Security Services

National security is a phrase which first surfaced just before the US stock market crash back in 1929. However, today, do many people know what national security is and how important it is to the country?

National security is basically the use of economics, politics, diplomacy and the military in order to protect one’s nation. In the US, national security started to become a real issue in World War II. Back then, the government was concerned with foreign spies and the loss of technology which could weaken national security. Once the cold war between the Soviet Union and the US was over, the term national security had a whole new perspective. It started to surround the subject of the development of nuclear capability of both sides. US then started to become a fearing nation. People started to fear the technology that they themselves created. They feared the possibilities as well as the devastation that nuclear technology could bring.

As the years passed, the US was also confronted with a lot of other issues on national security. One of the most important events would be the 9/11 terrorist attack in 2001 on the World Trade Center. That event that happened in New York City changed the nation’s perspective on the issue of national security forever. Thousands of lives were lost and people were shocked with the weakness of the country’s national security.

After that incident, a lot of ways to strengthen the security of the nation were devised. To ensure identification, having a valid identification card for each citizen was suggested. Mass surveillance was installed in most buildings and establishments. Immediate security measures were also installed into the airports and other important infrastructures.

A new branch in the government, the Department of Homeland Security, was also formed to handle specific national security concerns. The National Security Agency or NSA also took new measures to ensure the nation’s security in relation to global security. The Patriot Act was also placed into law. Because this gave the government the rights to do everything that they can to protect national security, there are times that the rights of the individual might be overshadowed.

Because of all the measures that the government did, however, many Americans started complaining about their rights being violated. Some of the national security procedures started to become increasingly controversial. Today, more and more individuals and organizations question the validity and effects of these measures and procedures in relation to the rights of the individual.