<P> The War on Terror ( WoT ) , also known as the Global War on Terrorism ( GWOT ) , is an international military campaign that was launched by the U.S. government after the September 11 attacks in the U.S. in 2001 . The naming of the campaign uses a metaphor of war to refer to a variety of actions that do not constitute a specific war as traditionally defined . U.S. president George W. Bush first used the term `` war on terrorism '' on 16 September 2001 , and then `` war on terror '' a few days later in a formal speech to Congress . In the latter speech , George Bush stated , `` Our enemy is a radical network of terrorists and every government that supports them . '' The term was originally used with a particular focus on countries associated with al - Qaeda . The term was immediately criticised by such people as Richard B. Myers , chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff , and more nuanced ones subsequently came to be used by the Bush administration to publicly define the international campaign led by the U.S. ; it was never used as a formal designation of U.S. operations in internal government documentation . </P>
<P> The War on Terror ( WoT ) , also known as the Global War on Terrorism ( GWOT ) , is an international military campaign that was launched by the U.S. government after the September 11 attacks in the U.S. in 2001 . The naming of the campaign uses a metaphor of war to refer to a variety of actions that do not constitute a specific war as traditionally defined . U.S. president George W. Bush first used the term `` war on terrorism '' on 16 September 2001 , and then `` war on terror '' a few days later in a formal speech to Congress . In the latter speech , George Bush stated , `` Our enemy is a radical network of terrorists and every government that supports them . '' The term was originally used with a particular focus on countries associated with al - Qaeda . The term was immediately criticised by such people as Richard B. Myers , chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff , and more nuanced ones subsequently came to be used by the Bush administration to publicly define the international campaign led by the U.S. ; it was never used as a formal designation of U.S. operations in internal government documentation . </P>
the united states ' war on terror began in the wake of which of the following events
the united states ' war on terror began in the wake of which of the following events
September 11 attacks
September 11 attacks