America’s post-9/11 security system faces a new kind of threat

Twentyfive years after the Sept. 11 attacks, the United States has built a wideranging counterterrorism and homeland security system that made another assault on the scale of 9/11 much harder to carry out. New agencies, expanded intelligence sharing and stronger airport security were created after the attacks, and officials say those steps helped disrupt large, coordinated plots. But the threat has changed. Analysts and former counterterrorism officials say today’s risks more often come from lone actors, small cells and people radicalized online, along with cyber threats and statesponsored operations that can target U.S. systems without crossing a border or hijacking a plane. The article also notes an ongoing debate over whether the post9/11 security state became too large or too focused on older threats. While some argue the government built too much bureaucracy, others say the country still needs strong pressure on emerging extremist networks before they can develop into larger dangers.