Opening Statement
Global security has been a thorny issue since the cold war era. However the notion of global security has over the years changed. Terrorism attacks in various nations like the 9/11 in the United States created a shift to a new security paradigm. Policy entrepreneurs have used the increasing complexity in the description of security to articulate for the secularization of policy areas that were not initially thought to be vulnerable entry points to of terrorists into states. For example, since 9/11 the department of immigration in the United States has been highly securitized. In fact, the department of immigration converted all its apparatus to meet the new security demands of the new security paradigm (Sweet 35).
Use the Customs Service to enhance security.
One of the major shifts that were witnessed was the shift of immigration responsibilities from the department of civil defense to the creation of the Department of Homeland Security (DHL). The department of homeland security has taken an active role in ensuring that terrorists are prevented from gaining access to the United States. One of the key areas where the department of Homeland security has focused on has been airports. This paper looks at how airport security is structured today to meet the complex security needs in the country.
• Aviation security could be significantly enhanced by other agencies help
First of all, it is worth noting that the problem of insecurity is not only confined to the United States but is a problem that is shared by other nations. Therefore, the promotion of global security is not the responsibility of only the United States, as a hegemon. Instead, global security is a collective affair among nations. In light of the collective characteristic of global, security airports around the world share information (Price and Forrest 28). This means that security personnel in different airports communicate over different security threats within different locations. This means that in an incidence whereby a given individual is able to go unnoticed, other airports have the capacity to conduct a search on the same person who they believe to be a security threat. The collective structure, among nation, with regards to airport security is also attributed to the fact that globalization has allowed different countries to invest in other countries. This means that citizen from different countries use various airports around the world. It is therefore necessarily for all states cooperate if they are to protect their foreign investments abroad, as well as their highly mobile citizenries.
Employees, Security Professionals and Guard Posts
Second, at a micro-level is structured in such a way that all security personnel share information across a given airport. This means that if a person of security concern is identified, quick protocol is taken across departments. Considering the high specialization of different departments in the airport, the use of computerized technology to share information has been a boost in enhancing that all departments are put to task when need arises(Salter 41).
Deployment of existing technology.
According to the National Academies Press, technological advancement in airports has allowed more thorough scans on passengers. Since many terrorist crimes are committed by individuals with small weapons of dual capability, it has become difficult for individual terrorist to go unnoticed. Despite the delays associated with thorough checks, it is important for civilians to cooperate because it aids the government’s efforts to reduce the activities of transnational crime and terrorist groups within respective states.
Works Cited
Fusion of security system data to improve airport security. Washington, D.C.: National Academies Press, 2007. Print.
Price, Jeffrey C., and Jeffrey S. Forrest. Practical aviation security: predicting and preventing future threats. 2nd ed. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2012. Print.
Salter, Mark B.. Politics at the airport. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2008. Print.
Sweet, Kathleen M. Aviation and airport security: terrorism and safety concerns. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2004. Print.
