Commission Report

The purpose of this page is to document commentary on the Commission Report

August 30, 2011

Several of the Commissioners will gather for the first time since the Commission issued its report.  They will meet on September 15, 2011 at Indiana University and hold a public discussion from 2-4 p.m.  Separately, Commissioner Lee Hamilton will speak on the state of Homeland Security at 10 a.m. on Friday, September 16, at the Indiana University Maurer School of Law.

July 22, 2011

The Department of Homeland Security just published its Progress Report for 2011, Implementing 9/11 Commission Recommendations.”

The report is generally referenced to specific recommendations in the “9/11 Commission Report,” According to the Executive Summary, “Many of the features of this new, more robust enterprise align with — and respond to — recommendations contained in the 9/11 Commission Report…”  The report is worth reviewing for the latest information on specific issues of personal interest, perhaps the section on cyber security, for example.

The report’s “September 11 Chronology” is particularly useful to contrast and compare what the Commission found and what the situation is today.  For example, one chronology item is: “Throughout the morning of September 11, 2001, air traffic control operators, military personnel and first responders on the ground lacked situaitonal awareness of what other agencies were doing to address the developing crisis.”

The “today” entry, in part, states: “Moreover, the National Emergency Communications Plan and Incident Control System have established standardized plans, protocols, and procedures to improve command, control, and communications.”

July 10, 2011

A limited version of the Commission Report, The 9/11 Commission Report, The Attack from Planning to Aftermath, is being released in August. Here is the publisher’s synopsis:

Published for the tenth anniversary of 9/11, this new edition of the authorized report is limited to the Commission’s riveting account-which was a finalist for the National Book Award-of the attack and its background, examining both the attackers and the U.S. government, the emergency response, and the immediate aftermath. It includes new material from Philip Zelikow, the Commission’s executive director, on the Commission’s work, the fate of its recommendations, and the way this struggle has evolved right up to the present day.

July 22, 2010

Today, DHS “marked the sixth anniversary of the issuance of the 9/11 Commission Report by releasing a 2010 progress report.”  The press release was titled:  “Secretary Napolitano Releases Report on DHS Progress Fulfilling 9/11 Commission Recommendations, Including Historic Advances in Aviation Security.” A link to the full report is included in the press release..

December 30, 2009

This first item comes from a podcast of The Tony Kornheiser show on December 30, 2009.  Tony and Al Michaels were discussing the difficulty UCLA students had getting to Washington D.C. for a football bowl game in the aftermath of the attempt to bring down a Northwest Airlines plane.  In the course of the conversation Michaels tasked Tony, as follows: “Tony, I want you to march down to Capital Hill, people have to deal with this.  They didn’t pay attention to the 9-11 Commission Report. Lee Hamilton and Thomas Kean did a tremendous job.”  The actual audio can be heard at this link.  Al Michaels Tony Kornheiser

On January 5, 2010, Commissioner Tom Kean and Team 8 Leader, John Farmer Jr. publish an Op-Ed article in the New York Times concerning the failed Christmas Day attempt to bring down a Northwest Airlines plane.

On January 8, 2010, the New York Times ran an editorial, “88, count ’em.”  The reference is to the number of Congressional committees and sub-committees with some degree of oversight for homeland security.  That thesis extends to the intelligence communities.  Here is one quote: “There are 88 separate committees and subcommittees claiming authority in the homeland security field, plus a parallel welter of panels for intelligence.”

Both the Congressional Joint Inquiry and 9-11 Commission understood that Congressional reform is necessary.  The question remains as to whether the American people have the political will to make that happen.  So far, that has not been the case; it is business as usual on the Hill.

On January 14, 2010, Commissioners Kean and Hamilton wrote an opinion article for USA Today, arguing that more needs to be done.  That article can be read here.