Description
Part 1
Below I have a post please provide a response. 200 words each with reference (WITHIN THE LAST 5 YEARS).
Your response to your peer by extending, refuting/correcting, or adding additional nuance to their posts. The response must enhance the discussion, and the use
of scholarly resources is required (text or any article from a nursing journal, or governmental cite). (NO WEBSITES ALLOWED)
Part I: List and describe three appropriate roles for the Department of Defense intelligence capabilities in supporting homeland security enterprise.
I think three appropriate roles were highlighted in an article published by the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense. In the years following 9/11, changes needed to be made to prevent this type of attack from happening again and this Defense Science Board (DSB) study mentions six recommended areas to focus on improving (DSB, 2004). Of the six, the three that stood out to me were emergency preparedness and incident response, protecting critical assets and deterring/preventing future attacks.
For emergency preparedness and incident response, we all saw firsthand during COVID with medical equipment shortages how not being prepared can cause major issues and panic. Our Strategic National Stock (SNS) had been used up and never restocked prior to the pandemic. Had it have been stocked, we would not have had medical employees reusing single use masks and people panic buying sanitizer products. Fixing this issue could be utilized across many different scenarios in the event of a chemical or biological attack against the US. While the SNS is not controlled by the DoD, the DoD does have control over other stockpiles that could aid local/states procuring required equipment to assist in recovery.
With the uptick in cyber warfare, protecting critical assets is an important area to focus efforts on as well. Things like the STUXNET virus and other viruses are being developed everyday and if one of them were to be successful in taking out a power station or causing a dam to release water, it could lead to thousands of casualties and people scrambling to stay alive. The DoD needs to share their information with other agencies so cyber-attacks could be combatted. Like other information sharing, some detail that seems minute to one agency could open the eyes of another agency focused on the cyber realm.
As for deterring/preventing future attacks, we have already been taking steps in the right direction with the implementation of things like fusion centers and information sharing between agencies. I think the DoD needs to keep building upon the foundation that is in place and have open lines of communication up and down the chain to find ways to improve the process for flowing intelligence up, down and laterally to ensure we have the most accurate, up to date intelligence to prevent/deter future attacks.
Part II: What is the legal issue for DoD engagement.
I feel the legal issue with DoD engagement is having to find the balance between security and Liberty. As our reading stated this week, Dahl (2011) mentions how the 9/11 Commission report says liberty should be kept untouched even with trying to tighten security throughout the nation. I think there does need to be some give and take however because giving up some forms of liberty could mean discovering that one piece of the puzzle that thwarts a major, catastrophic event on US soil. Dahl goes on to discuss how the American citizens liberties have fluctuated after times of crisis and normally returned to a balanced state. He argues that the balance has not been restored after 9/11 and the shift continues to lean towards governmental control. While I do not 100% agree with what he says, I do feel American citizens are fighting harder for their rights than ever before. In my opinion, this fire is fueled by the ease of access to information via the internet. People tend to gravitate towards others with like opinions and feed off each others energy. A few decades ago, someone could be upset about some liberty being infringed upon, but just shrug it off and deal with it. Now, they can go online and see others complaining about the same issues and this builds up that need to speak up and fight back. While offices like the Civil Liberties, Privacy and Transparency Office (CLPT) specifically focuses on checks and balances of liberty/security, there will always be people who feel the government has gone too far or not far enough. I for one am willing to give up some liberties if it means possibly saving lives.
Part III: Explain why you think providing effective intelligence support to the homeland security enterprise is or is not a threat to civil liberties and the privacy of our nation’s citizens.
There is an extremely fine line between civil liberties and security. There are many different offices in place to try to maintain the balance such as the CLPT, DOJ Oversight Section, Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board as well as Executive Branch and Congressional oversight. As I mentioned before, I am willing to sacrifice some liberties even if there is a small chance of preventing another 9/11. I think anything posted on social media sites or other public forums is fair game. There are also programs that are used to search for red flag words on social media/online sites that the DHS uses to aid in intelligence gathering. In a 2012 article written by Daniel Miller, he notes some seemingly innocent red flag words are on the list that the DHS was forced to publish through a FOIA request, such as pork, cloud, and team. While I am not sure why those words were on the list, I must have faith that the DHS has reasons to flag those words. There are even programs now where parents can use similar technology to monitor childrens smart devices for signs of cyber bullying, violent threats or self-harm indicators. I do have my limits though. When it comes to the privacy of my home, I think monitoring home devices like Smart TVs, web cams and other items like that should not be fair game unless there is substantiated evidence to open formal investigations and obtain the proper warrants to monitor those types of activities.
References:
Dahl, E. (2011). Domestic Intelligence Today: More Security but Less Liberty?
Defense Science Board (DSB). (2004). DoD Roles and Missions in Homeland Security. Retrieved from https://www.hsdl.org/?view&did=449901
Miller, D. (2012). Revealed: Hundreds of words to avoid using online if you don’t want the government spying on you (and they include ‘pork’, ‘cloud’ and ‘Mexico’). Retrieved from https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2150281/REVEALED-Hundreds-words-avoid-usin
Part 2
Below I have a post please provide a response to the bonus question below. 150 words each with reference (WITHIN THE LAST 5 YEARS).
Your response to your peer by extending, refuting/correcting, or adding additional nuance to their posts. The response must enhance the discussion and use
of scholarly resources is required (text or any article from a nursing journal, or governmental cite). (NO WEBSITES ALLOWED)
Part I: List and describe three appropriate roles for the Department of Defense intelligence capabilities in supporting homeland security enterprise.
NORTHCOM established a layer of information sharing and intelligence processing that necessitates coordination with other Department of Defense assets as well as the homeland security community, as they require both foreign intelligence support to manage direct threats against the homeland by foreign adversaries and homeland security intelligence to work with other federal, state, and local agencies to counter threats posed within the country. NORTHCOM should be one of the primary liaisons between homeland security, homeland defense, and intelligence communities.
Securing borders and combating transnational crime. The Department of Defense has aided in the homeland security mission of securing our country’s borders and providing intelligence and information to Department of homeland security (D.H.S.) agencies on transnational organized crime and drug smuggling activities. The Department of Defense (DoD) provides active intelligence collected by aviation, maritime, and land-based monitoring systems, as well as equipment and personnel used to support domestic agencies such as Customs and Border Protection (C.B.P.) and the U.S. Coast Guard, and the Department of home security. The Department of Defense is also a part of the broader I.C. It must continue to evaluate activities and share DoD-specific intelligence with domestic intelligence agencies to ensure cooperation and improve the quality of the data being assessed and acted on.
International collaboration. NORTHCOM and the DoD conduct annual exercises with Canada, the Bahamas, the Caribbean Islands, and Mexico because they share land and maritime territorial waters. Building and maintaining these relationships and sharing intelligence information among bordering countries strengthen the nation’s security. The Department of Defense coordinates these exercises and continues to build intelligence networks and avenues for cooperation with our closest neighbors.
Part II: What is the legal issue for DoD engagement.
The Posse Comitatus Act and the ability of federal military troops to be used domestically, particularly in law enforcement operations, is one of the major legal issues for the DoD operating within the homeland. The National Guard is frequently the subject of Posse Comitatus because they can be activated in a variety of ways, including by their home state governor using state dollars under state active-duty status, Title 32 status with state control but federal funding, or Title 10 status ordered by the President and paid for with federal dollars (National Guard Association, 2018). The exception to Posse Comitatus is in Title 32, where the state governor is authorized to use the state’s National Guard troops for military purposes.
Part III: Explain why you think providing effective intelligence support to the homeland security enterprise is or is not a threat to civil liberties and the privacy of our nation’s citizens.
When it comes to ensuring a secure homeland, the military is generally focused on homeland defense and preventing threats from becoming dangerous to the homeland. Their operations are currently focused on gathering foreign intelligence and monitoring our adversaries to identify and prevent the threat from becoming a larger homeland security issue. Similarly, homeland security agencies are still attempting to balance increasing willingness to conduct intelligence and data collection on U.S. citizens to create a more secure country and respect the civil liberties granted to U.S. citizens. With some of the revisions to the PATRIOT ACT that still allow for surveillance, I believe we are approaching a better balance.
References
National Guard Association. (2018). NGAUS fact sheet: Understanding the Guard’s Duty Status. http://giveanhour.org/wp-content/uploads/Guard-Status-9.27.18.pdf
Bonus Question(Securing Borders?)
So we tend to only see in the news/on television, reports about our Southern Border, what about our Northern Border and does it have problems as well? Explain. Remember that your answer is for bonus points in case you do not earn full points in the posting, or your other responses so feel free to elaborate.
