Wasted lessons of 9/11 / U.S. House of Representatives.

Format:

Book

Government document

Author/Creator:

United States. Congress. House.

Series:

Terrorism, hot spots and conflict-related issues.

Terrorism, hot spots and conflict-related issues series

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

September 11 Terrorist Attacks, 2001.

Terrorism--United States--Prevention.

Terrorism.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (97 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

New York : Nova Science Publishers, Inc., 2008.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

On September 11, 2001, this country suffered the most devastating terrorist attacks ever experienced on our soil. The series of coordinated attacks, perpetrated by 19 hijackers affiliated with al Qaida, killed 3,000 people, inflicted hundreds of millions of dollars of economic damage, brought commercial aviation to a standstill, and opened the eyes of the American people to the threat of terrorism as never before. To establish how the perpetrators were able to execute their deadly plot, Congress chartered the independent, bipartisan National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (9/11 Commission). In addition to providing a full account of the circumstances surrounding the attacks, Congress directed the 9/11 Commission to develop recommendations for corrective measures that could be taken to prevent future acts of terrorism.1 On July 22, 2004, the 9/11 Commission issued its final report, which included 41 wide-ranging recommendations to help prevent future terrorist attacks. Many of these proposals were put in place in 2004 with the passage of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act2, which brought about the most significant reorganization of the intelligence community since 1947. Among the key provisions of that law was the establishment of a Director of National Intelligence to oversee the intelligence community and the creation of a National Counter terrorism Center to analyze domestic and international threats, share that information, and integrate activities to ensure unity of effort against terrorism. Yet, a year after it was issued, the lead authors of the 9/11 Commission Report, Governor Thomas H. Kean and Representative Lee H. Hamilton, asked as a result of these and other reforms, are we safe? We are safer - no terrorist attacks have occurred inside the United States since 9/11 - but we are not as safe as we need to be. There is so much more to be done, many obvious steps that the American people assume have been completed, have not been some of these failures are shocking. The 9/11 Commission concluded that "the 9/11 attacks revealed four kinds of failures: in imagination, policy, capabilities, and management. Determined to fill the gaps left by the Bush Administration and the Republican controlled Congress, and to provide the American people the security they deserve, the House of Representatives under the new Democratic leadership passed H.R. 1, the "Implementing the 9/11 Commission Recommendations Act of 2007" within the first 100 hours of the 110th Congress. This comprehensive homeland security legislation included provisions to strengthen the nation''s security against terrorism by requiring screening of all cargo placed on passenger aircraft; securing mass transit, rail and bus systems; assuring the scanning of all U.S.-bound maritime cargo; distributing homeland security grants based on risk; creating a dedicated grant program to improve interoperable radio communications; creating a coordinator for U.S. non-proliferation programs and improving international cooperation for interdiction of weapons of mass destruction; developing better mechanisms for modernizing education in Muslim communities and Muslim-majority countries, and creating a new forum for reform-minded members of those countries; formulating coherent strategies for key countries; establishing a common coalition approach on the treatment of detainees; and putting resources into making democratic reform an international effort, rather than a unilaterally U.S. one. When President George W. Bush signed H.R. 1 into law on August 3, 2007 without any limiting statement, it seemed that the unfulfilled security recommendations of the 9/11 Commission would finally be implemented. To ensure that they were, over the past year the Majority staffs of the Committees on Homeland Security and Foreign Affairs have conducted extensive oversight to answer the question, How is the Bush Administration doing on fulfilling the requirements of the Implementing the 9/11 Commission Recommendations Act of 2007" (P.L. 110-53)? The Majority staffs of the two Committees prepared this report to summarize their findings. While the Majority staffs of the Committees found that the Bush Administration has taken some steps to carry out the provisions of the Act, this report focuses on the Administration''s performance with respect to key statutory requirements in the following areas: (1) aviation security; (2) rail and public transportation security; (3) port security; (4) border security; (5) information sharing; (6) privacy and civil liberties; (7) emergency response; (8) bio-surveillance; (9) private sector preparedness; and (10) national security.

Contents:

Intro

WASTED LESSONS OF 9/11

CONTENTS

PREFACE

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

AVIATION SECURITY

SEC. 1605: ADVANCED PASSENGER SCREENING SYSTEM

Statutory Requirement

Status Update: Plan Transmitted But Little Progress on theProgram

National Significance

SEC. 1602: SCREENING OF AIR CARGO ABOARDPASSENGER AIRCRAFT

Status Update: Missed Opportunities

SEC. 1617: GENERAL AVIATION SECURITY

Status Update: Failure to Take Action

RAIL AND PUBLIC TRANSPORTATIONSECURITY

SEC. 1404: NATIONAL STRATEGY FOR PUBLICTRANSPORTATION SECURITYANDSEC. 1405: SECURITY ASSESSMENTS AND PLANS

Status Update: Incomplete, Putting Public Transportation at Risk

SEC. 1408: PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION SECURITY TRAININGPROGRAM

SEC. 1517: RAILROAD SECURITY TRAINING PROGRAM

ANDSEC. 1534: OVER-THE-ROAD BUS SECURITY TRAININGPROGRAM

SEC. 1511: RAILROAD TRANSPORTATION SECURITY RISKASSESSMENT AND NATIONAL STRATEGY

Status Update: Incomplete

Limited Progress

PORT SECURITY

SEC. 1701:MARITIME CARGO SECURITY

Status Update: No Progress

BORDER SECURITYSEC. 711:MODERNIZING THE VISA WAIVER PROGRAM

Status Update: Initial Steps Taken but Significant ImplementationChallenges Remain

Air Exit System

INFORMATION SHARING

SEC. 511: DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY STATE,LOCAL AND REGIONAL FUSION CENTER INITIATIVE

National Significance.

SEC. 101: HOMELAND SECURITY GRANT PROGRAM(HOMELAND SECURITY GRANTS FOR INTELLIGENCEANALYSTS)

Status Update: Acted in a Manner Inconsistent with the Intent ofthe Provision

PRIVACY AND CIVIL LIBERTIES

SEC. 804: FEDERAL AGENCY DATAMINING REPORT ACT OF 2007

Status Update: Some Progress but Required Reports Have NotBeen Submitted

EMERGENCY RESPONCE

SEC. 301: INTEROPERABLE EMERGENCYCOMMUNICATIONS GRANT PROGRAM

Status Update: Delivery of Key Plan Late

Risk Delays in Grants

SEC. 408: CREDENTIALING AND TYPING (OF INCIDENTMANAGEMENT PERSONNEL)

BIOSURVEILLANCE

SEC. 1101: NATIONAL BIOSURVEILLANCEINTEGRATION CENTER

Status Update: Initial Steps Taken But Little Progress

PRIVATE SECTOR PREPAREDNESS

SEC. 901: PRIVATE SECTOR PREPAREDNESS (ANDACCREDITATION AND CERTIFICATION PROGRAM)

Status Update: Limited Progress

SEC. 1001: NATIONAL ASSET DATABASE

Status Update: Some Progress but Little Use of the National AssetDatabase

NATIONAL SECURITY

SEC. 1821: INTERDICTINGWEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION

SEC. 1841: COORDINATINGU.S. NONPROLIFERATION PROGRAMS

SEC. 2012: INTERNATIONAL MUSLIM YOUTHOPPORTUNITY FUND

SEC. 2021: ESTABLISHMENT OFAMIDDLE EAST FOUNDATION.

Statutory Requirement

SEC. 2033: UNITED STATES POLICY TOWARD DETAINEES

Status Update: Progress is Slow and Uncertain

SEC. 2042: STRATEGY FOR THE UNITED STATESRELATIONSHIP WITH PAKISTAN

Status Update: Lack of Comprehensive Strategy Yields DisastrousResults

SEC. 2041: STRATEGY FOR THE UNITED STATESRELATIONSHIP WITH AFGHANISTAN

Status Update: Still Diverted from the Crisis in Afghanistan

SEC. 2043: UNITED STATES POLICYTOWARDS SAUDI ARABIA

Status Update: Progress has been Slow and Uncertain

TITLE XXI: ADVANCING DEMOCRACYAROUND THE WORLD

Status Update: Key Elements Unmet

REFERENCES

INDEX.

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

1-61324-142-9