Home Government Affairs Newsroom Meetings Publications	Shopping Cart Site Map

[an error occurred while processing this directive]

Reporter Archive

AAMC Newsroom

Managing Editor
Scott Harris
sharris@aamc.org

Staff Writer
Elissa Fuchs
efuchs@aamc.org

Viewpoint

America One Year Later – Are We Safer?

By Susan Neely, M.P.A.

Susan Neely is Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director of Communications for the Office of Homeland Security.

One year has passed since terrorists attacked us on American soil. The twelve months that have since followed the horrific events of Sept. 11, 2001, have marked a period of collective national grieving and adjustment to a new normalcy. Anecdotal indications are that we are continuing to adjust, if not always happily, to the strange edginess of the beginning of a new century, coping with everything from long lines at airports to periodic threat alerts that remind us of the facile evilness of the terrorist mind and our own vulnerability.

The past year also has been one of significant progress in securing America against future terrorist attacks. But is America safer today as we were a year ago? Perhaps the best way to answer that is to review both the immediate and long-term progress that has been completed or is under way.

The events of Sept. 11 revealed some of the vulnerabilities inherent in a prosperous country that values its openness and fosters the free flow of people and commerce from around the world. Individuals who intended to harm us were allowed to enter and remain inside our borders; they eluded existing security measures and killed thousands of innocent people.

The response to plug these vulnerabilities from government and law enforcement officials at all levels was immediate. Extra security personnel were deployed at border crossings — land, sea, and air. Airline cockpit doors were reinforced, and the number of federal air marshals was expanded dramatically. Pushpacks and medicines were added to the National Pharmaceutical Stockpile to augment our ability to respond to another attack.

Mission Critical

America’s national strategy for homeland security identifies six critical mission areas to be addressed in the years ahead:

Improving our intelligence and warning capabilities.
Toughening our border and transportation security.
Strengthening our efforts to prevent domestic terrorism.
Protecting our critical infrastructure.
Defending against weapons of mass destruction.
Improving our ability to respond to emergencies.

One clear consequence of these and other immediate post-September 11 actions was more security-related hassles and delays for Americans trying to resume daily life. While the lines at airports, border crossings, and special events are not as overwhelming as they were a few months ago, the extra waits are still irritating when viewed from the perspective of episodic reports on security breaches that continue to occur. Thus, the short-term fixes that helped plug the immediate gaps magnify the need for more systemic changes to strengthen security in a way that allows us to maintain our historic openness.

Six “mission critical” areas serve as a guide for government at all levels — and for medical schools and teaching hospitals — to allocate their own security-related resources consistent with national needs and priorities. (See box, right.) Progress is already being made at the federal level across all critical mission areas to implement fundamental reforms.

Spurred by the attacks of Sept. 11, a long-needed overhaul of the federal government’s information architecture is under way to create a more robust system for sharing vital security-related information without violating Americans’ fundamental rights to privacy. The federal government is partnering with universities and colleges to implement the Student Exchange Visa Information System (SEVIS), which will confirm that foreign students comply with the terms of their entry into this country.

A substantial increase in funding to beef up the nation’s disease surveillance system should be on its way with Congress’s approval by the end of the year. This stronger capability is a boon to our public health system as well as a critical new detection tool to thwart bioterrorist attacks.

These technology-based efforts are a small summary of the many initiatives being developed, tested, or implemented to secure America. More resources will further fuel these efforts. The president has proposed — and Congress is expected to approve — a major increase in funding for Homeland Security initiatives in the new fiscal year that begins on Oct. 1.

The sum of all these actions will help us achieve our goals for systemic change. Many challenges remain. Are we safer a year after September 11? Yes. But the threat of terrorism remains as do the many challenges that we must overcome in the months and years ahead to preserve America, her people, and our way of life.