Clinton Promises Better US Security Abroad

Hillary Clinton has told Congress she is committed to improving security at US diplomatic missions worldwide following last year's deadly Benghazi assault.

The Secretary of State, in probably her last appearance on Capitol Hill in her current role, said she is determined to leave the department and country "safer, stronger and more secure".

She told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that no one is more committed to "getting this right".

The September 11 attack on the US diplomatic mission in Benghazi in Libya killed Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans.

Ambassador Chris Stevens

An independent review of the incident identified "systematic failures and leadership and management deficiencies at senior levels within two bureaus of the State Department". 

Mrs Clinton dismissed Republican charges that the US administration had sought to cover-up events surrounding the attack.

"I just want to say that people have accused (UN) ambassador (Susan) Rice and the administration of misleading Americans. I can say, trying to be in the middle of this and understanding what was going on, nothing could be further from the truth," she said.

"What difference does it make," she added heatedly, thumping her fist on the table as a senator repeatedly asked her about why the administration had initially falsely blamed the attack on protests outside the mission.

The independent report made 29 recommendations to improve diplomatic security, particularly at high-threat posts.

Mrs Clinton acknowledged the challenges posed by rising militancy after the Arab Spring in the Middle East.  

"Benghazi didn't happen in a vacuum," she said at the start of the hearing.

"The Arab revolutions have scrambled power dynamics and shattered security forces across the region."

The four American victims are brought home

She warned however, that US diplomacy could not pull back in the face of the new challenges posed by the evolving geopolitical landscape.

"We cannot afford to retreat now. When America is absent, especially from unstable environments, there are consequences. Extremism takes root, our interests suffer, and our security at home is threatened," she said.

Mrs Clinton highlighted instability in Mali, saying it "has created an expanding safe haven for terrorists who look to extend their influence and plot further attacks of the kind we saw just last week in Algeria".

She choked up as she described welcoming the fallen diplomats home, when their bodies arrived in flag-draped coffins at the Andrews Air Force base.

"I put my arms around the mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers, sons and daughters, and the wives left alone to raise their children," she said, fighting back a sob.

The US Secretary of State had been scheduled to testify before Congress last month, but an illness, a concussion and a blood clot near her brain forced her to postpone her appearance.

She is due to step down as America's top diplomat imminently.

President Obama has nominated Senator John Kerry to succeed her, and his Senate confirmation hearing is set for Thursday.