Intelligence and Surveillance Policies and Procedures After September 11th Thesis

Many scholars have signified that timely availability of both creative and financial resources leads to effective problem solving. Many scholars have given a great deal of emphasis to the creative aspect of counterterrorism policy making. They assert that policy makers have got to get inside the heads of the terrorists to figure out what they plan to do, what their ideology is and how they are going to execute their plans of hurting American interests. Jacobson (2006) provided seven dimensions of creativity, which are as follows:

Imagination;

Spontaneity;

Self-confidence;

Resourcefulness;

Enthusiasm; and Independence.

He asserts that the policy makers should not create rigid process that on one hand discourages independent and on the spot decision making and on the other makes their intelligence gathering efforts into a routine. Instead, he asserts the policy makers should encourage:

Open and friendly to creative thought

Free of disapproval and favorable to out-of-the-box thinking.

Support from the top management to execute policies

Several challenges need to be confronted in successfully executing intelligence gathering policies. For instance Jacobson (2006) asserts that dedication from the top level government officers is the biggest challenge that the intelligence community face in creating higher performances. Support and commitment are instrumental in enhancing normal performances into high performances. These notions are also expressed by other scholars as well (Jacobson, 2006).

Furthermore, Jacobson (2006) outlined two typical aspects of top level management that lure these managers into looking away from adopting structures and processes which result in higher performances:

They are accustomed to be control; and They are inclined to having perks and privileges.

These perks need to be dealt with by decentralizing executive powers so that higher performances can be created. Jacobson (2006) points out that creating higher performances are more difficult in American intelligence community than probably any where else as top level government officials are reluctant to share their power with those at the lower end of the decision making heirarchy.Training of Intelligence officers

Art and Richardson (2007) assert high level training is another challenge that the American intelligence faces when attempting to counter terrorism. They divide the challenge of training into two different groups: training intelligence personal with functional and operational skills; and training intelligence personal with high levels of communication skills. They assert that the Israeli intelligence has been able to successfully thwart terror threats on most occasions because they have a highly skilled and functional intelligence unit.

Promotions, compensation and rewards

Art and Richardson (2007) assert that performance of the American intelligence community is also influenced by the standards of promotions, compensation and rewards. He then presents five dimensions which encompasses the fundamentals around which all methods of rewards ought to be constructed. Their five dimensions are as follows:

All forms of promotions, compensation and rewards should be team based

No less than one team-based performance objective;

Compensation should be given when their goal is achieved;

Team members should be made to believe that this compensation is the sole result of their hard work; and This compensation ought to be perceived reasonable, at least.

Conclusion

The paper has acted as a policy making body which has addressed important institutional issues. Due consideration has been given to the implications for the intelligence community's operations both domestic and foreign. It is important that the policy makers address and develop comprehensive counterterrorism measures before another crisis strikes American soil.

References

Higgie, D. (2005). Combating Terrorism: Dell Higgie Surveys the International Counter-Terrorism Scene. New Zealand International Review. 30: 1.

Donohue, L.K. (2006). Anglo-American Privacy and Surveillance. Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology. 96: 3.

Anderson, K. (2006). Law and Terror. Policy Review, 139.

Donohue, L, K,. (2006). Anglo-American Privacy and Surveillance. Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology. 96: 3.

Jacobson, M. (2006). The West at War:….....