Press Office
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
January 9, 2004
National Threat Level Lowered
Statement by Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge
Good afternoon. Three weeks ago, the United States Government
raised the national threat level from an "Elevated" to a "High" risk of
terrorist attack - or as it's more commonly known - from Code Yellow to
Code Orange.
Today, based on a careful review of the available intelligence, we
have lowered the threat level to Yellow. We are still concerned about
the continued threats, but the threat conditions that we've been
following have diminished. With the passing of the holidays and many
large gatherings that occurred during this time, we have made the
decision to come down to Yellow.
When we went to Code Orange on December 21, we asked the nation's
governors, mayors, homeland security professionals, international
partners and the public to undertake actions that required speed and
reach. I'm pleased to report that the level of response and resolve to
that call to action was exceptional and virtually unprecedented. Most
of you saw the scope of protective measures that were undertaken. You
saw an increased police presence at shopping malls, train stations and
power plants. You saw planes sitting on tarmacs. Perhaps you stood
through longer lines. On behalf of the President and myself, I want to
thank everyone who offered their efforts and patience during this
time.
I know that we are all thankful that nothing happened. The
holidays have passed; the potential danger that large gatherings
present during the holidays has passed. They passed safely and without
incident. We believe this is a testament to the incredible level of
awareness, information sharing and communication that stretched across
the country and the world. We know from experience that the increased
security and vigilance that accompany a raise in the threat level does
make a difference in deterring and disrupting a terrorist attack.
Let me emphasize that, although we have returned to Yellow, we have
not let our guard down. Yellow still means that we're at an elevated
level of risk. And we will maintain particular vigilance around some
critical resources and locales. And so, the force of homeland security
continues to move forward.
Just in the last three weeks, we took important steps to increase
this nation's level of protection. For example, we issued aviation
emergency amendments to enhance security relating to passenger and
commercial aircraft flying to, from and over the United States, and
provided air cover to several of our nation's cities. We deployed
state-of-the-art sensor detection equipment that can readily scan for
radiological devices and bioagents. We launched US-VISIT, a program
that uses biometrics to expedite the processing of foreign travelers
and stop known or suspected terrorists at our borders.
As I mentioned, some of these security steps also led to planes
sitting on runways for extended periods of time. Most of you will
agree that we always want to put safety first. But we also want to
minimize inconvenience. I assure you that we will continue to look for
ways to do so.
Everything we do is designed to keep planes flying, bring loved
ones closer, enable sports fans to gather, help businesses stay open -
in other words, to keep this country moving. And to terrorists who
think America would ever do otherwise, this country again has proven
you wrong. Your goal is to sow fear. But you will not succeed in the
United States of America.
We are a free people. We are united, resilient and resolved. We
will continue to go forward with our lives - blessed by our
freedoms...and comforted in the knowledge that, across this country and
around the world, skilled and dedicated people are at work to keep us
safe.
Thank you.
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