9/11 Commission Report Makes Important Suggestions for Keeping America Safe

9/11 Commission Report Makes Important Suggestions for Keeping America Safe

Although Congress officially adjourned late last month, for the summer district work period the release of the 9/11 Commission Report necessitated Members, including myself, to hurry back to Washington in August, to hold hearings regarding the Commissions findings. These hearings will allow us to work with the Commission to have legislation, to make America safer from potential terrorist attacks, ready for consideration when Congress reconvenes.

"The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks on the United States," is the official name of the panel that is better known as the "9/11 Commission." For over one and half years, the 10-person panel of 5 Republicans and 5 Democrats has been led by Chairman Thomas H.

Kean, a former Republican New Jersey Governor, and Vice-Chairman Lee H. Hamilton, a former Democratic House Member from Indiana.

As a Member of the House Government Reform Committee, I have already participated in a series of hearings on the 9/11 Commission Report. I am also a Member of the House Armed Services Committee (HASC). By the time this column is printed, I will have taken part in a series of HASC hearings on the 9/11 Commission Report. The report contains numerous recommendations, from reorganizing the intelligence agencies to providing targeted financial assistance to first responders.
The recommendations regarding first responders are one of the less talked about but no less important aspects of the report.

The recommendations the Commission offers for first responders to an attack are similar to another report issued for the City of Dayton prior to September 11, 2001. Less than one month before the terrorist attacks, Dayton held a Weapons of Mass Destruction training exercise that involved surrounding jurisdictions, including state and federal first responders. A report was created after that exercise outlining recommendations for change. The report stated the need for increased interagency communication, a unified and integrated command center and radio interoperability. These same issues were raised in the 9/11 Report and by victim's family members who testified at the hearing.

The 9/11 Report highlighted the inability of first responders, particularly those in New York, to communicate with one another to coordinate a first response. Particularly tragic is the fact that the radios the fire department had were same as in the 1993 WTC attack, which were known to be deficient, but were never upgraded. With better communications among first responders, it is possible, that more lives could have been saved.

The DoD was unable to launch a military response in defense of our nation on 9/11. We need to be sure that the DoD (Department of Defense) has the resources and abilities to respond to a terrorist attack. The DoD needs to have a better line of communication with FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) and NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command) officials.

According to the 9/11 Report, at the start of the terrorist attacks no information was promptly sent to the DoD. Once the DoD received information, it was incomplete and incorrect. When the DoD scrambled its aircraft, they did not have a target or destination.

This is another area that the 9/11 Report shines light on but does not make many recommendations to correct. It is an issue we have to address. The Pentagon must be able to effectively defend the U.S. on our own soil.

The final 500-plus page 9/11 Commission Report is a best seller at a little less than $10.00 per copy at bookstores. I encourage Americans to carefully read the report for themselves. The entire report is also available at no cost on the Internet at the following web site: <