9/1125 Years After 9/11: Lessons for Securing the Homeland
The 9/11 attacks cast a long shadow, stretching beyond Ground Zero, the Pentagon, and Flight 93 to transform not just the United States but the world. RAND experts are reflecting on one of the most enduring aspects of this transformation: what we’ve learned about homeland security in the quarter-century since the attacks. Below, our researchers answer questions about protecting soft targets, mitigating risks from emerging technologies, and more.
Friday marks 25 years since the September 11 terror attacks. Americans are spending the week remembering those who lost their lives and honoring the first responders and others who sprang into action to help. The attacks cast a long shadow, stretching beyond Ground Zero, the Pentagon, and Flight 93 to transform not just the United States but the world.
RAND experts are reflecting on one of the most enduring aspects of this transformation: what we’ve learned about homeland security in the quarter-century since the attacks. Below, our researchers answer questions about protecting soft targets, mitigating risks from emerging technologies, and more.
What has stayed with you most about September 11, 2001? How did that day shape the way you think about protecting the homeland?
Heather Williams My professional trajectory has been shaped by many events, but it was set in motion by September 11. The attacks led me to focus on the Middle East and to join the U.S. Intelligence Community. That day stays with me as a reminder that solidarity is interwoven into the American fabric. This is comforting as we grapple with the current national divisions.
My thoughts on September 11 as a policy expert are more nuanced. Policymaking is so difficult because bureaucracy is complex and people are naturally resistant to change. September 11 allowed leaders to overcome much of the resistance, and I lived the positive effects of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act. At the same time, the reactionary nature of those changes created a patchwork of organizations working on homeland security, largely focused on terrorism as the threat.
That enterprise is now reorienting toward today’s multi-hazard environment but without the catalyst that September 11 provided. Like many others, I’m motivated to build the necessary protective institutions before another tragedy strikes.
Ryan Consaul I think back to the tremendous sense of patriotism and unity born from the great tragedy of 9/11. Sadly, that unity has given way to controversy and division. Congressional oversight remains diffuse, and past bipartisan efforts to enact meaningful legislation to protect the homeland have given way to more-partisan priorities. Given the multitude of threats we continue to face, we need to stand together to tackle ongoing and emergent homeland security challenges.
