On April 21, 2007, the National Security working group convened to explore a series of questions that will drive the initiative forward:
To ground the discussion, a group of scholars presented short, idea-generating papers.
In 2006, the National Security working group published How to Make America Safe (The Tobin Project), a compilation of scholars' papers on the topic. The papers advocate a broad strategy that combats terrorism on all fronts - not only on the battlefield - and that directs our resources toward the unique threats of the post-9/11 era. Such a strategy would, at a minimum, accomplish five key objectives:
In June 2006, the Tobin Project piloted its working group model during two full-day sessions. Eleven scholars from the National Security working group met in Cambridge with Congressman Ike Skelton (Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee), Congresswoman Jane Harman (Ranking Member on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence), and Rear Admiral Mark Ferguson (Chief of Legislative Affairs for the U.S. Navy). Ten members of the Institutions of Democracy working group met in Washington, D.C.