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Experts warn of eroding counter-terrorism architecture and growing risks 25 years after 9/11 attacks

Security experts warn that the counter-terrorism architecture established after the September 11 attacks is eroding due to budget cuts, personnel losses, and a shift in national security priorities. While there have been no large-scale lethal attacks by foreign terrorist groups in the United States since 2001, analysts suggest that complacency and under-resourcing may increase the risk of future threats.

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During the administration, the focus on counter-terrorism shifted toward strategic competition with revisionist powers like Russia and China, while also expanding the definition of counter-terrorism to include criminal groups such as Mexican drug cartels. Experts noted that the administration's updated counter-terrorism strategy may be more focused on a political agenda than the reality of the threat, spreading dwindling resources thinner. The intelligence community faces challenges including a lack of morale and the loss of experienced officials. Analysts emphasize that while extremist Islamist groups remain a priority, the United States must remain clear-eyed about the changing nature of the terrorist threat to avoid reverting to the conditions that preceded the 2001 attacks.

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