PowerPoint Presentation

America’s National Security

Mark S. Lasky

American Public University

POLS210 American Government I

Professor Gideon

December 08, 2017

America’s National Security

The numbers in blue refer to my corrections page found in the writing folder.

The America’s national security is a function of the Department of Homeland Security. This department’s primary purpose is to prevent any acts of terrorism within the United States boards and reduce the US’s susceptibility to terrorist acts. It is also charged with the responsibility of minimizing the damage and assist in the recovery of the terrorist attacks that occur within the borders of the United States of America (Conforti, 2017). New ¶ The Department of Homeland Security plays multifaceted efforts in ensuring that the United States is safe from external aggressions such as acts of terrorism. It relies on the FBI’s intelligence information to execute its mandate. This paper discusses the current issues being debated in the national security of the United States, competing solutions to the problem and which solution would be the most preferred. This has elements of a good introduction, but it has documentation and background not in the body, and is a working introduction in that it has no detail other than what you intended on doing before you started, and does not accurately reflect what the paper accomplished a revised after the paper is completed.

Have a strong introductory paragraph which sets the tone for the paper. Then follow it with a paragraph or two, or as needed, to lay out the key issues or points, and then what the paper accomplished, transitioning finally to the body.

A good introduction sets the tone, scope, direction of the paper, and what the paper will accomplish. Otherwise the reader does not know what he or she needs to be considering as he or she progresses towards the conclusion.

America’s National Security is concerned about the safety and security of the US nationals. Currently, the issue at hand is the high flier camera that is the drone. This camera is seen as a threat to the national security in the sense that terrorists have resorted to using weaponized drones in carrying out their heinous attacks on innocent Americans (Samples, 2017). What kind of drones? There are many types of drones from small kid toys, to hand-launched high precision drones, to small hobby or commercial drones, to large hobby drones, to military long-range, and so on. Not all carry weapons, but for the most part, with only small hobby drones excepted, all drones have some imagery capability. The national security sounded alarmed that the drones could as a potential means to carry out attacks in the commercial air crafts in the United States. New ¶ Contrary to the belief that this is a camera with the snobbish appeal for high profile events, there are lessons to be learned from its use and why it was invented. This camera could have been invented as a good gesture but terrorists use it to carry out their attacks on innocent civilians. They mount explosive devices on it and fly it in the public living behind devastating effects.

The drone camera has posed serious security challenges to the American space calling for urgent solutions to the problem. Why? How are cameras alone a problem, and what are the challenges to U.S. air space that requires solution. As a reader, I may know of any number of such issues, but in a short paper like this, you can only cover one or two, and you are not being specific but overly general. However, there are two conflicting solutions that the country's security agency could adapt to avert the situation before it runs out of hands. These are the introduction of the new security measures by the DHS for airports and the airlines that are allowed to fly directly to America. What does this have to do with drones? New ¶ The DHS also recommended the enhancement of screening of passengers and their electronic devices before they are allowed to fly in or out of the United States. And this? You try and cover too much here. Good paragraph recognition will help you realize when you are asserting statements, that may or may not be of kind, into a block of text, not a paragraph. Thus you assert something and move, you don’t discuss the topic, or lay a good foundation for building upon it.

The DHS is in a dilemma of choosing the more effective of two methods. However, it is prudent to adopt new security measures other than the screening of passengers because some screening fail to detect some weapons and therefore the terrorists will find it easy to sneak in their explosives. Has there been failures by TSA to detect such explosives? The new security measures should include the addition of more security feature that could help detect the weaponized drones carried by travelers with ill motives. Exactly how big are these “weaponized” drones? I don’t see the problem here, as weapons that have any gunpowder or explosives are screened no matter the form they are in. So it matters not if the weapon looks like a drone, or is disguised as a statue of Mary current TSA screening would catch this.

I am not sure why a terrorist would be carrying a drone on board as carry on, or what value having a drone in one’s checked baggage would provide. If it is just a drone, there is no threat while traveling. However, if the drone is gas powered, the tank would have to be drained, and no fuel could be carried; if battery powered why would TSA confiscate or even care about the drone? You are not making a case here, just asserting. All the travelers and their luggage should be scanned to detect security-threat gadgets. Previously, screening failed to prove effective in detecting weapons in the luggage of the travelers and this caused so many deaths that could have been prevented had good measures been put in place to combat acts of terrorism.

In summary, the security of the people of the United States is vital and therefore, the security agencies should be empowered with enough resources to be able to combat the criminal acts of terrorists. In order to curb the use of the weaponized drones by terrorists, the homeland security should adopt an effective measure coupled with new security features that would easily detect any harmful materials carried by people flying in and out of the United States. This is slightly different than what you state or imply in the body. New ¶ As a recommendation, the use of drones should be restricted and only permitted to those with licenses to use them. Such as? New ¶ On the other hand, it should be illegalized for anybody to carry drones in their luggage in airports so as to avoid any eventuality. Why? A summary is not a conclusion. Nor is a single paragraph a conclusion. The conclusion is the reason you write the paper, not the data and argument you present and document to support your lessons and takeaway in the conclusion. The conclusion is measured in paragraphs never a single paragraph crammed with asserted bottom lines.

Mark,

I like the topic, but you don’t make the case you think you do. I have to really narrow my thinking and restrict what I know to some very specific types of drones in order to accept your premises. But you don’t provide that data, and the reader should not have to try and figure out what is or is not included.

You seem to indicate zero tolerance for drones, and that is unfounded, but the drones that could cause damage are pretty much excluded already. No one is going to try and smuggle a large gas or petroleum-driven drone aboard an airplane, or a smaller battery one that may be equipped with some armament. It just isn’t going to happen.

But drones that are small enough for carry-on or for checked baggage are not threat themselves unless preloaded with something harmful, and anything that is harmful is already being screened for. You need to develop your ideas with a clear context in mind and driven by your conclusion.

See comments from first paper as most apply to this one as well.

84

If the image is not used as a reference in the body, then either use it as part of the cover or just leave out. 😊

Reference

Conforti, M. A. (2017). Unharmonious Coexistence: How America's Military Obsession Has Demonstrated the Incompatibility of Weaponized Drones and Sovereignty. Rutgers Computer & Tech. LJ, 43, 246.

Makuch, B. (2015, December 7). The Canadian Air Force Is Looking to Buy Weaponized Drones | VICE News. Retrieved from https://news.vice.com/article/the-canadian-air-force-is-looking-to-buy-weaponized-drones

Samples, C. D. (2017). Law Enforcement Lightning: North Dakota Police Departments and Weaponized Drones. Supra, 86, 69..