Episode summary
Remembering 9/11, 25 Years Later | Bloomberg Businessweek
Bloomberg Businessweek Daily
· · 19 min · Hosts: Carol Massar, Tim Stenovec · Guests: Mark Jacobson
Summary
Mark Jacobson revisits being inside the Pentagon on September 11, 2001, when American Airlines Flight 77 struck just steps from his office. He describes the confusion of the morning, the shaking building, the smoke, and the scramble to evacuate while trying to preserve classified material and help colleagues out safely. He also recalls realizing almost immediately that the attack fit a broader al Qaeda threat he had already been discussing in professional settings.
He argues that the post-9/11 counterterrorism apparatus is much stronger than it was then, especially because intelligence, law enforcement, and the military learned to share information and focus on prevention. At the same time, he warns that this system still depends on sustained political commitment, staffing, and resources, especially for the FBI and intelligence agencies.
Jacobson also broadens the discussion beyond bombs and special operations. He says USAID, the Peace Corps, governance programs, and even aid like "bags of rice" are part of the real fight against extremism because they address grievances before violence starts. On current threats, he says the United States is more secure against terrorism than 25 years ago, but remains vulnerable to disinformation, overconfidence, and weakened alliances. He is most worried about China over the long term and about a Russia that sees American weakness.
Key takeaways
- Mark Jacobson says the United States is more secure against external terrorism than it was on 9/11 because intelligence and law-enforcement coordination improved.
- He argues that USAID and similar soft-power tools are undervalued counterterrorism assets because they can reduce grievances before extremism turns violent.
- Jacobson says the failure after 9/11 was less bad intelligence than bad policymaking, especially the widening of the war to Iraq and assumptions about Iran.
- He warns that disinformation, domestic cohesion, and strained alliances may now be bigger vulnerabilities than the original 9/11-style threat.
- Jacobson says China is his biggest long-term concern, while Russia is dangerous because Putin may believe the United States is weak.
Notable quotes
“for us it wasn't a matter of if but when when it came to terrorism”
“we're at war”
“I think the counterterrorism apparatus has largely survived”
“USID the single most undervalued organization in the US government”
“terrorists love to see governments overreact”
How the episode opens
Bloomberg Audio Studios podcasts, radio news. — You're listening to Bloomberg Business Week with Carol Masser and Tim Stenc on Bloomberg Radio. Everybody of a certain age has their own 911 story. — Absolutely. — Yeah. Where they were when they heard we were under attack. Mark Jacobson's 911 story is a bit different than than many others. He was in the Pentagon that morning just about 100 ft from where hijackers crashed American Airlines Flight 77 into the building.
Yes. Like so many that day changed the course of Mark's life forever. He spent close to four years deployed to Afghanistan both in a military and civilian capacity. He was at the command table in Kabell on May 2nd, 2011. That's when US forces captured and killed Osama bin Laden. He has seen a lot uh certainly since 911.
But Dr. Mark Jacobson is a retired US Naval Intelligence Officer. He served in Afghanistan with the Defense Intelligence Agency.
He's also a senior fellow at Salv Regina University's PEL Center. He's a historian of the International Spy Museum in Washington DC and he joins us here in the Bloomberg Interactive Broker Studio. I should note too, full disclosure, he was my wife's professor at the Ohio State University.
So that's how I I first connected with you. And that was that was a long time ago. It really was teaching a class on terrorism after 911.
Yeah. Hey, we we are really grateful to have you here. Um, take us back to that day that that Tuesday morning in 2001. — You know, it's interesting. I was telling a colleague earlier, I can't remember if I was in the Pentagon on the 10th of September on that Monday. You know, it was a Tuesday, September 11th.
From the episode’s captions: roughly the first two minutes, lightly cleaned. Keep watching on YouTube →
Topics
- 9/11 anniversary
- intelligence transformation
- global security
- pentagon attack
- us navy intelligence
Watch the episode
Watch “Remembering 9/11, 25 Years Later | Bloomberg Businessweek” on YouTube
Summary, takeaways and quote selection by Octagon. Quotes are short excerpts; the full conversation is in the episode.
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