CJ 310 4-2 Journal
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Dec 6, 2023
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4-2 Journal: DHS Leadership
Author: Keisha Williams-Ferguson
Affiliation: Southern New Hampshire University
Course: CJ-310- H7313 Intro Homeland Sec/ Counter-terrorism 22EW2
Instructor: Oakley Fungaroli
Date: November 20, 2022.
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The U.S. government needed to reorganize the agencies responsible for counterterrorism
before 9/11 because they lacked specific tactical-level intelligence and accurate receptivity of
intelligence warnings. Long enough, the country has grown into an increasingly uncertain space
with increasing terrorist threats alongside political and social unrest. September 11, 2001, attacks
hit America far beyond the physical damages and causalities they inflicted. These bloody attacks
galvanized Americans and pushed them to demand answers as to why those at the helm, the
government, the FBI, and other military and intelligence officials, did not see this coming, and
neither did they stop it. According to Edgar (2022), the failure of America’s intelligence teams
and security systems to “connect the dots” to prevent the 9/11 attacks was the worst intelligence
failure in American history. Dahl, the author of “Intelligent and Surprise Attack: Failure and
Success from Pearl Harbor to 9/11 and Beyond,” also claimed that the attacks succeeded due to
intelligence failures caused by; “a lack of specific tactical-level intelligence and warning and
poor receptivity of intelligence warning on the part of decision-makers” (Dahl, 2013). Secondly,
the team ignored warnings from prominent officials like the White House counterterrorism
advisor Richard Clarke, who, years before the 9/11 attacks, severally warned the country about
threats from Al-Qaeda. Besides, several commission reports cautioned about domestic attacks
from al Qaeda and its affiliates. These reports also warned that these attacks would increase over
the next several years
(
National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States
,
n.d.).
However, due to an absence of receptivity, policymakers and security enforcement agencies
failed to listen, assess critically, and respond based on the information and warnings they
received about domestic and internal terrorist attacks. If the American government had unveiled
these gaps in its security system and reorganized its counterterrorism agencies by implementing
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effective intelligence reforms, the 9/11 attacks would have been detected early enough and
prevented.
The secretary of homeland security oversees the DHS’s counterterrorism efforts and
manages and secures American borders that facilitate travel and trade in and out of the country.
They also administer and enforce American immigration laws, secure, and safeguard American
cyberspace, and build resilience to disasters and security breaches. Additionally, the Office of the
Secretary must coordinate with local, state, federal, private, and international partners to support
economic and national security (Homeland Security, 2021).
Since the mission of DHS is countering domestic terrorism, DHS leadership can play a
critical role in strengthening America’s counterterrorism efforts. It can achieve this by
reinforcing anti-terrorism laws, funding counterterrorism programs like military and intelligence
training, and investing in cutting-edge intelligence security systems. In conclusion, since
domestic and international terrorists are still a threat to American soil, the American government
needs to reorganize its counterterrorism efforts and invest in intelligence security systems to
ensure efficiency and effectiveness in fighting terrorism (Homeland Security, 2021).
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References
Dahl, E. J. (2013).
Intelligence and surprise attack: The failure and success from Pearl Harbor
to 9/11
. Georgetown Univ. Press.
https://books.google.co.ke/books?
id=rY2JAAAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=Intelligent+and+Surprise+Attack:
+Failure+and+Success+from+Pearl+Harbor+to+9/11+and+Beyond,
%E2%80%9D&hl=en&sa=X&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=Intelligent%20and
%20Surprise%20Attack%3A%20Failure%20and%20Success%20from%20Pearl
%20Harbor%20to%209%2F11%20and%20Beyond%2C%E2%80%9D&f=false
Edgar, T. H. (2022).
ACLU Analysis of the 9-11 Commission’s Recommendations for Intelligence
Reform
. American Civil Liberties Union.
https://www.aclu.org/other/aclu-analysis-9-11-commissions-recommendations-
intelligence-reform
Homeland Security. (2021).
Office of the Secretary
. Department of Homeland Security.
https://www.dhs.gov/office-secretary
National Commission on terrorist attacks upon the United States. (n.d.).
Great Seal of the
United States.
https://govinfo.library.unt.edu/911/report/911Report_Ch11.htm