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Homeland defense is a basic function of our government, and has
been since the colonial era. Over 100 years before our Constitution
established as a fundamental responsibility of government to
"provide for the common defense," American colonial leaders
recognized the need for a homeland defense capability and
established colonial militias to fight both internal and external
threats. As the U.S. grew in economic and political power, our
homeland defense needs changed, as well. By the 20th century,
homeland defense encompassed not only defense of U.S. territory and
population, but overseas possessions, access to critical lines of
communication, natural resources, and trade. The Cold War again
qualitatively and quantitatively changed the concept of homeland
defense.
My goal was to study current definitions of terrorism and US
counterterrorism policy, identify possible shortcomings, and
propose solutions. I discovered basic problems, not only with
adequately defining terrorism, but with US government response to
one particular form of terrorism--state-sponsored international
terrorism. These problems stem from lack of a coordinated, clear
definition of state-sponsored international terrorism between US
agencies, and failure to attack the appropriate center of gravity
of state-sponsored terrorist organizations. I propose a new
definition of state-sponsored international terrorism which is more
specific and lends itself to clearer policy development;
furthermore, our counterterrorism policy should place more emphasis
on targeting the sponsoring state, rather than peripheral elements
of state-sponsored terrorist groups.
The U.S. faces a host of new threats to our vital interests,
including proliferation of cruise missiles, weapons of mass
destruction, ballistic missile technology, questions about Russia's
control of strategic nuclear forces, and an increasing tendency for
terrorists to conduct mass casualty attacks. These new threats
require a comprehensive, deterrence-oriented homeland defense
program. Lessons learned from a study of U.S. homeland defense
history will provide a basis for recommending improvements to
homeland defense policy and strategy. Homeland defense is a basic
function of our government, and has been since the colonial era.
Over 100 years before our Constitution established as a fundamental
responsibility of government to "provide for the common defense, "
American colonial leaders recognized the need for a homeland
defense capability and established colonial militias to fight both
internal and external threats. As the U.S. grew in economic and
political power, our homeland defense needs changed, as well. By
the 20th century, homeland defense encompassed not only defense of
U.S. territory and population, but overseas possessions, access to
critical lines of communication, natural resources, and trade. The
Cold War again qualitatively and quantitatively changed the concept
of homeland defense. The U.S. had to defend itself against the
Soviet Union's global hegemonic ambitions and growing nuclear
arsenal, so homeland defense required much broader measures than
ever before. This paper discusses the development of U.S. homeland
defense from the colonial era to the present and analyzes homeland
defense policy failures and successes. Analysis shows common
problems with homeland defensepolicy: failure to develop an
overarching, viable homeland defense strategy, failure to provide
appropriate military resources to meet strategic requirements, and
failure to understand and prepare for emerging threats. Analysis is
used as a basis for suggesting improvements to ho
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