National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (9/11 Commission): findings and what happened next
The 11 September 2001 attacks on the United States, including intelligence failures, preparedness and the immediate response.
- Country
- United States
- Type
- commission of inquiry
- Established
- 27 November 2002
- Chaired by
- Thomas H. Kean, Lee H. Hamilton (vice chair)
- Report published
- July 2004
- Recommendations
- 41
Implementation, as of 27 October 2026Former commissioners said in 2007 that roughly half of the 41 recommendations had been enacted. The main structural recommendation, a Director of National Intelligence, was enacted in December 2004 and the office has operated since April 2005.
What the inquiry found
- The commission's report stated that the institutions responsible for security "did not understand how grave this threat could be" and did not adjust their policies, plans and practices.2
- The report cited "the pervasive problems of managing and sharing information" across the government.2
- The report found the FAA and NORAD protocol for hijackings "was unsuited in every respect" for what happened that day.2
- The report organised its assessment of failures under imagination, policy, capabilities and management.1,2
Key recommendations
- Former commissioners told the Senate in 2007 that the commission made 41 recommendations.5
- The commission recommended sweeping changes to the intelligence community, including creating what became the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.3
What happened next
- The commission closed, having released its final report. It had been created by legislation signed by President George W. Bush in late 2002.4,1
- President George W. Bush signed the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004, which established the Director of National Intelligence.3
- The first Director of National Intelligence was sworn in, and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence began operations the next day.3
- The commissioners' 9/11 Public Discourse Project issued a report card finding a mixed record, with roughly half of the recommendations enacted, mainly through the 2004 Act.5
Read the report: www.9-11commission.gov/report/
Sources
- National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, The 9/11 Commission Report (21 August 2004)
- U.S. Government Publishing Office, The 9/11 Commission Report (full text) (July 2004)
- Office of the Director of National Intelligence, About ODNI (27 October 2026)
- National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, About the Commission
- U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, Prepared statement of Lee H. Hamilton, Slade Gorton and Timothy J. Roemer, Full Implementation of the 9/11 Commission's Recommendations (9 January 2007)