Liberty University
HLSC-610 Understanding Terrorism and Homeland Security
Discussion Board Five
Professor Richards
Preventing and Protecting Against Terrorist Attacks
What are two pieces of legislation that can be used to combat terrorism?
Perhaps the most widely known piece of legislation used to combat terrorism was signed
after 9/11, and it is the Patriot Act. Officially known as Uniting and Strengthening America by
Providing Appropriate Tools to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism. The Patriot Act did many
things, here are just a few (History.com Editors, 2017) :
Provide tougher penalties for convicted terrorists and those that harbor them
Ending the statute of limitations for certain terror related crimes
Making it harder for aliens involved in terrorist activities to enter the United States
Allowed law enforcement to use surveillance and wiretapping to investigate terror related
crimes
Other pieces of legislation that followed the 9/11 terrorist attacks were the SAFE Port Act of
2006, which strengthened port security and Chemical Security Legislation of 2006 which began
regulating the nation’s chemical plants (Home Security and Governmental Affairs, n.d.)
What challenges face the intelligence community?
The intelligence community faces challenges of preserving individual rights versus
preventing terrorist attacks. Organizations such as the ACLU have challenged the Patriot act and
other pieces of legislation. Another problem, according to Mc Entire, is that there are many
agencies collecting and reviewing gathered information. With so many agencies involved it
makes it difficult for all the information to end up in one report. Prior to 9/11 the CIA and FBI
were prohibited from sharing information creating even more hurdles. This was fixed in the
Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004.
What role does the border play in the fight against terrorism?
Border security when discussing terrorism refers to more than just the southern border
with Mexico. Border security includes international airports, ports, coastline, and the physical
land borders with Mexico and Canada. So, when taking all this into consideration, border
security plays a significant role in the fight against terrorism. One of the larger changes to
border security following 9/11 was the creation of the Transportation Security Administration,
which screens passengers, luggage and cargo at airports across the country (McEntire, 2019).
Also created was the Federal Air Marshall Service, originally created in 1961, their mission
changed following 9/11 to riding on and protecting domestic flights in the United States
(McEntire, 2019).
List five structural and non-structural strategies to prevent terrorism.
Structural Mitigation
Perimeter Walls
Controlling the shape of the building
Blast Proof Glass
Steel reinforcement
Redundancy of support columns
Non-Structural Mitigation
Background checks
Legislation
Security Guards
Bomb Dogs
Vehicle Check Points
References
History.com Editors. (2017, December 19). Patriot Act. Retrieved from
https://www.history.com/topics/21st-century/patriot-act#targetText=The Patriot Act is
legislation,,” or USA-PATRIOT.
Home Security & Governmental Affairs. (n.d.). Retrieved from
https://www.hsgac.senate.gov/issues/9-11-commission
McEntire, D. A. (2019). Introduction to homeland security: understanding terrorism prevention and
emergency management. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
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