Instead of acting on the intelligence firmly and avert the crisis, the government introduced some reforms that were just cosmetic to cover up the real situation. The politicians and the government made people have a false hope that they were secure and that the counterterrorism measures were well in place, only to get a shocker.
If the ideas of Rodney Stich who was a specialist in air safety were implemented in time and the cockpit doors secured as well as placing an air marshal on board or arming the pilots with basic weapons, may be the danger could have been averted and lives saved on that particular day. These are researches that cost a lot of taxpayer's money and the recommendations were neither implemented by the government nor acted upon by the private air transport companies until it was too late.
The FBI also knew the whereabouts of Khalid Al-Midhar and Nawaq Alhamzi who were the two in the flight 77 and were actually in the top watch list of the FBI, yet they never informed the airlines and all airport authorities who could have possibly used this intelligence to nab the two and avert the pentagon crisis. This can be considered careless handling of sensitive information or misuse of intelligence which was negligent of the FBI and that negligence cost lives. Generally the biggest failure in containing the terrorism attack and the ultimate deaths and confusion in the response to the attack was the lack of sharing of information among the relevant agencies and even with the citizens.
From the various lapses in action and lack of properly channeled communication, it is apparent that New York or Washington D.C. never took seriously the intelligence hence never acted on it, only to be found unawares and react to the situation. The reaction was more costly than if they acted on the intelligence since lives were lost and the cost of the...
First there is need to inform the public of a disaster through the various radio alert mechanisms, the media and other alert systems like the tsunami alerts along the seas. There is need for better coordination and communication between the top security agencies, federal partners and the U.S. Department of Defense to ensure aversion and better response to national disasters and terrorism acts.
There is also need to have an effective communication system among the various local and international agencies. For instance the Department of Justice, the department of State and FEMA should have an effective and a well coordinated and strategic response system to acts of terrorism within the U.S.A. (Department of Home Land Security, 2012).
There is need therefore to have in place and interoperable communication system among the first responders as well for this will enhance the response mobilization in mass and efficiency as various responders will come into action with consolidated skills and equipment. The top offices within the U.S.A. must as well get deeply involved in the dispatching of the correct message to the general public so as to keep the public up-to-date with the happenings as well as ease the anxiety that may be building among the citizens in the event of a disaster.
Reference
Department of Homeland security, (2012). Protecting America. Retrieved on May 7, 2013 from http://www.dhs.gov/files/programs/protecting-america.shtm
Nafeez Mosaddeq Ahmed, (2002). Did Bush Know? Warning Signs of 9-11 and Intelligence Failures. Retrieved March 7, 2013 from http://www.mediamonitors.net/mosaddeq36.html
