Since the turn of the millennium, our Nation has endured history's deadliest attack of international terrorism and the most destructive natural disaster to strike American soil. In the face of these challenges, America has responded courageously, with focus and clarity of purpose, and today we are safer, stronger, and better prepared to address the full range of catastrophic events, including man-made accidents and natural disasters, that threaten us. Our work, however, is far from over. We remain resolute in our commitment to prevent and disrupt terrorist attacks in the Homeland, protect the American people and the Nation's critical infrastructure and key resources, and effectively respond to and recover from those incidents that do occur. Working together, our Nation will secure the Homeland in order to sustain our way of life--now and for generations to come.

George Bush, forty-first president of the United States (1989A-1993), is the coauthor with Brent Scowcroft of the 1998 critically acclaimed book ""A World Transformed."" He and his wife, Barbara, live in Houston, Texas, and Kennebunkport, Maine.