Terrorism is an issue that threatens the security of citizens of any nation around the globe. When a terrorist attack occurs, it hits families, and many loved ones are lost or injured. For Americans, the September 11 th , 2001 terrorist attack is still fresh in memory regardless of whether they were first-hand witnesses or saw it through media broadcasts. Many lives were lost while others still nurse the injuries incurred in the attack. Some blame the sloppy security measures that were in place before the attack. The U.S. government erected several measures to enhance the security level in mainland America to avoid such a catastrophe from ever occurring in American soil. Therefore, this paper offers a comparison of security before and after the attack, if the current measures have assisted in evading further attacks, how these new measures have affected me, if they have made me and America as whole safer, the existing weakness and solution to this weakness.
Compare security before and after September 11, 2001, in the U.S. to determine which measures have had the greatest impact toward deterring further attacks.
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Generally, security is achieved when threats and dangers are evaded to ensure a nation’s or individual’s safety thrives. According to Curtis and McBride (2011), the concept of security commences with ensuring one’s safety, and then expands to family, and eventually to the society as a whole.
Firstly, before September 11, 2001 attack, inspected luggage was loaded directly onto airplanes without thorough scrutiny for explosives and other harmful objects (Peterson, 2016). This was evident in domestic air travels. After 9/11, there was an upgrade in technology such as the use of radiological detectors for detection of bombs as well as explosives. The new technology has played vital in detecting of harmful items.
Additionally, before the 9/11 catastrophe, less than twenty thousand contract workers, who were poorly-trained and received minimum-wage, worked as airport screeners (Peterson, 2016). Due to their lack of professional skills, they were the immediate scapegoats for the attacks’ occurrence. After the attack, the initial government response was to kick out all the airlines’ security department, and in its place the government’s TSA took charge. Additionally, the number of screeners was increased to forty-two thousand with each being a federal employee (Peterson, 2016). Moreover, TSA doubled down on training and re-training of airport security personnel to enhance security. As such, the rate of weapons entering airports and other transportation channels has significantly reduced, and terrorists are encountering more difficulty in accessing America.
Moreover, another change involved the restructuring of the central administration under the support of the novel Department of Homeland Security. Notably, under the USA Patriot Act, more powers were relinquished to the federal law enforcement agencies regarding operations aimed at curbing terrorism, for example, monitoring of money transfers, search warrants, as well as electronic eavesdropping (Curtis & McBride, 2011).
Describe how the security changes of September 11, 2001, have personally affected you .
At a personal level, the events of September 11, 2001, seriously impacted my way of life. For instance, I became cautious and very watchful and tried to keep off areas with large crowd gatherings. The security changes have affected my way of life at different levels. Firstly, airports’ massive and extremely restrictive procedures have impacted my flight plans and traditions. For example, the size of fluids and toiletries has been limited. Additionally, foods, snacks, and beverages have been banned. Moreover, I have to ensure all items are in a clear sealed bag. Other novel measures that I have to adjust to include thorough inspection at airports that entails shoes, belts, jackets removal, as well as emptying pockets, and even at times full undressing at the discretion of security personnel.
Speculate whether the security changes since September 11, 2001, have made you and the U.S. safer from terrorist organizations.
After investing trillions of dollars in security changes, the question that lingers is whether such investment and dedication have successfully made each person as well as the nation safe from attacks similar to 9/11. Yes, of course, the country, as well as every citizen, is safer from terrorist attacks. In particular, upgrading of technology to use of bio-sensors, radiological detectors, as well as motion detection cameras in transportation, federal buildings, as well as public areas, centralization of intelligence gathering by uniting the different agencies into a single division, as well as strengthening of the FBI by tripling its annual budget has improved the nation’s capability of averting attacks (Brill, 2016). It is now easy to screen, as well as update watch lists and threat databases. In the end, it has become easy to root out terrorist sects within and outside the United States. As such, I agree that the measures have made me as well as the nation safer after the 9/11 carnage.
Suggest one weakness of U.S. security that you believe still exists. Recommend a solution.
Despite achieving a milestone in ensuring security against terrorism, a new form of terror known as cyberterrorism is eminent in the United States. Identifying perpetrators of cyberterrorism is not easy since they often operate from a different location from the systems they are beaching. Additionally, their operation involves numerous proxies, unknown dial-up accounts, mysterious procedures as well as a wireless connection which renders tracing them difficult. Whether cyberterrorism affects the U.S. directly or indirectly, its impact is as horrible as any other form of terrorist attack. Although fighting this type of terror is proving difficult, it can be stopped or minimized if the right form of technology and professionals are put into play. The nation should anticipate for cyber-attacks, that is, the federal government should not ignore the fact that cyber-attacks can happen at any time anywhere. Therefore, it should lay down preventive measures such as firewalls and encryptions rather than waiting for an attack to occur. Moreover, a special cyberterrorism intelligence unit should be formed whose role is to monitor cyber-activities and flag out potential suspects.
References
Brill, S. (2016). 15 Years After 9/11, Is America Any Safer?. Retrieved from https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2016/09/are-we-any-safer/492761/
Curtis, G. E., & McBride, R. B. (2011). Proactive security administration . (2nd ed.). Pearson Prentice Hall.
Peterson, B. (2016). How Airport Security Has Changed Since 9/11. Retrieved January 11, 2019, from https://www.cntraveler.com/story/how-airport-security-has-changed-since-september-11
