This Thursday marks the 7th anniversary of the attacks by al Qaida on the United States. Tomorrow the Partnership for a Secure America (a/k/a the former 9/11 Commission) will release a report stating that the United States is “dangerously vulnerable” to another attack. That is just plain wrong.

I live in the D.C. area, thus, for me that day is vividly burned in my memory. My old office in the Pentagon was in an area that was ruble on 9-11. I wasn’t working for the Department on that day - but about half of the people I worked with did. The most fantastic story of survival was from a colleague who was on the C-ring of the Pentagon that was directly struck by the plane. She described to me how she saw a wall of fire hit her office window and throw her against the wall from the concussive shockwave - the plane not penetrating the C-ring fully. Every person who was in the building that day has a story of both heroism and tragedy…. of disbelief and stoic resolve.

Every day I went to my office, I walked by a memorial on the first floor - for the Army section who were likely the first victims of the attack on the Pentagon. For me, 9/11 isn’t something I watched on TV…. I lived it…. and the reminders of it are ever present in Washington, D.C.

So I get a bit agitated when I heard pundits and others casually asking “Are we safer than on 9/11?” Pontificating about this or that… blaming the President… or the Vice President. The Administration has many faults, however, not taking terrorism seriously after the 9/11 attacks is not one of them. We are indeed safer than we were on 9/11…

Billions of dollars have been spent revitalizing intelligence. That’s not something that can be talked about in great detail. You’ll never hear a Congressman go up to the microphone and say, “Well, I assure you all that but for the bills we’ve passed…. you have no idea all the bad stuff that could have happened.” The Administration has reluctantly talked about some of the successes. We stopped a major attack against US and British Aircraft in England. We disrupted cells around the world with covert forces. We brutally killed or captured AQ in Iraq and Afghanistan using innovative fusion teams of intelligence and special forces.

Our enemies have been getting the crap kicked out of them for quite some time. You don’t hear about it in the press because it doesn’t make for a good news story unless it’s “someone famous” (or better yet, infamous). Those steady successes have been in large measure the result of exceptional efforts to create better cohesion and management of intelligence. Obviously, as someone who works in that industry, I see the results every day. Can’t talk about it - but it is absolutely nonsensical to suggest we’re not safer because of it… we can do things now that were only on paper on 9/11… and the process continues.

General Patton said you don’t win a war by dying for your country - you win it by making the “other poor SOB die for his.” While terrorists do not fight for a country - their elimination is the only road to victory. Since 9/11, the United States has killed or captured a countless number of al Qiada, the Taliban, and their supporters. The reality is, military and law enforcement efforts have made it extremely difficult for them to mount another attack against the US. Will al Qaida try - I have no doubt. Will they succeed? Their chances aren’t as good today as they were on 9/11. While al Qaida continues to evolve - we too have adapted and have put pressure on them everywhere in the world. Wherever al Qaida tries to operate - the US military is not too far behind. While I will not go so far as to say al Qaida is in its “final deathrows,” AQ today is under more pressure (and its always building) than it was on 9/11. Al Qaida has no safe harbor - it can only run and hide from us. When it surfaces for any extended period of time…. we hit it.

Moreover, if there is another attack, our ability to mitigate the damages of that assault are infinitely better than they were on 9/11. Major cities have practiced and have dedicated teams of first responders. Federal and state coordination in key areas - like DC - is in place and ready to respond. The tie-ins between national assets (military and intelligence) to civil defense and law enforcement continues to need improvement, however, it is significantly better than it was on 9/11.

The bottom line is this - if a nuclear weapon goes off in a US city… it will be a catastrophic event the likes of which we have never experienced. It is almost impossible to contemplate it… which is why there is considerable effort, much of which is not discussed, about how to thwart such an attack. Similarly, chemical, biological, radiological, attacks are also the intense focus of counter-terrorism and national coordination efforts.

The PSA acts like nothing is really being done… which is just a crock of nonsense. PSA says “you must secure the US from all types of attack no matter what” with absolutely no idea of how to accomplish it. Then they give the government a C- (or whatever grade they intend to give) for failing to accomplish it.

It’s “bipartisan nonsense.”

It would be the fiscal/monetary equivalent of me starting my own think tank and saying “the government get’s an F because it hasn’t figure out how to turn cow manure into Gold thereby solving our financial difficulties.”

It’s not like the government doesn’t understand the absolutely deadly threat facing it.

Usama Bin Laden would like nothing more than to attack the US mainland. The fact that it hasn’t happened for seven years is not solely attributable to patiently waiting. He has tried - and he has failed. He has tried to get weapons of mass destruction. He has tried to directly attack the United States. He has tried to hijack planes and kill their passengers onboard or worse….

But he hasn’t… and that’s a direct result of the civilians and military who are dedicated to protecting this nation.

Respectfully to the former 9/11 Commission heads - it is not helpful to state that the United States is “dangerously vulnerable” to attack. It’s not. Is chemical, biological, and nuclear attacks possible on the United States. Yes. Should the United States tirelessly work to reduce the risk of WMD spreading to the hands of groups like al Qaida. Yes.

We are working on missile technology to reduce the possibility of a rogue launch. We are working around the world to attempt to develop systems to safely screen literally TRILLIONS of dollars of cargo moving around the world and to US ports. We are working with law enforcement of coalition nations to track and disrupt terrorism finance. We are working to secure our borders. We are working with the international community to disrupt terrorist cells in other countries. We are sharing intelligence. Our forces are operating abroad.

… can we do more? There is always more work to be done.

We have come a considerable distance since being caught unaware that clear September morning…

Are we dangerously vulnerable?

…. tell that to the soldier in the field….

… tell it to the thousands of intelligence analysts working to uncover plots and intentions….

…. tell it to the men and women working in homeland security across the United States…

…. tell it to the first responders in our cities….

…. tell it to the enemy hiding in his hole in mountains praying we’ll let up.

“No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory.” - FDR

Bryan
Editor,
www.rightcommentary.com

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