Work remains to protect U.S., officials say

WASHINGTON — While national security has improved in the five years since the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks here and in New York, area members of Congress warned that more work remains.

The creation of the Department of Homeland Security helped make the country safer, said Sen. Lamar Alexander, RTenn.

“Obviously we are better prepared for a world with terror than we were five years ago,” he said. “Every airplane traveler knows that. But it is a very dangerous world we live in today, and we have a lot of work yet to do in port security, in railroad security and in securing our borders.”

Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., said Sept. 11 was a wake-up call for the country.

“What we’ve got to do is stop these people with short memories who have forgotten about what happened in this country and stay steady on the course in terms of prosecuting the war on terror, wherever it takes us,” he said.

“Two months ago I wouldn’t have told you that gels, jellies and liquids were a problem on

airplanes,” Sen. Isakson said. “We are not finished, but we will never be finished.”

Rep. Lincoln Davis, D-Tenn., said that the invasion of Afghanistan to topple the Taliban and hunt for Osama bin Laden was the federal government’s high point in the aftermath of the attacks.

“One of the mistakes we did was put that on hold before we finished the job and take off on a new war in Iraq,” Rep. Davis said.

Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said members of the military are succeeding in their role to keep terrorists back on their heels.

“Their main role is to defend the citizens of the United States, and in this case that means fighting to win the war on terrorism,” he said. “That is exactly what they are doing.”

U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp, RTenn., said federal officials are better at identifying terrorists.

“We are back in the intelligence-gathering business in a big way,” said Rep. Wamp., who has attended more than a 100 hearings as a member of an appropriations subcommittee on homeland security.

However, airports still lag behind in adapting the latest bomb or chemical detection technology, Rep. Wamp said.

U.S. Rep. John Duncan, RTenn., said that the nation’s aggressive foreign policy in the aftermath of Sept. 11 could be increasing the number of potential terrorists around the globe.

“We need a more humble foreign policy,” Rep. Duncan said. “We need to stop trying to run the world, creating a lot of resentment, animosity and hatred towards the U.S.”

Rep. Nathan Deal, R-Ga., said he hopes the nation does not get lulled into a false sense of security. Better protection must be afforded to nuclear power plants and chemical storage or production facilities, he said. Airports need to do a better job of screening cargo loaded onto planes, he said.

Further improvements will hinge on how many liberties the American public is willing to give up in the name of security, he said.

“That is the great debate for a free society,” Rep. Deal said.