Washington (CNN) Pakistan is holding back on cooperation with the US while failing to take tougher action against militant groups, Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats told lawmakers Tuesday.

Instead, he said, it's only trying to appear tougher.

"Ongoing Pakistani military operations against the Taliban and associated groups probably reflect the desire to appear more proactive and responsive to our requests for more actions against these groups," Coats told the Senate Intelligence Committee during a hearing about worldwide threats.

But, Coats added crucially, the actions Pakistan has taken to date "do not reflect a significant escalation of pressure against these groups and are unlikely to have a lasting effect."

Coats also told the committee that intelligence agencies believe Islamabad isn't likely to change its behavior soon -- continuing to slow walk cooperation with the US, while maintaining ties with the Taliban and the Haqqani network.

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