To mark the fifteenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, the Center for Homeland Defense and Security is publishing three reflective essays by distinguished affiliated practitioners and academics. Joe Pfeifer is a graduate of the CHDS master’s degree program and is an Assistant Chief at FDNY. Cathy Lanier is also a graduate of the CHDS master’s degree…
Reflections on the 15th Anniversary of 9/11
Adaptive Resilience Emerges From 9/11 and the 15-Years Following
Assistant Chief Joseph Pfeifer, New York City Fire Department (FDNY). Chief Pfeifer was the first chief on the scene at the World Trade Center during the 9/11 attacks. At 0846 on September 11, 2001, I was standing in the street at a gas leak in lower Manhattan when I heard the loud roar of jet engines. …
Reflections of a Veteran Major City Police Chief
Chief Cathy Lanier, Washington D.C. Metropolitan Police Department. Chief Lanier wrote the following essay as she prepares to step down after almost ten years as police chief and a distinguished 26 year career in policing. I, like many Americans, remember the horrors of September 11, 2001 as if it were yesterday. While we all quickly realized the enormity…
A Director of the Present? Nowcasting Homeland Security’s Challenges
Rodrigo Nieto-Gomez, PhD; Research Professor, Naval Postgraduate School. Dr. Nieto-Gomez is a strategist and futurist focused on the consequences of the accelerating pace of change in homeland security and policing environments. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld got in trouble in 2002, when he said this to justify the U.S. intervention in Iraq: “Reports that say that…