The September 11 incident was one of the most catastrophic and biggest terrorist attacks on American soil. Since then, the government changed and encouraged interagency coordination and sharing of intelligence through the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the continued Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) as separate groups. The DHS existence under the National Counterterror Division (NCTD) or CT division in 2005 injected the interagency requirement through the Joint Terrorist Task Forces (JTTF) under the FBI and the fusion centers under the DHS (Taylor & Russell, 2012). The government understood that the only way to eliminate or prevent another 9/11 incident was through interagency and community-based approach.
Therefore, as an intelligence analyst for the DHS assigned to the Office of Intelligence and Analysis (OIA), this essay illustrates an intelligence assessment outlining potential threats for the upcoming United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) meeting expected to take place in New York later this year. The essay demonstrates the interagency coordination both horizontal and vertical to ensure analysis and intelligence sharing of every potential threat.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
The rise of ISIS, Al Qaida, Al Shabab, Boko Haram, resistance guerillas in different U.N. members, political enemies, nuclear production, and international religious and anti-Semitic organizations tend to threaten the global peace and instigate terror (United Nations, 2018). These functions have reasons or intentions to use the UNGA meeting to perpetuate their devious deeds. Therefore, this essay depicts the different intelligence sharing can determine the probability of terror attacks and help prevent such events from occurring.
The DHS components include National Protection and Programs Directorate (NPPD), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), United States Secret Service (USSS), Transportation Security Administration (TSA), United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) among other departments (Randol, 2010). These departments enhance the detection and safeguarding the national security as discussed below.
The NPPD under two branches namely office of cyber and Infrastructure Analysis Intel Support Branch and Federal Protective Service Threat Management Division coordinates intelligence through infrastructure security and offer protective service shareholders with threat-based analysis respectively. The critical threat analysis enables the government to reduce risks associated with infrastructure which can help in mitigating incase a terror attack occurs. The TSA through the OIA helps establish security risks and help in reducing and preventing attacks against the transportation systems. The increased rates of subway bombings in the world demonstrate that TSA is vigilant to prevent such attacks on U.S. soil (Randol, 2010). The CBP, on the other hand, develop, provide, organizes, and apply vital intelligence to protect the country from external attacks.
The USCIS understands that failure to thoroughly review and identify frauds in entry and movement of immigrants is likely to result in radicalization that leads to internal attacks. Therefore, through the Fraud Detection and National Security Directorate, the USCIS establishes the suspicions by analyzing the database to review illegal immigrants and criminality among the immigrants that pose danger to the national security (Randol, 2010). Lastly, the USSS provide intelligence and assessment division to establish unique missions such as eliminating potential threats.
The five national or federal departments under the DHS will provide horizontal intelligence to the OIA analyst to ensure that the DHS understands the different threats at the national level. These departments collect intelligence from states, municipal and local agencies. The start of JTTF and fusion centers enabled the inclusion and collaboration of the states and federal law enforcement agencies on the war against terror. The hierarchy of intelligence sharing from the local police who have the direct contact with the public to the municipal or local departments in the fusion centers provides vital information that establishes the state of security at the grassroots levels. The ability of the DHS fusion centers to join different regions and ensure the inclusion of local police departments establishes a clear situation analysis in intelligence collection and analysis, which is vital in determining the different risks in the region (Taylor & Russell, 2012). The NYPD has a strong counterterror unit that is essential in determining the security problems facing the location the UNGA meeting is taking place. The department understands the public and with the continued building of trust between NYPD and the New Yorkers, leading to the identification and incarceration radicalization of individuals with affiliations to terrorist organizations.
The U.S. government understands that attempted assassinations of foreign delegates in the country lead to hostility between the nations and the U.N. Counterterror Council calls for members’ collaboration on the war against terror. Therefore, the DHS should engage with foreign intelligence agencies and the INTERPOL to identify and prevent any threat. Threats such as ISIS or Islamic radical organizations attack targeted to the U.S. for its role and support of Israel, ISIS targeting French and Turks’ delegates in the continued issues need to intensive analysis (United Nations, 2018). Kenya war against Al Shabab has also seen past incidents resulting in bombings by the Somali terrorists. Colombia among other nations has seen increased hostility from the guerrilla militias, which can attack during the meeting (United Nations, 2018). The threat from North Korea and Iran nuclear investment and testing is also a global threat. Through the foreign intelligence sharing and coordination, the U.S. Special Forces have integrated with the SAS to destabilize and eliminate different terrorist organizations (Holmes, 2012). Therefore, intelligence sharing from foreign FBI agents and allied-countries, it is easier to understand the situation of the events.
The OIA analyst needs to ensure effective communication and intelligence sharing both nationally and internationally. However, interagency rivalry for instance between DHS and the FBI, insecure information channels and the inability to motivate local and states’ departments and agencies result in communication breakdown and failure to eliminate the terror threat (Headayetullah & Pradhan, 2009). Past successful exploits such as the Boston attack and the 9/11 incident occurred due to these failures and ineffective coordination. Therefore, creating a direct and safe communication network and ensuring that all information is reviewed will help enhance security and promote the U.S. foreign relations.
References
Headayetullah, M., & Pradhan, G. (2009). Secure Information Sharing Between Government Intelligence Agencies: An Innovative Protocol Based on Trust. International Journal Of Engineering And Technology , 1 (4), 346-353.
Holmes, M. (2012). Homeland Security as International Security? The Case for International Relations as Disciplinary Model. Journal Of Homeland Security And Emergency Management , 9 (1).
Randol, M. (2010). The Department of Homeland Security Intelligence Enterprise: Operational Overview and Oversight Challenges for Congress . Ft. Belvoir: Defense Technical Information Center.
Taylor, R., & Russell, A. (2012). The failure of police ‘fusion’ centers and the concept of a national intelligence-sharing plan. Police Practice And Research , 13 (2), 184-200.
United Nations. (2018). Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy. Retrieved August 24, 2018, from https://www.un.org/pga/72/wp-content/uploads/sites/51/2018/06/Global-Counter-Terrorism-Strategy-18-June.pdf
