Recalling the 9/11 Terrorist Attack

Research Paper
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The 9/11 terrorist attack set in motion attempts by Congress to consolidate the collection, analysis, and dissemination of intelligence. Before that, it was easy to distinguish between domestic intelligence and foreign intelligence of the United States. However, homeland security intelligence (HSINT) formation ensures terrorist threats are considered a national security threat to which foreign intelligence becomes relevant. The CRS [Congressional Research Service] Report gives a detailed conceptual model of how HSINT is framed, including geographic, structural, and statutory approaches. Its model shows a body that is not constrained by geography or any levels of government, thus making it easier to centralizing intelligence gathering and analysis for counterterrorism pursuits. This report analyzes NSINT and its actions against other forms of threat such as agroterrorism and pandemics.
Numerous resources have been directed towards transportation and telecommunication as potential vulnerabilities but minor on agroterrorism. This is the act of deliberate introduction of disease agents to livestock and plants to undermine socioeconomic stability or generate fear. The agriculture and food industries are vulnerable to disruptions with the magnitude depending on the level of preparedness from the terrorists and the nation. A standardized and streamlined food supply is one way of thwarting an agroterrorism attack or minimizing its impact. A major agroterrorism attack can substantial economic repercussions that will extend to allied industries such as transportation, retailers, and restaurant chains CITATION Cha04 \l 1033 (Chalk, 2004). Apart from the economic sabotage, a successful bio-assault will most likely undermine the citizen's confidence in their government. Actions of dealing with the crisis will be heavily scrutinized and criticized, like in the 2001 foot and mouth epidemic in the United Kingdom CITATION Gyl10 \l 1033 (Gyles, 2010). The fear and anxiety of the masses due to a public health scare are just as big as that brought on by violence.
Therefore, agroterrorism can be summed up in four expressive words: terror, mass slaughter, money, and funeral pyres. Estimations by agricultural economists suggest that a national wide attack would immediately stop the beef industry. This disruption is likely to cost the taxpayers and businesses between $750,000 and $1 million for each working hour. Such an attack would be crippling for the U.S. economy since America's food supply is the least protected of all potential targets of terrorism activities CITATION Gle07 \l 1033 (Schmitt, 2007). Even without the vulnerabilities of an attack, the food issue in America has remained a complex problem for the government to solve. As of 2018, it is estimated that 1 in 9 Americans were food insecure, resulting in over 37 million Americans, with more than 11 million being children. According to The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), food insecurity is defined as the lack of consistent access to food financial resources. Food insecurity does not exist in isolation, as families with low income can be affected by multiple overlapping issues such as affordable housing and the high c...