America was forever altered by September 11, 2001. The memories of that morning are still unforgettable twenty-five years later. The attacks showed with devastating clarity that the United States could no longer be protected from determined adversaries by geography alone. They revealed weaknesses in our knowledge of asymmetric threats, intelligence sharing, aviation security, border controls, emergency communications, interagency coordination, and readiness. They also gave rise to the modern homeland security enterprise, which is something far bigger.

The years after 9/11 were a remarkable time of institutional change for those of us who later got involved in starting and developing that enterprise. In 2002, 22 previously independent federal offices and agencies were combined to form the Department of Homeland Security, a new Cabinet department that started operations in 2003. It was one of the biggest federal government reorganizations since the mid-1900s.

I had the honor of taking part in that crucial time. I was the first Director of Legislative Affairs for the Department’s Science and Technology Directorate and assisted in establishing the Office of Legislative Affairs at DHS. As a result of my subsequent work in government, business, academia, and the cybersecurity community, I have had the opportunity to observe how the homeland security mission has expanded from a primarily counterterrorism-focused endeavor to something much more expansive.