It is hard to imagine that it has been 10 years since the horrific events of 9/11. The images of the carnage in New York City; Arlington, Virginia; and Pennsylvania are indelibly etched into our consciousness. It was shocking that there were people who would coordinate and carry out a plan that was wrapped around a deranged ideology. Our mind-set and our missions changed that day.

At the same time we have also seen deadly attacks around the world . . . in places such as Madrid, London, India, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, and Russia, mostly directed or inspired by al Qaeda. Because of our collective efforts, al Qaeda has been significantly weakened. But it still remains a huge and constantly changing threat to our security around the world.