National security of the United States
 | This article needs to beupdated.(March 2020) |
National security of theUnited Statesis a collective term encompassing the policies of both U.S.national defenseandforeign relations.[1]
Elements of policy[edit]
Measures taken to ensure U.S. national security include:
- Using diplomacy to rally allies and isolate threats.
- Marshalingeconomic powerto elicit cooperation.
- Maintaining effectivearmed forces.
- Implementingcivil defenseandemergency preparednesspolicies (includinganti-terrorism legislation)
- Ensuring the resilience and redundancy ofcritical infrastructure.
- Usingintelligence servicesto detect and defeat or avoid threats andespionage,and to protectclassified information.
- Taskingcounterintelligenceservices orsecret policeto protect the nation from internal threats.[2]
The Constitution[edit]
The phrase “national security” entered U.S. political discourse as early as theConstitutional Convention.TheFederalistsargued thatcivilian control of the militaryrequired a strong central government under a single constitution.Alexander Hamiltonwrote: “If a well-regulated militia be the most natural defense of a free country, it ought certainly to be under the regulation and at the disposal of that body which is constituted the guardian of the national security.”[3]
Organization[edit]
U.S. National Security organization has remained essentially stable since July 26, 1947, whenU.S. PresidentHarry S. Trumansigned theNational Security Act of 1947.Together with its 1949 amendment, this act:
- Created the National Military Establishment (NME) which became known as theDepartment of Defensewhen the act was amended in 1949.
- Formed a separateDepartment of the Air Forcefrom the existingUnited States Army Air Forces.
- Subordinated the military branches to the newSecretary of Defense.
- Established theNational Security Councilto coordinate national security policy in the Executive Branch.
- Chartered theCentral Intelligence Agency.[4]
Civil liberties[edit]
After9/11,the passage of theUSA Patriot Actprovoked debate about the alleged restriction of individual rights and freedoms for the sake of U.S. national security. The easing of warrant requirements for intelligence surveillance, under Title II of the Act, spurred theNSA warrantless surveillance controversy.[5]In August 2008, theUnited States Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court of Review (FISCR)affirmed the constitutionality ofwarrantlessnational security surveillance.[6]
Reports[edit]
In May 2015, theWhite Housereleased the reportThe National Security Implications of a Changing Climate.[7]
See also[edit]
- National security § United States
- Anti-terrorism legislation
- Computer insecurity
- Homeland security
- Nuclear deterrence
- Terrorism in the United States
References[edit]
- ^U.S. Department of Defense, Joint Chiefs of Staff, New Revised Edition, Joint Pub. 1-02, 1990.Full text onlineArchivedOctober 10, 2016, at theWayback Machine
- ^ Encyclopedia of United States National Security,2 Vol., Sage Publications (2005),ISBN0-7619-2927-4.
- ^Alexander Hamilton, The Federalist No. 29, “Concerning the Militia,” Jan. 9, 1788Full text online
- ^Amy B. Zegart,Flawed by Design: The Evolution of the CIA, JCS, and NSC,Stanford University Press (1999,ISBN0-8047-4131-X.
- ^Nola K Breglio, “Leaving FISA Behind: The Need to Return to Warrantless Surveillance,”Yale Law Journal,September 24, 2003.Full text PDF
- ^"Court Affirms Wiretapping Without Warrants,"New York Times,January 15, 2009.Full text online.
- ^White House (May 20, 2015)."The National Security Implications of a Changing Climate".whitehouse.gov– viaNational Archives.
