As a matter of fact, the event of the 11th of September 2001, revealed weak points of American security system and highlighted potential threats. The threat is related not only to the wellness and wellbeing of civilians, however, to the safety of a cyber environment, which is highly related to prosperity and protection of the country in general. The events of the 11th of September were crucial for understanding that the safety system should be improved.
The government realized that the role of the private security for the homeland security should not be underestimated. However, it is worth noting that the more time had passed, the more the efforts diminished. The primary purpose of this paper is to investigate and find out the role and importance of the private sector security in homeland security.
According to the recent researches, almost ninety percent of the main infrastructures in the United States are considered to be owned by private organizations. Thus, the private sector plays an immense role in homeland security. Homeland security is a complex system. The success of it is highly dependent on fruitful cooperation between all the levels, namely federal state, local, and private. A new form of public and private collaboration is essential for the creation of the effective system of homeland security.
Long before the tragedy of 9-11, a number of experts noted that there were some potential risks, and thus, active actions from the public and private sector are needed in order to improve the situation. The necessity for the private and public sector to unite is evident. Although such actions were taken in 1990ies the objective was not accomplished because there were no significant threats to the governmental and homeland security (Ramsay and Logan 45).
Private resources are commonly used for the purposes of the state, especially in relation to war and weapon. However, nowadays, the term ‘privatization of security’ is broadly used. The development of the private sector provides a significant advantage as it destroys monopoly. In terms of national security, it is beneficial as well. The process of privatization of military functions for providing security is considered to be irreversible. The number of conflicts, wars, and terroristic threats will have a strong impact on the military service. Moreover, there is a tendency to the reduction of the armed forces in the modern world (Lee 33).
Private sector develops a number of military campaigns. However, the improvement in this sphere is not always beneficial, for example, in case such organizations are used against civilians or public interests. Thus, it is significantly important for the private sector to be controlled by the government and international unions. People who make up military organizations created by the state are usually strong and powerful. The main strategies adopted by private organizations in terms of national security are considered to be the following ones, namely:
- Creation and fostering communication between public and private organizations;
- Fruitful cooperation;
- Competitiveness;
- Orientation for the people’s security (Bullock, Haddow, and Coppola 32).
In conclusion, it should be pointed out that private sector plays an important role in complementing homeland security structure; however, one should keep in mind that this power is multifaceted and should be strictly controlled by the state. Such organizations can be beneficial for providing national security; however, it can be used against civilians as well.
It should be noted that private office buildings and houses of worship are considered to be the places where people can feel secured and protected. These rights are guaranteed by the Bill of Rights. Although the question of state security gains momentum, it is worth pointing out that there are some on-going debates related to the facilitation of enhanced protection for stated above places. A number of experts are sure that the improvement of security measures in such places would violate human’s rights. Nevertheless, it is the responsibility of The United States Department of Homeland Security to improve the level of protection of public places.
There are two fundamental potentially dangerous types of place. They are the following ones:
- Places that have important strategic meaning for the region, state, or country in general. The examples of such places are the following, namely military location. Governmental structures, plants, factories;
- Places with many people, for example, big malls, subways, stadiums, markets (Martin 102).
It is of paramount importance to note that terroristic acts occur on the territory with a number of individuals because the main objective of terrorists is to deter citizens. The attempts to perform terroristic acts on the places with important strategic meaning usually fail to succeed because the level of security and protection of such locations is immense. One of the most suitable examples of the terroristic activities is the tragedy of September 11 (Boukalas 54).
The first plane reached the mall, and a number of people died, however, the attempt to attack Pentagon failed to succeed. Thus, there is no need to center attention for the security of the objects that are well protected. Pentagon, military locations, and governmental sites are not the most popular places for terroristic action. Terrorists attack civilians. This conclusion can be drawn even from recent events, for example, terroristic actions in Nice and Istanbul. Terroristic attempts occur in public places, in subways, stadiums, malls, markets, and airports (Reuter and Majmundar 97). The private sector should focus on the places that are the most typical for terroristic acts.
As a matter of fact, there is no need to improve security and protection of the places that are highly protected now. First and foremost, public places should be secured. Protection of public places cannot be discussed as something that violates human rights, because every person has a right to live, and does the violation of some rights matter in the case, the government fails to perform the fundamental function, namely securing citizens?
In conclusion, it is worth pointing out that modern realities prove that terroristic actions can be prevented in case of a timely reaction. Professionals, analyzing the situation and people’s behavior, can notice the signs of the potential threat. Thus, taking into consideration the above stated information, offices, residential buildings, as well as houses of worships, should be protected and receive the highest priority and concern.
Works Cited
Bullock, Jane, George Haddow, and Damon Coppola. Introduction to Homeland Security: Principles of All-hazards Risk Management. Waltham: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2013. Print.
Lee, Elsa. Homeland Security and Private Sector Business: Corporations’ Role in Critical Infrastructure Protection, Second Edition. Boca Raton: CRC, 2015. Print.
Ramsay, James, and Keith Logan. Introduction to Homeland Security. Boulder: Westview, 2012. Print.