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Dylan Wudke

Professor Myers

English 1201

14 April, 2019

National Security

“How has national security changed and affected because of terrorists attacks like 9/11?”

Since this attack and others, security has become a major issue. Over the past years the

government has made drastic changes to our national security, but they really kept us more safe?

Also, what have these new changes prevented from happening or if anything at all. How does the

government plan on improving these changes to benefit and making things more convenient for

citizens? There is always room for improvement for security to making it more advanced,

convenient, and high tech. To ensure our nation's security, the United States must work together

with their people and their security to protect all from dangers outside of our country. After the

attack of 9/11, America has improved their security against foreign terrorism by making new

departments to protect, developing new technology, and fighting back against terrorism.

On September 11th, 2001 occurred the most devastating attack to ever happen on U.S.

soil. On this day four commercial planes were headed to their destinations when they got

hijacked by radical Islamic terrorists. Two planes would go on two crash into the both world

trade centers killing thousands of innocent American lives. The next plane would crash into the

pentagon in Washington D.C killing all aboard the plane and 125 military and civilian personnel

inside the building. After hearing about these incidents with the three planes, the passengers

aboard the fourth plane attempted to retake the plane back. This caused the plane to crash in
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Pennsylvania killing all 40 passengers and crew aboard. After this horrific day, brought some

many drastic changes to our national security. National security will never be the same as it used

to be.

Since the attack of 9/11 defending against terrorism has become the top policy priority

for America. In the article, “Here’s How Safe We Are 17 Years After 9/11” written by David

Inserra, he talked about what drastic changes have happen to our security and government. He

states that, “New government agencies and departments were created, like the Department of

Homeland Security and the National Counterterrorism Center. Existing departments took on new

or expanded responsibilities, such as the FBI’s National Security Branch”(Inserra 2). The U.S.

government did not even hesitate to make new drastic changes. They never wanted to see

anything like the attack of 9/11 to ever happen again. With the creation of these new specialized

groups and departments it allows more focus just on terrorism rather than other security issues

within America. With the U.S. improving and increasing their security, has brought more

terrorists and new ways to attack our ways of life. Since 9/11, “the U.S. homeland has faced 104

Islamist terror plots or attacks… it has stopped 87 out of 104 Islamist terror plots and made it

much harder for terrorists to carry out large, complex attacks”(Inserra 5, 8). This shows how

much not only how much our security changed, but how much the terrorists have gained in

numbers and the amount of plots they have tried. Attacks as large as 9/11 will never be able to

happen again, the security is just to compact and complicated for terrorists to break through.

Although our system will never be able to stop all terrorism or be perfect but it definitely has

improved and will continue to improve to limit terrorism. America can never take a break from
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improving their security, terrorists and other harmful people are always plotting to cause danger

against America.

After the attack of 9/11 airports were the most to bring changes to their security,

considering that is where the attack of 9/11 started. In a news report by PBS NewsHour, they

state, “After 9/11, the government created the Transportation Security Administration”(PBS).

The American government realized that after the attack of 9/11, they needed to start a whole new

program to keep our airports safe. With this new administration came many new changes to how

the airports are ran. These new changes and add ons include, enhanced pat downs for certain

passengers, passengers having to walk through the security monitors in their without their shoes

on, people had to start packing liquids in small containers, and improving with advanced imaging

technology machines that can peer beneath clothing. These new adjustments and changes that

have been made can make a difference whether a small hidden explosive can be detected or not.

Another way the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has tried to keep our commercial

airlines safe is, “The governments no-fly list. The list is a subset of the terrorist screening

database maintained by the FBI”(PBS). This shows how the TSA has work with the FBI to keep

all their flights safe. They will not allow people who have been suspected of terrorism to go on

any commercial airline flights. If this were around before 9/11 then those terrorist would have

never been able to even get on the flights that they hijacked. This new adjustment will allow the

airports to be able to keep harmful people off their planes and away from other passengers.

Although these new changes may cause longer waits and more checks at airports, it is for the

best to make sure everyone has a safe and unharmful flight. Without these add ons with better

metal detectors, imaging technology machines, thorough bag and body pat downs, and security
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detection dogs then all these terrorists would be able to walk right through these airports with no

problem. This image below shows one of the improvements made after 9/11 in the airports, with

having detecting dogs that can sniff out bombs, drugs, and other harmful substances. This is one

of the few major improvements that have came with the post 9/11 safety tactics.

A K-9 unit is sniffing out luggage checking for bombs (Edgard)

Over the years since the attack of 9/11 and the war against terrorism, the United States

has done everything to fight back. One major department that has been created to help solve

most of these issues, is the Homeland Security. This department was created by President George

W. Bush a month after the attack of 9/11, with intentions to prevent terrorist attacks in America

and reduce America’s vulnerability to terrorist attacks. In a Bookings report, ​Building

Intelligence to Fight Terrorism,​ written by Andrew Eggers, James B. Steinberg, and Mary
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Graham, they state that, “The president’s homeland security plan calls for new intelligence

efforts to protect the nation’s borders, defend against threats within the United States, minimize

infrastructure vulnerabilities, and improve emergency responses”(Eggers, Steinberg, and Graham

1). After a major attack like 9/11 this is exactly what America needs to keep their country safe. A

department that is made just for terrorism and the protection against it. The Homeland Security

uses many resources and collects endless amounts of information about all types of terrorism

around the world. They then use this information to improve and get the upper hand on these

terrorists themselves. The more information they can gather, the better chance they have of

defeating all the terrorist threats against the United States. Also for the Homeland Security to do

their best work, “Information technology can provide tools to minimize these conflicts, foster

collaboration, and help assure that the right information gets to the right people at the right

time”(Eggers, Steinberg, and Graham 28). With the improving technology, comes better

communication and easier ways to find more information about the terrorist overseas plotting

against the United States. Every year technology is getting better and better. This allows for

departments like the Homeland Security to access new information quickly and relay it on to

who it is necessary for. With this new department it allows for more individuals to specialize and

focus on one and one thing only, terrorism.

As the government continues to improve their security, they also have to minimize their

threats. After the attack of 9/11 happened, many Americans were unsure of what was going to

come in response to that. America intelligents spent years of doing intense research, gathering

intel, and fighting overseas against the terrorists that attacked America. On May 2, 2011, Osama

Bin Laden, the Al Qaeda leader and mastermind behind the 9/11 attack, was killed in Pakistan
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shortly after 1 am. After the death of Osama Bin Laden, America security was on high alert for

any retaliation attacks for this happening. According to the New York Times in a article written

by Timothy Williams and Ian Lovett, “Although the Department of Homeland Security has not

issued an alert, the agency remains at what the homeland security secretary, Janet Napolitano,

has called a heightened state of vigilance”(Williams and Lovett 2). Even though they have not

ordered a big security alert, they have made sure to keep their eyes open for anything suspicious

going on. Especially when the leader of a major terrorist group who has planned attacks on

America multiple times, was killed by American Navy Seals. Although there was no immediate

threats after the death of Bin Laden, more security was seen at bigger gathering places such as,

mosques, train stations, and basketball arenas. At different airports that made sure to check all

passengers thoroughly, “In Detroit they had two of the body scanners, which they were sending

most people through, but other than that it was the same”(Williams and Lovett 11). With the

mass improvement of all the security, even with the death of Al Qaeda leader, no harm was to

come to the American citizens in the terrorist group’s response. Even though there is not always

danger detected, but these security workers always have to be working around the clock to make

keep America safe.

Still to this day since 9/11, politicians and American citizens still want to see defending

the nation against terrorism being the top policy priority. Even though terrorism has not been a

big of problem as it used it, people still do not want any thing like 9/11 to ever happen again. So

to prevent it, citizens continue to ask the government to keep this issue as a number one priority.

In a article from Pew Research Center, written by John Gramlich states, “In January of this year,

73% of U.S. adults said defending the country against future terrorist attacks should be a top
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priority for President Donald Trump and Congress”(Gramlich 2). This issue is the number one

most wanted policy to be prioritized, over other policies like education and the strengthening of

the nation’s economy. Citizens just want to ensure their safety for their country over anything

else. Some Americans are still wanting more from this policy, in the article it states, “46% of

U.S. adults said they would increase spending on anti-terrorism defenses”(Gramlich 12). Even

though the government is still working extremely hard to improve their anti-terrorism programs,

almost half of America’s population thinks there should be more funding towards it. With these

fundings, the government can spend more money to allow better equipment, more improved and

fatster technology, and more experienced workers around the clock. Money can’t hurt the

programs but only make them better and more advanced. This is why so many people want to see

more funding going to these anti-terrorism programs. Although this would be nice, it is

sometimes difficult to get these fundings from the government when they just don’t have extra

money laying around. Wth the recent elections, many of the presidents and candidates for a new

president harp on this issue. They know this is what the people want, so they pride themselves on

continuing to improve this system.

Although since 9/11 the United States has made so many drastic changes, improved on

their anti-terrorism programs, and safety systems some Americans feel as if the United States has

gone to far. Some feel as if the government is violating people’s privacy and constitutional

rights. Also some individuals believe that the no fly list put in order by the FBI is unreasonable

for some people when they are found on the list. One of the hardest things for the government to

do is to fight terrorism and protect people's privacy at the same time. In the article, ​Building

Intelligence to Fight Terrorism, i​ t states, “The first step in designing an intelligence system to
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fight terrorism while protecting openness and privacy is to understand what information is

needed to support each homeland security challenge”(Eggers, Steinberg, and Graham 16). To

look further into threats that are possed against the United States, they need to know about the

people and their history. This why many people believe the government is trying to go way too

far and is invading their privacy. The government does not invade their privacy, the government

can only do so if they have a reasonable cause and gt a warrant for it. Not everyone is getting

search like some people think they are, if someone were to have suspicions of terrorism that is

the only time the government looks into your background. Another big issue that some of

America's population has is the aggressive pat downs at airports. In the PBS NewsHour report,

Ben Wizner talks about the airport pat downs, “We have seen abusive and intrusive searches that

go far beyond any legitimate security rational”(PBS). All searches at airports are done for a

reason. So if an individual were to fail a scan or refuse to take one then they must be patted down

and searched on spot. Although some Americans may not like this, it is definitely needed in

order to keep our airports safe. No matter how innocent that person looks, if they do not pass the

scan than they must be searched. Since people believe that these searches go to far then what do

they want the Transportation Security Administration to do to make sure individuals do not have

any dangerous weapons or explosives on them? Without these important pat downs, it would be

so easy for terrorists or anyone to cause harm with ease at any airport they go to. Some people

just don’t want to have to ait in longer lines to ensure that the airport they are in is safe and also

the flight they are about to get on to. Finally, some people have issues with the no-fly list created

by the FBI. The no-fly list is a list of terrorist screening database, which does not allow people

on this list to travel on commercial aircraft. Some people believe that it is unconstitutional and
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isn’t right to those people who are placed on the no-fly list. Ben Wizner and some others

believe, “If the government really believed that these people were terrorists, it shouldn't be

turning them away from airports. It should be arresting them and putting them on trail”(PBS).

Even this sounds like a great plan to limit and put away any terrorists around they can’t do that.

Not all of these people put on the no-fly list have a record, some of them are just put on their for

suspicion of terrorism or being connected with other terrorists such as family members or

friends. Some people also feel as it is not fair for some people to be on their with no record.

Everyone has their reason to be on their and this list has kept American airlines safe for so many

years since 9/11. Besides just keeping American airlines safe it has also made it harder for any

terrorist or people planning to be terrorist to travel overseas and train with their groups. All

together the tactics that the United States uses may make airports to take longer and more

searches on people it has kept America safe. The government also ensures your privacy unless

there is suspicion of terrorism.

9/11 is a day that will never be forgotten, but over the past 18 years America to the best

of its ability has tried to learn from the mistakes that were happening then. The amount of

changes and improvements that America has made to their national security is endless. These

changes and improvements started the day after 9/11 and to this day are still happening. For

example one of the first big improvements post 9/11 was the creations of the Homeland Security.

This individual department was created for one reason only and that was to protect the nation

against terrorism. Within this department the Homeland Security job is to prevent terrorist

attacks in America and reduce America’s vulnerability to terrorist attacks. Also since the attack

of 9/11 happened because of lack o airport security and equipment the government made the
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Transportation Security Administration to protect the nation's airport and to keep the safe. This

new administration brought a new way of running the airports and how to maintain safety for

their travelers. Although these changes did make traveling a little bit more expensive, longer

waits through airports, and more security checks. These airports across the nation have become

some much more safer and also with the flights themselves. Some of the drastic changes this

administration has made has included moe pat down searches of people who fail or do not go

through scanners, police detector dogs who can sniff out drugs and bombs, passengers having to

walk through the security monitors in their without their shoes on, people having to start packing

liquids in small containers, and improving with advanced imaging technology machines that can

peer beneath clothing. These changes have been huge making a difference, allowing security to

detect any type of danger before it or that person enters on a plane. Homeland Security has also

done an amazing job of fighting back against terrorism. One of the biggest accomplishments for

America was taking out the leader of Al Qaeda, Osama Bin Laden, the mastermind behind the

attack of 9/11. Over those 10 years between the attack of 9/11 and the killing of Osama Bin

Laden, the U.S. spent countless amount of time working to find new intelligence about him and

his terrorist group. It all paid off in the end when justice was brought to all those people lost in

the massacre of 9/11. Although over the years terrorism has diminished, the efforts of protecting

the nation against terrorism has not. The American citizens still want to see defending the nation

against terrorism being the top policy priority. Not only just the citizens but also the politicians

want to see the continuation of great terrorism protection policies. Adding more funding is also

one more idea that the American citizens want to see happening. With adding more funds, the

government can expand their departments, ad more employees, and improve on their technology.
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National security and foreign policies will continue to remain America’s number one priority.

The government will never let 9/11 go and will always continue to keep our country safe from

terrorism and improve their security with more advance efforts by terrorists.
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Works Cited

Eggers, Andrew, James B. Steinberg, and Mary Graham. “Building Intelligence to Fight

Terrorism.” Brookings.edu, The Brookings Institution, 28 July 2016,

www.brookings.edu/research/building-intelligence-to-fight-terrorism/​.

Gramlich, John. “Since 9/11, Americans Have Seen Anti-Terrorism Policy as a Top Priority.”

Pew Research Center, Pew Research Center, 11 Sept. 2018,

www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/09/11/defending-against-terrorism-has-remained-a-

top-policy-priority-for-americans-since-9-11/​.

Inserra, David. “Here's How Safe We Are 17 Years After 9/11.” The Heritage Foundation, 11

Sept. 2018,

www.heritage.org/homeland-security/commentary/heres-how-safe-we-are-17-years-after-

911​.

NewsHour, PBS, director. Drastic Changes in Airport Security After 9/11 Stir Controversy.

YouTube, YouTube, 8 Sept. 2011,​ ​www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAmYzJ35RME​.

Sandoval, Edgar. “TSA Demonstrates How Trained Dogs Can Sniff out Explosives as Demand

for Pooches in Major Transportation Hubs Goes Up.” ​Nydailynews.com,​ New York Daily

News, 9 Apr. 2018,

www.nydailynews.com/new-york/tsa-demonstrates-trained-dogs-sniff-explosives-article-

1.2503481​.

Show, The Infographics. “What Happens At Homeland Security?” ​YouTube,​ YouTube, 22 Apr.

2018,​ ​www.youtube.com/watch?v=xL928mOzOwU​.
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Williams, Timothy. “In Wake of Bin Laden's Killing, National Security Is Raised.” The New

York Times, The New York Times, 3 May 2011,

www.nytimes.com/2011/05/04/us/04security.html​.