Washington ( CNN ) -- A new U.S. counterterrorism strategy released Wednesday focuses on the ability of al Qaeda and its network to inspire people in the United States to attack the homeland , said John Brennan , White House counterterrorism adviser . Speaking at Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies , Brennan said , `` Indeed , this is the first counterterrorism strategy that designates the homeland as a primary area of emphasis in our counterterrorism efforts . '' He added , `` We are doing everything in our power to prevent another terrorist attack on our soil . ... It 's not enough to simply be prepared for attacks , we have to be resilient and recover quickly should an attack occur . '' Brennan said the ability to snap back quickly in the event of an attack would deny al Qaeda `` the economic damage and disruption it seeks . '' He made it clear the administration wants to follow a strategy of drone strikes and targeted raids against terrorists and avoid prolonged wars . `` Al Qaeda seeks to bleed us financially by drawing us into long , costly wars that also inflame anti-American sentiment , '' he said . `` Our best offense wo n't always be deploying large armies abroad but delivering targeted , surgical pressure to the groups that threaten us . '' The U.S. ca n't go after every terrorist group and must focus attention on those that seek to harm the U.S. , Brennan said . He said al Qaeda and its affiliates still represent the greatest danger , even after the May raid by U.S. Navy SEALs that killed Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad , Pakistan . Brennan said the U.S. wants to work with allies to bring terrorists down , but he would not rule out future unilateral strikes even in the territory of allies . `` As the president has said repeatedly , if we have information about the whereabouts of al Qaeda , we will do what is required to protect the United States -- as we did with bin Laden . '' According to Brennan , the cache of videos and writings seized at bin Laden 's compound shows the al Qaeda leader worried `` al Qaeda is losing the larger battle for hearts and minds . '' Bin Laden `` knew that he had failed to portray America as being at war with Islam '' and that had hampered efforts to recruit more Muslims to his cause . Brennan said bin Laden `` called for more large-scale attacks against America , but encountered resistance from his followers and he went for years without seeing any spectacular attacks . '' The president 's counterterrorism adviser questioned how well Ayman al Zawahiri will do as the new paramount leader of al Qaeda , saying he `` lacks bin Laden 's charisma and perhaps the loyalty and respect of many in al Qaeda . '' But Brennan acknowledged Zawahiri might try to launch new attacks to prove he and al Qaeda are still relevant . Brennan admitted there is a concern that Americans could become complacent since there has n't been a large-scale attack here since 9/11 and since Osama bin Laden has been killed . But with the 10-year anniversary of 9/11 coming soon , Brennan said , `` We want to make sure that we 're as vigilant and we 're as poised to detect and thwart these attacks . '' He added Congress is well aware of the need to stay focused on the threat of terrorism .
U.S. to warn against al Qaeda 's ability to inspire Americans to attack . `` We have to be resilient , '' counterterrorism adviser says . Drone strikes , targeted raids will be preferred over long wars , he says . U.S. wo n't rule out future unilateral strikes .