Wednesday, July 22, 2009

The 9/11 Commission: 5 Years Later

On July 22nd, 2004, the 9/11 Commission released its official report on the September 11 terrorist attacks, detailing the circumstances and our preparedness regarding the attacks themselves, but also providing recommendations on how best to guard against future attacks.

So, it's five years later. Where are we, as a department, on implementing those recommendations, and how do we plan to move forward?

Secretary Napolitano today released a report outlining the department's progress on the Commission’s recommendations. You can check out the highlights on dhs.gov, or you can read the full report.

On Friday, Secretary Napolitano will meet with members of the National Security Preparedness Group—a bipartisan coalition of national security experts including former DHS Secretary Tom Ridge and co-chaired by former 9/11 Commission Chair Thomas H. Kean and Vice Chair Lee H. Hamilton.
At the meeting, Secretary Napolitano will discuss the Department’s progress in securing the country against the challenges the Commission outlined and confronting an ever-changing array of threats to homeland security, including cybersecurity and bioterrorism. More on that after the meeting.