‘It was all hands on deck’: how the CIA responded to 9/11

Intelligence veterans describe the immediate disarray and uncertainty that gripped the CIA as the September 11 attacks unfolded, marking a dramatic shift in its mission. The collapse of the Soviet Union a decade earlier had left the agency without a clear adversary, and the al-Qaida strikes abruptly ended its Cold War-era focus on combating communism. The attacks forced a rapid pivot toward a new "war on terror," fundamentally altering the agency’s purpose and legacy. For those who served, the transition came with lasting consequences for both operations and public trust.

Veterans recall chaos and confusion as the attacks unfolded – followed by a ‘war on terror’ that left agency with a tarnished reputationA generation of spies had lost an enemy but not yet found a role. Then came 9/11.A decade after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, al-Qaida’s devastating attacks on New York and Washington on 11 September 2001 announced to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) that the long era of battling communism, for which it had been founded, was officially at an end. Continue reading...