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Running head: Security challenges and government’s management 0
Security challenges in the US and Governments management of security challenges
Vibert Jacob
South University
My topic of discussion is on security challenges in the US and the government’s management of these challenges. How does the US Government manage the security challenges in the country? The US faces many security challenges which include cyber terrorism, Iran’s dominance in the Middle East, Increase in Chinese provocations in South China Sea, Russia’s military expansion and Al Qaida taking over for ISIS. The main focus or objective of my paper will be the strategies and measures the US Government is taking to deal with these security challenges. I will also focus on how these challenges affect the US and reasons why these security issues are a main concern to the country.
In addressing each security challenge, I plan to discuss the government’s efforts in the past in managing them and the current or planned strategies the government is using. What efforts is put by the US government into managing the security challenges in the country? The US faces security challenges both within the country and outside the country. From within the country, challenges such as changing climate is a natural security issue because it poses a threat to the US infrastructure, agriculture, population and economy. There is also a worsening cyber security front where individuals and criminal groups hack both private and public entities which results in loss of billions of dollars in damages. Persistent terrorist attacks from small groups that are done domestically also poses as a security challenge. Most of these threats have been facing the US for years and there is need to focus on them because they affect us daily.
In this study, I expect to face ethical issues which include informed consent from my sources, respect for anonymity and confidentiality from my sources and respect for privacy. I intend to respect all my informants wishes for privacy and confidentiality and wherever necessary, I plan to acquire permission from the relevant authorities to get access to the information am looking for. The government has made efforts to manage security challenges in the country and I plan to discuss this in detail and the impact it has to the country currently and in future.
My research methodology in collecting information will involve published articles related to security threats in the US, TV programs, interviews with the relevant authorities in the government who handle security threats in the country, interviews with individuals who have been affected with the security threats in the country, surveys. To get my information, I plan to visit the Homeland Security offices and conduct interviews with the employees and hopefully the administrator. I will also conduct surveys to see the progress that the government has made in dealing with security challenges internally and also the external threats. I will also search through published articles in the newspapers and magazines and also from libraries to look at the government’s progress. I will also search through academic journals and books as sources of information.
Presenting the results: My topic of discussion was on the security challenges in the US and the government’s management of these security challenges. My research on this overall problem involved the collection of information which included visiting the Homeland security office and having an interview with an employee about the daily operations in the department in handling security issues.
I also read through current articles on what the government is doing to keep Americans safe. I did surveys on the progress of the government in managing security threats in the country. I read through published books and journals.
From the information I gathered, I found out different ways the US government is dealing with the security challenges. On the issue of cybercrimes, with the increase in the number of Americans becoming more reliant on modern technology, we also become susceptible to cybercrimes which include social media fraud, security breaches and spear phishing. The law enforcement performs an essential role in achieving the country’s cyber security objectives. It does this by investigating a wide range of cybercrimes from fraud and theft to child exploitation and apprehending and prosecuting those responsible. Network security experts and criminal investigators work to effectively respond to and investigate cybercrimes. The Internet Crime Complaint Center which is a partnership between the FBI and the National White Collar Crime Center also provides a platform for people report online internet crime (Jacob, 2009).
The changing climate also poses as a challenge to the US. Climate change acts as a threat multiplier that makes already existing threats worse. The threat of global warming for insecurity will manifest itself through food shortages in the country, water insecurity, rise in sea level and resource scarcity. Climate change also poses as a creeping national security threat in that when neighboring countries face extreme global warming, it will result to refugees flow into the US and this will cause conflict over food and water(Daniel, 2010). To manage this security challenge, the government designed a strategy around executive action and using powers already granted under laws such as the Clean Air Act.
The former president Obama came up with the clean power plan which would limit the carbon pollution from dirty power plants. The number one source for global warming in America is the country’s more than 500 power plants and hence the clean power plan will help to cut pollution by 30% by the end of the next decade. The government can also implement a greenhouse gas fee that puts a price on all climate change-causing emissions from all energy sources.
Terrorist threats and attacks from internal groups and external groups outside the country also pose as a security challenge to the country. The ISIS group controls territories in Syria, Libya and Iraq while Al Qaida occupies regions of Yemen. Other terrorist groups like Al Shabab occupies countries like Somalia. These groups pose a threat to the US security. The US state department alleges that governments of Syria, Sudan and Iran do support international terrorism. These countries have been designated by the government as areas that people could not visit if the planned to participate in the US visa waiver program. The president Trump also signed a controversial executive order that suspended entry to refugees to the country, barred Syrian refugees indefinitely (U.S. Department of Defense, 2010).
Other security challenges to the US include the deteriorating situation with North Korea in which Kim Jong Un has resolved to continue its nuclear program and test the new ICBM missile technology. The government responded to this by sending a fleet of navy seals to North Korea to warn the nation against testing any more weapons. (Daniel, 2010) The increase in the number of failed states and persistent civil wars that has caused refugee crises in the United States.
It has also created a haven for extremist groups who are hostile to the United States. The increase in refugees in the United States causes strain on resources which include food and water and hence this makes the issue a security threat to the United States. To manage this issue, the United States government is trying to discuss a suitable deal with neighboring countries for their mutual benefit
According to the order, a waiver may be granted on a case-to-case basis by both the department of state and department of homeland security and may be granted for those who are religious minority in their country of nationality facing religious persecution as long as they don’t pose a security threat to the US. In my opinion, this order generalizes that everyone from those Islamic countries is a terrorist and it is quite unfair. It’s also quite unfortunate that the order also barred innocent Syrian refugees from the country because statistically, it’s only a few refugees who have malicious intentions towards the US and the majority are genuinely in need for asylum. President Trump is understandably focused on the threats from ISIS but statistics show that since 2014, the majority of people charged in the US with ISIS-related offences have been US citizens. Moreover, a lot of ISIS fighters in Syria and Iraq seem to come from countries such as Tunisia, Russia, Turkey, China, Egypt and Saudi Arabia.
In the climate change issue with regard to the Clean Power Plan, though it has great benefits implementing it might not be successful for a number of reasons. One reason that stands out for me is state plans.
Under the model of cooperative federalism under the Clean Air Act, the federal government is responsible for setting targets and the states determine how to comply. The Clean Power Plan gives States more flexibility than usual setting statewide targets rather than individual power plants targets and allowing States to determine the best way to allocate reductions.
During my Study, I faced several challenges. My first challenge was in the choice of topic.it was at first quite difficult to find a topic that I can do justice to; a topic that would hold my interest from beginning to end. My topic of choice (security challenges and the government’s management of these issues) was a bit complex especially with the limited resources in terms of information sources. In my data collection methods, I got to meet uncooperative interviewees and I felt a lot of information was being withheld. Getting different institutions to participate in my study was also a bit challenging. Lastly, staying motivated till the end was challenging with all the obstacles in my research.
In conclusion, the security agenda in the US has evolved over time whereby the Bush administration placed terrorism as the number one priority on the security agenda. The security agenda is not stagnant but rather changes over time. Obama administration de-scrutinized the war on terrorism and war on drugs. each president that assumes office has a different vision and social construction of the world. Issues such as organized crime, drug trafficking, immigration, border security have also been addressed and the president and government have managed to manage security threats and protect United States by coming up with effective strategies.
REFERENCES
Jacob, John, 2009. The Rise of Integrated Security Appliances. Channel Business.
U.S. Department of Defense, Joint Chiefs of Staff, New Revised Edition, Joint Pub. 1-02, 2010.
Rattner, Daniel. "Internal & External Threats." Security Management. Northeastern University, Boston. 8 April. 2010.
Rattner, Daniel. "Loss Prevention & Risk Management Strategy." Security Management. Northeastern University, Boston. 5 Mar. 2010
