The Heritage Foundation Homeland Defense Project

The Homeland Defense Project of the Heritage Foundation was started just a few days after 9/11.

The Project's report, Defending the American Homeland, was published in January 2002. Rightweb.com reports that "although some of the study's recommendations included widely supported ideas such as ways to improve U.S. responses to a potential bioterror attack, the report also used 9/11 to push for defense programs that would have little or no impact on preventing the sort of attacks perpetrated in New York and Washington, like deploying a national missile defense (NMD) system. NMD had been a key item on the agenda of many Bush administration figures, including Vice President Dick Cheney and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. Participants on the [Defending the American Homeland] study included L. Paul Bremer (co-chairman), Edwin Meese (co-chairman), Pete Wilson, Daniel Goure, and Fred Ikle."

The Project's status as of September 2010 is unclear. The former project website, http://www.heritage.org/Research/HomelandDefense/Project.cfm, now links directly to the Heritage Foundation webpage.

However, the Heritage Foundation maintains a Homeland Security Issue Page, which links to the Foundation's current reports, recommendations, and studies on homeland security, including, for example, "Returning More Power to the States Is the Natural Evolution in Homeland Security," and "More Than Lip Service: Why Private Sector Engagement Is Essential."

Mission Statement

From The Heritage Foundation Homeland Defense Project web page:

"The terrorist attacks of September 11 struck at the very heart of the American homeland. It was a new form of total war in the age of terrorism, and it put all Americans on notice that the United States is dangerously vulnerable and that new means are urgently needed to strengthen the security of the homeland.

"The Heritage Foundation Homeland Security Task Force was formed days after the September 11, 2001 attacks to meet this urgent need. This comprehensive study incorporates the recommendations of the Task Force for securing a vulnerable America."