Funding for all intelligence and related activities within all Department of Homeland Security components should be transferred to the National Intelligence Program, under the financial management control of the Director of National Intelligence. The current situation in the country requires an increase in intelligence spending on defense and national security, as well as a clear focus on threats from a number of countries.
The budget should cover a wide range of spending areas, including spy satellites, cyber weapons, and developing a network of foreign spies and informants (Sauter & Carafano, 2019). Despite the fact that the transfer of funds should remain secret, it is possible to disclose some details of the change in costs and explain them by an increase in costs due to a shift in focus from the fight against terrorism to espionage and the fight against cyber threats from other states. A similar reallocation of the budget will be made, taking into account new national security and national intelligence strategies.
Countering the potential available to certain countries is a complex process, and shifting the focus of the information agencies to the competition of countries requires more resources. It is important that such a decision be approved by Congress. In accordance with the new responsibility, the Director of National Intelligence will be able to balance the costs so that all critical areas are covered (Lowenthal, 2019).
The new funding program will sponsor U.S. intelligence community projects and activities to gather the information necessary to ensure America’s national security. It is important that additional injections will give impetus to programs of intelligence, counterintelligence, and monitoring of the activities of foreign countries at the state level. Thus, a series of programs implemented by agencies that are not formally part of structures that directly ensure America’s military security will be included in the national intelligence program.
In addition to the arguments listed above, it should be noted that the United States needs to reassess the capabilities of several countries in the field of space warfare. The increased ability of some countries to interfere with satellites or the possibility of their destruction poses a real threat to the United States, so additional expenditures are inevitable. Countries with greater military potential can consider space as a sphere of the country’s military and economic vulnerability (Sauter & Carafano, 2019). Some countries already have cyber, electromagnetic, and orbital weapons capable of hitting US space objects, which makes the country vulnerable. Against the background of these fears, the National Intelligence Program will require intensive financial injections since they will help maintain US national security in space.
Thus, it can be concluded that the transfer of funds is necessary due to the fact that US opponents are looking for ways to inflict catastrophic damage to the country’s security, primarily through the use of various forms of weapons. They resort to modern technological solutions that pose threats in outer and cybernetic space. The country’s security challenges are becoming increasingly apparent, which requires immediate additional funding infusions. New types of anti-satellite weapons can reduce the level of American military superiority. The transfer of funding to the National Intelligence Program will enhance resilience to cyber threats and increase the volume of information obtained. Moreover, the United States will be able to expand its ability to curb malicious activity from other countries.
It is not recommended to transfer The National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) to the Department of Homeland Security due to a number of reasons. Firstly, it does not belong to the military component of the US intelligence community and has functions that are different from those performed by the Department of Homeland Security. Its main task is to supervise the activities of United States government representatives in the fight against international terrorism and extremist activity, both domestically and abroad (Meese, Nielsen, & Sondheimer, 2018). Secondly, it combines their capabilities in the interests of ensuring the unity of efforts in the fight against international terrorism.
Thirdly, the center carries out informational and analytical work and collects data from various sources. The organization collects any information regarding international terrorism as well as counter-terrorism. Its task is the early recognition of terrorist threats and the transfer of this information to the appropriate authorities. Also, the center is engaged in strategic planning of operations aimed at protecting the population.
In its turn, the Department of National Security has specific tasks in the field of enhancing cybersecurity and infrastructure security. At present, this structure is the main body dedicated to ensuring the protection of government networks and critical infrastructure from cyber threats. These functions are related to what the former institution is doing; however, their activities do not overlap in all aspects. The Department of Homeland Security is responsible for the proper positioning of forces to protect US infrastructure from digital and physical threats (Meese et al., 2018).
One of the main goals that this organization aims to achieve is a complete reorganization so that the maximum focus is made on cyberspace. Cyber threats from other powerful states that are constantly growing testify to the need to the activities of this structure to be specialized. In addition to this task, the Department of National Security is responsible for the prevention and elimination of the consequences of cyber-attacks on critical facilities of the Armed Forces.
It is worth noting that a specially trained group is constantly working as part of the National Counterterrorism Center, and it monitors the situation in the most dangerous regions of the planet. Consequently, it constantly updates databases on international terrorists and terrorist organizations and ensures the safety of this information. From this point of view, close cooperation between the center and the Department of National Security is necessary so that the data are provided immediately when needed. Nevertheless, collaboration with departments is not a reason for the transition.
The center also actively collaborates with national intelligence to address issues such as harnessing the capabilities of the US intelligence community to counter terrorism (Oliver, Marion, & Hill, 2019). This is achieved by establishing communication and prioritizing data mining. The activities of the National Counterterrorism Center are based on the study, analysis, and assessment of terrorist threats to US national security, and forecasting their implementation in the long term.
Consequently, the transition of the center under the direction of the Department of National Security is not recommended. The first structure is engaged in the management of operational planning, and its task is the strategic outlining of the subsequent actions. The center collects, summarizes, analyzes, and evaluates data and provides intelligence information to other power systems. The Department of Homeland Security has other tasks that overlap with the activities of the center, but it has different goals essentially.
References
Lowenthal, M. M. (2019). Intelligence: From secrets to policy (8th ed.). Washington, DC: CQ Press.
Meese, M. J., Nielsen, S. C., & Sondheimer, R. M. (2018). American national security (7th ed.). Baltimore, MD: JHU Press.
Oliver, W. M., Marion, N. E., & Hill, J. B. (2019). Introduction to homeland security: Policy, organization, and administration (2nd. ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Sauter, M., & Carafano, J. J. (2019). Homeland security: A complete guide (3rd ed.). New York, NY: McGraw Hill Professional.