Thank you President Merten for that kind introduction, and thanks also to John McCarthy of CIPP for hosting us today as part of the Preparedness Month activities here at the Critical Infrastructure Protection Program.

There are nearly three hundred million American answers to the question: Where were you on September 11, 2001?

Each of us has our own story. Maybe you were in class. Or preparing to teach. Or driving to work. Maybe you heard it on the radio…or huddled with family around a television.

Whatever you were doing…wherever you were…whoever you were with, that story will always be with you. It is your story, and it is part of the American story.

I was running for Governor of this great Commonwealth. It was a few days before the big debate, and I was getting a haircut. Then, I heard the news.

I called my wife Lisa. We found out that our kids were okay. I rushed back to our offices, and from the roof of my campaign headquarters, we watched the Pentagon burn. We saw black smoke billowing into the sky. We heard the sirens all day. We watched military jets crisscross the skies.

I’ll never forget the fear in the eyes of our young campaign workers. I’ll never forget thinking that the campaign—and our state, and our country, would never be quite the same.

Five years have passed – longer than the duration of the Civil War or World War II.

Here at this great University, those who studied here in 2001 have moved on to the next chapter of their lives.

My own tenure as Governor has run its course. I am now traveling the country, on a new journey, talking about the issues that are important to this nation. And there is no issue more important than the safety and security of the American people.

Five years have passed, and we have made progress.

The Taliban no longer governs Afghanistan. Al Qaeda has been denied its Afghan sanctuary…many of its operatives and assets have been rooted out. Steps have been taken – in Washington and around the country – to protect us here at home.

But I don’t think any of us can be satisfied. Because five years after 9/11, the American people are safer -- but they are not as safe as they should be.

Today I want to assess America’s progress on homeland security, lay out some immediate steps we can and should take to make us safer, and hopefully mark this anniversary with a call to come together and rekindle that spirit of civic engagement and willingness to “step up” that Americans felt after 9-11.

And not just Americans, the whole world felt a kinship with America in the days after.

But over the past five years, the Bush Administration has squandered much of the world’s goodwill. It is not irrelevant that this Administration has succeeded in dividing our friends, and uniting our enemies.

Anti-Americanism is on the rise. A new generation of terrorists is learning tactics in Iraq. The Taliban is resurgent. Nuclear materials remain insecure – and experts agree that North Korea has nuclear weapons and Iran is within reach.

And despite the brave and dangerous work of our military personnel – working in impossible conditions, with unwavering dedication, Osama Bin Laden and his top deputy are still at large – and their radical ideology has spread.

New groups have emerged to carry the banner of jihad. Terrorist attacks have been carried out on several continents…in Bali, Mumbai, Amman, Haifa, Casablanca, Madrid, and London, and… of course… Baghdad.

From the Horn of Africa to the streets of London, from the teeming cities of south Asia to the deserts of the Middle East, radical Islam is on the rise.

How we conduct ourselves in the world has as much to do with our safety as the steps we take here at home.

And while we need a new path when it comes to our foreign policy, these threats make clear that homeland security is an ever-more urgent priority.

Because five years after 9/11, our homeland is not as secure as it should be.

Five years after 9/11, and our chemical plants lack uniform security standards...and a vast majority of the containers entering our ports are not screened.

Five years after 9/11, and we’re still not checking airline travelers against a comprehensive terrorist watch-list…or adequately screening air cargo and baggage for explosives.


Five years after 9/11, we still lack a unified Incident Command System so that someone is clearly in charge during a crisis…and the federal government still has not put aside part of the broadcast spectrum so that our first responders can better communicate with each other.

And five years after 9/11, Washington still doles out homeland security funding like it is pork, instead of basing it on risk and vulnerability.

When the bipartisan 9/11 Commission issued its Report Card on counter-terrorism, there were 5 F’s and 11 D’s. For emergency response and transportation security, nothing rated higher than a C.

In Washington, our intelligence agencies are still struggling to share information… the FBI still has not adjusted to its new counter-terrorism mission… and the Department of Homeland Security offers a case study in what happens when people who deplore government undertake radical government reform.


But I don’t have to tell you about the failings of the Department of Homeland Security. One year ago, they were on tragic display when Americans had to wait days for help to come, stranded on rooftops and in the Superdome.

This Administration likes to talk about the war on terror, but we are not mobilized to fight that war.

Instead of focusing on the number one priority of government – the protection of the American people – our government has been distracted by its all-consuming focus on Iraq.

And what does this Administration do in the face of these failures? They play politics.

Karl Rove and the President’s people like to say Democrats have a pre-9/11 mentality. But Virginia was attacked on 9/11, and afterwards, the people elected me—a Democrat—as the first post 9/11 governor in this country.

I met with the families of the Pentagon victims. I met with the firefighters and emergency responders who rushed into the wreckage.

And from the moment I took office, I had to think about and act in very real ways to protect my people, often while our federal partners were mired in bureaucracy.

And in Virginia, it was an enormous challenge.

Think about it: we’ve got the Pentagon… national monuments… large metropolitan areas… the Port of Virginia… two nuclear power plants… and many military installations. We faced 9/11…the anthrax attacks… and the snipers.

In the face of those challenges, here’s what we did to help make our people safer:

We were the first state in the nation to create a cabinet-level position dedicated to security and preparedness.


We established the Virginia Fusion Center to serve as a focal point for intelligence gathering and information sharing - among local, state, and federal agencies, and with the private sector.

We built a new, state-of-the-art Virginia Emergency Operations Center to better coordinate our response to a major disaster.

We funded an interoperable radio system, so that our first responders – police, fire, and emergency medical – can communicate during a crisis. The Department of Homeland Security cited our system as a best practices model for the nation.

We bolstered our public health system to respond to a bio-terror threat or major outbreak of disease. And in 2005, Trust for America’s Health recognized Virginia and two other states as the most prepared in the nation to respond to these threats.


We tapped the civic spirit that followed 9/11 by creating Virginia Corps, to allow our citizens to join in preparedness efforts. Thousands of Virginians have now been trained to pitch in during the first key hours of a major disaster. And at the same time, we provided a better gateway for citizens to volunteer in a host of charitable ways to strengthen their communities.

Above all, we said we’re not going to treat the safety of our people as a Republican or a Democratic issue.

When somebody came to me with an idea to keep our people safe, I didn’t check to see if it had an “R” or a “D” next to it. And when someone disagreed with me, I didn’t challenge their patriotism or commitment to the defense of the Commonwealth.

In Virginia, we came together. I named a Republican to serve as my Assistant for Commonwealth Preparedness.

And I worked with our majority-Republican legislature to take actions to protect all Virginians.


Since we started our work in Virginia and around the country, the threats have increased, and the job has not gotten easier.

But we’re not going to get it right if we take an approach that favors ideology over competence—that holds on to failed ideas like color-coded threat levels …instead of making needed changes—that never taps the American people’s will to come together in defense of our homeland.

To do that…to keep America safe…it’s time for a new approach:

First, while Washington may not have all the answers, to keep America safe, let’s not forget, Washington has to work.

Better intelligence is the key to preventing the next attack. But, five years after 9/11, we’ve made little progress on understanding the terrorist threat inside this country.

Congress has passed new laws giving the government greater power to investigate domestic threats, but we have failed to improve our capability to actually use those tools. It’s easier to pass laws than to get bureaucracies to change their ways – but that’s what must be done.

The FBI must be reformed.

Its culture is law enforcement – catching and prosecuting bad guys – not prevention. What it is not built to do is gather and analyze information… share with other agencies… and move nimbly to keep up with a nimble enemy.

Just recently, it was reported that new FBI agents being trained to fight terrorists, receive one hour of training on Arab culture, the history of Islam and understanding the terrorist mindset. The counter-terrorism training in total is 5% of the curriculum for new agents.

This reform must be given new urgency. And if the FBI cannot do the job, we need a new agency that can.


But the FBI is only one piece of the homeland security intelligence effort.

We’ve had too narrow a focus … for too long. Domestic homeland security intelligence can come from lots of sources: state and local police, and a number of federal agencies and the private sector.

We need a Director of Homeland Security Intelligence under the DNI who is effectively the “combatant commander” for domestic intelligence—able to draw upon and manage all of these resources for a comprehensive approach to making sure we have the information we need to prevent another attack.

This is the kind of reform that the Goldwater-Nichols Act of 1986 brought to our uniformed military, so that all of our military services work jointly. It is the kind of reform that the 9/11 Commission recommended for the U.S. intelligence and law enforcement communities. Unfortunately, it is not the kind of “reform” we have actually pursued.


Another needed reform to make Washington work and help keep America safe from both terrorism and natural disasters, is once again making FEMA an independent agency. . .with a direct report to the President.

FEMA should worry about managing disaster response…not turf wars in Washington. It should work seamlessly with local and state responders. And it must have the capacity and competence to perform.

Second, we need a fresh approach on the frontlines.

A terrorist dirty bomb, or a tornado for that matter, doesn’t respect city, county, or state lines. We need to organize our metropolitan communities to work together as single team.

From New York to Peoria, all of our metropolitan areas – regardless of state and local boundaries -- should have protection and response plans. It must be clearly defined who is in charge, and what the role of each agency is, if disaster strikes.

These decisions should not be made in the heat of a crisis…this cost us lives on 9/11 and during Katrina. These decisions should be made before the next attack – or the next hurricane.

All of our first responders should have interoperable communications. Never again should firefighters rush into burning buildings with radios that can’t communicate with police, as was tragically the case in New York on 9/11.

All of our major metropolitan areas should have protective gear to respond to attacks with chemical, biological or radiological weapons.

All of our major metropolitan areas must have a medical surge capacity. In most American cities, the public health system would be overwhelmed by a bio-terror or mass-casualty attack. We need to double federal funding, and push states to complete medical surge planning.

To keep America safe, we need more than first responders…we need ‘first preventers.’

Local police forces should have the training and capability to gather and share information to prevent attacks.

Relevant intelligence needs to travel up the chain of command. But it also needs to filter down to the front lines.

If the federal government picks up intelligence on a terrorist plot originating in Pakistan, actionable information has to get to the cop on the beat in Las Vegas. If a cop in Jersey City picks up disturbing chatter, it has to be checked with federal authorities.

We need metropolitan fusion centers that will integrate state and federal information to prevent attacks.

I know we are asking a lot from our police officers. Not only are they fighting a rising crime epidemic, but we’re also asking them to prevent possible terrorist attacks. The thin blue line – is being stretched too thin.

That’s why it is time for a COPS II program to put more officers on the beat to keep our communities safe.

And let me add one more thing: Washington has no monopoly on wisdom. To keep America safe, we should draw on best practices from around the country.

Look at Baltimore’s enhanced police Intelligence Unit and New York’s use of the SHIELD partnership between the NYPD and the private sector.

We’re not going to secure our vast and open homeland from Washington. It’s going to take an effort that leverages all of our strength at the federal, state, and local level.

Third, we need to close glaring gaps in transportation and infrastructure security.

Our economy depends on the protection of our critical infrastructure and maintaining the integrity of the global supply chain. There are steps we can and should take now to make us safer.

We cannot tolerate a majority of our containers going unscreened. We need to deploy systems to screen the contents of every shipping container. It can be done. Hong Kong is using this technology and we need to use it too.


Look at air cargo. We take off our shoes to get on airplanes. Yet we’re still only inspecting 10 to 15 percent of cargo loaded onto our passenger airplanes.

We should screen air cargo for explosives. Take a look at San Francisco International Airport, where new explosive-detection equipment, inspectors, and bomb-sniffing dogs are part of a move toward 100% air cargo screening.

Look at our subways and rail stations. We should at least have camera systems monitoring them, like Baltimore and London have done.

Look at our chemical plants. Terrorists could steal dangerous chemicals or set off an explosion sending toxic fumes into the air. Yet the Administration refuses to set high standards for facility security.

We should not simply wait for the market to set the standards for security for dangerous infrastructure like chemical plants.

To keep America safe, we have to get past a view in Washington that is knee-jerk anti regulation…that fails to ask the private sector – which controls 85 percent of our critical infrastructure – to do their part… to step up and adhere to safer standards and regulations.

In fact, many in the private sector would welcome clearer guidance. But that’s not what they’re getting from Washington.

Security is not just good for the American people… it’s good for business. Nothing will have a more devastating effect on an industry – be it shipping, aviation or chemicals – than a terrorist attack.

Empowering local police and bringing federal funds to bear on the most at-risk targets are critical steps and must be done. But there is role for all of us -- a role for every American to play in making the homeland safer.

On this fifth anniversary, let’s remember the weeks and months after 9/11. Looking back, what strikes me the most is that this President never really asked Americans to step up—for any shared sacrifice—to actually be part of the solution.

After 9-11, you and I -- and all Americans -- would have done anything for our country. We were ready. But the President didn’t ask.

Instead, we were told the only thing we could do was go shopping. While at the same time, a heavy burden was placed on the backs of the heroic men and women of our military and on our first responders at home.

It wasn’t always that way.

Just days after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor … what is now the second deadliest attack on American soil in our history … Franklin Roosevelt spoke to the American people: “We are all in it – all the way,” he said. “Every single man, woman, and child is a partner in the most tremendous undertaking of our American history. We must share together the bad news and the good news, the defeats and the victories...”

Now we are in the midst of another tremendous American undertaking. And I believe we must all pitch in. That is the only way we can succeed.

It is inexcusable that America is more divided today than it was on September 10, 2001.

We need government to bring the best thinking to the priority of homeland security … for the private sector to play a more prominent role in protecting the homeland … and for all American citizens to join in.

Instead of slogans, let’s create a truly robust Citizen Corps program to be a part of our homeland defense. Everyone can play a role, whether it is by being trained to respond to disasters or by finding another way to give back to your community and country.

I know we want to serve. Heck, there are 17,000 more applicants than available spots at Teach for America.

We should tap that yearning to serve the common good. And if we get it right, we can make America a better and more united place, and show our true character to the world…because setting that example has always been the best way to spread American values around the globe.

Americans know our response to 9/11 is about more than what we can do with our power abroad… it is about what kind of nation we are at home.

Americans are sick of division… of the politics of Republican versus Democrat, liberal versus conservative, Red versus Blue.

Remember how you felt on 9/11. Remember your story. America has always stood strong, always come together, when tested.

Let us use this anniversary to move forward together in a renewed spirit of unity, in this – the greatest struggle of our generation.