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Introduction to National Security - Concepts, Definitions, and Meaning

Writer's picture: Charles DenyerCharles Denyer

Updated: Oct 15, 2024

A plethora of polls are available that illustrate America’s top issues, with most of the poll findings based on registered and/or likely voters for purposes of polling data. And to no one’s surprise, the usual suspects consistently rank high on the list: healthcare, the economy, jobs, taxes, and immigration. What’s interesting about these issues is that they all have a direct financial impact on our citizenry—and understandably so. After all, they’re very important issues. People want more affordable healthcare, better-paying jobs, a healthy economy, lower, or for some, a more equitable tax system, and more. But what about cyberattacks, data breaches, domestic terrorism, and rising social tension? Where do they register in the poll of polls?

Introduction to National Security - Concepts, Definitions, and Meaning
Introduction to National Security - Concepts, Definitions, and Meaning

They register, indeed, and are becoming more of an issue—a concern, if you will—with voters. Poll after poll by leading and highly reputable polling entities are seeing an uptick when it comes to topics relating to data privacy, terrorism, social tension, and other related concerns. More specifically, Americans are viewing these issues as fundamental problems facing the nation—issues that clearly must be addressed. A recent series of polls conducted by Gallup that used a dozen different surveys found the following seven topics being mentioned regularly by those who participated:


  1. Terrorism

  2. National Security

  3. Crime Violence

  4. Family Decline

  5. Unifying the Country

  6. Big Government

  7. Race Relations/Racism[1]


And we don’t even need polls to confirm these findings. We encounter the topic in our everyday lives, be it when sitting on the sidelines with other parents at youth sporting events or standing in line at the cleaners, Americans are talking more and more about these very core issues. Taxes, healthcare, immigration, better jobs—they are always at the top of the list. But fast on the heels of these core issues are cyber security, data privacy, domestic terrorism, and rising social tension.


Luckily, we can vote politicians in and out of office at the blink of an eye when we choose to, and we do. This gives us the power—and the motivation—to address many of the core issues affecting us as Americans. George W. Bush gave us lower taxes rates in his first administration. Barack Obama gave us national healthcare. Donald Trump continues to push for a Southern border wall. Joe Biden wants America to re-engage on issues surrounding climate change. We voted for these politicians as we asked for change; whether you agree or disagree is a whole different discussion. But no matter who’s in charge in the political world, do they really have the power to stop the ever-increasing occurrences of cyberattacks, data breaches, domestic terrorism, and scores of mounting social issues?


Most experts argue that government’s role should be—and is often—limited in terms of influence. Sure, you can have more legislation and tougher laws, but do those really help? Do they really stop someone from creating chaos if they’re hellbent on doing it?


We live in a country that affords its citizens tremendous freedoms, and as is our right as Americans—from freedom of speech to our right to privacy—we fight to retain those freedoms. And in an ideal world, those freedoms would be exercised responsibly. But we do not live in an ideal world, and not everyone plays by the rules. So, what happens when those rights are abused, when they are the curtain bad actors can hide behind to achieve their goals?


When it comes to freedom of speech, our legislators, as well as those trying to manage and navigate the ever-changing use and abuse of social-media platforms, are challenged with how much control they can impose. From podcasts to YouTube channels to social media platforms, freedom of speech means you can spread any message you like, short of blatant calls for violence. Anyone can influence millions with a podcast, a tweet, or a Facebook post . . . And that’s what we can all see and read. What about what we can’t see and can’t hear publicly? How can our agencies fight the fight in real time? How can they track activity on the dark web, satellite communications, or secure emails of those on their radar when the very freedoms that protect the “good citizenry” also protects those who would do us harm?


We are well beyond the days of Ted Kaczynski, aka the Unabomber, when he carefully plotted and executed a series of highly calculated bombing campaigns for almost two decades, killing two dozen people. Our intelligence agencies learned from that experience, as they learn from every experience, but often it is after the fact. Nineteen terrorists planned for months—some would say for years—the deadly September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on American soil. As we look back on how it happened, and how we could have done more to prevent it, we learn. But again, at a cost.


The digital age has made it harder and harder to monitor activity not only physically, but legally. So, what happens? What is our legal recourse? Some of these bad actors are simply malicious evil doers, and they are the responsibility of our police and FBI. The rest of these bad actors claim a cause of some kind and will go to complex lengths to achieve their goals, putting our country’s citizens at risk both physically and economically. So how do we protect ourselves?  That’s where national security comes in.


So, What is National Security?

Cyberattacks, data breaches, domestic terrorism, and social violence all share something in common. They are all national-security threats to the United States of America. And what is national security? It’s a question I’m often asked by individuals wanting to gain a greater understanding of what’s arguably a very broad, deep, and complex subject. Is it about protecting our economic interests abroad? Is it about securing our borders and ports to prevent terrorists from entering our country? Perhaps it’s about ensuring the safety of our banking and financial system? In reality, it’s all of the above, and so much more.


Origins of National Security

The core definition of national security (of which there are many . . . probably too many, in all honesty, most of them originating from textbook, academia jargon) has been deeply rooted within the military context. Historically, it’s had to do with armies, the use of force, power, strength. However, over the years, the concept of national security has evolved to include non-military dimensions, such as physical, political, economic, cyber, infrastructure security, and more. It’s fair to say that the concept—and definitions—of national security remain quite ambiguous, indeed, due largely to the differing viewpoints.


Definitions of National Security

Some of the more notable definitions for national security include the following:[SH1] [CD2] 

United States Department of Defense (USDoD): National security is a collective term encompassing both national defense and foreign relations of the United States with the purpose of gaining: a. A military or defense advantage over any foreign nation or group of nations; b. A favorable foreign relations position; or c. A defense posture capable of successfully resisting hostile or destructive action from within or without, overt or covert.[2]

Kim R. Holmes (Defense and Foreign Policy Expert): National security is the safekeeping of the nation as a whole. Its highest order of business is the protection of the nation and its people from attack and other external dangers by maintaining armed forces and guarding state secrets.[3]


Yet we live in a changing world, and national security has evolved to include much more than just the military aspect. Furthermore, with such broad definitions that can include an almost endless list of subcategories, one of significant importance is the National Security Strategy (NSS) that the sitting president signs each year. The Strategy articulates overarching strategic-policy goals and national-power direction on matters related to economic security. Subsequently, executive branch departments produce organizational executive branch departments produce organizational strategies and plans in support of the strategy.[4] Without question, one of the highest priorities being to preserve and protect America’s homeland, alas, homeland security.


National Security from a Non-Military Perspective

Political Security: Many individuals steeped on the topic of national security consider “political stability” to be a top priority of national security. According to Kim Holmes, a former assistant secretary of State and senior vice president of the Heritage Foundation, this “refers to protecting the sovereignty of the government and political system and the safety of society from unlawful internal threats and external threats or pressures. It involves both national and homeland security and law enforcement.”[5] 


Economic Security: A key element of national security is that of economic security, according to Colonel George E. Katsos, the Department of Defense’s Terminology Program. Says Katsos, “For populations, economic security involves consistent access to employment opportunities, personal assets, and assured income.” From a technical perspective, economic security is defined as the following:


In 2017, the National Security Strategy described economic security as an element of national security and stated that economic vitality, growth, and prosperity are absolutely necessary for American power and influence.


  • The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) economic security perspective is based on the increasing dependence on the flow of goods, services, people, capital, information, and technology across borders.

  • The Department of Defense (DOD) defines economic security as the ability to protect or advance US economic interests, shape international interests to American liking, and possess material resources to fend off non-economic challenges.[6]


Energy Security: Energy security is essentially the ability for a nation to have access to energy resources—oil, gas, water, minerals, etc.—necessary for energy consumption. According to the US Department of Energy, such resources play “an important and multifaceted role in protecting national security.”[7]


Homeland Security: According to a Congressional Research Service (CRS) report issued for Congress in 2013: Ten years after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the US government does not have a single definition for “homeland security.” Currently, different strategic documents and mission statements offer varying missions that are derived from different homeland security definitions. Historically, the strategic documents framing national homeland security policy have included national strategies produced by the White House and documents developed by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Prior to the 2010 National Security Strategy, the 2002 and 2007 National Strategies for Homeland Security were the guiding documents produced by the White House. In 2011, the White House issued the National Strategy for Counterterrorism[SH6] [CD7] [CD8] .[8]


Strange how the phrase “Homeland Security” can be so challenging in terms of creating a simple, clear, and unified message. But hey, that’s the US government for you.


At any rate, Homeland Security can best be defined by the National Strategy for Homeland Security as “a concerted national effort to prevent terrorist attacks within the United States, reduce America's vulnerability to terrorism, and minimize the damage and recover from attacks that do occur.”[9]


Cyber Security: One of the most important elements of US national security is cyber security. With an increasingly interconnected world relying on billions of technology products and services for making society function in the manner that it does, the threats facing America when it comes to cyber security have never been greater. Our nation’s critical infrastructure—financial services, food and agriculture, transportation, and much more—all rely heavily on information technology, and our adversaries know this. A large-scale attack against any of America’s sixteen critical infrastructure sectors could create chaos, confusion, and mass unrest to the likes we’ve never seen before.


Former director of National Intelligence James R. Clapper noted in a Joint Statement for the Record to the Senate Armed Services Committee that “more than thirty nations are developing offensive cyberattack capabilities. The proliferation of cyber capabilities coupled with new warfighting technologies will increase the incidence of standoff and remote operations, especially in the initial phases of conflict. Protecting critical infrastructure, such as crucial energy, financial, manufacturing, transportation, communication, and health systems, will become an increasingly complex national-security challenge.” The Joint Statement concluded with Clapper noting that “the breadth of cyber threats to US national and economic security has become increasingly diverse, sophisticated, and dangerous.”


With cyber security being such a critical component of national security, the question is—who is responsible for it? It’s a two-fold approach, in my opinion, where both the government and the private sector must be involved, with cooperation between both sides being key to the overall effectiveness of cyber security. True cyber-security measures for the United States require coordination, integration, and collaboration between government and the very businesses that fuel the American economy. It’s the age-old Public Sector vs. Private Sector debate that has raged for decades when discussing any type of meaningful issue relating to the American way of life, and cyber security is no different.


Human Security: As noted in General Assembly resolution 66/290, “human security is an approach to assist Member States in identifying and addressing widespread and cross-cutting challenges to the survival, livelihood, and dignity of their people.” It calls for “people-centered, comprehensive, context-specific, and prevention-oriented responses that strengthen the protection and empowerment of all people.” More simply stated, human security is about “encompassing people’s safety from hunger, disease, and repression, including harmful disruptions of daily life. Over time, the concept has expanded to include economic security, environmental security, food security, health security, personal security, community security, political security, and the protection of women and minorities.”[10]


Environmental Security: The relationship between environmental security and national security is complex and layered. Some of it, quite obvious, much of it, [SH9] [CD10] [CD11] based on indirect relationships to other areas of non-military national-security topics. For the sake of simplicity, environmental issues relating to almost anything to do with the planet’s environment would impact, and ultimately affect, national security. Severe climate changes, shortages in annual crop productions, severe weather patterns—they all affect our way of life, thus, affecting the national security of our country.


Any other National Security Strategy (NSS) would be null and void if we as Americans fail to protect the very life, liberties—and infrastructure—on which this county was founded and on which we depend.

To be clear, there are differences between national security and homeland security, one of the biggest being that national security projects [SH12] [CD13] [CD14] largely outside America’s borders, with homeland security mostly focusing on threats and issues within the United States. At a high level, both concepts do have overlapping interests—protecting the United States and its citizens—and employ similar and many times identical strategies for combatting such threats.


In reality, protecting the homeland encompasses, at a minimum in my opinion, the following core measures:


  • Having a robust domestic military presence, including both full-time enlistees and active reservists.

  • Capable law enforcement branches throughout all governmental levels (i.e., local, state, federal) for detecting, responding to, and resolving threats.

  • Putting forth necessary Executive Orders regarding homeland security.

  • Establishing strong ties between the private sector and government.

  • Implementing comprehensive immigration policies for border protection.


And not to be left out of the conversation on defining homeland security—and its missions and goals—is none other than the federal government.


In an effort to measure federal homeland-security funding, Congress required the Office of Management & Budget (OMB) to include a homeland-security funding analysis in each presidential budget. As such, the OMB requires federal departments, agencies, and other applicable entities to provide budget-request amounts based on the following six 2003 National Strategy for Homeland Security mission areas:


  • Intelligence and Warning

  • Border and Transportation Security

  • Domestic Counterterrorism

  • Protecting Critical Infrastructure and Key Assets

  • Defending Against Catastrophic Threats

  • Emergency Preparedness and Response[11]


The OMB, however, notes that the National Strategy for Homeland Security was revised in 2007, effectively reducing six mission areas into the following three: (1) prevent and disrupt terrorist attacks; (2) protect the American people, critical infrastructure, and key resources; and (3) respond to and recover from incidents that do occur. The strategy also states that these original 2003 mission areas are still used to ensure “continuity and granularity.”[12]


Alas, the 2010 National Security Strategy states that homeland security is “a seamless coordination among federal, state, and local governments to prevent, protect against, and respond to threats and natural disasters.”[13]


And let’s not leave out the Department of Homeland Security’s mission, which is “to secure the nation from the many threats we face.”[14] In all reality, trying to find the best definition for homeland security is as challenging as finding the best definition for national security! So, keep it simple, keep it easy, and make it something that everyone can understand, after all, the more clarity we all have about homeland security, the better we can embrace it within our daily lives. With that said, DHS’s mission, while more of a statement than an actual definition for homeland security, is really what we as Americans should be focusing on, and that’s to “secure the nation from the many threats we face.”


How do we secure America from the many threats we face? First and foremost, we can’t secure anything if we don’t even understand what we’re supposed to be securing, right? Should we secure our borders? How about the banking and financial systems? Or how about water, perhaps the most essential item for survival? The list can go on and on, and in the world of academia and think tanks, it does!


But let’s stop and focus on the true concept of homeland security in terms of what we need to be protecting, specifically what’s known as America’s critical infrastructure. What’s critical infrastructure? According to the Department of Homeland Security, it consists of the various infrastructure sectors, including “assets, systems, and networks, whether physical or virtual, [that] are considered so vital to the United States that their incapacitation or destruction would have a debilitating effect on security, national economic security, national public health or safety, or any combination thereof.”


The September 11, 2001, attacks highlighted the seriousness of an attack on America’s critical infrastructure. Wall Street was shut down. Airlines could not take to the skies. Uncertainty and fear spread throughout the country. At one point, it felt as if the US economy was stuck in neutral, unable to move forward with any meaningful traction. But as horrific and deadly as the 9/11 attacks were, they pale in comparison to the impact Americans could suffer nationwide should the unthinkable happen, where any number of large-scale attacks could have devasting impact on the nation’s critical infrastructure.  


Specifically, there are sixteen critical-infrastructure sectors deemed vital to national security, and ultimately, for purpose of homeland security, or as I often prefer to say, “defending the homeland.” [SH15] [CD16] [CD17] They are as follows:


  1. Chemical Sector

  2. Commercial Facilities Sector

  3. Communications Sector

  4. Critical Manufacturing Sector

  5. Dams Sector

  6. Defense Industrial Base Sector

  7. Emergency Services Sector

  8. Energy Sector

  9. Financial Services Sector

  10. Food and Agriculture Sector

  11. Government Facilities Sector

  12. Healthcare and Public Health Sector

  13. Information Technology Sector

  14. Nuclear Reactors, Materials, and Waste Sector

  15. Transportation Systems Sector

  16. Water and Wastewater Systems Sector


Taking it a step further and reinforcing the importance of critical infrastructure, Presidential Policy Directive/PPD-21, as put forth by the Obama White House in February 2013, states the following:

The nation's critical infrastructure provides the essential services that underpin American society. Proactive and coordinated efforts are necessary to strengthen and maintain secure, functioning, and resilient critical infrastructure—including assets, networks, and systems—that are vital to public confidence and the nation's safety, prosperity, and well-being.[15]


Put all of these terms, phrases, and definitions together when it comes to homeland security, and it’s fair to say that it is an incredibly important and complex initiative that every American should be profoundly aware of. Even your local police are trying to impress the importance of “See something, say something.” But being aware of your surroundings is just the beginning. Creating that awareness is on ongoing challenge, and understandably so. We’re working harder than ever before, commuting farther from home, with jobs that are becoming increasingly stressful. Let’s not forget about friends and family commitments. At the end of the day, who has time to think about homeland security? Hey, we’re all navigating life’s challenges, be they personal or professional, but now we have one more thing to add to that. We need to stop and think about the safety and security of this great nation.


It’s true that most Americans generally feel safe—protected—when it comes to the possibility of outside forces attacking us. That’s due largely to the US being protected by two massive bodies of water, but what about inside our borders? Are we really safe? Do you feel safe at home, at work, or out and about in your neighborhood? Times have changed, no question about it, and generally for the better as we look at advances in medicine, food, transportation, or just about anything that we depend on.


But when threats get closer to home, our feelings change. People admit to feeling more vulnerable, a little less certain about their safety and security. And why wouldn’t they? The twenty-first century seems to have ushered in an era of violence at home that our nation hasn’t seen before. We face the random acts of gun violence that have become all too familiar, from shootings at schools to movie theaters to city streets. But beyond that, we have violence born of hate. Racial hate. Ethnic hate. Religious hate. These horrific acts have Americans bristling with anger—and absolute fear—as this hate-inspired violence continues to permeate our society at unprecedented levels. Make no mistake, these are acts of terrorism, pure and simple.


But this is potentially only the tip of the iceberg in terms of terrorism on American soil. Is there more to come? What about a low-grade nuclear detonation, such as a dirty bomb, or perhaps a chemical attack on a major metropolitan area?


As for defining terrorism, as with the terms like national security and homeland security, it’s not surprising that’s there’s no universally agreed upon definition for it. Luckily, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) gives us two relatively straightforward definitions for terrorism, one for international terrorism, and the other for domestic terrorism.


  • International terrorism: Perpetrated by individuals and/or groups inspired by or associated with designated foreign terrorist organizations or nations (state-sponsored).

  • Domestic terrorism: Perpetrated by individuals and/or groups inspired by or associated with primarily US-based movements that espouse extremist ideologies of a political, religious, social, racial, or environmental nature.

  • Additionally, the FBI cites the following three critical factors that have largely contributed to the ongoing evolution of the terrorism-threat landscape:

  • The Internet: International and domestic actors have developed an extensive presence on the internet through messaging platforms and online images, videos, and publications, which facilitate the groups’ abilities to radicalize and recruit individuals receptive to extremist messaging.

  • Use of Social Media: In addition to using the internet, social media has allowed both international and domestic terrorists to gain unprecedented virtual access to people living in the US in an effort to enable homeland attacks.

  • Homegrown Violent Extremists (HVEs): The FBI must identify those sympathizers who have radicalized and become HVEs within the US and aspire to attack our nation from within. HVEs are defined by the Bureau as global-jihad-inspired individuals who are based in the US, have been radicalized primarily in the US, and are not directly collaborating with a foreign terrorist organization.


What’s fundamentally changed in terms of national security for America—at least since the September 11, 2001, attacks—is a far greater emphasis on homeland security. From protecting ports to preventing pipe bombs exploding at public events, homeland security has taken on an entire new level of seriousness.

Having mentioned the importance for every citizen to gain and maintain an awareness of what’s going on around them locally and nationally, indeed to be more cognizant of the security challenges we face, I thought it would be appropriate to conclude with a clear and concise definition for national security:


The security of a nation, both within its physical borders, along with the ability to project outward for ensuring the self-interests of a sovereign state, both military and non-military, are upheld and maintained at all times.


Reference Material and Citations;


[1] Frank Newport, American View Government as Nation’s Top Problem in 2017, http://bit.ly/2W8QwV0, Accessed on April 29, 2019.

[2] DoD Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms, https://bit.ly/30CH6px, accessed August 8, 2020.

[4] George E. Katsos, “The US Government’s Approach to Economic Security,” jcs.mil, JFQ 90, 3rd Qtr 2018, accessed October 26, 2020.

[5] Kim Holmes, “What is National Security,” https://herit.ag/2SaZIrO, accessed September 29, 2020.

[6] George E. Katsos, “The US Government’s Approach to Economic Security,” jcs.mil, JFQ 90, 3rd Qtr 2018.

[7] US Department of Energy, https://bit.ly/2TH0Unz, Accessed on October 27, 2020.

[8] Shawn Reese, “Defining Homeland Security: Analysis and Congressional Considerations,” CRS Report for Congress, January 8, 2013, https://sgp.fas.org/crs/homesec/R42462.pdf.

[9] “The National Strategy For Homeland Security,” Office of Homeland Security, July 2002, https://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/publications/nat-strat-hls-2002.pdf. Archived from the original on July 24, 2002.

[10] Kim Holmes, “What is National Security,” https://herit.ag/2SaZIrO, accessed September 29, 2020.


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