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• The difference between foreign and domestic terrorist threats
The difference between terrorism and domestic threats
The difference between terrorism and domestic threats
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The concept of homeland security has developed over the last decade. Homeland security as a concept was precipitated by the terrorist attacks of 9/11. However, prior to 9/11 such entities as the Gilmore Commission and the United States Commission on National Security discussed the need to evolve the way national security policy was conceptualized due to the end of the Cold War and the rise of radicalized terrorism. After 9/11, policymakers concluded that a new approach was needed to address the large-scale terrorist attacks. A presidential council and department were established, and a series of presidential directives were issued in the name of “homeland security.” These developments established that homeland security was a distinct, but undefined …show more content…
concept. Later, the federal, state, and local government responses to disasters such as Hurricane Katrina expanded the concept of homeland security to include significant disasters, major public health emergencies, and other events that threaten the United States, its economy, the rule of law, and government operations. This later expansion of the concept of homeland security solidified it as something distinct from other federal government security operations such as homeland defense. Homeland security as a concept suggested a different approach to security, and differed from homeland defense.
Homeland defense is primarily a Department of Defense (DOD) activity and is defined as “... the protection of US sovereignty, territory, domestic population, and critical defense infrastructure against external threats and aggression, or other threats as directed by the President.” Homeland security, regardless of the definition or strategic document, is a combination of law enforcement, disaster, immigration, and terrorism issues. It is primarily the responsibility of civilian agencies at all levels. It is a coordination of efforts at all levels of government. The differences between homeland security and homeland defense, however, are not completely distinct. A international terrorist organization attack on and within the United States would result in a combined homeland security and homeland defense response, such as on 9/11 when civilian agencies were responding to the attacks while the U.S. military established a combat air patrol over New York and Washington, DC. This distinction between homeland security and homeland defense, and the evolution of homeland security as a concept, was reflected in the strategic documents developed and issued following 9/11 (Reese
2013).
... of the government to meet an evolving terror threat actually ends up masking the far more important government responsibility for overall national preparedness, not just guarding against terrorism. The billions of dollars and staggering amount of effort spent on crafting the mushrooming homeland defense/homeland security enterprise certainly helped plug some existing holes, but the rampant inefficiency continues to be a point of contention today. The overly broad notions of counter-terrorism and homeland defense means “any expense can be justified” as proven by the decade long rise in DHS budgets and numerous instances of wasteful spending. The headfirst plunge into the world of homeland security was a uniquely American undertaking. No other nation possessed the fiscal means to enact such drastic measures on so many levels, and in such a short amount of time.
After the fear of terrorism grew in the United States do to the Al Qaeda 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, the US Government found a need for a centralized department that umbrellas all other agencies when it comes to homeland security. The U.S. Government found this umbrella agency with the passage of the Homeland Security Act by Congress in November 2002, the Department of Homeland Security formally came into being as a stand-alone, Cabinet-level department to further coordinate and unify national homeland security efforts. (Homeland Security) With the creation of the new Department of Homeland Security (DHS) the government had a pinpoint location for the collection and gathering of intelligence, control of policies that effect national security, and a no fail mission. The Department of Homeland Security started to engulf other agencies and created many more, a total of 22 agencies now fall under the DHS. The DHS is control of all areas that deal with national security which included but are not limited to coastal and boarder protection, domestic terrorism, international terrorism, protection of the American people, protection of key infrastructure, protection of key resources and respond to natural disasters.
Homeland security is an American measure to ensure the security of the country. It is the national effort to ensure safety, security, and strength against terrorism and other issues, The goals of homeland security is to which will minimise the vulnerability of the U.S. to terrorism, and reduce the number of damages to the country.
The United States has endured numerous security breaches and high security threats over the past two decades. After the attacks on 9/11, the office of Intelligence became a vital source in retrieving sensitive data and tracking down potential terrorists and their networks which could pose a threat to the American people and then forwarding that vital information to the Department of Homeland Security and other government agencies. Intelligence became a key role in “assessing threats to critical American infrastructures, bio-and nuclear terrorism, pandemic diseases, threats to the borders to the nation, and radicalization within American society” (Randol, 2009, p. 7). The sharing of homeland security intelligence has become a precedence for Congress and the government. Our nation must be one step ahead of any potential terrorists that want to harm our turf. Within this text the capabilities and limitations of both domestic and foreign intelligence in supporting homeland security efforts will be explained;
Over the course of the twentieth century, numerous governments across the globe established organizations and agencies with aims of combating international terrorism. However, these agencies did not establish vast public attention or immense government spending until the fall of 2001. The terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001 marked the transformation of not only the American economy, but also a shift in public perceptions of terrorism, both at home and abroad. The attacks of September 11th also allowed for an expansion of political power for United States’ officials as citizens overlooked the lack of regard for civil liberties and adherence to policy due to personal fears regarding terrorism. While terrorism does pose a threat to United States and civilized society, the magnitude of this threat can neither be recorded nor tracked. Despite the inability of the United States to track the power and location of terrorism, the disregard of civil liberties and precautionary measures push the nation in a negative direction and pose an even greater threat to a civilized and democratic society.
In this attempt to increase safety precautions for the nations’ citizens, a large amount of debate has risen regarding the practicality and constitutionality of many policies that may be affecting their privacy and discrimination. What cannot be denied is that the increase in security has had both positive and negative effects, and although this superpower is different from pre 9-11 times, it is what makes America the country it is today. The devastating event that took place on September 11, 2001
Homeland security is the way Americans put forth the effort to ensure the homeland is safe, secure, and stands firm against terrorist acts and other hazard that could put the health and welfare of the American people. The mission of the Homeland Security is to prevent terrorism, secure and protect our open borders, uphold all immigration laws, safeguard and secure cyberspace, and be content and resilient when it pertains to disasters.
The first area is the Department of Homeland Security’s mission. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was created in 2002 by the Homeland Security Act. In 2003 the DHS started their operations. The DHS primary responsibilities and objectives includes prevention, protection, and response to issues that threaten national security. There are five core missions that define the DHS: Managing and securing our nation’s borders, strengthening security initiatives to help prevent terrorism, administering and enforcing the nation’s immigration laws, ensuring that the nation can rebound fast and or prevent disasters, and ensuring the internet is secure by instituting safeguards that protect the nation against cyber-attacks. (TWH, 2003)
Col. Randy Larson, renown author and Director of the Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) Center, speaks on an in-depth prospective of the field of homeland security and factors that drive the continued efforts to address future threats to the nation for the 21 century. The area of focus presented in the interview are the various ways an individual may enter the field but are not limited to a particular area of study. For example, health care, agriculture, or political science, there is essential no set track for finding a career in homeland security. Challenges surrounding area of homeland security are the mounting financial burdens and the need for the appointment of leadership at a national executive level to address this realistic future threat. Despite these concerns, evidence suggests quality system practices can assist in guiding theses area and the adoption of tools that support quality improvement when addressing homeland security and future concerns.
154). In both the realms of counter-terrorism and cyber security the DHS is responsible for protecting America and its interests. This responsibility is more along the lines of guarding and responding to incidents, as opposed to law enforcement. PPD 41 (2016) states that the DHS will be the lead agency for asset response in response to a cyber related attack.
“Homeland security usually addresses activities, solutions, systems, and issues related to natural and man-made events that can cause threat to life and/or bring national economy losses (Franceschetti, 2008)”. The idea of Homeland Security is a fairly new concept. It came into being as a result of the 2001 terrorist attacks on several United States targets. The Department of Homeland Security otherwise known as the DHS, was formed November 25th, 2002 and is made up of members from twenty two other government agencies and departments. “Despite the diverse interpretation of the term ‘homeland security,’ existing literature can be grouped in two categories: either narrowly defined as dealing with intentional, human-induced terrorist attacks, or more broadly defined as dealing with any disasters of technological, natural, and human origin (Sui, 2008).” The department’s goal is to prevent more attacks like those that occurred September 11th, 2001, as well as prevent terrorist attacks in general. Although al-Qaeda is still a serious threat today, they are not the number one threat any longer to the DHS. The type of attacks al-Qaeda and similar organizations used to perform are no longer as big a threat either. The Department of Homeland Security’s main type of attack now is no longer physical, but virtual. Cybercrime is defined as a crime that is conducted via the internet or some other computer network. Cybercrime can be as simple as using a phishing file or website and stealing someone’s information or, it can be as complex as taking down power grids or water systems. Attacks like these could potentially harm more people then purely physical ones, or lead to physical attacks.
There is a lot of complexity in understanding risk management and its correlation to homeland security. Risk management is a way to approach the fact that securing the homeland is not certain and there are unknown variables in every aspect of life; risk management is a way to narrow down the focus based on quantifiable information determining probability against capability. Risk management plays and integral role in homeland security. Risk management is employed using a formula described in the NIPP for establishing a narrow scope to make the best decision about protecting infrastructure. The risk management formula lays down the foundation to make the most reasonable determination based on the potential consequences, vulnerability, and
Snow, Donald. (2014). National Security for a New Era. Fifth Edition. Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey.
The introduction of the Department of Homeland Security after the terrorist attack of September 11, 2011,
Tragedies like 9/11 and domestic terrorism can both be prevented with increased homeland security. To prevent attacks like 9/11 from happening in the future, address issues with domestic terrorism, and the growth of homeland security, the U.S. still needs to be concerned with terrorism. Disasters like 9/11 still need to be prevented in the United States. The U.S. needs to be more involved with terrorism in general to keep domestic attacks from happening. Homeland security needs to be studied and improved in order to prevent terrorism.