaeda, is ISIL."ISIL is the most prominent and we’re taking the fight" to them.He estimated that the organization has about 30,000 fighters, many coming from countries other than Iraq or Syria.A number come from countries that the United States does not require to have visas to enter the county, he said.The FBI estimated 60 to 100 of them come from the United States.Johnson added that its operators use social media for recruiting and propaganda "as slick as I’ve ever seen."One of the steps his department is taking in that regard is stepping up aviation security on overseas flights by stationing American customs officials in a number of international airports for pre-clearance screening of "foreign fighters" returning to the United States.He used a football analogy to describe this step and others as "defending from the 50, not the one-yard line."Outside of those extremist organizations, "the ‘lone wolf’ is in many ways the hardest to detect" and they are "a threat I particularly worry about."To address that, Johnson said he is meeting with a number of community organizations to discuss issues that concern them – such as profiling and breaking down barriers between the government and the public.While "not declaring mission accomplished" in tightening the security on the southern border, he said the number of illegal immigrants in the country is dropping and the illegal crossings by unaccompanied children is declining."In all of the department’s activities including cyber security, the United States Army is our partner," especially through Northern Command, Army North and the Corps of Engineers."We both at this time face budget challenges."He reminded the audience that today’s Army four-star generals likely entered service in 1975 and the service worked to develop them as leaders by investing in themAdding, "Help this great institution maintain that strength" through these tight fiscal times and downsizing.