On Wednesday the Denver-based Counterterrorism Education Learning Lab (CELL) hosted a remembrance event for the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and a panel discussion on national security that drew over 150 guests to the Newman Center.
The event, called “Colorado Remembers,” featured speakers Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper and Denver Mayor Michael Hancock giving the commemoration for the victims of the attacks. Afterward, former senator Joe Lieberman (I-CT) and former congresswoman Jane Harman (D-CA) held a panel discussion on the current state of national security, moderated by Denver Post Editorial Page Editor Vincent Carroll.
“9/11 brings us back to the moment our country changed,” said Hickenlooper during the commemoration, “and we can be proud of the role Colorado played in 9/11.”
Hancock emphasized the importance the attacks continue to hold within the United States and internationally, as well as the significance of the remembrance event.
“This is an extraordinary event not only for the state of Colorado but for the Mile High City,” he said.
After the remembrance and commemoration, Lieberman and Harman held a discussion focusing on the state of national security today and since the 9/11 terror attacks.
Lieberman and Harman were both contributors to the creation of the Department of Homeland Security after the 9/11 attacks. Lieberman later served as the first chairman of the Senate Government Affairs and Homeland Security Committee while Harman was head of the House Homeland Security Intelligence Subcommittee.
Both spoke about their memories of the 9/11 attacks and discussed the continuing importance of the day as what Lieberman called a “new chapter in national security,” which included his creation of the federal National Security Department.
Lieberman acknowledged national security today still being a “work in progress,” and spoke about areas where he sees a need for progression or improvement.
“Information sharing needs to continue to improve, or we will not be able to connect the dots,” he said. “There have been sure failures. It is hard for a country as big and free as ours to stop every terrorist attack, but that has to be our goal.”
Harman agreed, saying attacks such as the bombing at the Boston Marathon in April is an area where information sharing should have been better. She also emphasized prioritization of information as another area needing improvement.
“We need to manage risk and prioritize,” said Harman. “We will never have 100 percent security. We need a system that can manage the information,” she said.
But there are new obstacles in national security, both said, which are difficult to identify.
“The biggest threat is home-grown terrorists and internet radicalism,” said Harman.
The two also spoke about a range of security-themed topics, including the constitutionality of meta-data gathering from cell phones and computers to the developing conflict over chemical weapons in Syria.
On Syria, Harman called the Assad’s use of chemical weapons “unacceptable,” while Lieberman emphasized the importance of a strong response from President Obama.
“The use of chemical weapons opens the door for use in the U.S. against Americans,” said Lieberman. “Much of our liberty is being challenged in ways that were previously unprecedented.
The event lasted two hours, with the discussion panel portion lasting an hour and a half.