Roles of the Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Essay

While the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is one, centralized agency, securing the homeland involves the cooperation and collaboration of many, different agencies and organizations ranging from local law enforcement to national agencies such as the NSA, CIA, and FBI. Each of these agencies contributes to the development of homeland security intelligence. By carefully analyzing and commenting on the objectives, tasks, strengths, weaknesses, and roles of each agency, a larger picture emerges regarding the capabilities and limitation of intelligence in supporting homeland security efforts.

All under the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In the Domestic Terrorism Program the FBI is the lead federal enforcement agency. Watching over the fight against terrorism in the United States. The Terrorism Program investigates any threats involving atomic energy, weapons of mass destruction, sabotage, hostage-taking and civil unrest. The FBI has a National Foreign Intelligence which overseas the U.S. Intelligence Community. Its task is preventing foreign espionage, and espionage on the U.S. economy. Investigating counterintelligence cases within the United States borders.

Intelligence and Warning is Border and Transportation Security is responsible for protecting America's borders, territorial waters, and transportation systems by centralizing information-sharing and databases that track and monitor all aspects of border control and America's transportation systems. Domestic Counterterrorism covers a wide variety of activities, ranging from National Security Agency monitoring of telephone conversations to local police monitoring of persons of interest. Protecting Critical Infrastructure and Key Assets identifies a clear set of national goals and objectives and outlines the guiding principles that will underpin our efforts to secure the infrastructures and assets vital to our national security, governance, public health and safety, economy, and public confidence. Defending against Catastrophic Threats reduces vulnerability of the United States to terrorism. Emergency Preparedness and Response will create one emergency response plan to be used at all levels of government and will ensure that first-responders, from the federal government level down to local levels, receive proper training and equipment.

The position of Director of National Intelligence (DNI) was created under the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 (IRTPA). The position of DNI replaced the Director of the Central Intelligence (DCI) as the senior intelligence official, head of the intelligence community’s 16 agencies, and principal intelligence advisor to the President of the United States (POTUS) and the National Security Council (NSC). The IRTPA of 2004, also established the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) as an independent agency to assist the DNI. The ODNI 's goal is to effectively integrate foreign, military and domestic intelligence in defense of the homeland and of United States interests abroad.

One key act was the Patriot Act that gave national security investigators provisions to track leads and dismantle plots before they occur. The Patriot act relaxed restrictions of information sharing between enforcement and intelligence officers, roving wiretaps, subpoena power for e-mail records, and other provisions set forth by this Act. The improved cooperation between the federal, state, and local authorities forming Joint Terrorism Task Forces (JTTF), where communication is the key from the lowest level to the highest level to get suspects off the street. Terrorist travel has been really watched with the security at the airport or even on the plane has been upgraded with more air marshals and the multiple security checks at the

has aided the NSA and FBI in identifying and intercepting terrorist plots in the past. Following

Perhaps the most important change in how the federal government was reorganized after September 11th is the creation of both the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) position and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) in 2004 with the passage of the same IRTPA that created TSA. This concept had been first suggested in 1955 after a study by Congress then and was recommended time and again but only became a reality after the September 11th attacks drove the need for major intelligence reform home and the 9/11 Commission continued the push for the creation of such a position (ODNI, n.d., paras. 1-5). As one can see from the mission and vision of the ODNI, the importance cannot be overstated. The mission includes leading intelligence integration while having the IC produce the most insightful intelligence products possible and the vision is fully integrating the IC thus making the nation more secure (ODNI, n.d., paras. 1-2).

Terrorism has become a serious issue since the 9/11 attacks. Local, state, and federal law enforcement has been working with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Counterterrorism efforts are in full effect and have priority. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has the responsibility of trying to predict and prevent terrorism attacks. For the FBI to be able to do this they collect, analyze, and share information with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)

Homeland and counter-terrorism programs outlines the policies needed to improve U.S. and global security in the 21st century. The policies analyze how the U.S. and foreign allies will work together toward goals by combating terrorism and their organizations. According to Joint Publication 3-26 (2014), joining with other key partners and allies to develop strategies and theater campaigns plans, helps protect U.S. interest in a common security agenda. This approach not only strengthens the U.S. but it also expands the international multilateral counter-terrorism agenda. For instance, U.S. policies heighten conversation on homeland security and counter-terrorism because it aims to serve globally and nationally. After the twin towns were attack, the department of Homeland Security created a policy called Homeland Security ACT 2002. This act covers multiple areas that needed improvement but it also gave an understand what is expected for security and the future of the country going forward. Science & technology, immigration, emergency response, and bioterrorism, are some of the policies that were created under the Homeland

Department of Justice has four agencies that have major functions within them that hold great responsibility. These four agencies consist of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and the United States Marshals Service (USMS). There are three major roles that the FBI has. The first role is to use counterterrorism, which neutralize any terroristic acts and dismantling any terroristic networking systems. Secondly, there is counterintelligence that prevents any investigations on intelligence activities that occur on U.S soil. Lastly, there is foreign espionage which is spying on the government especially in regards to military, and economics (Peak, 2014 p.265). The FBI analyzes

The Patriot Act comprises of communication tools against terrorism such as information sharing across law enforcement agencies in the United States, and new investigative tools used to find and prevent terrorism. These tools provided in this act aid to national security by finding, and terminating terrorists and terrorism conspiracies. Information sharing between Federal agencies, and state and local agencies allows state and local law enforcement to understand what terrorism entails and how to prevent and look for terrorism acts in their communities. In the same sense intelligence officers can discuss anti-terrorism efforts with federal law enforcement. They can now improve the way they coordinate how to prevent terrorism and how to appropriately stop a known plot.

The task force seeks to examine strategies used to combat the funding of terrorism, including the “Special Recommendations” put in place by the Financial Action Task Force.

As a direct consequence of September 11, a number of substantial challenges lie ahead in the area of counter-terrorism..   The most prominent of these is the changing nature of the terrorism phenomenon.  In past years, when terrorism was largely the product of direct state sponsorship, policymakers were able to diminish prospects for the United States becoming a target using a combination of diplomatic and military instruments to deter potential state sponsors.  Today, however, many terrorist organizations and individuals act independently from former and present state sponsors, shifting to other sources of support, including the development of transnational networks.

In order more effectively combat terrorist financing, governmental entities, individual donors, and charities themselves must work together, do their due diligence when associating or donating to a particular charity, and conduct risk assessments to determine susceptibility to terrorist influence. The following are recommendations for (1) governmental entities, (2) individual donors, and (3) charities to adopt in order to more effectively combat the financing of terrorist organizations.

In training diplomacy, the aim is to train and equip foreign states to fight terrorists within and around their borders. Through these trainings, many states have established effective communication systems and have improved their border-monitoring abilities (Peterson, 2012). In regard to the finance control diplomacy, the U.S. has established a program to help other nations to interrupt and control the flow of funds going to support terrorists operations and to reinforce the financial and