The top commander of U.S special operations forces on Wednesday issued a warning about the next generation of terrorists at the opening of the Aspen Security Forum in Aspen, Colo.

Navy SEAL Adm. Eric Olson called them al Qaeda 2.0 and says the death of Osama bin Laden severely hurt the current organization of al Qaeda fighters.

Olson said the group had already lost steam because of the revolts of the Arab Spring, which proved the Muslim world did not need al Qaeda to bring down governments, from Tunisia to Egypt.

"I think the death of bin Laden was an uppercut to the jaw," Olson told the audience. "It just knocked them on their heels."

However, he says the next generation could keep U.S. forces fighting Islamic militants for another decade.

Olson warned of the fight yet to come against new militant leaders like American-born Anwar al-Alwlaki. He says they will redefine the group's message to appeal to a wider audience.

"It will morph; it will disperse," he said of the movement. "It will become in some ways more Westernized, dual passport holders" and "fewer cave dwellers."

Currently the longest serving Navy SEAL, Olson is less than two weeks from retiring after 38 years of service. He'll be replaced by another Navy SEAL: Adm. Bill McRaven, the commander of the raid that killed bin Laden.