S11: defences focused on outdated Cold War threat

COULD military jet fighters, the final line of defence, have stopped or lessened the destruction on September 11, 2001, by shooting down airliners aimed at some of the nation's best-known buildings?

Tomorrow, the September 11 commission will end its series of public hearings by taking up that question.

The panel will examine the performance on that day of the Federal Aviation Administration, which manages the nation's air traffic, and NORAD, the North American Aerospace Defence Command, which defends US airspace.