United States and NATO allies commemorate 25th anniversary of September 11 attacks

Pentagon and national ceremonies

The United States marked the 25th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks on Friday with memorial ceremonies at the Pentagon, Ground Zero in New York, and Shanksville, Pennsylvania. At dawn, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and military commanders gathered outside the Pentagon in heavy rain to unfurl a large American flag over the section struck in 2001. President Donald Trump and Melania Trump attended the Pentagon ceremony, listening to the reading of the 184 victims killed at the defense headquarters. Vice President JD Vance joined former presidents at the National September 11 Memorial in New York City, while administration officials attended events in Shanksville. Addressing service members and families in Arlington, Trump reaffirmed the nation's resolve and referenced military efforts regarding Iran.

Today, we renew the sacred vow we first made in their name 25 years ago. We will never forget. That is precisely why we fight today. We have no choice. Only victory can exist.

European commemoration and transatlantic ties

In Brussels, NATO allies gathered at alliance headquarters to commemorate the nearly 3,000 victims and remember the sole activation of Article 5 in the organization's history. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen issued a statement recalling European solidarity with the United States in 2001 while addressing current international security challenges. At 14:36, NATO Deputy Secretary General Radmila Shekerinska and US Charge d'Affaires Scott Oudkirk placed a wreath at the memorial dedicated to the attacks and the collective defense clause. Alliance representatives observed a minute of silence at 14:46, the exact minute when the first hijacked airliner struck the World Trade Center North Tower. The commemoration occurred during ongoing discussions between Washington and European capitals over defense spending and trade policy.

Twenty-five years ago, the world stopped. Europe knew immediately where it stood. We stood with America.

Generational memory and public perception

A quarter-century after the attacks, demographic shifts have transformed how Americans experience the anniversary. A YouGov survey conducted in August 2026 showed that 90% of American adults aged 30 and older recall where they were when learning about the attacks, compared to 15% among adults under 30. By comparison, a 2002 survey found that 97% of Americans across all age groups remembered their exact location upon hearing the news. According to a separate survey, roughly half of American adults still regard the event as the most important historical occurrence of their lifetimes. In New York, 29-year-old police officer Casey Klopfer visited the Brooklyn precinct where his father, Ronald Klopfer, reported for duty on September 11, 2001, before dying at the World Trade Center.

Security transformation and legacy

The 2001 attacks resulted in 2,977 victim deaths across the four hijacked aircraft sites in New York, Virginia, and Pennsylvania, alongside the deaths of 19 al-Qaeda hijackers. The disaster prompted structural overhauls in federal aviation and intelligence coordination following the 9/11 Commission Report finding of a failure of imagination. US agencies introduced fortified cockpit doors, deployed federal air marshals on commercial flights, and expanded passenger biometric screening to include facial recognition and fingerprint data. Earlier in the week, the Tunnel to Towers Foundation concluded a national tour of a 6.4-meter, 7,700-kilogram steel beam recovered from the South Tower, returning the artifact to New York on Friday. Trump formally designated Friday as Patriot Day 2026 through a presidential proclamation signed on Wednesday.