Intelligence and Homeland Security
Intelligence plays a significant role in homeland security, it helps collect information inside and outside the country in order to identify and eliminate threats to the state, its interests and citizens. The data obtained during the course of intelligence helps the government evaluate international politics to develop a long-term strategy that will benefit the development of the United States. Intelligence is carried out with the help of the country’s intelligence community, which is a network of executive agencies and organizations that work together to create the ability to conduct international relations. American intelligence has the primary goals of enriching the understanding of national security issues, preventing emerging threats, countering terrorism, and curbing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (Office of the Director of National Intelligence, 2013). Immersion in the study of the relationship between intelligence and national security allowed me to deepen my knowledge of the methods by which the US government protects its citizens.
Studying materials on intelligence and national security gave me an understanding of the structure of the system, due to which the United States can develop in the international arena, protect sovereignty and its citizens. This topic strengthened my understanding of the importance of national security and gave me confidence not only as a future professional, but also as an ordinary citizen. After reading the materials, my opinion changed, because earlier my ideas about intelligence were vague without a clear understanding of the departments involved in this work. Previously, intelligence seemed to me a complex and obscure structure, but it turned out that there is a clear division of responsibility based on the goals and objectives of protecting our country.
Studying materials on the topic of national security and intelligence left me with a question regarding the current state of affairs in this industry. With a growing number of international conflicts and tensions in big politics, it would be useful to know a strategic plan for using intelligence to protect national security for several years ahead. Drawing up such a plan for addressing the international challenges of the United States would allow a clearer understanding of the overall vision for strategies to protect the interests of citizens. Intelligence cannot be completely open to the public, but a strategic plan with a clear mission statement would make people feel safer.
The material on the topic of intelligence and national security is fully presented in the course. However, it would be useful to know more about how the large number of agencies described interact. The functioning of a complex subordinate system is impossible without a clear order, and it would be informative to find out how it is achieved. In this topic, it would be possible to highlight the methods of communication of departments, ways of disseminating and protecting information. This addition would create a clear vision for a system that works well together.
In conclusion, intelligence material has the potential to significantly influence my future in the field of national security. This topic gave me an understanding of what means are used to ensure the adoption of the right political decisions and the protection of the interests of our country. As a future professional, I will be able to work effectively with intelligence data to get a complete picture of current events. Understanding how such services work is essential to developing individual methods by which I will contribute to the security of our country.
Global Terrorism
The threat of global terrorism remains high and there is no convincing evidence of the prospects for its reduction. According to the Institute for Economics and Peace (2022), terrorist attacks have increased over the past year, but have become less deadly. Extremists continue to spread their influence, uniting in groups that interfere with peaceful human existence. Extremists often use the unstable situation in Southeast Asia to find a safe place to hone their skills. With the growing global instability, there are more such opportunities every year. On a global scale, terrorism exacerbates instability and causes international security intervention, which can pose a threat to the United States. The current state strategy is aimed at protecting the country and its citizens from all terrorists, without focusing on a specific group (The White House, 2018). The US global policy on terrorism emphasizes protecting the homeland and enhancing security at all borders (The White House, 2018). The circle of the US partners in this common struggle is constantly expanding, creating a global defense network. Studying the topic of global terrorism gave me an understanding that joint efforts are needed for a successful fight.
The material on global terrorism made me anxious, as this problem is gaining significance and starts posing an increasing threat to the US national security from year to year. In my opinion, global terrorism is becoming more dangerous as terrorists invent new ways to circumvent financial restrictions, get new weapons and ways to train their fighters. Terrorist groups continue to gain strength, coming to power in some countries, for example, in Afghanistan. After reading the material, it become clear to me that rapid additions to counterterrorism policy are needed in order to successfully address new threats.
Reading the material did not fundamentally change my opinion about global terrorism, but now I understand that the threat could be more serious than it is customary to think about it at the common level. The main question that remained with me after reading the material is how the government works with the population so that they are aware of the growing threat, but at the same time do not succumb to panic. Public support in the measures and methods of anti-terrorism struggle is significant for success, so citizens should be more aware of this issue of national security.
The critical issue for me was the point on how the United States organizes assistance to other countries in the joint fight against global terrorism. The materials do not pay enough attention to strategies for transferring key experience on this issue within the framework of diplomatic programs. As a world leader, the United States can provide support to developing countries, thereby working for the common good to create a safer society.
In conclusion, as a future specialist in the field of national security, I recognize the importance of awareness of the phenomenon of global terrorism and measures to combat it. Due to the material studied, I realize that the problem may be more significant and, in the future, pose a serious threat to our country. With the help of the knowledge gained, I will contribute to the development of new strategies for the fight, act ahead of the curve, taking into account modern globalization trends. A future without terrorism is possible only through the collective efforts of the world’s democracies with the support of government policies, and I am sure that this is possible with the joining of forces.
Border and Coastal Security
The protection of the country’s borders is a key measure to ensure the fight against terrorism. The protection of borders is the first way to prevent its illegal crossing, unauthorized trade and smuggling. Border security includes controlling the movement of people and goods across borders, as well as preventing unlawful interference with maritime navigation and the international movement of goods (UN, 2018). The task of ensuring the security of air, sea and land borders is facing every modern state. The main problem that a state may face is the long length of its land borders, which can be difficult to control effectively along the entire perimeter. Maintaining the security of maritime and air borders requires new technical control methods. While researching materials on the topic of border security, I found that the country needed new methods of protection to meet the rapid technological progress.
I was aware of the importance of the issue of border security, but after reading all the material, I realized that the problem facing the United States could be more serious. As one of the largest countries in the world, the US has very long borders that must be kept secure around the perimeter. Modern technical means may not be able to keep up with the fast-growing smuggling networks in their implementation. This issue needs to be given particular attention in connection with the growth of terrorism and crime. Acquaintance with the material did not bring me a critical change in my opinion on this issue. However, I became more aware of the importance of introducing new technologies in border protection for national security. At the moment, these measures are being implemented by tracking systems that capture all passenger data, but this may not be enough to be completely confident in the security of air, sea and land borders.
After reading the material, I was left with the question of how the state develops new technical means of controlling illegal border crossings and whether this process can be accelerated. Border security requires serious human effort and the involvement of specially trained professionals, so it is important to find out how the state is trying to make the job easier by introducing modern methods. It would be interesting to know in what areas the development of measures to combat illegal border crossings and smuggling can be carried out. A critical issue that seemed to me not covered enough in the materials concerns whether the identification of weaknesses in the protection of the US land borders is passing. Some states that share land borders with other countries may not have enough resources to effectively defend themselves. It would be useful to know what joint efforts are being made to secure the borders along their entire length.
In conclusion, as a future national security professional, it is important to me that all effective measures are taken to secure the US borders. The material gave me an idea of what methods are used to combat illegal crossing and smuggling. The knowledge gained will help me analyze the weaknesses in the protection of our borders and offer effective options for addressing the problem. Border security is critical to national protection, so it is important that technology continues to evolve to prevent illegal border crossings, smuggling and unregulated trade in the future.
Critical Infrastructure Protection
Critical infrastructure is a provider of basic services that are essential to the functioning of American society. Proactive measures are needed to maintain the safe and uninterrupted operation of critical facilities for public welfare. Critical infrastructure must be able to withstand any threat and quickly recover in the event of a disruption. Government efforts should focus on reducing vulnerabilities, identifying threats, and creating the capacity to quickly restore critical infrastructure (The White House, 2013). The US needs to work with international partners to strengthen the security of internal and external critical infrastructure systems. After reading about securing critical infrastructure, I became interested in measures to ensure a collaborative approach to securing these vital networks.
The material on the protection of critical infrastructure prompted me to think about what efforts should be made to create a unified national security network in a large and extended country. The process of ensuring the smooth operation of critical infrastructure seems to be an incredibly time-consuming process, requiring enormous efforts of people involved in various professions. The material read did not seriously change my opinion about the protection of critical infrastructure. However, it strengthened my understanding of what is one of the most time-consuming processes in the field of homeland security.
The question that remained with me after reading the materials is how the government ensures the coordinated work of all departments, structures, divisions and individual companies and people for a joint contribution to national security. Critical infrastructure facilities may be controlled by commercial organizations with their own rules and regulations. It seems to me that communicating the importance of protecting critical infrastructure to all people may not be enough for effective collaboration. The existence of uniform standards and requirements may also not be enough to truly protect critical infrastructure. It would be important to know how communication in this area is achieved so that all parties involved with different goals and motives in different states act to protect our country.
A major critical issue that has not been extensively addressed in critical infrastructure protection material is how critical assets are recovered. Documents and materials mainly focus on ways to prevent damage and disruption of the smooth operation of the infrastructure. Preventive measures are among the most effective, but there is a feeling that the restoration of infrastructure after destruction is a theoretical part of the issue. It is necessary to make sure that the developed methods will be applicable in practice in order for risk management to be effective.
In conclusion, as a future homeland security professional, I recognize that critical infrastructure is most important to social functioning in the event of a threat. After reading the materials of the topic, it remained not completely clear to me how the state manages to make the protection of critical infrastructure a common goal for people of different professions and companies of various profiles. As a future professional, I need to delve deeper into the topic under study in order to identify the communication and organizational techniques that are used to jointly protect critical infrastructure. I also want to focus on the study of risk management and its applicability in the event of an actual infrastructure disruption. Comprehensive study and miscalculation of risks will make it possible to find weaknesses in the theory and eliminate them, which will make the functioning of American society safer.
Homeland Security Legal and Ethical Issues
Ensuring internal security is a national issue, in which various structures and American society as a whole are involved. When interacting with such a significant number of different people, legal and ethical questions consequently arise. The main legal issue in the field of ensuring national security is the compliance of measures and actions in accordance with current legislation. Ethical issues that may arise in this area relate to concerns about the ethical use of personal data in order to protect the public. The main ethical danger is the consequences of state intervention in the private life of citizens in exchange for ensuring security (Jurkiewicz, 2018). After reading the material in the section on ethical and legal issues relating to homeland security, I realized that effective solutions are still not found.
Reading the materials on the ethical and legal issues of national security excited me, because in order to create a secure society they must be resolved, but there are no practical methods to address them. Checking the compliance of the behavior of people and intelligence agencies with politicians and laws is easy to organize in theory, but in practice it is impossible to pay equally sufficient attention to all areas. Ethical questions, in turn, raise a dilemma, which is to find a balance between state control and interference in private life. The learned material did not fundamentally change my opinion, since I realized that such a national goal as common security is not easy to implement.
The most important question that worries me after diving into the topic concerns how the state is looking for ethical ways to ensure the safety of American society. An ethical consideration that does not leave me after reading the materials concerns the invasion of privacy and the use of personal data. A state cannot effectively enforce order without intelligent oversight of its citizens, but these measures often overstep the bounds of privacy. I am worried that many Americans are not sufficiently aware of their rights to confidentiality and privacy, which could lead to their silent consent to violations. The solution to this ethical dilemma may lie in the additional education of citizens, but this is not enough to find an effective balance between security and intrusion.
A critically important issue that remained without comprehensive coverage for me remained in the legal field of ensuring national security. The global trend indicates that often measures to protect citizens begin to be applied after the catastrophe has occurred. Prior to a tragedy, there may be no testing of tools to deal with terrorist or natural disasters. Citizen protection policy suggests that most of the measures should remain preventive, but in practice this does not happen. I would like the material about ethical and real national security issues to highlight the ways to address the gap between law and practice.
In conclusion, as a future homeland security professional, I will face ethical and legal dilemmas. The material I read gave me an understanding of what problems national security is facing at the moment. In the future, these problems may transform, and it is necessary to be ready to look for ways to overcome them in a changing environment. The study of the material prompted me to think that reducing the gap between risk management in theory and practice is a joint task.
Homeland Security
Ensuring national security is a general term that describes a set of measures to protect the country from external and internal threats. The protection of national security is essential to the advancement of American interests and the prosperity of society. An effective way to ensure national security is to systematically prepare for the threats of terrorism, pandemics, cyber-attacks and natural disasters (Alperen, 2017). The structures that make up the security complex cover disaster prevention and mitigation. Preparing for threats to national security includes a set of measures to organize intelligence, strengthen borders and fight global terrorism. Protecting national security requires the joint efforts of all departments and unified management. While studying the general topic of national security, I was surprised at how many organizations and their employees are willing to work together to achieve a common goal and how difficult the process of coordinating them is.
Immersion in the study of the topic of national security provided me with an understanding of the work of the general structure in order to protect society and the interests of the country. I realized that the protection of national security is essential to the functioning of society. A detailed study of the topic did not change my formed opinion that the main goal of this extensive set of measures and actions is to protect Americans, their rights and interests. The security process now looks more structured and complex to me, but this only encourages my interest in learning about this topic.
The topic of homeland security as a whole was fully covered during the course. However, I would like a more detailed dive into the planning of new measures to protect national security. Global and domestic challenges constantly require the adaptation of policies to the conditions of a rapidly changing world. Protection against cyberattacks, which can become more sophisticated every year, already now requires services to implement the highest technical capabilities. Coverage of national security planning, taking into account the latest requirements, would greatly deepen the understanding of the current state course.
All critical topics are fully covered in homeland security materials. The only topic I would like to pay more attention to is working with society in the framework of ensuring national security. It would be useful to know the strategies by which the state reaches out to the public, informs about national security issues, and gains support from Americans. Establishing a trusting relationship between government and society can be key in a situation where immediate action is required. The current trend suggests that not all Americans unconditionally trust the authorities. This environment creates a potentially dangerous situation, so it needs to be addressed in detail. Understanding the necessary actions for this could deepen the course on homeland security.
In conclusion, studying the topic of national security strengthened my understanding of the correct choice of profession. My future in this area directly depends on how well I study the theory and the ways to effectively implement it in practice. The course gave me a general understanding of the homeland security realm and the practical areas in which professionals work to protect the United States and Americans. I also formed my own understanding of what areas require special attention. The course will allow me to become a competent homeland security specialist to serve our society.
References
Alperen, M. J. (2017). Foundations of homeland security: Law and policy. Wiley.
Institute for Economics and Peace. Global terrorism index 2022. Web.
Jurkiewicz, C. L. (2018). Big data, big concerns: Ethics in the digital age. Public Integrity, 20(1), 46-59. Web.
Office of the Director of National Intelligence. (2013). US national intelligence. An overview 2013. Web.
The White House. (2018). National strategy for counterterrorism of the United States of America. Web.
‌The White House. (2013). Presidential policy directive: Critical infrastructure security and resilience. Web.
United Nations (UN). (2018). Border security and arms trafficking. Security Council. Web.