The Confusion of Homeland Security with Homeland Defense
Abstract
The tenets of official United States counterterrorist policy states the government will make no concessions or deal with terrorists, will bring them to justice for their crimes, will isolate and apply pressure to states that sponsor terrorism, and will bolster the counterterrorist capabilities of countries willing to work with the United States. Although these tenets are sound principles, their application-specifically, overseas and/or beyond the borders of the United States-constitutes homeland defense and undeniably the purview of Title 10 United States Code (USC) armed forces when it relates to defending the United States from nation states or states acting as surrogate agents for non-state actors. However, the American public's perspective of terrorism is non-Clausewitzian; they do not see it as a continuation of national policy. Therefore, the use of Title 10 forces for homeland security suggests a misunderstanding of the nature of terrorism. Terrorism within the country's borders is a criminal act and the proper responsibility of civil law enforcement.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 24, 2009
- Accession Number
- ADA500868
Entities
People
- Jerry Cusic
Organizations
- United States Army War College