ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md.— On Sept. 11, 2001, the deadliest terrorist attack in history occurred when 19 members of the extremist group al-Qaida hijacked four commercial planes, crashing them into the World Trade Center’s Twin Towers and the Pentagon. Another plane headed for the U.S. Capitol crashed in a field outside of Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
On Patriot Day, we reflect and remember the nearly 3,000 lives lost. We also honor the first responders who heroically rushed into harm’s way to save others.
After 9/11, many Americans were unified and eager to find ways to help with recovery efforts and to rebuild what was destroyed. This year, on the 23rd anniversary of 9/11, we look back to see how technologies developed by the U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command were used during the aftermath of the terrorist attacks.
Using state-of-the-art technology to locate hazards, rebuild
Engineers with CECOM’s Research, Development and Engineering Center, then headquartered in Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, provided the world’s smallest infrared camera. The camera was attached to PVC pipe and used to search unstable piles of rubble for air pockets, or “voids,” at the World Trade Center site, commonly referred to as Ground Zero.
Army Maj. Gen. William H. Russ, then the commanding general of CECOM, discussed the command’s involvement in the rescue and recovery efforts during an interview conducted by the CECOM History Office in July 2003. Russ described the sensory capabilities provided by CECOM, including cell phone location devices, which helped the recovery workers find people trapped under debris.
“We found almost 400 people under the rubble, but I remember it was two days later, and by that time, unfortunately, no one was found alive,” he said.
Russ said CECOM team members also brought seismic equipment to Ground Zero to help determine the stability of the rubble.
“The firefighters were going up on the rubble and all of a sudden, they would have to sound the sirens for everyone to move off because it would appear to be unstable,” he said. “Well, we found with our seismic equipment we could determine the real stability of those piles and where those problem spots were.”
CECOM also provided a laser doppler vibrometer, which was used to judge the integrity of the buildings. Additionally, hyperspectral imagining was conducted to monitor and control recovery operations from the air. Sensors used were able to geolocate hazards, including the location of fires and gas tanks buried underground.
At the Pentagon, CECOM deployed a quick reaction task force to install a communications infrastructure for 4,500 displaced workers. CECOM teamed with the Pentagon to execute the Phoenix Project, which was the name given to the reconstruction efforts at the Pentagon. CECOM contributed engineering and integration support to renovate the Pentagon’s command and control infrastructure.
Building partnerships
After 9/11, there was a need for increased security. On Nov. 10, 2003, then-New Jersey Governor James E. McGreevey designated Fort Monmouth as the New Jersey Center for Defense Technologies and Security Readiness.
“The United States will never have a shortage of brave Americans who are willing to go into harm’s way, but it has been our technological superiority that has made our Armed Forces the most advanced and superior military force in the history of warfare,” McGreevey said. “Much of today’s modern weaponry depends upon software and electronics developed and supported at Fort Monmouth.”
In an end-of-tour interview conducted by the CECOM History Office on June 24, 2004, Russ noted the effective teamwork demonstrated after 9/11.
“Increasing the teamwork has allowed our community to have a greater effect in terms of supporting New York City and the Pentagon after they had that terrible terrorist attack on 9/11,” he said. “The teamwork between our community, as well as with industry, I think, was significant.”
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