The tragic events of September 11, 2001 illustrated that we need to be more diligent in protecting America from terrorists. In the last year, Congress has taken several concrete steps to protect our nation, including creating a new Department of Homeland Security to coordinate government efforts in fighting terrorism.

While there is no silver bullet in the fight against terrorism, this new department is a step toward reorganizing our government in a manner that reflects the threats in the post-Cold War world. If implemented correctly and effectively, our nation will be more safe. A coordinated structure for identifying, deterring and responding to any future attacks will go a long way toward the goal of better security. It's simply not acceptable to allow bureaucratic stovepipes and fiefdoms that prevent effective sharing of information and intelligence to continue to exist.

Going forward, we must use technology as a tool for securing our nation and fighting the war on terrorism. This means leveraging our national assets -- including the National Labs, universities, the private sector and small business -- to develop and bring to bear technologies designed to protect critical infrastructure, identify threats and prevent potential attacks, for example.

Congress must do everything possible to empower our local first responders to respond to any chemical or biological incident. Our top priority must be to develop a national strategy to identify the most likely threats and prioritize our response. We can improve communities' ability to respond to health emergencies and coordinate with federal agencies, increase the vaccine supply for certain infections and diseases, address threats to our mail system, and aggressively maintain the safety of our food and water supplies.

I serve on the House Armed Services Committee, where I work to ensure that our military is the best and most effective fighting force in the world. By aggressively prosecuting the war on terrorism around the world, our servicemen and women help prevent terrorist organizations from bringing the fight to our shores.

Finally, I strongly believe that we can -- and must -- accomplish these goals while protecting the crucial civil liberties that have defined our nation for centuries.