Counter Terrorism Since September 11th, Essay Example

According to the information presented in figure 1, the extent of planning that was incorporated into the regular activity of security agencies shifted significantly following the September 11^th terrorist attacks. Prior to the terrorist attacks, government protection agencies placed an emphasis on environmental design strategies and policing. Following the terrorist attacks, emphasis on policing grew. Furthermore, a new interest was developed with regards to maintaining hardware and technology security in addition to increasing in addition to environmental design strategies. As a whole, interest in security initiatives increased with regards to policing, public education and outreach, hardware and technology security, and environmental design strategies following the September 11^th terrorist attacks. This statistical analysis revealed that Homeland Security concerns increased across the board following this series of terrorist attacks.

Homeland Security Improvements Since 9/11

An increased concern for security correlated with the implementation of a series of legislation to help enforce these newfound safety requirements. These changes occurred on the local, state, and federal level. A majority of these improvements have been shown to be related to the 2004 conversion of the Office of Public Security to the Office of Homeland Security. This signified a shift in the focus of the department and equipped it with the ability to gather intelligence and respond appropriately to attacks from foreign entities. Furthermore, this alteration improved the infrastructure of the organization in a manner that would allow it to more readily respond to crises.

Strategic Challenges

The literature revealed that one of the primary barriers that the Department of Homeland Security faces is its ability to predict the terrorist entities and the form of terrorism that will ensue. In light of the technological abilities that many enemies of the United States may have, it will become necessary for Homeland Security to determine what types of attacks are plausible or likely to occur. For example, environmental and biological terrorism have not been utilized in the past, but it is necessary for the department to consider this possibility and have a defense solution available in case this occurs. As a consequence, it is also challenging to allocate resources to protect our country from future attacks because information regarding the probability of attack type and location is difficult to calculate.

Changes to Security Execution

Since the September 11^th terrorist attacks, a greater percentage of budget funds have been allocated to the Homeland Security program, which has allowed to better refine its emergency prediction and response practices. Furthermore, Congress continues to refine laws that monitor individuals and goods leaving and entering the country in order to restrict their potential to harm the American people.

Annual Cost of Counter Terrorism Post 9/11

According to the literature, the funding of intelligence programs outside of the Office of Homeland Security cost $52.6 billion dollars. The 2015 budget of the Department of Homeland Security reported that spending was over $60 billion. Thus, the total annual cost of counter terrorism post 9/11 is approximately $112.6 billion. Due to inflation and the rising costs of goods and labor, it is likely that this figure will increase over the next several years. However, the total cost is dependent upon the continuity of Homeland Security programs and increase in relevant technological, resource, and workforce spending.

Limitations

The current study is limited by its retrospective design. In order to determine the causes of specific Homeland Security policies, it would be beneficial to gain a prospective view of decisions and their impacts. Furthermore, it would be valuable to incorporate reports from this organization to justify statements. Since this current study focuses on a preliminary understanding of the factors that influenced security policy following the September 11^th terrorist attacks, it does not consider the full range of possibilities for this analysis. Thus, it structures the framework for a broader examination of this relationship.

Recommendations

In future studies, it will be beneficial to determine how Homeland Security decisions operate in the terms of efficacy. Furthermore, it would be beneficial to correlate these findings to related expenditures to carry out such policies in a many that takes maximum advantage of budget allocations. In the next several years, it will become more important to focus on defense strategy due to the constant threats that the country receives. Thus, it is necessary for future studies to provide insight into actions that could be taken to better an understanding of the efficacy and affordability of Homeland Security practices. It is suggested that this article be used for a basis of understanding with regards to the trends that impact security policy in the United States. By doing so, security professionals will be able to make decisions more efficiently and accurately to help push forward the existing knowledge in this field in a manner that benefits not only relevant researchers, but also the citizens in this nation who are extremely deserving of safety.