Homeland Security forum responses

Geography has played a significant role in the evolution of the United States’ necessity to quickly develop an intelligence community. The United States’ intelligence gathering agencies were slow to form because of its state of isolationism. There was not a consistent threat of security breaches from foreign nations because of the proximity of other countries; hence, the need to only further invest in and cultivate intelligence agents during wartime (Moore, 2010). This is why the Civil War brought about massive advent in intelligence gathering means. War was being waged not only on her soil but by fought by her citizens. The Union tasked its commanders with the onus of gathering intelligence; whilst the Confederacy structured a centralized unit near the capital. At this period, espionage and the telegraph were the mainstreamed tools that were utilized by the North and the South. The Civil War also saw the advent of new technologies geared specifically for intelligence gathering: U.S. Army Balloon Corps, which successfully delivered pertinent, classified information to President Lincoln (Moore, 2010). WWI was a watershed moment for the United States with regards to foreign intelligence—namely, for bringing to light how antiquated our methods were compared to other sovereign nations that had been enhancing their agencies long before the United States was a fledgling nation. Although WWI clearly showed that the United States was long overdue for intelligence overhaul, it was not till later in the 1920’s when J. Edgar Hoover was appointed director of the Bureau of Investigation; (BOI; later to be changed to the Federal Bureau of Investigations or FBI) that the United States actually made huge strides in intelligence gathering methods and in formally establishing an entity that was endowed with the ability to carry out the necessary measures. This may have been in part, due to the period of Prohibition; where there was a significant increase of organized crime. WWII ushered in the further evolution of the United States intelligence gathering agencies, which were mainstreamed by many famous works of film and literature (i.e. Windtalkers: radio ciphers The Monument Men…). The end of WWII saw the advent of the Cold War, which lead to many more advancements and utilized espionage immensely. After the Cold War, the United States was shaken to its core because of a devastating terrorist attack that helped expedite the creation of a Homeland Security Department. The history of intelligence gathering in the United States has experienced exponential growth during periods of War and acts of terror within its borders. In times of peace, it appears that the nation was a bit lax and almost complacent—or ignorant of the need for more security and intelligence gathering agencies (Moore, 2010).

Moore, G. (2010). A history of U.S. intelligence. In K. Logan (Ed.). Homeland security and intelligence. Santa Barbara, CA: Praeger Security International.