Fifteen Years After Osama bin Laden: Terrorism Has Evolved, Not Disappeared

May 1, 2026 Blog Post This week, we mark a defining moment in our nation’s fight against terrorism: the killing of Osama bin Laden. In the wake of the attacks on September 11, 2001, our nation was forced to confront a new level of terrorism. Nearly 3,000 innocent Americans were killed that day, and in response, the United States turned its full attention toward dismantling al Qaeda and preventing future attacks on our homeland. The operation that located and eliminated bin Laden was a testament to the courage, precision, and resolve of the American servicemembers and intelligence professionals who carried it out. It was not the result of a single moment, but years of coordination, sacrifice, and an unwavering commitment to protecting the American people. In the years that followed, our military, intelligence community, and law enforcement agencies continued to disrupt threats and secure our homeland. Yet today, our national focus has shifted inward. Political division has taken center stage, and even critical funding for the Department of Homeland Security was held up for over two months, including that of the Secret Service, despite three assassination attempts against President Donald Trump. The very agencies tasked with safeguarding our borders, preventing terrorism, and responding to emergencies should never be caught in the crossfire of partisan gridlock. I am equally concerned by the lack of support for our nation's fight against the world’s largest state sponsor of terror. The Iranian regime has spent almost 50 years attacking U.S. servicemembers, including those I’ve fought beside. No one denies that the Middle East will be a safer, more stable, and prosperous place without Tehran calling the shots, but many still refuse to support U.S. actions. As someone who fought in the War on Terror, I know that security is not a partisan issue. The fact that the United States has set back Iran’s nuclear program and has decimated its ballistic missile stockpile is an objectively good thing for the entire country, red states and blue. The threats facing our nation do not distinguish between political parties, and neither should our commitment to confronting them. I didn’t care who the guys fighting next to me voted for—to us, blue and red stood for the flag, not party. As we reflect on the success of that historic mission, we should also remember the unity and clarity of purpose that made it possible.