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This year on September 11^th, we pause to remember events that occurred fifteen years ago, events which prompted the formation of this Department.

We continue to commemorate 9/11 and, at the same time, move forward.  On Friday, September 9, we commemorated the federal government’s return to the new One World Trade Center in New York City. Those employees who report to work at the building will carry on the legacy of those who came before them, and commit their work every day to protecting our Nation.

Over the last fifteen years our government has become adept at detecting and preventing terrorist plots against the homeland from overseas. Through the good work of our military and others in national security, those involved in the 9/11 attacks are either dead or captured. Core al Qaeda has been seriously degraded. Meanwhile, a glittering new World Trade Center stands even taller than the old one, and the Pentagon has been rebuilt and modernized.  We continue to honor and remember those killed on 9/11, but we’ve come back stronger than before.

Fifteen years later the terrorism threat we now face has evolved. We’ve significantly improved our ability to prevent complex attacks like 9/11, which has forced terrorists to turn to less complicated acts of violence such as mass shootings.  It is this type of attack that we saw at San Bernardino, in Chattanooga, and in Orlando earlier this year.

So, what is your government doing about this? 

For the President and his entire national security team, the safety of the American people and our homeland is our first priority. At President Obama’s direction, the U.S. military continues to take the fight to ISIL abroad. With our international partners, we’ve reduced ISIL’s territory in Iraq and Syria considerably, compared to two years ago, and the group has been unable to launch a major ground offensive in over a year. Just days ago in Syria, our special forces killed ISIL’s top external operations plotter and spokesman, Abu Muhammed al-Adnani. But overseas battlefield successes alone will not defeat the current terrorist threat.

At the federal level, we’ve taken a Whole of Community approach. We have strengthened our relationships with local law enforcement – working with some 1,800 local police departments around the country -- to improve the capacity of our state and local officials to support the homeland security mission.

The FBI continues to do an excellent job of detecting, investigating, and preventing terrorist plots in this country, while disrupting others trying to leave this country and join terrorist groups overseas. For state and local law enforcement, we support the acquisition of better first-responder, communications, surveillance and homeland security equipment. We have also strengthened our relationships with our foreign partners. As the President stated in the National Security Strategy of 2015, “In an interconnected world, there are no global problems that can be solved without the United States, and few that can be solved by the United States alone.

We’ve hardened the security around military and civilian government installations in this country.

We’ve doubled down on aviation and airport security, required enhanced screening at airports overseas with direct flights to the United States and enhanced TSA screening at domestic airports. As the public knows, screening enhancements coupled with increased travel volume led to longer wait times at security checkpoints earlier this summer.  But, with the expedited hiring of more full-time TSA officers and the addition of other resources, we’ve reduced wait times without compromising security.

We are expanding the capability to pre-clear passengers at overseas airports, enabling our security personnel to prevent suspicious persons from boarding flights bound for the U.S. This capability exists at 15 overseas airports and we plan to expand this important effort to more locations.

We’re doing more to disrupt the flow of foreign terrorist fighters in and out of Syria, Libya, and other areas of jihadist activity, and to prevent the travel of potential terrorists to and from this country. We’ve now built a state-of-the art capability to monitor known or suspected terrorists, and to track suspicious travel patterns of those we don’t already know. We’re providing these tools to foreign allies in Europe and elsewhere, and insisting they do more themselves to track the travel of potential terrorists and monitor their own borders. Within the last two years, we’ve greatly enhanced the security of our refugee resettlement program, and the program by which travelers from certain countries are able to enter this country from certain others without a visa.

In addition to law enforcement and security measures, we are working to prevent American citizens from falling prey to the hollow promises of terrorist recruitment campaigns. We are doing this by building bridges to communities across the country, including our American Muslim communities. In the current environment, this is critical to our homeland security mission. We must reach out to American communities that ISIL and other terrorist groups have targeted for recruitment so we can work together to protect Americans, especially young people, from such groups.

Finally, there is always a role for the public at large to play too.  “If You See Something, Say Something” is more than a slogan. Public vigilance and awareness can and do make a difference in preventing terrorist attacks.

All these efforts will take time. We’ve made considerable progress so far, but there is much more to do. Fifteen years after 9/11, the public should know that our armed forces, along with the men and women of our homeland security, law enforcement and intelligence agencies are working hard to keep the American people and the homeland safe. 

On this day and all others, we recall our DHS mission: “With honor and integrity, we will safeguard the American people, our homeland and our values.”

On Saturday evening, Secretary Johnson spoke at the Islamic Society of North America’s 53rd Annual Convention in Chicago—making him the first sitting Cabinet Secretary and highest-ranking U.S. Government official to personally address the convention.

Secretary Johnson spoke to the audience of American Muslims not as Secretary of Homeland Security, but as a fellow American.

“Tonight I will not look at this large group of Muslims before me in this room through a homeland security lens. Tonight I will not talk to you about counterterrorism. Tonight I will simply address you as who you are, ‘my fellow Americans.’”

DHS photo by Barry Bahler, Office of Public Affairs

American Muslims have a long and proud history in the United States. They have been an integral part of our communities, as entrepreneurs, scientists, athletes, authors, public servants and members of our armed forces. Secretary Johnson has been steadfast in his commitment to build bridges to American Muslim communities, having personally met with leaders in Boston, New York, Philadelphia, rural Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, Detroit, Chicago, Columbus, Houston, Minneapolis, Dearborn, and Los Angeles.

Citing his family history, the Secretary affirmed that discrimination and vilification are not only contrary to our homeland security, but our values as Americans. At the height of the Red Scare, his own grandfather testified before the House Un-American Activities Committee, since abolished, to defend the patriotism of African-Americans.

“The House Un-American Activities Committee was abolished many years ago.  I’m told it used to hold its hearings in Room 311 of the Cannon House Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington. This is the same room in which the House Homeland Security Committee holds its hearings today.  Therefore, sixty-seven years ago, my grandfather likely testified in that hearing room to defend his patriotism; now his grandson testifies in that same room to explain what the U.S. government is doing to defend our Nation. This is the promise and the wonder of this country.”

DHS photo by Barry Bahler, Office of Public Affairs

Secretary Johnson encouraged the young people in attendance to hold on to the promise and wonder of this country and continue to fully participate in our democracy. He closed his address with a simple, but important, message.

“Ladies and gentlemen, fellow Americans: public officials in this country are often reluctant to ask the public we serve for your help.  On behalf of myself and the President, I ask for your help.  Hear this message and share it with others in your communities.” 

Read the Secretary’s full remarks at the Islamic Society of North America's 53^rd Annual Convention.

The U.S. Coast Guard protects our coastlines, ports, waterways and our people furthering the  DHS mission. Today, the Coast Guard was deployed to survey the Apalachicola, Florida area with night compatible equipment for damage caused by Hurricane Hermine. The crew searched the area for people in distress, pollution, flooding, or other damages.

U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Lexie Preston.

Originally posted on U.S. Coast Guard Blog

As the cruise ship Crystal Serenity and her 1,700 passengers and crew began her maiden northerly voyage from Alaska to New York this past week, Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Paul Zukunft and Arctic Caucus co-chairman Sen. Angus King held engagements in Greenland to personally observe and better understand the changes occurring in the Arctic. Diminishing sea ice is opening the Arctic to human activity, and Greenland’s melting ice sheet is leading to more icebergs and higher sea levels. These changes have implications for the U.S. and international community in various arenas to include mass rescue, pollution response, resource exploitation, human welfare, economic prosperity and national security.

Editor’s note: This is the first of three posts regarding Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Paul Zukunft’s engagements in Greenland. For the rest in the series, visit the Arctic Operations series tag on the U.S. Coast Guard Blog.