23 Years After 9/11: Lt. Gen. Jack Weinstein on U.S. National Security
Lt Gen Jack Weinstein, USAF (Ret), Professor of the Practice of International Security at Boston University’s Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies, appeared on WGBH’s Under the Radar, hosted by Callie Crossley. The episode, titled “23 Years After 9/11: What Is the State of U.S. National Security?”, aired on September 6, 2024, and examined how U.S. national security has transformed since the September 11 attacks.
Weinstein, whose career in the U.S. Air Force spanned from 1982 to 2018, including high-level roles in strategic deterrence and nuclear integration, joined experts Max Abrahms from Northeastern University and Jennifer Erickson from Boston College. Together, they analyzed the sweeping changes to U.S. security strategies over the past two decades.
Weinstein reflected on the shock and sudden shift in perspective that 9/11 brought to the U.S. military, which had previously enjoyed a sense of invulnerability following the Gulf War.
“To say we were caught off-guard is an understatement,” Weinstein recalled. “In 1990 and 1991 with Desert Shield and Desert Storm, it looked like the United States military was invulnerable…and then all of a sudden we were caught completely off-guard on 9/11.”
In the years since, the focus of national security has broadened, shifting from traditional military engagements to include emerging threats like cybersecurity, disinformation, and even internal political instability. Weinstein noted that one of the most critical issues facing the U.S. today isn’t just external threats like China and Russia but also domestic divisions.
“When I look at the biggest problems facing the United States, they transcend the international environment. To me, it’s the domestic landscape—how fractured the country is,” Weinstein said, pointing to the dangers of misinformation and a divided public. “It’s difficult for some people in the United States to understand what is factual and what is false…and that makes us extremely vulnerable.”
Weinstein further explained that adversarial relationships between countries like Russia, China, and North Korea remain concerning, but the internal discord within the U.S. makes the nation weaker in confronting these global threats. He argued that America’s fractured state can be exploited by foreign adversaries, which diminishes the country’s strength on the world stage.
Throughout the discussion, Weinstein stressed the need for a comprehensive understanding of national security, one that goes beyond military action. He argued that educating the public and combating the spread of false information are essential to preserving the nation’s strength. “Our adversaries know the weaknesses inside the United States, and they can target those weaknesses to make America more fractured than it already is,” he stated.
The exchange between Weinstein, Abrahms, and Erickson offered a rich examination of how national security has evolved since 9/11, tackling not only the rise of terrorism but also the modern-day challenges posed by great power competition and domestic instability. Weinstein’s role in the conversation highlights the Pardee School’s dedication to engaging with the most pressing global security issues of our time.
The full episode, including Weinstein’s in-depth analysis alongside other national security experts, can be found on WGBH’s website here.
Jack Weinstein, Lieutenant General, USAF (Ret), served in the U.S. Air Force from 1982 to 2018. Prior to arriving at the Pardee School of Global Studies, he was the Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategic Deterrence and Nuclear Integration, Headquarters United States Air Force, the Pentagon. In this position, he was responsible to the Secretary and Chief of Staff on all aspects of nuclear deterrence operations providing direction, guidance, integration, and advocacy regarding the nuclear deterrence mission of the U.S. Air Force and engaged with joint, interagency, and NATO to develop nuclear enterprise solutions. Read more about Weinstein on his faculty profile.