Threat assessment case study

The recommendation that the U. S government collaborates with other governments to prevent the entry of terrorists has been well-applied over the past few years. For starters, the United States has agreed on data-sharing with the European Union for identification of potential security threats, and the prevention of the threats accessing mobility channels. The US-EU Passenger Name Record (PNR) Agreement deals exclusively with travel between the two countries. The PNR agreement governs the application of passenger records contained in the PNRs that are generated by airlines from the information obtained from passengers on transatlantic flights. This information is forwarded to the relevant government that is evaluating which travellers are likely to pose security risks. The data obtained is cross-referenced with that from external forces such as law enforcers.
The Terrorist Finance Tracking Program (TFTP) has also been a major point of EU-US counterterrorism collaboration. SWIFT, a global communications platform which allows financial institutions to swap data on financial transfers, gives leeway to the U. S and the EU to access financial information linked to terrorism investigations. More than 1, 000 TFTP leads shared by US authorities with European governments have assisted investigators in preventing terrorist attacks in Europe, as well as an Al-Qaeda conspiracy to attack transatlantic airline flights. A new long-term agreement on financial data sharing was completed in 2010 addressing security issues and providing safety for data privacy[ CITATION Joh08 l 2057 ].
The United States decided to enlarge its borders by matching its security and immigration policies with those of other countries. These efforts integrated agreements to share data and attempts to permit pre-screening by U. S. officials on foreign land. High profile efforts have received augmented attention, but efforts to homogenize security standards are in progress for various regions as well. By structuring various regional resolutions, DHS hopes to elevate aviation standards internationally to the level of the United States. By allowing other states to institute their own anti-terrorism mechanisms, DHS hopes to attain a supplementary level of security while at the same time intensifying the border protection region of the United States.
Following the September 11 terrorist attacks, the border security along the U. S-Canada border was tightened by both countries. The nations also developed an exclusive and comprehensive tactful intelligence sharing network. As recent as December 2010, the United States and Canada have been negotiating an agreement that will grant the U. S more authority over the Canadian border immigration controls and security. All persons crossing the border have the obligation to inform the necessary immigration and customs agencies in each country. However, in areas where guarded border crossings are unavailable, there are hidden road sensors.
With the advent of global terrorism, high-levels of uneven immigration can also provide threats to national security. Both the US and the EU have started to execute new strategies that supply better information of who and what is crossing their borders so that prospective terrorists or other illegal threats are acknowledged and denied entrance. An EU-US policy for Cooperation on Refugee Issues and Migration has recently been created for government experts from both sides to scrutinize these issues[ CITATION RWi06 l 2057 ]. The Delegation is also promoting communication and collaboration with the US on migration questions through outreach to think tanks and civil society.
The Electronic System for Travel Authorization provides the Department with traveller information preceding their departure to the U. S. Homeland Security Presidential Directive 6 (HSPD-6) gives a high priority to exchanging terrorism-related records among liable governments[ CITATION Wil05 l 2057 ]. The Department of State has been undertaking the general effort to consult with other governments on information that might prove constructive in identifying and apprehending terrorists. INTERPOL has been a major help in this. Together with other G-8 partners, there has been increased international information swap through the Secure and Facilitated International Travel Initiative (SAFTI).
Although all these measures have been put into place, there is still more that the US government can do to increase collaboration with other foreign governments. For starters, the US can collaborate with Canada to provide more border patrol personnel at the US-Canada border, so as to make the security air-tight. Secondly, the US should ensure that it includes more countries in its efforts to counter terrorism, especially those in the Middle-East and Asia. Finally, the G-8 countries should come up with policies that govern the information exchanged about possible threats to ensure that there is a standard way of all involved countries to respond to and deal with it.

References

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