Since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, 23 terrorist plots against the
United States have been foiled. This report updates a November 2007
report from the Heritage Foundation that described 19 plots that
had been foiled to date since 9/11. Less than two years later, the
U.S. has foiled four more plots aimed at Americans. While some
trials have ended in mistrial and charges against some suspects
were dropped, significantly more individuals have been convicted
and sentenced for their crimes.
These victories make the case for continued U.S. vigilance
against terrorism around the globe. While these particular attacks
have been disrupted, the threat remains. The Department of Homeland
Security (DHS) and Congress should not construe the successes over
the past eight years as a signal to reduce U.S. counterterrorism
efforts.
America is truly in a long war against terrorism. To win this
war, the U.S. must constantly adapt to ever-changing terrorist
threats. Congress and the DHS will need to work together to provide
continued support for terrorism-fighting tools, to increase
information sharing and collective security efforts around the
globe, and to expand vital law enforcement partnerships with local
and state law enforcement and cooperation with the governments of
other countries. These relationships have enabled the U.S. to
disrupt the flow of money and resources to terrorist groups.
Going Forward.As a result of America's counterterrorism
efforts, the U.S. has become a more difficult target for
terrorists. Those who claim that the U.S. has not made progress
since 2001 need only look at these 23 foiled plots for evidence to
the contrary. Nevertheless, these successes demonstrate that
individuals and terrorist groups are still seeking to do Americans
harm and that the U.S. needs to continue fighting terrorism.
Continuing the fight will require an ongoing commitment from the
White House, Congress, and American citizens.
The Executive Branch. President Barack Obama pledged that
his Administration would continue to build U.S. capacity and
international partnerships to track down, capture, and kill
terrorists around the world. The Administration also needs to
continue to make combating terrorism an international effort. The
U.S. cannot afford to leave our allies behind because America will
not be safe without their cooperation. Specifically, the
Administration and the DHS should:
- Expand the Visa Waiver Program. The White House should
continue to bring new countries into the VWP that meet the
requirements and desire to work with the U.S. on security
matters.
- Continue to develop relationships among foreign, federal,
state, and local law enforcement. While information fusion
centers have helped increase the flow of information among the
federal government and state and local law enforcement, more needs
to be done to continue and expand the free flow of information at
all levels. Cooperation with foreign law enforcement agencies is
also essential.
Congress. Congress plays a substantial role in developing
and sustaining America's counterterrorism abilities. Congress
should:
- Promptly reauthorize key sections of the PATRIOT Act and
FISA. Allowing either law to lapse would impede efforts to
track terrorists and to prevent terrorist attacks, such as those
that have been disrupted over the past eight years.
- Repeal the 100 percent scanning mandates. Pushing
forward with 100 percent screening of maritime or air cargo would
waste precious resources for very little gain. A better approach
would be to repeal these mandates and look for a risk-based
approach to security that does not undermine U.S. diplomatic
relationships or unhinge the supply chain. Such measures could
include expanding the Customs Trade Partnership against Terrorism
(C-TPAT), a voluntary network of shippers that submit security
information in exchange for expedited shipping, and the
Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI), a voluntary multilateral
effort of 90 nations to interdict shipments of weapons of mass
destruction and related materials.
The American People. Americans need to remain energized
and engaged in efforts to improve the safety of their families and
communities. Americans need to be resilient, recognizing the need
to protect Americans against attack, and simultaneously prepared to
carry on if an attack occurs.
The private sector is often the source of innovations in
homeland security technologies, which helped law enforcement to
foil the 23 attacks. To better facilitate this research and
development, the private sector should:
- Take advantage of the SAFETY Act. The Support
Anti-terrorism by Fostering Effective Technologies (SAFETY) Act of
2002 offers liability protection to companies if their technology
is deployed in the event of an act of terrorism. The DHS should
continue to look for better ways to inform companies about these
protections and encourage them to take full advantage. Bringing the
private sector under this protection will facilitate the
development and deployment of new and better technologies that will
keep Americans safer.
Staying Diligent.The 23 plots foiled are a credit to the
hard-working and dedicated federal, state, and local law
enforcement professionals in the United States and law enforcement
agencies in other countries. As Americans go about their lives,
they still need to remain diligent in fighting terrorism to protect
their freedom, safety, security, and prosperity.
These reforms, together with diligence, an awareness of the
threat, and application of the multiple lessons learned since 9/11
will make America safer.
Jena
Baker McNeill is Policy Analyst for Homeland Security in the
Douglas and Sarah Allison Center for Foreign Policy Studies, a
division of the Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis Institute for
International Studies, at The Heritage Foundation. James Jay
Carafano, Ph.D., is Assistant Director of the Davis Institute
and Senior Research Fellow for National Security and
Homeland Security in the Allison Center at The Heritage
Foundation. Pamela Siegel, an independent researcher, contributed
to the writing of this paper.