Three Issues Confronting the Ic
Three Issues Confronting the Intelligence Community
In the past decade, the United States has witnessed a shift in the nature of the threat from “known” enemies of the past such as the Soviet Union to an “unknown” adversary employing an asymmetric strategy as they wage fourth generation warfare against any nation who opposes their will. This new threat paradigm presents a complex environment with emerging threats that are difficult to predict. In order to identify the threat, the intelligence community has developed indicators that provide warning of the possible attack. I believe that the three significant issues confronting the intelligence community is the threat posed by terrorists, illicit drug trade, and computer network warfare.
The world’s communities have become victim to terrorist attacks stemming from violent Islamic extremist ideology. The detrimental effects from these adversaries are felt throughout the various nations from the United States to Russia. Terrorist attacks such as the 9/11 World Trade bombings, Beslan School Crisis, 7/7 London Bombings, and 2004 Madrid Train bombings are examples of the far-reaching nature of Islamic terrorists and the threat that they pose to the civilized societies of the world. Therefore, in the future this common enemy will require greater cooperation in order to identify and interdict these emergent threats and prevent the potential destabilization of establishment governments and further proliferation of extremist ideologies.
The drug trade is a contributing factor to the funding of terrorism and organized criminal organizations that threaten the fabric of society and advances the condition of failing or failed nations such as Mexico, Sierra Leone, Afghanistan, and Burma. The lure of huge profits, poor economy, and poverty combined with the unrelenting demand continue to exacerbate the problem caused by drug trafficking organizations and their facilitators. This lucrative business has threatened to
In the past decade, the United States has witnessed a shift in the nature of the threat from “known” enemies of the past such as the Soviet Union to an “unknown” adversary employing an asymmetric strategy as they wage fourth generation warfare against any nation who opposes their will. This new threat paradigm presents a complex environment with emerging threats that are difficult to predict. In order to identify the threat, the intelligence community has developed indicators that provide warning of the possible attack. I believe that the three significant issues confronting the intelligence community is the threat posed by terrorists, illicit drug trade, and computer network warfare.
The world’s communities have become victim to terrorist attacks stemming from violent Islamic extremist ideology. The detrimental effects from these adversaries are felt throughout the various nations from the United States to Russia. Terrorist attacks such as the 9/11 World Trade bombings, Beslan School Crisis, 7/7 London Bombings, and 2004 Madrid Train bombings are examples of the far-reaching nature of Islamic terrorists and the threat that they pose to the civilized societies of the world. Therefore, in the future this common enemy will require greater cooperation in order to identify and interdict these emergent threats and prevent the potential destabilization of establishment governments and further proliferation of extremist ideologies.
The drug trade is a contributing factor to the funding of terrorism and organized criminal organizations that threaten the fabric of society and advances the condition of failing or failed nations such as Mexico, Sierra Leone, Afghanistan, and Burma. The lure of huge profits, poor economy, and poverty combined with the unrelenting demand continue to exacerbate the problem caused by drug trafficking organizations and their facilitators. This lucrative business has threatened to
Cited: Richelson, Jeffrey T. The US Intelligence Community. Boulder: Westview Press, 2008. Baran, Z. (2008, July 10). The Roots of Violent Islamist Extremism and Efforts to Counter It. Retrieved February 15, 2010, from Hudson Institute: http://www.hudson.org/files/documents/071008Baran2.pdf Kingsbury, A. (2009, February 13). Five Top Fears (Other Than al Qaeda) of U.S. Spy Agencies. Retrieved February 14, 2010, from US News & World Report: http://www.usnews.com/articles/news/world/2009/02/13/five-top-fears-other-than-al-qaeda-of-us-spy-agencies.html Olsen, K. (2009, July 8). Massive Cyber Attack Knocked Out Government Web Sites Starting On July 4. Retrieved February 15, 2010, from The Huffington Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/07/07/massive-cyber-attack-knoc_n_227483.html Tucker, J. B. (1997, May). Asymmetric Warfare: An Emerging Threat to U.S. Security. Retrieved February 12, 2010, from Defense Strategy Review: http://www.comw.org/qdr/tucker.htm Wright, L. (2007, January 25). Who Are The Greatest Cyber Attack Threats To The United States? Retrieved February 15, 2010, from UNH Media Relations: Who Are The Greatest Cyber Attack Threats To The United States? Zeese, K. B. (2009, July 16). The Drug War and Terrorism. Retrieved February 15, 2010, from NarcoTerror.org: http://www.narcoterror.org/background.htm