Senator Collins' Statement On 10th Anniversary Of 9/11 Commission Report
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Susan Collins, who served as Chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee when the 9/11 Commission released its landmark 2004 report, today released this statement following the release of a new report by the 9/11 Commissioners on the 10th anniversary of the original report’s publication.
“The report released today confirms that many of the Commission’s recommendations that former Senator Joe Lieberman and I included in the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 have been turned into a reality and have strengthened our nation’s ability to thwart terrorists’ plots. The Commissioners are correct in simultaneously calling for urgent reform to address cybersecurity and other threats from terrorism that have emerged since 9/11.
“When we created the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC), we wanted to establish an effective multi-agency center where the sole focus was the prevention of another catastrophic terrorist attack against the United States. This report describes the high marks the NCTC is given by senior officials for instilling a “need-to-share” culture among agencies responsible for counterterrorism.
“In the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI), our intent was for the DNI to be the ‘quarterback’ of the 16 agencies in the intelligence community, and the 9/11 Commission’s new report has found that the DNI has been accepted as the manager of the IC and is successfully eliciting the cooperation from the federal intelligence agencies.
“When we created the Privacy & Civil Liberties Oversight Board, our purpose was to demonstrate our belief, in a concrete manner, that we do not have to choose between security and protecting privacy and civil liberties. The report has found that the Board is providing an array of voices on the civil-liberties implications of sensitive national security programs.
“Nonetheless, this report warns against complacency in the generational struggle against terrorism in the absence of a catastrophic attack on the homeland. The day after 9/11, few would have never imagined we would go 13 years without another catastrophic attack on the homeland. As the threat from terrorism evolves, further reforms must be made to address them. In particular, I strongly agree with the 9/11 commissioners that we must not wait to enact cybersecurity reform until after a crippling cyber attack has occurred to address this known and looming threat. I continue to call for more urgent action by Congress to address the vulnerabilities in our cybersecurity.”
While serving as Chairman of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, Senators Collins led the Senate-passage of the 2004 Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act, which implemented many of the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission.
