Technology Functioning Under the Department of Homeland Security - Essay Example

Threats to Homeland Security Introduction It was after the 9/11 incident in 2001 that American President George Bush established the Office of Homeland Security in the White House (Bullock, Haddow and Coppola, 10). The Homeland Security Presidential Directive 3 signed in March 2002 had envisaged a system of protection as is described below: This system is intended to create a common vocabulary, context and structure for an ongoing national discussion about the nature of the threats that confront the homeland and the appropriate measures that should be taken in response. It seeks to inform and facilitate decisions appropriate to different levels of government and to private citizens at home and at work (Bullock, Haddow and Coppola, 10). And in 2002, the Homeland Security Act was passed by the US (Bullock, Haddow and Coppola, 11). The World Trade Centre bombing in 1993, the Murrah Federal Building bombing in Oklahoma in 1995, and the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Centre have been the major violent attacks that the US has faced from different terrorist outfits in its homeland (Bullock, Haddow and Coppola, 14-16). But it has been the 9/11 attack that changed the very notion of homeland security for America (Bullock, Haddow and Coppola, 26). Now it is being observed that “the threat portfolio under the area of terrorism has only expanded, thereby presenting the nation with a whole new set of hazards about which to worry” (Bullock, Haddow and Coppola, 27). The first time the term, ‘Weapons of Mass Destruction’ was used in 1950 by the US government National Security Council to refer to nuclear weapons (Kort and Nolan, 5). There is also an argument that WMD is a “former Soviet military term” (Nwanna, 1). Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD), that is, chemical weapons, biological weapons, radiological and nuclear weapons are considered as the major set of hazards to homeland security (Bullock, Haddow and Coppola, 27). Weapons of Mass Destruction are “chemical, biological or radiological weapons that can be used to create a catastrophic event”, as is defined by Kilroy (251). And it has become imperative that the homeland security system of the nation study each of these threats in great detail and with great precision that more losses of human life and property can be averted. In order to do this, the Department of Homeland Security has been from the very beginning involved in a dialogue with the realm of new scientific and technological developments (Bullock, Haddow and Coppola, 549). Chemical weapons One definition of chemical weapons says that they are “weapons consisting of toxic or otherwise harmful chemicals not specifically of biological origin” (Kilroy, 251). NATO has defined a chemical agent in a chemical weapon “as a “chemical substance which is intended for use in military operations to kill, seriously injure, or incapacitate people because of its physiological effects” (cited in Kort and Nolan, 7). From sulfur and coal used in ancient Greek warfare to gunpowder in the Middle Ages and onwards to mustard gas and chlorine gas, ranges the historical evolution of chemical weapons (Kilroy, 251-252). Chemical weapons in the modern sense started being used in the First World War and was used by Germany for the first time (Kilroy, 252). To fight a war in which chemical weapons are used, the soldiers in the field have to wear gas masks (Kilroy, 252). A recent use of chemical weapon was seen in the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s using mustard gas and nerve gas (Kilroy, 252). Another instance was a Japanese terrorist organization, Aum Shinrikyo, using sarin gas to kill innocent commuters in a subway in Tokyo (kilroy, 252). The chemical weapons, used could either of one that causes pulmonary dysfunction, one that contaminates the blood, vesicants and incapacitating agents (Kilroy, 252). The consequences of these weapons manifest as respiratory difficulties and gastrointestinal problems, which will take less than one minute to take effect and which could mostly lead to death (Kilroy, 252-253). Agent orange, a chemical agent used in Vietnam war as a chemical weapon “contains dioxin, which has been proven to cause cancer, birth defects and other long-term health problems” (Brezina, 26). The ease with which a chemical weapon can be produced and stored has made it the most notorious tool in all kinds of unethical wars including terrorism (Kilroy, 253). In 1925, the Geneva Convention and in 1992, the UN had passed a resolution banning the use of chemical weapons (Kilroy, 253). But still a few nations and many terrorist outfits have time and again violated this (Kilroy, 255). Biological weapons Biological weapons are “weapons consisting of living organisms or toxins” (Kilroy, 256). This include, bacteria, viruses and fungi…or toxins that can cause disease and death (Nwanna, 4). The first biological weapon ever used in history could be the dead bodies of persons who have died of some disease used to contaminate and infect water sources used by the enemy (Kilroy, 256). During the Second World War, many biological weapons like anthrax and ricin were developed by they were not used (Kilroy, 257). In 1990s, Iraq was found to be using bombs with anthrax, botulinum toxin and aflatoxin in them (Kilroy, 257). In 2001, “anthrax tainted letters” that came through postal system caused panic in the US (Kilroy, 257). The impacts of biological weapons will be slow to diagnose and sometimes unpredictable (Kilroy, 258). They might be manifest in the form of a disease and the cause of that disease might go unrecognized and considered as a normal disease infection. Another matter of concern regarding biological weapons is that they are inexpensive to produce and only less sophisticated technological knowhow is required to produce them than WMD like nuclear weapons (Nwanna, 4). Radiological weapons Radiological weapons are “weapons consisting of radiological material” (Kilroy, 260). These are the most destructive of all kinds of WMDs and the consequences could be long-lasting and can affect generations as was witnessed in Hiroshima and Nagasaki in the aftermath of atom bomb attack (Kilroy, 260; Kort and Nolan, 5). Nuclear plant accidents could also produce the same catastrophic effect of a radiological weapon (Kilroy, 262). The possibility of a terrorist group acquiring enough radioactive material and technology to produce a radiological weapon is considered as a major risk that is there to homeland security (Kilroy, 263). The exposure to a radiological weapon can cause different kinds of “biological damage” (Kilroy, 264). The severity of this damage will depend on the “nature of the …radiation”, dosage that again depends on time, distance and so on, and also on the “biological sensitivity of the exposed area” on the body (Kilroy, 264). The radiation damage symptoms are slow to appear in the body of the victim but nausea and vomiting will immediately be manifested after the exposure (Kilroy, 264). The Directorate of Science and Technology functioning under the Department of Homeland security has separate divisions to pursue and find technological solutions to each of the above mentioned threats (Bullock, Haddow and Coppola, 553). These include, Chemical and Biological Division, Explosives Division, etc. and it is the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) that protects the nation from weapons of mass destruction (Bullock, Haddow and Coppola, 561). And the functions of this agency are, “combat support, technology development, threat control and threat reduction” (Bullock, Haddow and Coppola, 561). Especially regarding weapons of mass destruction, the DTRA is committed to create a global situation that will prevent the spread of WMD, meet the necessities to prevent the use of WMD and also to control their impact, and “prepare for the future as WMD threats emerge and evolve” (Bullock, Haddow and Coppola, 561). When it comes to biological and chemical weapons, the DTRA has the responsibility to “draw on the …defense expertise within the DOD to increase response capabilities” (Bullock, Haddow and Coppola, 561). But apart from the above mentioned categories, there could be specific weapons used in specific situations, which would count as WMD. For example, the aero-planes used in the 9/11 incident can be considered as nothing but WMDs in that context (Rivera). Hence, the research on how to combat WMDs has to be an ongoing and evolving process. Works Cited Brezina, Corona, “Weapons of Mass Destruction: Proliferation and Control”, New York: The Rosen Publishing Group, 2005. Print. Bullock, Jane.A., Haddow, George and Coppola, Damon.P., “Introduction to Homeland Security: Principles of All-hazards Response”, Maryland Heights: Butterworth- Heinemann, 2008. Print. Kort, Michael and Nolan, Cathal.J., “Weapons of Mass Destruction”, New York: Infobase Publishing, 2010. Print. Kilroy, Richard Jr., “Threats to Homeland Security, An All-hazard Perspective”, London: John Wiley and Sons, 2008. Print. Nwanna, Gladson.I., “Weapons of Mass Destruction: What You Should Know : A Citizens Guide to Biological, Chemical, and Nuclear Agents & Weapons”, Maryland: Frontline Publishers Inc., 2004. Print. Rivera, Sheila, “Weapons of Mass Destruction”, Edina, MN: ABDO, 2003. Print. Read More