National security of the United States - Wikipedia National security of the United States From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to navigation Jump to search This article needs to be updated. Please update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (March 2020) Security of the United States National security of the United States is a collective term encompassing the policies of both U.S. national defense and foreign relations.[1] Contents 1 Elements of U.S. national security policy 2 U.S. national security and the Constitution 3 Organization of U.S. national security 4 National security and civil liberties 5 National security reports 6 See also 7 References Elements of U.S. national security policy[edit] Measures taken to ensure U.S. national security include: Using diplomacy to rally allies and isolate threats. Marshaling economic power to elicit cooperation. Maintaining effective armed forces. Implementing civil defense and emergency preparedness policies (including anti-terrorism legislation) Ensuring the resilience and redundancy of critical infrastructure. Using intelligence services to detect and defeat or avoid threats and espionage, and to protect classified information. Tasking counterintelligence services or secret police to protect the nation from internal threats.[2] U.S. national security and the Constitution[edit] The phrase “national security” entered U.S. political discourse as early as the Constitutional Convention. The Federalists argued that civilian control of the military required a strong central government under a single constitution. Alexander Hamilton wrote: “If a well-regulated militia be the most natural defense of a free country, it ought certainly to be under the regulation and at the disposal of that body which is constituted the guardian of the national security.” [3] Organization of U.S. national security[edit] U.S. National Security organization has remained essentially stable since July 26, 1947, when U.S. President Harry S. Truman signed the National Security Act of 1947. Together with its 1949 amendment, this act: Created the National Military Establishment (NME) which became known as the Department of Defense when the act was amended in 1949. Formed a separate Department of the Air Force from the existing United States Army Air Forces. Subordinated the military branches to the new Secretary of Defense. Established the National Security Council to coordinate national security policy in the Executive Branch. Chartered the Central Intelligence Agency.[4] National security and civil liberties[edit] After 9/11, the passage of the USA Patriot Act provoked debate about the alleged restriction of individual rights and freedoms for the sake of U.S. national security. The easing of warrant requirements for intelligence surveillance, under Title II of the Act, spurred the NSA warrantless surveillance controversy.[5] In August 2008, the United States Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court of Review (FISCR) affirmed the constitutionality of warrantless national security surveillance.[6] National security reports[edit] In May 2015, the White House released the report The National Security Implications of a Changing Climate.[7] See also[edit] National security#United States Anti-terrorism legislation Computer insecurity Homeland security Nuclear deterrence Terrorism in the United States References[edit] ^ U.S. Department of Defense, Joint Chiefs of Staff, New Revised Edition, Joint Pub. 1-02, 1990. Full text online Archived October 10, 2016, at the Wayback Machine ^ Encyclopedia of United States National Security, 2 Vol., Sage Publications (2005), ISBN 0-7619-2927-4. ^ Alexander Hamilton, The Federalist No. 29, “Concerning the Militia,” Jan. 9, 1788 Full text online ^ Amy B. Zegart, Flawed by Design: The Evolution of the CIA, JCS, and NSC, Stanford University Press (1999, ISBN 0-8047-4131-X. ^ Nola K Breglio, “Leaving FISA Behind: The Need to Return to Warrantless Surveillance,” Yale Law Journal, September 24, 2003. Full text PDF ^ "Court Affirms Wiretapping Without Warrants," New York Times, January 15, 2009. Full text online. ^ White House (May 20, 2015). "The National Security Implications of a Changing Climate". Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=National_security_of_the_United_States&oldid=1000568859" Categories: National security of the United States Political terminology of the United States Federal government of the United States National security by country Security in the United States Hidden categories: Webarchive template wayback links Wikipedia articles in need of updating from March 2020 All Wikipedia articles in need of updating Use American English from February 2019 All Wikipedia articles written in American English Articles with short description Short description matches Wikidata Use mdy dates from February 2019 Navigation menu Personal tools Not logged in Talk Contributions Create account Log in Namespaces Article Talk Variants Views Read Edit View history More Search Navigation Main page Contents Current events Random article About Wikipedia Contact us Donate Contribute Help Learn to edit Community portal Recent changes Upload file Tools What links here Related changes Upload file Special pages Permanent link Page information Cite this page Wikidata item Print/export Download as PDF Printable version Languages Add links This page was last edited on 15 January 2021, at 17:50 (UTC). Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. Privacy policy About Wikipedia Disclaimers Contact Wikipedia Mobile view Developers Statistics Cookie statement