25 years after 9/11, US spy agencies face broader threats from China and Russia

September 11, 2026 at 08:00 PM2 min

This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.

Twenty-five years after the September 11 attacks, former US intelligence officials say the country is better prepared to disrupt terrorist organizations but faces a broader mix of threats from foreign governments, hackers, and extremists. Michael Morell, former CIA deputy director, called nation-state threats from China and Russia the most significant since the Cold War. The TSA, created in response to the attacks, has evolved with facial comparison technology and artificial intelligence under its Horizon 25 strategy.

Key Facts

The 9/11 Commission's final report described failures spanning imagination, policy, capabilities, and management, noting that agencies held pieces of information that did not come together.
Within a month of the attacks, the NSA transferred 3,000 analysts to counterterrorism work, according to former NSA deputy director Rick Ledgett.
President George W. Bush created the TSA through the Aviation and Transportation Security Act on November 19, 2001, moving airport security from private firms to public control.
The TSA's Horizon 25 strategy, overseen by President Donald Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, aims to make the agency 'agile, resilient and ready' through public-private partnerships.
Almost 3,000 lives were lost in the September 11, 2001 attacks, the worst terror attack in US history.

Intelligence Community Transformation

The response to the September 11 attacks transformed the US government, reorganizing intelligence agencies, expanding surveillance powers, and drawing spies deeper into a global campaign to capture or kill suspected terrorists. Former officials describe a country better prepared to disrupt terrorist organizations, but facing a broader mix of threats from foreign governments, hackers, and extremists able to reach Americans online. Michael Morell, who served as CIA deputy director and acting director, said the country is 'much safer than we were on September 10, 2001, from the threat of terrorism.' Morell added that threats from nation-states like China or Russia are the most significant the country has faced since the Cold War.

TSA Evolution and Horizon 25

The Transportation Security Administration was created through the Aviation and Transportation Security Act, signed by President George W. Bush on November 19, 2001, moving control of airport security from private firms into public hands. The TSA now uses cutting-edge facial comparison technology and artificial intelligence, while maintaining its goal of ensuring that people and commerce can move freely and safely. Under oversight from President Donald Trump and Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin, the TSA launched Horizon 25, its most recent advancement. Horizon 25 seeks to modernize through public-private partnerships, using a new Screening Partnerships Program.