#NEVERFORGET

Never Forget…

For every generation of American, Never Forget is…

A promise

to those who lost their lives on that tragic, historic day

A battle cry

for those who continue to work to protect our nation’s citizens, assets, and way of life

A pledge

and a Thank You to the families who lost loved ones, to those suffering from the health effects of responding to 9/11, and to all of our citizens to work tirelessly to assure no one suffers such loss again.

The State of our Union in Homeland Security

As we considered our tribute to the 20th Anniversary of September 11, 2001, we thought, what better than to ask our Editorial Board members, esteemed colleagues, and the leaders of our nation’s homeland security enterprise to provide us with a “State of our Union” – a look at where we are on critical areas of homeland: counterterrorism, physical and cyber security in infrastructure, information sharing and misinformation, border security and much more. And with it, a non-partisan, honest look at the policy questions facing us.

To the call came some of the best minds in America. People who have led the nation with the experience and knowledge to share their thoughts and observations around the policy questions and practical challenges that continue to face us 20 years after 9/11. >>>READ ABOUT THE SERIES

Welcome to our Tribute to the 20th Anniversary of 9/11

Patricia Cogswell, Chair

Chair, Homeland Security Today 9/11 20th Anniversary Commemoration

Former Deputy Administrator,, Transportation Security Administration

Under Secretary for Intelligence & Analysis (Acting) U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Former Special Assistant to the President for Transborder Security Policy

On the morning of 9/11, as I watched the smoke rise from the Pentagon from the windows of my DC-based office at the Department of Justice, I knew our world had been irrevocably changed. In the months and years after, the trajectory of my career changed as well, serving in multiple DHS and National Security Council leadership roles, in transportation, border security, screening, intelligence, and law enforcement. Over the 20 years since that fateful day, I’ve seen first-hand how dedicated professionals come together to develop, implement, and evolve programs that protect our country, and have enabled it to prosper.

When Homeland Security Today asked me to Chair the 9/11 commemoration, I was honored. Every year since 9/11, those of us in the community have used the opportunity remember those we lost, and renew our commitment to this mission. This year, we have the opportunity to also reflect on how far we’ve come, how the nature of the threats we face have changed, and how we can best position for the next 20 years.

How can we encourage the post-9/11 generation to pursue a career in national security, and invigorate within them that sense of service to our country, that desire to give back, that motivates so many of us? How do we make our organizations and processes more agile, so we can better counter the array of threats we face – from increasingly clever and complex cyber attacks, to the changes in methods used by nation states and criminal actors to reach their aims, and counter the mis/dis/mal-information intended to divide us? How do we ensure we continue to evolve our approach over time?

Through the HSToday 9/11 Commemoration series, you will hear from a range of professionals and experts, government, not for profit, private sector, and academic, as they provide a holistic look at the threats and opportunities we face in both the physical and cyber arenas. In these articles, they will talk about how the threat has changed, taking stock of the progress we’ve made to date, and describing policy options to consider for how we can best be positioned for the next 20 years.

We invite you to join with us this week, to engage in conversation on our social media, and share articles with your colleagues. To take the opportunity to reflect on our journey, and recommit to the mission over the years ahead.

>>>READ THE SERIES

NEVER FORGET: DONATE NOW

We encourage you to reflect and support organizations continuing to honor the heroes, victims and legacy of 9/11

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911 Museum

Never Forget Fund

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FEAL Good Foundation: No Responders Left Behind

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National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund: 9/11 Exhibit & FREE Admission

STATES OF THE UNION

Some of the greatest minds in America have joined us to discuss the "State" of our Homeland Security Enterprise. Contributors include:

Michael Chertoff

former Secretary, U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Elaine Duke

former Acting Secretary, U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Jane Holl Lute

former Deputy Secretary, U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Charles Allen

former Undersecretary for Intelligence & Analysis, U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Assistant Director of Central Intelligence for Collection, Central Intelligence Agency

William Evanina

former Director, National Counterintelligence and Security Center

Admiral Thad W. Allen

former Commandant, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Brock Long

former Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency, U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Patricia Cogswell

former Deputy Administrator Transportation Security Administration, Acting Undersecretary for Intelligence & Analysis, U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Former Special Assistant to the President,Transborder Security, National Security Council

Phil Reitinger

former Deputy Under Secretary, National Protection and Programs Directorate

former Director, National Cybersecurity Center

Richard Serino

former Deputy Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency, U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Elizabeth Neumann

former Deputy Chief of Staff, U.S. Department of Homeland Security; Former Assistant Secretary for Counterterrorism, U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Brian de Vallance

former Assistant Secretary, Legislative Affairs, U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Thomas Homan

Former Acting Director, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, U.S. Department of Homeland Security

David Aguilar

former Acting Commissioner, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, former Chief, U.S. Border Patrol

Chief Carla Provost

former Chief, U.S. Border Patrol, Customs and Border Protection

Greg Marshall

former Chief Security Officer, U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Jay A. Tilden

Associate Administrator, National Nuclear Security Administration, Office of Counterterrorism and Counterproliferation

Steve Karoly

former Acting Assistant Administrator, Transportation Security Administration, U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Dr. Asha M. George

Executive Director, Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense

Scott Algeier

Executive Director, Information Technology – Information Sharing and Analysis Center (IT-ISAC)

Alice Greenwald

President and CEO, 9/11 Memorial & Museum

Lori Moore-Merrell

President & CEO, International Public Safety Data Institute

Lauren Beyer

Vice President, Security and Facilitation, Airlines for America

Anna Hinojosa

former Director, Compliance and Facilitation, World Customs Organization

Ardian Shajkovci

Director, American Counterterrorism Targeting and Resilience Institute

Donna Roy

former Executive Director, Information Sharing and Services Office, U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Stephanie L. Jaros

Director of Research, Department of Defense Counter-Insider Threat Program

Alan Roberson

Executive Director, Association of State Drinking Water Administrators

Dr. Ajit Maan

Founder & CEO, Narrative Strategies

Paul Cobaugh

Vice President, Narrative Strategies

Daveed Gartenstein-Ross

Chief Executive Officer, Valens Global

Jean O’Connor

Executive Director, FBI Agents Association

former Special Agent, Federal Bureau of Investigation

Thomas O’Connor

former Special Agent, Federal Bureau of Investigation

Nancy Jo Nicholas

Associate Laboratory Director, Global Security, Los Alamos National Laboratory

Joanna Mendelson

Associate Director, Anti Defamation League Center on Extremism

Mitchell E. Simmons

Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Program Director, Anthony G. Oettinger School of Science and Technology Intelligence, National Intelligence University

Sean Haglund

Associate Director, Office for Bombing Prevention (OBP), Cyber Security Infrastructure Agency, U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Deb Gracio

Associate Laboratory Director, National Security, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Robert Webster

Deputy Director, Weapons, Los Alamos National Laboratory

Michael Templeton

Former Agent, United States Drug Enforcement Agency

Thomas Tuggle

Assistant Director, Mississippi Law Enforcement Officer’s Training Academy

David R. Hines

Sheriff, Hanover County, VA

Todd Bensman

Senior National Security Fellow, Center for Immigration Studies; Author, America’s Covert Border War: The Untold Story of the Nation's Battle to Prevent Jihadist Infiltration

Sergio Tinoco

Author, Proud American: The Migrant, Solder, Agent and Supervisor, U.S. Border Patrol

Lauren Schuler

former FBI Special Agent

Thomas S. Warrick

Nonresident Senior Fellow, Atlantic Council

Mubin Shaikh

former security intelligence and counter terrorism operative; Professor of Public Safety, Seneca College; Counter Extremism Specialist, Parents for Peace

Steven M. Crimando

Behavioral Science Applications

Phil Gurski

former Senior Strategic Analyst, Canadian Security Intelligence Service

Robert Lewin

former Santa Barbara County OEM Director, CAL FIRE/San Luis Obispo County Fire Chief

Capt. John Delaney

High Threat Response Program Manager, Arlington County Fire Department (Virginia)

Jeffrey D. Simon

Terrorism and Political Violence Expert, Visiting Lecturer, UCLA

Andrew Goldsmith

CEO, AGX Marketing

READ THE STATE OF OUR UNION

Homeland Security Today www.hstoday.us