    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2002, Book I)]
    [June 6, 2002]
    [Pages 937-940]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Address to the Nation on the Proposed Department of Homeland Security
    June 6, 2002

        Good evening. During the next few minutes, I want to update you on
    the progress we are making in our war against terror and to propose
    sweeping changes that will strengthen our homeland against the ongoing
    threat of terrorist attacks.
        Nearly 9 months have passed since the day that forever changed our
    country. Debris from what was once the World Trade Center has been
    cleared away in a hundred thousand truckloads. The west side of the
    Pentagon looks almost as it did on September the 10th. And as children
    finish school and families prepare for summer vacations, for many life
    seems almost normal.
        Yet, we are a different nation today, sadder and stronger, less
    innocent and more courageous, more appreciative of life, and for many
    who serve our country, more willing to risk life in a great cause. For
    those who have lost family and friends, the pain will never go away, and
    neither will the responsibilities that day thrust upon all of us.
        America is leading the civilized world in a titanic struggle against
    terror. Freedom and fear are at war, and freedom is winning. Tonight
    over 60,000 American troops are deployed around the world in the war
    against terror: more than 7,000 in Afghanistan; others in the
    Philippines, Yemen, and the Republic of Georgia, to train local forces.
    Next week Afghanistan will begin selecting a representative government,
    even as American troops, along with our allies, still continuously raid
    remote Al Qaida hiding places.
        Among those we have captured is a man named Abu Zubaydah, Al Qaida's chief of operations. From him and from
    hundreds of others, we are learning more about how the terrorists plan
    and operate, information crucial in anticipating and preventing future
    attacks.
        Our coalition is strong. More than 90 nations have arrested or
    detained over 2,400 terrorists and their supporters. More than 180
    countries have offered or are providing assistance in the war on
    terrorism. And our military is strong and prepared to oppose any
    emerging threat to the American people.

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        Every day in this war will not bring the drama of liberating a
    country. Yet, every day brings new information, a tip or arrest, another
    step or two or three in a relentless march to bring security to our
    Nation and justice to our enemies.
        Every day I review a document called the threat assessment. It
    summarizes what our intelligence services and key law enforcement
    agencies have picked up about terrorist activity. Sometimes the
    information is very general, vague talk, bragging about future attacks.
    Sometimes the information is more specific, as in a recent case when an
    Al Qaida detainee said attacks were planned against financial
    institutions.
        When credible intelligence warrants, appropriate law enforcement and
    local officials are alerted. These warnings are, unfortunately, a new
    reality in American life, and we have recently seen an increase in the
    volume of general threats. Americans should continue to do what you're
    doing. Go about your lives, but pay attention to your surroundings. Add
    your eyes and ears to the protection of our homeland.
        In protecting our country, we depend on the skill of our people, the
    troops we send to battle, intelligence operatives who risk their lives
    for bits of information, law enforcement officers who sift for clues and
    search for suspects. We are now learning that before September the 11th,
    the suspicions and insights of some of our frontline agents did not get
    enough attention.
        My administration supports the important work of the intelligence
    committees in Congress to review the activities of law enforcement and
    intelligence agencies. We need to know when warnings were missed or
    signs unheeded, not to point the finger or blame but to make sure we
    correct any problems and prevent them from happening again.
        Based on everything I've seen, I do not believe anyone could have
    prevented the horror of September the 11th. Yet, we now know that
    thousands of trained killers are plotting to attack us, and this
    terrible knowledge requires us to act differently.
        If you're a frontline worker for the FBI, the CIA, some other law
    enforcement or intelligence agency and you see something that raises
    suspicions, I want you to report it immediately. I expect your
    supervisors to treat it with the seriousness it deserves. Information
    must be fully shared so we can follow every lead to find the one that
    may prevent tragedy.
        I applaud the leaders and employees at the FBI and CIA for beginning
    essential reforms. They must continue to think and act differently to
    defeat the enemy.
        The first and best way to secure America's homeland is to attack the
    enemy where he hides and plans, and we're doing just that. We're also
    taking significant steps to strengthen our homeland protections,
    securing cockpits, tightening our borders, stockpiling vaccines,
    increasing security at water treatment and nuclear powerplants.
        After September the 11th, we needed to move quickly, and so I
    appointed Tom Ridge as my Homeland Security
    Adviser. As Governor Ridge has worked with all levels of government to
    prepare a national strategy and as we have learned more about the plans
    and capabilities of the terrorist network, we have concluded that our
    Government must be reorganized to deal more effectively with the new
    threats of the 21st century. So tonight I ask the Congress to join me in
    creating a single, permanent department with an overriding and urgent
    mission, securing the homeland of America and protecting the American
    people.
        Right now as many as a hundred different Government agencies have
    some responsibilities for homeland security, and no one has final
    accountability. For example, the Coast Guard has several missions, from
    search and rescue to maritime treaty enforcement. It reports to the
    Transportation Department, whose primary responsibilities are roads,
    rails, bridges, and the airways. The Customs Service, among other
    duties, collects tariffs and prevents smuggling, and

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    it is part of the Treasury Department, whose primary responsibility is
    fiscal policy, not security.
        Tonight I propose a permanent Cabinet-level Department of Homeland
    Security to unite essential agencies that must work more closely
    together: Among them, the Coast Guard, the Border Patrol, the Customs
    Service, Immigration officials, the Transportation Security
    Administration, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Employees
    of this new agency will come to work every morning knowing their most
    important job is to protect their fellow citizens.
        The Department of Homeland Security will be charged with four
    primary tasks: This new agency will control our borders and prevent
    terrorists and explosives from entering our country; it will work with
    State and local authorities to respond quickly and effectively to
    emergencies; it will bring together our best scientists to develop
    technologies that detect biological, chemical, and nuclear weapons, and
    to discover the drugs and treatments to best protect our citizens; and
    this new Department will review intelligence and law enforcement
    information from all agencies of Government and produce a single daily
    picture of threats against our homeland. Analysts will be responsible
    for imagining the worst and planning to counter it.
        The reason to create this Department is not to create the size of
    Government but to increase its focus and effectiveness. The staff of
    this new Department will be largely drawn from the agencies we are
    combining. By ending duplication and overlap, we will spend less on
    overhead and more on protecting America. This reorganization will give
    the good people of our Government their best opportunity to succeed by
    organizing our resources in a way that is thorough and unified.
        What I am proposing tonight is the most extensive reorganization of
    the Federal Government since the 1940s. During his Presidency, Harry
    Truman recognized that our Nation's fragmented defenses had to be
    reorganized to win the cold war. He proposed uniting our military forces
    under a single Department of Defense and creating the National Security
    Council to bring together defense, intelligence, and diplomacy. Truman's
    reforms are still helping us to fight terror abroad, and now we need
    similar dramatic reforms to secure our people at home.
        Only the United States Congress can create a new department of
    Government. So tonight I ask for your help in encouraging your
    Representatives to support my plan. We face an urgent need, and we must
    move quickly, this year, before the end of the congressional session.
    All in our Government have learned a great deal since September the
    11th, and we must act on every lesson. We are stronger and better
    prepared tonight than we were on that terrible morning, and with your
    help and the support of the Congress, we will be stronger still.
        History has called our Nation into action. History has placed a
    great challenge before us: Will America, with our unique position and
    power, blink in the face of terror, or will we lead to a freer, more
    civilized world? There's only one answer: This great country will lead
    the world to safety, security, peace, and freedom.
        Thank you for listening. Good night, and may God bless America.

    Note: The President spoke at 8 p.m. in the Cross Hall at the White
    House.

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