9/11 to Now: Ways We Have Changed
Graphic: Vanessa Dennis, Research: Jason Villemez
Defense and Security
Less than a month after the 9/11 attacks, U.S. military operations were underway in Afghanistan. Two years later, the United States invaded Iraq. In 2008, President Obama campaigned on winding down military operations in the wars, but tens of thousands of Americans remain in both countries. Afghanistan is now the longest war in U.S. history fought by an all-volunteer force with no draft. After 9/11, budgets for defense-related agencies rose: Homeland Security's discretionary budget jumped from $16.7 billion in 2002 to $43.5 billion in 2011. The Coast Guard, TSA and Border Patrol budgets have all more than doubled since 2001.
Data Credits
