Since the heinous attacks on September 11, 2001, New York has avoided any subsequent “Al-Qaeda-style 9/11” terrorist attacks. Given the impending fifteenth anniversary, another period of reflection is upon us. In fact, there are a disparate set of reflections that will dominate the national anniversary.
Most notable, all Americans, as with all anniversaries, will reflect on those that perished on 9/11. This includes the innocent civilians that lost their lives in the towers. The brave and heroic first responders, whether from the Fire Department of New York (FDNY), New York Police Department (NYPD), or the Port Authority Police Department (PAPD).
There are still others deserving of reflection. We cannot forget the brave individuals that served in armed forces that were killed during the attack on the Pentagon. Of equal importance, let us reflect on the heroic efforts of those aboard the aircraft that perished in the fields of Shanksville, Pennsylvania and those that died in the two aircraft that slammed into the Towers, and for those that died in the aircraft that hit the Pentagon. On this solemn occasion all Americans should pledge to “never forget.”
It is unfortunate that too many Americans have neglected to reflect and to give thanks to those citizens that chose to serve in our armed forces. Thousands have subsequently paid the ultimate price in our global struggle to confront the forces of Al Qaeda and other transnational terrorist groups around the world in the name of the war on terror.
The aforementioned should remain the dominant reasons why “we remember.” That said, we have to reflect on the renewal and ongoing threats to that renewal. In this regard, a salient and unmistakable renewal concerns the transformation of the sixteen-acre site known simply as Ground Zero. An area formally mired in politics, has witnessed unprecedented progress. This is a critical point because there are a host of critics that offered piquant remarks that articulated that future clients would be risk averse and that business in the area would never return to pre-September 11 levels. These critics have been proven wrong.
As part of the renewal, families of the heroes that were lost on that tragic day have a special place for reflection in the form of The 9/11 Memorial. A similar venue is of course The September 11 Museum. The museum additionally serves to ensure that all that enter the structure will have a permanent history of the events that transformed the United States and the world.
Security is however a critical variable which is important to comprehend the ambitious reconstruction efforts that have occurred within ground zero and beyond downtown New York. This brings me to the tale of two security perspectives—the counterterrorism policies of the NYPD and those implemented by the administration of Barack Obama. To be clear, both have impacted the war on terror. One in the form of the NYPD, whose counterterrorism polices have precluded subsequent attacks in the city. The other in the form of President Barack Obama’s counterterrorism strategy plays a pivotal role in securing the homeland and as a byproduct to prevent any terrorist attacks against New York.
In the wake of the September 11 attacks, former Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the senior leadership within the NYPD made an extraordinary decision—the NYPD would assume the responsibility of protecting the city against future terrorist attacks. This decision set off alarm bells in Washington, DC, and in other quarters of the country. Given the ideals associated with “federalism,” the security of the homeland is under the purview of the national government. Irrespective of the vocal criticism from the governing elite in Washington, within City Hall in New York, and most certainly within the upper echelons of the leadership within the NYPD, history indicated why the decision was made. That is, Washington failed to prevent the 1993 World Trade Center bombing and they failed the city once again on 9/11. In a not so veiled retort, in one of the most significant responses to September 11, 2001 attacks, officials in New York simply argued we will protect the city hereafter.
Following the creation of the 1,000-strong counterterrorism units within the police department, and after receiving millions of dollars in federal grants that created an array of high tech instruments designed to safeguard the city, and following the establishment and refinement of a new relationship with the FBI, the NYPD has disrupted a host of terrorist attacks across the city.
The NYPD Counterterrorism and Intelligence Divisions are the envy of the world. As an illustration of the NYPD’s prowess, and unknown to most, the detectives within the aforesaid units are often dispatched abroad—whether in Canada, France, Israel, Jordan, Kosovo, London, Spain, and Singapore, to name a few—to examine the aftermath of terrorist attacks (and they observe local investigations) to ensure that such attacks could be prevented in New York. This not being enough, the counterterrorism officials within the NYPD created the first post-9/11 strategy to counter homegrown radicalization.
In Washington, there have been a number of successful counterterrorism efforts under President Obama, whether in the form of the mission that resulted in the death of Osama Bin Laden in Pakistan, the numerous special operation forces missions that killed middle and senior level leaders of Al Qaeda, or the numerous drone strikes that resulted in the death of high value terrorist targets.
Unfortunately, the counterterrorism policies of the Obama administration have not reduced the threat of terrorism around the world or precluded attacks against the United States. In fact, critics charged the threat of terrorism has increased, and worse, terrorist groups have developed and expanded as a result of the failed counterterrorism polices of the Obama administration.
In an instructive point, President Obama’s statement that ISIS represents a “JV team” undermined early efforts of administration counterterrorism officials to target the Islamic State during its infancy. As a result of the inaction, the terror army seized territory in Iraq and Syria. Subsequently, as a result of the ISIS-inspired attacks in San Bernardino, California and Orlando, Florida, a cottage industry has developed that incessantly criticizes the failed ISIS counterterrorism efforts of the president.
Within the NYPD, there is a sense of alarm about the ISIS-inspired attacks inside the homeland, and about the inability of the Obama administration to reduce the threat of their brand of radical terrorism. From the perspective of the NYPD, they are forced to confront the following query: will ISIS or any other terrorist group attack New York now or in the future? There is little doubt the NYPD is prepared to act as the dominant entity charged with the protection of New York (the NYPD has increasingly shared responsibility in some areas in dealing with the threat of terrorism with the Joint Terrorism Task Force or JTTF).
In the march to the next significant anniversary—the 20 anniversary of 9/11 in 2021—critics will be watching how the NYPD responds to future attacks. Similarly, they will also explore the Obama legacy and subsequently examine the post-Obama counterterrorism policies to determine the extent to which they will increase or decrease future terrorist attacks against New York. Here’s hoping the next five years will pass without incident.
In the tale of two security perspectives, there is little doubt the NYPD has worked to secure the city. Thus in a way NYPD is winning the war on terrorism through their efforts to safeguard the city. If Washington is able to defeat terrorism externally, then threats to New York and elsewhere around the country during the march to the next significant anniversary will be minimal.
