The creation of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was one of the most significant federal responses to the horrific attacks of September 11, 2001. One of the core statutory missions of the 2002 Homeland Security Act was for DHS to prevent terrorist attacks within the United States and reduce the nation’s vulnerability to terrorism—a calling that energized much of the federal government’s early work. Never again, it was resolved, would organized terrorist groups find it easy to plan and operate inside the United States and inflict so much pain and suffering. Jihad-inspired terrorism – the fuel of 9/11 – became the de facto priority risk for the homeland security enterprise to address.
Fast forward 24 years, and by that measure, the homeland security mission has been successful. No, terrorism has not been eliminated in the United States, and far too many lives have been lost to political violence and those seeking to inspire fear; yet the country has not faced an attack on anything even close to the scale of 9/11. That outcome is due in no small part to the tireless efforts of homeland security professionals across DHS and the broader community. Still, the nature of homeland security is such that risk does not disappear—it shifts. And the need for a strong homeland security enterprise remains as urgent today as it was following 9/11.
A New Unifying Threat
Today, unlike 25 years ago, the unifying threat to the nation is not jihad-inspired terrorism but nation-states determined to undermine America’s role in the world. This threat emanates from China, Russia, and other hostile powers that sponsor illicit and criminal activity while rattling sabers against the United States.
This nation-state challenge is unifying because, if realized, it would be the most consequential to U.S. security. It has already manifested in multiple ways: major cyberattacks by direct and client criminal actors against U.S. institutions and infrastructure; the facilitation of illicit drug flows, particularly fentanyl; manipulation of supply chains; disinformation campaigns and counterintelligence operations; and active pre-positioning against U.S. critical infrastructure in anticipation of future conflict.
China’s infiltration of U.S. critical infrastructure through the Typhoon campaigns is the modern equivalent of the Al Qaeda planning that famously led then–CIA Director George Tenet to warn President George W. Bush in the summer of 2001 that “the system was blinking red.”
Given this urgent threat, today’s central homeland security mission must be to strengthen and harden the economic and national security foundations of the United States in the face of potential nation-state conflict. Framing homeland security around building national resilience is essential—because strength reduces risk. And that is where investment and effort must focus.
An Agenda for the New Threat Environment
In particular, we must prioritize four areas of homeland security strength:
- Critical infrastructure resilience – with a particular focus on defense-critical infrastructure and lifeline functions that support essential systems.
- Robust cyber defenses – empowering collaboration between industry and government to enable real-time information sharing and coordinated responses to identified cyber campaigns.
- Trusted supply chains and secure supply bases – treating the United States as a potential “contested logistics” environment and ensuring critical materials, technologies, and supplies remain available for continuity of defense, government, and the economy.
- Safe deployment of emerging technologies – creating conditions for homeland security professionals to leverage artificial intelligence, resilient communications, and autonomous systems for defense purposes while ensuring trustworthy use that respects privacy and civil liberties.
At the same time, we must renew efforts to restore trust in government and civil society.
Investing in these priorities requires recognizing the urgency of the threat and ensuring we are not victims of strategic surprise. The goal in homeland security is always to stay “left of boom”—to anticipate and prepare for crises before they happen, and ideally to prevent them altogether. That means understanding potential escalation scenarios, investing in the resilience of our most critical systems, strengthening priority supply chains, and maintaining mechanisms to quickly marshal a unified response across industry and all levels of government.
Many homeland security professionals who joined DHS at its creation saw their calling as preventing another 9/11. The calling for the next generation is to remain vigilant in the face of new threats and to recognize that, if anything, homeland security has become more complex. But the mission—and the values that make it successful—remain the same. We protect the homeland by making it more resilient, and we do that through preparedness, collaboration, and unity of effort.
The 9/11 Commission concluded that complacency and lack of coordination among security officials contributed to the tragedy of that awful day 24 years ago. We cannot afford to repeat that mistake in the face of today’s threat environment.