Border and Coastal Security

Border and Coastal Security
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
Border and Coastal Security
The United States encounters numerous challenges at the borders ranging from smuggling of goods by transnational criminals, counterfeit goods, entry of unauthorized immigrants, and terror attacks. For that reason, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has set border security priorities to address the issues. The agency’s key focus is risk management, which involves effectively allocating resources based on cost-benefit analysis. DHS collaborates with the Department of Defense (DOD) to identify critical threats on the border. Besides, homeland security ought to set policies and allocate resources accordingly to facilitate legitimate trade and prevent unauthorized entry. Transnational terrorists, smuggling of illegal goods, and unauthorized immigrants are the main concerns related to border and coastal security.
Transnational Terrorism
Transnational terrorism is one of the critical concerns in the United States based on the threats that terrorists pose to the United States. Over the years, terrorists have posed significant threats to the United States, influencing the federal government to enact measures of combating terrorism. According to Gravelle (2018), international terrorist networks, self-financed and loosely organized groups, have been the main trends in the United States. Besides, groups that use religion as a pretext and radical Islamist groups pose significant threats to friendly regimes and US interests. A significant concern in the country has been the participation of extremist Islamist parties. Furthermore, cross-national links, such as technology transfer, funding, and military training, are factors that have influenced an increase in terror attacks across the United States.
A proliferation of mass destruction weapons is an issue that has loomed the issue of transnational terrorism. As a result, Congress has had a significant concern about whether the administration provides sufficient information on the set long-term goals. Policymakers have realized the need to assess the effectiveness of military force and intelligence-enhanced law enforcement as strategies to address the prevailing concern (Lawler, 2021). The DHS emerged following the 9/11 terrorist attack to curb border and coastal security. DHS enhances legitimate trade and prevents the smuggling of illegal goods to the United States. Therefore, transnational terrorism is an issue that has enhanced border security in the United States.
The United States DHS responded to the 9/11 terrorist attack wide-ranging, decisive, and swift manner. Following the catastrophic occurrence of the incident, the federal government realized the need to enhance security measures to address the issue. For instance, DHS enacted policies to monitor the borders using modern technology devices while enhancing the screening of people moving to the United States (Lawler, 2021). Through the strategies, the United States...