Intra- and Interagency Strategic Collaboration and Cooperation - Report Example

Intra and interagency strategic collaboration and cooperation Intra and interagency strategic collaboration and cooperation Introduction Over the years, global security has become more complicated and the created the need for an integrated and collaborative approach to manage and pacify its influence. As opposed to the internal threats that countries were faced with in the early 20th century, today, nations face similar and more challenging security problems that are caused by international terror groups with global networks and roots. The elimination and control of such groups can only be achieved through the adoption of an integrated approach that involves the participation of all the countries involved through a collaborative and cooperative manner1. Consequentially, countries must develop strategies to enhance their cooperation with other neighbouring countries through their agencies and crime prevention and fighting units to control the growing security concern. For example, cyber security is an international challenge that cannot be fought from one end and thus requires the input of different agencies and countries in order to eliminate the activities of such groups. Terrorism today is more global, organized, heavily financed and possess strong and deadly weapons as compared to some years ago. Such new developments makes countries unable to independently fight and eliminate threats brought about by such terror groups, increasing the need for the development of intra and inter-agency collaboration and cooperation2. In this paper, the approaches that countries and their security agencies can adopt to enhance cooperation with other countries and foreign agents will be discussed. This discussion will provide the strategic approaches that have been adopted by international security collaborations such as the NATO among other collaborative organizations in the world. Security partnership in the 21st century Inter and intra-agency collaboration and partnership in the 21st century has taken route through the creation of different international units such as NATO, IGAD among other security based collaborative bodies. According to NATO for example, the security of euro-Atlantic region can only be enhanced through the development of inter and intra-agency collaboration and the development of strong and wide partnership with countries and organization across the globe. Its effort to curb the growing insecurity across the globe has seen it enter into partnership with countries that were traditionally non-members of the block as a way of eliminating the growing international threats3. Apart from countries and governmental security agencies, international collaboration and cooperation can also be achieved through the integration of international organisations such as the united nation and regional blocs such as the European Union among others. Such moves have been associated with the successful operations of NATO as it has increased its international surveillance and presence in different parts of the globe through collaboration and cooperation4. The United States recently adopted an intra-agency collaboration approach to improve its sea power and influence as a war of preventing any sea based criminal activities in the region and to enhance the power of its neighbours and allies. The country recognizes that the peace and stability of the nation can only be realized through the development of a more dynamic and collaborative approach that not only strengthens the powers of the agencies but also enhances the collaborative abilities with other foreign agencies. Efforts to combat weapons of mass destruction also require the adoption of an interagency approach that relies on the strategic strength of the United States and the willingness of the neighbours to participate in the elimination of security threats faced5. During the era of the cold war, the United States had the ability to strategically deter the development of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction by countries hostile to her. However, changes in the environment today have created a situation where the simplistic approach that the country adopted in the 70s and 80s to combat the development of weapons of mass destruction ineffective. This calls for the adoption of more involving and internationally recognized strategies that relies on both domestic and international agencies through a well-crafted collaborative approach6. Combating weapons of mass destruction today must be able to leverage the elements of national power of the countries that are engaged in such activities which threatens the security of the global community7. Efforts to curb such actions must be based on financial, diplomatic, economic and military approaches relying on intelligence from both domestic and international agencies in order to improve the efficiency and success. The fight against weapons of mass destruction as was used during the era of president George Bush lacked comprehensiveness and integrative planning through the engagement and involvement of other global communities8. However, the entry of countries such as Iran, South Korea and Syria whose activities continue to affect the international security of not only the neighbouring countries but other WE and UK interests in the regions. Interagency coordination is one of the effective approaches that can be adopted but synchronization must first be adopted to eliminate overlap of responsibilities and communication breakdown. As was noted by David Walker of the national academy of public administration, the success of international collaboration strategies can only be witnessed if cohesion among the domestic agencies is achieved through well-structured collaboration and cooperation. Federal programs must be designed in integrative manner to include the traditional roles of other agencies in the country and develop frameworks for collaboration with other international organisations and agencies9. 21st century security challenges Before looking into the strategies for inter and intra agency collaboration, the security threats that continue to face the global community in this century will be discussed. It is the security challenges of today that has forced the world into adopting a collaborative approach in order to eliminate and pacify the activities of the criminal groups. Since the beginning of the millennium, the world economies have continued to be connected through trade and other forms of commercial partnerships. Most commodities involved in the global business are transferred through sea and exchanges done through the ports of different countries. For example, oil is considered as the prime global commodity that is heavily traded and transported through the sea from the sellers to the buyers. The continued expansion of the global systems has increased the global economies and increased the demand of the common commodities, a positive development that has the potential to create conflict and criminal activities. For example, the increased demand for the scarce and rare commodities that are traded through the sea has led to the emergence of Islamic pirate groups in the Indian Ocean whose poor economic status back at home motivates their participation in criminal activities. Collaboration between different agencies across the globe has led to the neutralization of the growing threats of such groups within the Indian Ocean which has affected the smooth flow of goods10. Apart from sea commercial security challenges, the growing cases of cyber security have continued to affect the operations and integrity of information passed by different government agencies. The continued spread of cybercrime and cyber wars have affected the economic growth of different countries across the globe and this has demonstrated the need for developing inter and interagency approach to the problem. Domestic cyber defence may not be effective in eliminating such threats due to the costs and personnel required to ensure that such a move is successful. However, the global collaboration and cooperation with a view of eliminating this challenge has been affected with a number of legal issues and any strategic approach adopted must remain alert to such challenges. For example, countries have adopted different approaches in the fight against cybercrime and security and this has even been witnessed among countries belonging to the same economic and regional blocs. As such, the development of a common approach has been relatively affected by the lack of coherence in the mitigation approaches. Policy and implementation incoherence has also been cited as the main challenge to the adoption of an international collaborative approach for the elimination of cyber security threats in the globe11. Apart from cyber and marine security, the development of inter and interagency collaboration has been increased as a result of the emerging terror threats. Insurgent groups have continued to emerge from different parts of the world but with international operations that cannot be adequately pacified and eliminated through the efforts of one agency or country. These calls for the development of a concerted effort that seeks to incorporate the input of different countries and their agencies to eliminate terror threats and the development of weapons of mass destruction. Strategic approaches in the enhancement of inter and intra-agency collaboration and cooperation The changing dynamics in the international security environment demands for the adoption of a more engaging and collaborative security approach. Previously, countries and regional blocs adopted independent approaches to counter the security challenges facing them but this has continued to gain ineffectiveness due to the emerging international security threats12. As a result, strategic approaches must be developed that involves the inclusion of inter and intra agency collaborative and cooperation options as will be discussed in this section of the paper. The United States military through the secretary of defence has adopted the integral collaborative teams, an approach that seeks to engage the services of members of the private sector with the soldiers who are in the field. In this interagency collaborative approach, the social, political and cultural security landscape of the United States will be comprehensively covered through the development of predictive and anticipatory strategies to counter security threats13. To eliminate strains on the security investment within the global operations, the United States defence must differentiate between the investment that are of essence today and those that can be deferred to a future date. This will increase the efficiency of the department and eliminate any strains on the resources which may impact negatively on the success of the department at any given time. Though international collaboration and the development of a global force remain our key goal, we must be able to differentiate these investments based on their priority and the availability of resources14. The government of Australia has developed independent agencies and strengthened their ability to counter the emerging security and terror threats in the country. However, the country has appreciated that independent approaches cannot be enough in pacifying the emerging security and terror threats in the region and this explains their international strategic collaboration and cooperation. The country has adopted a number of bilateral interagency collaborative frameworks with the members of the region and with other superior countries in the region. For example, the government of Australia has partnered with security agencies from Philippines, malaria, Pakistan and east Timor as a way of monitoring the activities of the terror groups in the region. Through this interagency collaboration, members acts in the best interest of their neighbours and share information about different terrorism activities within the region that may affect the peaceful coexistence in Australia15. The interagency collaboration has also been critical in the development of counter terrorism approaches and strategic preparedness in the face of the emerging threats. Apart from the bilateral agency collaboration, Australia has also adopted a multilateral and regional collaborative approach that has seen a number of organisations and security bodies participate in the monitoring and countering of terrorist’s activities in the region. One dominant body that has assisted Australia in the fight against terrorism and the efforts to improve the security of its borders is the United Nations. Through its agencies, the United Nations has enhanced international collaboration and cooperation with Australia this has reduced the number of terrorism incidences in the country. Other international organisations and agencies that have remained at the core of security agency collaboration with Australia are the south East Asian nations and the ASEAN regional forum (ARF). The two have worked closely with each other to enhance the process of international surveillance and information sharing between members countries thus eliminating the dominant security threats in the region. Apart from the two bodies, Australia’s effort to eliminate terror threat has also been supported with the collaborative approach with the global counter-terrorism forum and the global initiative to combat nuclear terrorism, organisations that have massive resources and influence in the fight against terrorism in different parts of the globe including Asian and America16. Apart from terrorism, cyber security is the second front where intra and interagency collaboration has been engaged in order to secure the integrity of government and commercial data. According to the policy paper published by the white house, cyberspace is part of the country’s security and commercial operations and must thus be protected through both domestic and international approaches. Different international strategic approaches have been developed to secure the world cyberspace from criminal activities and this has been successful due to the concerted efforts of different agencies17. International cyber security collaboration and cooperation has been influenced by the need to build on the success of different countries through the adoption of well protected cyberspaces18. This can only be achieved if individual, commercial and government security networks are improved to enhance productivity and prosperity. Increase in espionage activities and cyber war continues to negate the gains made by the country in fighting insecurity and terrorism in the country. Criminals have developed systems that have eluded the detection of the security system of the country and continue to export vital economic and intelligence information to criminals and terrorism networks in the country19. The process of combating cybercrime is however faced with massive challenges due to the deniability that these kind of criminal activities continue to impact. The development of online sites such as Wikileaks continue to steal government information and security approaches and sell to the criminal organizations in different parts of the world, further affecting the integrity of the country’s security approach20. As a country that has continued to play a global role in security and international stability, the United States is faced with the need to develop security management strategies in line with the threats. According to the national security strategy, the process of managing insecurity in the country and other parts of the globe must be coordinated and accomplished with the corporation of other partner countries and allies in different parts of the globe. Historically, the country has always adopted strategies that have enabled her to emerge the winner in the face of adversity and challenges from different quarters21. Conclusion When the world was faced with the economic transformational forces during the industrial revolution, the country reshaped its strategies and emerged an economic powerhouse. The same approach was adopted when fascism and the negative whims of communism threatened to weaken the international peace and stability. Following in the same trend and approach, the current security challenges facing the united states must be approaches through the use of strategic measures that cannot be retarded by the dynamism of today’s society. Bibliography Barrett, Raymond D. 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