When we talk about attacks on the Pentagon, most people immediately think of September 11, 2001. It’s the event that redefined American soil as a potential battlefield. But honestly, the history of violence or attempted breaches at the headquarters of the Department of Defense is weirder and more complex than just that one tragic morning.
The building itself is a fortress. It's huge. We're talking 6.5 million square feet of floor space. Yet, for all its concrete and security, it has been a target more than once. People forget that. They forget the anti-war protests that turned into clashes, or the lone-wolf shooters who showed up at the Metro entrance thinking they could take on the most powerful military machine in the world with a couple of handguns.
The Morning That Changed Everything
September 11 wasn't just a national tragedy; it was a structural anomaly for the Pentagon. At 9:37 a.m., American Airlines Flight 77 slammed into the western face of the building.
It's crazy to think about, but the plane was traveling at about 530 miles per hour.
The impact killed 184 people—64 on the plane and 125 inside the building. If you've ever stood near that side of the building, you realize how lucky it was (if you can use that word) that the section hit had recently been renovated. The "wedge" that took the brunt of the impact had been reinforced with blast-resistant windows and steel masonry. Without those upgrades, the death toll would have been significantly higher. Most of the offices in that specific area were still empty because the move-in process wasn't finished.
The fire burned for days. Not many people realize the heat was so intense it actually compromised the structural integrity of the un-renovated sections nearby.
The 2010 Shooting: A Different Kind of Threat
Fast forward to March 4, 2010. This wasn't a coordinated terrorist cell. It was one guy. John Patrick Bedell walked up to the Pentagon's security screening area near the Metro entrance.
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He didn't look like a movie villain. He was wearing a suit.
Suddenly, he pulled out a 9mm weapon and started shooting. He managed to wound two Pentagon Force Protection Agency officers before they returned fire and killed him. This attack shifted how the military thought about "soft" perimeters. You don't need a plane to cause chaos; you just need a person with a grievance and a gun at a transit hub. Bedell’s motives were a messy tangle of conspiracy theories about the government and the 9/11 attacks themselves—a grim irony that isn't lost on the people who work there.
Protests and the 1967 "Attack"
We usually think of attacks on the Pentagon as external enemies. But in October 1967, the "attack" came from within the American public.
Over 100,000 people marched on the Pentagon to protest the Vietnam War. It started as a rally at the Lincoln Memorial but ended with thousands of people crossing the Potomac. They weren't just holding signs. Some tried to storm the building.
The images from that day are iconic. You’ve probably seen the photo of a protester putting a carnation into the barrel of a rifle held by a Military Policeman. But behind the flowers, it was violent. Protesters threw rocks and bottles. Soldiers used tear gas. Over 600 people were arrested. While it wasn't a "terrorist" attack, the Pentagon was treated as a besieged fortress. It was the first time the building’s security felt truly vulnerable to the sheer weight of a crowd.
The 2021 Stabbing and the Perimeter Problem
Security is never perfect. On August 3, 2021, another incident occurred at the Pentagon transit center. A man named Austin William Lanz stabbed a police officer, George Gonzalez, without warning.
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He then took the officer's weapon and shot himself.
This happened just yards from the entrance where thousands of employees walk every day. It forced a total lockdown. It’s a reminder that even after 9/11, even with all the cameras and the armed guards, the "human element" is the hardest thing to secure. You can’t build a wall high enough to stop a person standing right next to you on a subway platform.
Why the Pentagon Remains a Target
Why here? Why not the White House or the Capitol every time?
Basically, the Pentagon represents the "muscle." For critics of American foreign policy or people with deep-seated anti-government sentiments, it’s the ultimate symbol of global power. It’s also a logistical nightmare to protect. It’s a city within a city. There are grocery stores, banks, and a freaking Taco Bell inside.
- Size: You can't hide a building this big.
- Accessibility: Thousands of civilians have to get in and out every hour.
- Symbolism: It is the literal Five-Sided symbol of the U.S. Military.
Misconceptions About the 9/11 Impact
There’s a lot of nonsense online about Flight 77. Conspiracy theorists often claim there was "no debris" or that the hole was "too small."
That’s just factually wrong.
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First-hand responders, like those documented in the 9/11 Commission Report and various structural engineering studies by ASCE (American Society of Civil Engineers), found plenty of wreckage. They found the "black boxes." They found pieces of the fuselage. The "small hole" argument ignores how kinetic energy works. When a 100-ton tube of aluminum hits reinforced concrete at 500+ mph, it doesn't leave a cookie-cutter shape of an airplane. It basically liquefies and shatters.
The engineers who rebuilt the Pentagon—a project called the Phoenix Project—actually made the building stronger than it was before. They used 4,000 tons of rebar.
What We’ve Learned About Security
The Department of Defense doesn't talk much about its current security protocols for obvious reasons. But we can see the changes. The parking lots are further away. The bus loops are segmented.
You've got the Pentagon Force Protection Agency (PFPA). They aren't just "security guards." They are a full-fledged law enforcement agency with K-9 units, SWAT teams, and intelligence analysts.
Actionable Insights for Understanding Security Risks
If you are interested in how high-value targets are protected, or if you're just a student of history, there are a few things to keep in mind regarding these events:
- Monitor Official Reports: If you want the truth about these incidents, skip the TikTok "truthers." Look for the after-action reports from the FBI or the Department of Justice. They provide the granular detail on ballistics and entry points that news clips miss.
- Understand "Defense in Depth": The Pentagon uses layers. The further you get from the "E Ring" (the outermost ring), the harder it is to move. Security starts miles away with intelligence and ends with the physical barriers at the door.
- Visit the Memorial: If you’re ever in Arlington, go to the 9/11 Pentagon Memorial. It’s open to the public. It’s organized by the birth years of the victims. It puts the scale of the 2001 attack into a perspective that a history book simply can't.
- Recognize the Transit Vulnerability: Most modern "attacks" or attempts happen at the transit center. This is the "seam" between the civilian world and the military world. It's the most dangerous spot for any high-security facility.
The history of attacks on the Pentagon shows us that no matter how much concrete you pour, a building is only as secure as the world around it. From the 1967 protests to the 2021 stabbing, the threats are constantly evolving from mass movements to localized, individual violence. Understanding this helps us move past the headlines and see the reality of what it takes to protect the nerve center of a superpower.
To further understand the structural impact of these events, researching the "Pentagon Building Performance Report" by the ASCE provides the most technical look at how the building survived the 2001 impact. Additionally, reviewing the PFPA’s annual reports can give you a better sense of the sheer volume of daily threats they intercept before they ever make the news. Awareness of these patterns is the first step in understanding modern national security.