Adapting to Threats: US Counterterrorism Strategy After 9/11 SYNOPSIS

However, US intelligence agencies failed to recognise the escalating danger due to the foreign locations of the attacks and a perception that the threat was not imminent. [...] This led to an overhaul of the intelligence community’s structure, including the establishment of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) in 2004 to centralise intelligence gathering and improve interagency coordination. [...] One of the most significant changes was the creation of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in 2003, which consolidated 22 federal agencies to improve coordination in securing US borders, infrastructure, and the population from terrorist threats. [...] From Terrorism to Geopolitics: The Shift in US Global Priorities Despite the intense focus on terrorism in the immediate post-9/11 years, other global challenges began to take precedence as the threat of large-scale terrorist attacks seemed to recede. [...] For example, the issue of terrorism became a central theme in the 2016 US presidential election, with candidates debating the merits of counterterrorism strategies and the perceived failures of previous administrations.