Naval Postgraduate School

Making the Nation Safe in the Twenty-first Century (Defense) Naval Postgraduate School

In order to best protect the nation in the twenty-first century, the national security system must interact to its fullest capacity, developing a seamless transition between law enforcement and intelligence efforts to more effectively address the threats of today and tomorrow. In today?s threat environment, known state actors have been replaced by globalized insurgencies, many of whom believe that their enemies are the United States and other western civilizations. Rules of engagement are nonexistent as civilians are as much a target as military and government entities. Since 9/11, these shadowy enemies have continued to silently creep onto U. S. soil and lie hidden within U. S. open communities. As a result, today?s national security system must do more. It must now and forever ensure maximum and simultaneous leveraging of both its domestic law enforcement and intelligence capabilities to guarantee quick translation of covert intelligence into action; thus, creating a more agile response and ability to keep pace with today?s ever-changing threats. But arguably, restructuring the system to look different is not a complete solution. As today?s threats have evolved, so too should the security system. In order to achieve the necessary reform, it is equally important that the security system think and act differently through learning, unlearning and relearning (Toffler, year). Unquestionably, since 9/11, the threat environment, expectations, and margins of error have significantly changed for all of the national security system players and stakeholders. The safety of the nation depends, in part, on how quickly and effectively this system responds to today?s globally driven security threats with an equally proactive and reactive response.