9/11 Commission Reconvenes as Bipartisan Policy Center's National Security Preparedness...

9/11 Commission Reconvenes as Bipartisan Policy Center's National Security
Preparedness Group
Thomas Kean and Lee Hamilton Lead Center's Newest Project

WASHINGTON, July 14 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Building on the highly
acclaimed work of the 9/11 Commission, the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC)
today announced the launch of a new project called the National Security
Preparedness Group (NSPG) to further examine the changing threats to the
United States. Under the leadership of 9/11 Commission Chair, Thomas H. Kean,
and Vice Chair, Lee H. Hamilton, the NSPG will focus its efforts on national
intelligence, terrorism, and security issues, continuing the work of the
National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (9/11
Commission) and its successor, the 9/11 Public Discourse Project.

The NSPG is composed of a distinguished bipartisan group of experts including
former U.S. Secretary of Energy and U.S. Senator E. Spencer Abraham; Peter
Bergen; Dr. Stephen Flynn; Dr. John Gannon; Dr. Bruce Hoffman; former
Congressman Dave McCurdy; former U.S. Attorney General Edwin Meese III; former
U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security and Governor of Pennsylvania Tom Ridge;
Frances Townsend; former U.S. Attorney General Richard L. Thornburgh; former
Congressman Jim Turner; and Lawrence Wright.

"We look forward to furthering the achievements of the 9/11 Commission and its
recommendations through our work with the Bipartisan Policy Center," said
Governor Kean. "We believe it is critical that we continue to assess security
threats to the United States. The success of the 9/11 Commission was largely a
result of our commitment to bipartisanship, and we will continue to foster
that spirit throughout this process."

Yesterday's meeting was the first gathering of the group at the BPC. Admiral
Dennis Blair, the Director of National Intelligence, spoke to the group about
threats to the United States and the state of intelligence reform.

"The creation of a Director of National Intelligence was the signature
recommendation of the 9/11 Commission, and we are very pleased that Admiral
Blair came to meet with the National Security Preparedness Group," said
Congressman Hamilton. "Our bipartisan group of members believes strongly that
we must continue to improve information sharing and unity of effort within the
intelligence community. Through our work, we hope to make America safer and
more secure."

"Governor Kean and Congressman Hamilton bring unmatched depth and knowledge to
the Bipartisan Policy Center," said Jason Grumet, founder and president of the
BPC. "Their efforts complement our ongoing projects across energy,
transportation, and health care, as well as our national security and cyber
simulation initiatives. We are honored to partner with such a distinguished
group."

Michael Allen, formerly of the National Security Council and the Homeland
Security Council, is the Executive Director of the NSPG (National Security
Preparedness Group).

Former Senate Majority Leaders Howard Baker, Tom Daschle, Bob Dole, and George
Mitchell established the BPC in 2007. The BPC's goal is to develop and promote
bipartisan solutions to the nation's most pressing public policy challenges.
Currently, the BPC conducts projects in the areas of national security, health
care, transportation, energy and climate change, and science policy.

National Security Preparedness Group Members:

The Honorable Thomas H. Kean, Co-Chairman
Former Governor of New Jersey, THK Consulting

The Honorable Lee H. Hamilton, Co-Chairman
Former Congressman from Indiana, President and Director of the Woodrow Wilson
International Center for Scholars

The Honorable E. Spencer Abraham
Former U.S. Secretary of Energy and U.S. Senator from Michigan, The Abraham
Group

Mr. Peter Bergen
CNN National Security Analyst and Author, Schwartz Senior Fellow at the New
America Foundation

Dr. Stephen Flynn
Ira A. Lipman Senior Fellow for Counterterrorism and National Security Studies
at the Council on Foreign Relations

Dr. John Gannon
BAE Systems, former CIA Deputy Director for Intelligence, Chairman of the
National Intelligence Council, and U.S. House Homeland Security Staff Director

Dr. Bruce Hoffman
Georgetown University terrorism specialist and former Vice President for
External Affairs at RAND Corporation

The Honorable Dave McCurdy
Former Congressman from Oklahoma and Chairman of the U.S. House Intelligence
Committee, President of the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers

The Honorable Edwin Meese III
Former U.S. Attorney General, Ronald Reagan Distinguished Fellow in Public
Policy and Chairman of the Center for Legal and Judicial Studies at The
Heritage Foundation

The Honorable Tom Ridge
Former Governor of Pennsylvania and U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security,
Senior Advisor at Deloitte Global LLP, Ridge Global

The Honorable Frances Townsend
Former Homeland Security Advisor and former Deputy National Security Advisor
for Combating Terrorism under President George W. Bush

The Honorable Richard L. Thornburgh
Former U.S. Attorney General, Of Counsel at K&L Gates

The Honorable Jim Turner
Former Congressman from Texas and Ranking Member of the U.S. House Homeland
Security Committee, Arnold and Porter, LLP

Mr. Lawrence Wright
New Yorker Columnist and Pulitzer Prize winning author of The Looming Tower:
Al Qaeda and the Road to 9/11

About the Bipartisan Policy Center:
In 2007, former U.S. Senate Majority Leaders Howard Baker, Tom Daschle, Bob
Dole, and George Mitchell formed the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) to develop
and promote solutions that can attract the public support and political
momentum to achieve real progress. The BPC acts as an incubator for policy
efforts that engage top political figures, advocates, academics, and business
leaders in the art of principled compromise. For more information, please
visit our website: http://www.bipartisanpolicy.org/.

SOURCE Bipartisan Policy Center

Eileen McMenamin, Director of Communications of the Bipartisan Policy Center,
+1-202- 204-2400, emcmenamin@bipartisanpolicy.org