Congress regularly commissions studies from experts in various fields to provide their perspective on a wide variety of topics

Discussion 1: Congress regularly commissions studies from experts in various fields to provide their perspective on a wide variety of topics. Before they award a contract for a formal study they seek comments from think tanks, academics, the private sector, and the general public. Predicting the future can provide a tremendous amount of latitude and both texts provide a good starting point to summarize some of these threats and challenges. The companion website for the Martin (2016) text has a good selection of Journal Articles under Chapter 15 for your use as well. As this discussion is designed to generate ideas, another good place to spur thought is editorials from reputable news sources. (Though not normally used in academic writing, editorials and newspaper articles may be appropriate in brainstorming-type writing.)

For this discussion, you will take on the role of an Ashford University professor with expertise in terrorism and homeland security. The Executive Dean for your College has asked you to provide a written summary of possible future terrorist threats and challenges to Homeland Security in the United States. The aim of the summary would be to secure funding for a more thorough formal report to the DHS, the DOD, or the DOS. You must research a minimum of two scholarly sources from the Ashford University Library and two websites related to future terrorist threats and challenges. In your summary report, present your top two terrorist threats or challenges to America that you predict in the next five to ten years. Address the ethical and legal issues that must be considered in your assessment. Conclude with your assessment of the U.S. ability to counter this potential threat or the ability to withstand the attack and effectively recover from the attack if the vulnerability or the threat from the terrorist group is left unaddressed.

Your initial post must be a minimum of 400 words in length FOR DISCUSSION 1. Support your post with examples from required materials, scholarly sources, or official government sources. Use APA formatting as outlined in the Ashford University Writing Center to cite your sources in text as well as at the end of your post.

Discussion 2: The United States tends to be on the leading edge with technology and uses it in unique ways to meet challenges that face the country. Specifically, technology has proven to be very effective in the war on terrorism but it also comes with concerns. Prior to beginning work on this discussion, read Section 14 in Capron and Mizrahi (2016) and Chapter 15 in Martin (2016). Capron and Mizrahi’s discussion on the future of terrorism and the role technology plays to keep us safe is interesting as technology can be a two-edged sword. It can be useful in law enforcement, business, and education, for example; on the other hand, technology can potentially inflict harm on society. Further, it can be used by the terrorists as much as it can be used by the government. In fact, Martin (2016) looks at this issue from the perspective of terrorists’ use of technology. He also points out that government agencies use technology very effectively for electronic surveillance.

For this discussion, examine how government agencies use technology to counter terrorism. Additionally, examine how terrorist groups use technology to project terror. Address a minimum of two of the following elements posed by Martin (2016, p. 464) for your initial post:

Evaluate the threat from abuses of new technologies. Assess how new technologies should be regulated. Determine whether it is necessary to sacrifice freedoms to protect national security and to ensure the long-term viability of civil liberty. Evaluate whether the same protocols should be used for domestic electronic surveillance and foreign surveillance. Assess the likelihood that new surveillance technologies will be used as tools of repression by authoritarian regimes in the near future. Your initial post must be a minimum of 400 words in length FOR DISCUSSION 2. Support your post with examples from required materials, scholarly sources, or official government sources. Use APA formatting as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center to cite your sources in-text as well as at the end of your post.

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