DB5 What are two pieces of legislation that can be used to combat terrorism.pdf

Kyle Abbott

Liberty University

HLSC-610 Understanding Terrorism and Homeland Security

Week 5 Discussion Board

Professor Richards

Preventing and Protecting Against Terrorist Attacks

What are two pieces of legislation that can be used to combat terrorism?

Two pieces of legislation that can be used to combat terrorism are the Homeland Security

Act of 2002 and the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools to

Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism (PATRIOT) Act of 2001 (McEntire, 2018). The Homeland

Security Act of 2002 established the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and was followed

by a supplementary act in 2003 that set guidelines for the activities of the DHS (Silke, 2018).

The act focused on preventing terrorism by implementing regulations for security of critical

infrastructure, railroad security, and border control (McEntire, 2018). The PATRIOT Act set out

to ensure that something like the events of 9/11 would never happen again, and has grown into a

controversial piece of legislation over time. The PATRIOT Act relaxed restrictions and

regulations on intelligence sharing between government agencies, enhanced border agency

personnel, enacted new mandates to prevent the funding and harboring of terrorists, and in all,

improved the ability of law enforcement to investigate, apprehend, and prosecute terrorists and

those aiding them (McEntire, 2018).

What challenges face the Intelligence Community?

The US Intelligence Community (IC) faces numerous challenges that are constantly

evolving. One challenge is the line that exists between preserving the individual rights and

liberties of citizens and the steps necessary to prevent terrorism. For example, the IC came under

fire after the leaks of Edward Snowden that showed incredible amounts of surveillance being

done on American citizens, as many claimed it violated privacy, but the IC deemed it necessary

to combat potential threats (Anderson & Ledgett, 2014). The question of is it okay to invade the

privacy of citizens if it means preventing another terrorist attack is one that has to be answered

carefully by those in the IC. Another challenge is the incredible amounts of data, my multiple

agencies, that must be collected and analyzed to develop quality intelligence (McEntire, 2018).

The large bureaucracy that is the IC can make intelligence sharing difficult and important things

can slip through the cracks, as seen with the intelligence that was missed prior to 9/11 (Silk,

2018).

What role does or should our borders play in the fight against terrorism?

The US’ land and maritime borders play a role the role of prevention in the fight against

terrorism (Staniforth, 2014). Being able to control the flow of people coming in and properly

vetting each individual is a critical line of defense in the mission of national security. The

inability to know who, or what, is coming into the country could have devastating effects. With

this, it is imperative that the federal government does maintains strict policies on border security.

List five structural and five non-structural mitigation strategies.

Structural mitigation strategies include constructing building in certain shaped to reduce

damage from blasts, the construction of perimeter walls as deterrents and protection, installation

of blast and bullet-proof glass, steel reinforcement in concrete buildings, and enhanced and

controllable ventilation systems to prevent the spread of potential toxins or gasses (McEntire,

2018). Non-structural mitigation strategies include the use of background checks and

investigations for employees and contractors, identification verification like ID badges,

implementing enhanced security in high traffic areas, set-back requirements that regulate the

proximity of buildings to roads and parking lots, and the use of trained explosive detecting dogs

(McEntire, 2018).

References

Anderson, C., & Ledgett, R. (2014, March 20). The NSA responds to Edward Snowden’s

interview at TED. Ted.Com. https://blog.ted.com/the-nsa-responds-to-edward-snowdens-

interview-at-ted/

McEntire, D. A. (2018). Introduction to homeland security: Understanding terrorism prevention

and emergency management (2nd ed.). Standards Information Network.

Silke, A. (2018). Routledge handbook of terrorism and counterterrorism. Routledge.

https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315744636

Staniforth, A. (2014). Preventing terrorism and violent extremism. Oxford University Press.

Caleb,

Thank you for your contribution to the discussion this week, I enjoyed reading your post.

Again, thank you for your post and keep up the great work! I also mentioned the

PATRIOT Act when discussing legislation that aids the fight against terrorism. The PATRIOT

Act relaxed restrictions and regulations on intelligence sharing between government agencies,

enhanced border agency personnel, enacted new mandates to prevent the funding and harboring

of terrorists, and in all, improved the ability of law enforcement to investigate, apprehend, and

prosecute terrorists and those aiding them (McEntire, 2018). While it served its purpose initially,

many believe the PATRIOT Act has been abused by authorities and has compromised privacy of

everyday citizens, as revealed by the Snowden leaks (Anderson & Ledgett, 2014). Do you

believe that all of the provisions within the act are still needed, should it be reformed?

As you noted, communication can become an issue for the IC in the fight against

terrorism. The large bureaucracy that is the IC, and the inability to share intelligence quickly can

lead to important intelligence slipping through the cracks, as seen with the intelligence that was

missed prior to 9/11 (Silk, 2018). Do you believe the ever-increasing scope of the mission of

homeland security is an issue for the IC? Do you think the IC has become too large, making it

less effective?

Again, thank you for your post and keep up the great work!