9/11 Commission Co-Chair Lee Hamilton '52 Sees a New Terrorism Threat Emerging

September 11, 2014

Bush Hamilton Kean 9-11.jpg "We are at war in the digital world. And yet, because this war lacks attention-grabbing explosions and body bags, the American people remain largely unaware of the danger," write Lee Hamilton and Tom Kean in today's Wall Street Journal. On the 13th anniversary of the terror attacks on the United States, the chairs of the 9/11 Commission author an opinion piece on the threat of cyberterrorism. (photo: Hamilton and Kean deliver the 9/11 Commission's report to President George W. Bush on July 22, 2004)

"And yet, because this war lacks attention-grabbing explosions and body bags, the American people remain largely unaware of the danger," Hamilton and Kean state. "That needs to change. Only public attention can create the political momentum for needed reform."

Without Precedent Lee Hamilton.jpg Hamilton, a Democrat who served 34 years in the U.S. House of Representatives, is a 1952 graduate of DePauw University. Kean, a Republican, is a former governor of New Jersey.

"There are a number of cyber-related legislative initiatives pending in Congress," the two men note. "Given the dimension of the problem, however, a larger-scale effort is needed to elevate public awareness and get out in front of this rapidly changing threat. Simply put, the country needs a national cyber strategy, covering all aspects of the problem."

The complete text is available to subscribers at the Journal's website.

A history major and basketball standout at DePauw, Lee H. Hamilton is now director of the Center on Congress at Indiana University. He has authored three books: How Congress Works and Why You Should Care; Strengthening Congress; and A Creative Tension: The Foreign Policy Roles of the President and Congress. He co-authored (with Gov. Kean) Without Precedent: The Inside Story of the 9/11 Commission. He's also a member of the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame. Lee Hamilton zva