Purpose Statement, Review, and Development - Essay Example

On the one hand, there is a prominent view that the polygraph testing needs to be more extensively employed in the national security and, on the other hand, scientific experts and security authorities are divided on the question. The proposed paper attempts to come to a logical conclusion on this hot topic of debate and scrutiny, and the findings of the study will have a decisive role on the future investigations on the question. The modern global context of amounting terrorist attacks and other nuclear threats has caused national security to be one of the major concerns of international community.

In this background, several studies on the utility of polygraph in ensuring National Security have been conducted and every new study has a vital function in determining the significance of polygraph. One may also notice that there has been no consensus on the utility of polygraphs in national security, and the topic has always been one of the most controversial questions in the national security sector. The Department of Energy (DOE) has been making attempts to set up polygraph screening for the employees and applicants as a measure to ensure security in the national nuclear weapons laboratories.

There were severe criticisms against the presumptions of DOE that the tests would identify subversives and put off potential terrorists. The sub-panel of Sandia’s Senior Scientists and Engineers who made a profound analysis on ‘Polygraphs and Security’ concluded that “there is no adequate scientific basis for this assumption. No specific polygraphic or behavioral response has been directly linked to the act of deception…” (Polygraphs and Security, 1999). It was also specified by them that the subjective factors involved in the administration and interpretation of polygraph tests point to their limitations with regard to national security.

Therefore, it is of central implication to have a precise analysis of the matters