National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States
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National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, also known as the 9/11 Commission, was an independent, bipartisan commission established by United States Congress and President George W. Bush to investigate the September 11 attacks in 2001. The commission's mandate was to provide a full and complete accounting of the 9/11 attacks and to identify measures that could be taken to prevent similar terrorist attacks in the future, as recommended by Richard Shelby, Bob Graham, and Porter Goss. The commission's work was informed by the experiences of Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Robert Mueller, Central Intelligence Agency Director George Tenet, and National Security Agency Director Michael Hayden. The commission's findings were also influenced by the work of United States Department of State Secretary Colin Powell, United States Department of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, and United States Department of Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge.
● Introduction
The 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City, the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, and the crash of United Airlines Flight 93 in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, resulted in the loss of thousands of lives and had a profound impact on United States foreign policy and national security, as noted by President Bill Clinton, President George H.W. Bush, and President Jimmy Carter. The 9/11 attacks were carried out by al-Qaeda, a terrorist organization led by Osama bin Laden, with support from Taliban leaders such as Mullah Mohammed Omar and Jalaluddin Haqqani. In response to the 9/11 attacks, the United States Congress passed the USA PATRIOT Act, which expanded the authority of law enforcement agencies such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation to gather intelligence and conduct surveillance on individuals and organizations suspected of terrorism, as supported by Senator Orrin Hatch and Senator Patrick Leahy. The 9/11 attacks also led to the launch of the War in Afghanistan by United States Central Command General Tommy Franks, with support from North Atlantic Treaty Organization Secretary-General Lord Robertson and United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan.
● Background
The 9/11 attacks were the deadliest terrorist attack in United States history, resulting in the loss of nearly 3,000 lives, as reported by CNN, Fox News, and The New York Times. The 9/11 attacks were carried out by a group of al-Qaeda operatives, led by Mohamed Atta, who hijacked four commercial airplanes and crashed them into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and a field in Pennsylvania, as investigated by the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board. The 9/11 attacks were planned and coordinated by al-Qaeda leaders, including Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and Ramzi bin al-Shibh, with support from Taliban leaders such as Mullah Dadullah Akhund and Gulbuddin Hekmatyar. The 9/11 attacks led to a significant shift in United States foreign policy and national security, with a focus on counterterrorism and the War on Terror, as outlined by President George W. Bush in his address to the United Nations General Assembly and supported by Prime Minister Tony Blair and Chancellor Gerhard Schröder.
● Commission Membership and Staff
The 9/11 Commission was established by Public Law 107-306, which was signed into law by President George W. Bush on November 27, 2002. The commission was composed of 10 members, including Thomas Kean, the former Governor of New Jersey, who served as the commission's chairman, and Lee Hamilton, a former United States Representative from Indiana, who served as the commission's vice chairman, with support from Senator John McCain and Senator Joe Lieberman. The commission's staff was led by Philip Zelikow, a former United States Department of State official, who served as the commission's executive director, and included experts such as Jamie Gorelick, a former United States Department of Justice official, and Slade Gorton, a former United States Senator from Washington. The commission's work was also informed by the expertise of Richard Ben-Veniste, a former United States Department of Justice official, and Bob Kerrey, a former United States Senator from Nebraska and Governor of Nebraska.
● Investigation and Findings
The 9/11 Commission conducted an extensive investigation into the 9/11 attacks, gathering evidence from a wide range of sources, including intelligence agencies such as the Central Intelligence Agency and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, as well as from government agencies such as the United States Department of State and the United States Department of Defense. The commission's investigation was supported by the work of United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Chairman Pat Roberts and United States House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Chairman Peter Hoekstra. The commission's findings were presented in a comprehensive report, which identified the 9/11 attacks as a failure of intelligence and law enforcement agencies to detect and prevent the plot, as noted by Director of National Intelligence John Negroponte and Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Robert Mueller. The report also identified a number of factors that contributed to the success of the 9/11 attacks, including the failure of immigration and border security agencies to detect the hijackers, as reported by United States Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Robert Bonner and United States Immigration and Naturalization Service Commissioner James Ziglar.
● Report and Recommendations
The 9/11 Commission report, which was released on July 22, 2004, presented a detailed account of the 9/11 attacks and the events leading up to them, as well as a series of recommendations for improving United States national security and preventing future terrorist attacks, as supported by United States Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge and United States Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. The report's recommendations included the creation of a National Counterterrorism Center to coordinate counterterrorism efforts across government agencies, as proposed by Central Intelligence Agency Director Porter Goss and Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Robert Mueller. The report also recommended the establishment of a National Intelligence Director to oversee the United States intelligence community, as supported by United States Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist and United States House of Representatives Speaker Dennis Hastert. The commission's recommendations were influential in shaping United States national security policy, including the passage of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004, which was signed into law by President George W. Bush on December 17, 2004, with support from Senator Susan Collins and Senator Joe Lieberman.
● Legacy and Impact
The 9/11 Commission report had a significant impact on United States national security policy and the War on Terror, as noted by President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. The report's recommendations led to significant reforms in the United States intelligence community, including the creation of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the National Counterterrorism Center, as reported by The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal. The commission's work also informed the development of counterterrorism strategies and policies, including the use of drone strikes and special operations forces, as employed by United States Central Command General David Petraeus and United States Special Operations Command Admiral Eric Olson. The 9/11 Commission report remains an important resource for understanding the 9/11 attacks and the War on Terror, and its recommendations continue to shape United States national security policy, as recognized by United States Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta and United States Secretary of State John Kerry. The commission's legacy is also reflected in the work of the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, which was dedicated on May 21, 2014, with support from Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Governor Andrew Cuomo.