The quiet war: How terror has evolved since Sept 11

On the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, I was in Del Rio, Texas, just one week away from graduating from pilot training. It was a day that began like any other as I looked forward to what was supposed to be a celebratory start to my flying career. 

Then, everything changed. The horrific terrorist attacks on our nation not only altered the course of my life but also revealed the fight of our generation.

After graduating, I went on to serve as a fighter pilot in the U.S. Air Force, flying combat missions in the F-22 against ISIS in Iraq and Syria. Twenty-four years later, the lessons I learned from that fateful day and throughout my combat service remain etched in memory, serving as a reminder that our enemies are always watching, adapting and waiting patiently in the shadows. 

The Brooklyn Bridge 9/11 Tribute in Light in New York City. (Fox News Photo/Joshua Comins)

This reality guides my work today as a member of Congress and chairman of the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence, where troubling trends confirm that terror threats remain very real. Our system is blinking red, alerting us to take action. 

PREPARED, NOT PARANOID: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF FROM A POSSIBLE TERROR ATTACK

The Biden administration’s reckless open-border policies have created serious vulnerabilities in our national security. Under his watch, dangerous actors with known terror ties crossed into our country undetected. Between April 2021 and January 2025 alone, over 50 jihadist terror cases were reported across 30 states.

Compounding this threat, Customs and Border Protection recorded nearly 400 encounters with individuals on the terror watchlist during the same period. While President Donald Trump’s administration has taken decisive action to identify and deport many of these individuals, an unsettling truth remains. We still don’t know how many terrorists may have slipped through the cracks and are now living among us.

Even more alarming is how terror threats to our homeland have evolved significantly since 9/11, becoming more technologically sophisticated and dangerous.  

Today, terrorist organizations like ISIS, al Qaeda, Hamas, Hezbollah and others are exploiting advanced technologies and global networks within the digital realm to wage war in ways that are harder to detect and stop. They are weaponizing encrypted messaging apps like Telegram to communicate and coordinate attacks, as well as leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to spread propaganda and recruit and radicalize lone wolf actors.  

THE STABILITY OF OUR GREAT NATION DEPENDS ON PREVENTING POLITICAL VIOLENCE

These emerging technologies have become the new battlefield, and we must respond with urgency and precision. 

That’s why I am leading the charge in Congress to combat these bad actors through smart, meaningful legislation. My "Generative AI Terrorism Risk Assessment Act" would require the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to conduct annual assessments on how terrorist groups are leveraging AI to spread propaganda, recruit followers and plan attacks. 

Additionally, my "Countering Online Radicalization and Terrorism Act" would further strengthen our defenses by mandating DHS to conduct annual threat assessments on terrorism risks posed by terrorist organizations that exploit foreign, cloud-based mobile and desktop messaging applications. 

The United States cannot afford to fall behind. Our national security depends on our ability to proactively stay ahead of these rapidly evolving, dynamic threats. While these bills will help keep us ahead of the curve, much more remains to be done. We must also continue to support bold leadership that prioritizes our national security. The kind of leadership President Trump has already delivered on. 

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From his first day back in office, President Donald Trump has prioritized counterterrorism by securing our borders and deporting internal threats that President Joe Biden allowed into the country. The historic budget reconciliation package that was recently signed into law further reflects congressional Republicans’ and the administration’s commitment to securing the homeland. It allocates $5.91 billion toward layered homeland defense systems, and $46 billion to finish the border wall. 

President Trump also rescinded President Biden’s dangerous limits on counterterrorism strikes, returning decision-making power to commanders in the field, rather than forcing our warfighters to rely on Washington, D.C., bureaucrats. Thanks to this kind of leadership, 272 jihadist terrorists have been eliminated around the globe since Jan. 20. 

In an era of ever-evolving threats to our homeland, we must remember the lesson of 9/11: our freedom is not free. It demands constant vigilance, unwavering resolve and a readiness to confront evil before it reaches our shores. 

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We must keep this lesson at the forefront of our minds and as a guiding force in our policymaking. Turning a blind eye or negotiating from a position of weakness only emboldens our enemies.  

We must never forget that day, and we must remain relentless in our resolve to prevent such a tragedy from ever happening again.

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