THE U.S. SECURITY ENTERPRISE

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The U.S. national security enterprise has undergone significant transformations to improve its effectiveness and reliability. The challenges of the 21st century have made it impossible for the enterprise to achieve its goals effectively. The security enterprise is made up of 16 major agencies that work independently from each other. Together, the sixteen agencies form the Intelligence Community (IC). The state of the U.S. national security has been the subject of debate in the recent past. It is argued that while the IC has been able to avert many terrorist attacks, failures still characterize many of its operations .
This paper will seek to explore the strengths and weaknesses of the country’s security agencies. Recent terrorist attacks in America have shown how the national security enterprise has failed to control terrorism on U.S. soil. According to congressional budget report, it is stated that the Intelligence Community spends 60 percent of its resources in fighting terrorism. It is also estimated that three out of four intelligence officers as deployed in counter terrorism activities.
The paper will analyze the pros and cons of this approach by looking at the recent achievements and failures of both the FBI and the CIA. Although the U.S. security agencies have been able to build a strong intelligence-gathering colossus, the inability to provide critical information when it matters has overshadowed its strengths.
The growth of terrorism has significantly exposed the major strengths and failures of the national security enterprise. The effectiveness of the concerned agencies is now measured on their ability to stop terrorist attacks before they happen . In this paper, focus will be put on the strengths and weaknesses that are specific to the U.S. national security enterprise. Intelligence communities across the globe share similar strengths and weaknesses, but there are strengths that are specific to the American organizations. These strengths will be discussed in the rest of the paper.
Organization
Organization and leadership are fundamental requirements in national security. Leadership of security organs is a structural oddity that cannot be ignored. The U.S. national security community is headed by a DCI (director of counter intelligence) who is considered as first among equals . This form of structure emphasizes on the autonomy of the different agencies under the umbrella body. One of the strengths of this type of organization is that it eliminates competition among agencies.
The DCI is viewed more as a leader than a person with true executive authority. His role is mainly to coordinate and to report to the president. His relationship with the heads of the sister agencies like CIA, Counterintelligence Office, FBI, Military Intelligence, and The Office of Reconnaissance is more of a colleague than a boss. Because of this arrangement, the primary tool the DCI uses is persuasion. Persuasion allows the DCI to gain trust from the heads of different agencies. It has to be noted that security matters are well tackled when there is mutual trust between the agencies.
The effectiveness of any security body relies heavily on the relationship between the director and the heads of other agencies . At stake are the issues of control of resources, personnel, and facilities. There are also issues of procedure that have negatively affected many security agencies across the world. The U.S. national security enterprise draws strength from its able organization that allows priorities to be determined by the component agencies. The CIA handles all matters that involve foreign intelligence. The FBI and the DEA handle law enforcement with the United States . Cooperation among the different agencies has led to significant successes in the past. This form of organization and leadership increases team spirit among the security agencies thereby making the flow of information much easier.
The intelligence efforts begin with a mission and vision. Without a mission, the state and local security agencies are bound to fail. The national security enterprise is held together by the general vision. Vision allows agencies to carry out an audit of their activities. Achievements are pegged on their vision and mission. Areas that seem not to produce tangible results that are in line with the vision of the organization are dropped. The agencies then concentrate on specific issues that contribute to the realization of the organizations’ vision. This has greatly improved the effectiveness of security agencies in the country.
Congressional Oversight
Although views are divided on the role of the congress and the public in strengthening the national security agencies, facts have shown that the latter has been strengthened from this arrangement. The United States is one of the few countries whose intelligence bodies are accountable to civilian bodies. The incorporation of congress in the security community can be considered as strength because of its role as a mediator. The congress has played a significant role in strengthening ties between the different agencies under the national security community .
A good example is the congress’ ability to reform the relationship between the director of the CIA and the Military Intelligence. The two bodies had been embroiled in bitter exchanges after several CIA operatives had been exposed across the world. The congress also demands accountability from the different agencies thereby increasing their effectiveness in intelligence collection and response.
Personnel and Training
These are the foundation of any intelligence activity. The United States has one of the most effective recruitment and training procedures in the world of intelligence gathering. Personnel are handpicked and vetted before being enlisted into the agencies. Aptitude tests are done to test the willingness of the recruits to work in intelligence and counterterrorism. As a result, the agencies boast of the most dedicated officers across the globe.
The organizations have made it easy to identify and reassign individuals who are viewed as lacking in the area of intelligence collection. In this approach lies the strength of being able to rid the agency off potential moles. There is also a clear model of succession in the structures of the Intelligence Community. The United States has a unique succession structure in the security agencies. This is different from many countries where heads of different agencies are hand picked by political leaders. The elaborate succession structure is based on experience and achievements. This has increased confidence among the junior officers who look up to their directors as mentors. The role of cultural diversity in intelligence gathering cannot be underestimated.
Unlike other security enterprises that are made up of individuals of same cultural background, the U.S. enterprise is a multicultural entity . Cultural diversity in the security enterprises has made intelligence collection activities easier. The U.S. has one of the most culturally diverse intelligence communities in the world. This has greatly improved intelligence collection . Cultural diversity is a major asset when dealing with multicultural societies. Counterterrorism is one area in which cultural diversity has been exploited to the advantage of the security agencies. Many terrorist attacks have been foiled by Arab speaking intelligence officers in the United States.
Superior Technology
The CIA and the NSA have invested heavily in technology. Currently, the two entities spend at least 4.7 billion U.S. dollars on what they refer to as ‘‘offensive cyber operations’’. Offensive cyber operations refer to operations that are aimed at hacking into enemy computers and accessing vital information. The sabotage of the enemy systems is also part of the offensive cyber operations. Through these operations, the NSA has been able to gather sensitive information about imminent attacks.
The drone technology is one of the biggest technological developments of the CIA. Currently, only the United States boasts of such technology that was developed and engineered by the CIA. The impact of drone technology has been significant in the way the war against terrorism is being conducted. Through this technology, the CIA has been able to hit enemy positions from the control offices in the United States . The FBI has constructed a sophisticated surveillance system that is capable of performing near instantaneous wiretaps across all platforms.
The Digital System collection network is one of the main strengths of the FBI. The system is intricately interwoven in telecommunications and has no boundaries. The introduction of the DC 5000 system (also referred to as the red hook) has strengthened the position of FBI as a security agency. The system has the ability of detecting signal communications without being traced; it was specifically developed to tackle terrorists and enemy spies.
The national security agencies have also reported a number of failures in their line of operations. These failures have been attributed to weaknesses in the system. Analysts have stated that the weakness in the security machinery has been exploited by enemy agencies to gain access into the organizations. Historical evidence has shown major breakdowns in security operations in the past . This situation has significantly improved, but it remains a major concern on the strength of the agencies involved. Information leaks have been the biggest weakness of the security agencies, and rogue agents have become a common occurrence. The Snowden case remains to be the biggest setback of security agencies in 2013. The leaking of classified information has significantly exposed all the security operations in the United States.
The country’s security arms have embarked on damage repair activities that are taking up the time to be spent on sensitive security issues. Slowed information flow among respective agencies is also a major weakness of the security enterprise . The Boston terrorist attack happened because of slow flow of information between agencies. Security analysts concur that the attack would have been prevented if a single security agency was to take up the matter. As a result of the need for clearance of vital information, the agencies were slow in responding to the warning signs of an imminent attack . According to the FBI director, the agency is working hard to address these weaknesses in order to prevent future attacks.
In conclusion, one can agree that the U.S. security machinery is faced with few but significant challenges that also double up as weaknesses. There is an urgent need to address these weaknesses if the security of the nation is to be assured.

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