Homeland Security and the Distinction Between ISR and IAA

The Distinction Between ISR and IAA The intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance have capabilities that are aimed at improving the informational and situation awareness to the department of homeland security. The capabilities of ISR have increased in demand since the incident of Hurricane Katrina. The same capabilities of ISR are the ones that are termed Incident Awareness and Assessment (IAA). The Incident Awareness and Assessment (IAA) capabilities have been leveraged to respond to various kinds of threats such as hurricanes, wildfires or even ocean oil spill.

The ISR has the capability to provide invaluable situational awareness from various intelligence disciplines. The intelligence can be in the form of signals or imagery to the military commanders. Improved ISR provides the military commanders with the big picture, enables them to have a clear understanding of the issues as well as allow them to apply the available resources in an efficient manner. The ISR imagery intelligence capabilities were designed to support civil authorities and humanitarian operations in case of an occurrence of a natural disaster.

During Hurricane Katrina, the ISR capabilities were used to provide the military with full-motion video and imagery of the hurricane (Knight, 2008). The ISR platforms employed the synthetic and electro-optical aperture imaging systems which increased the effectiveness of response in incidents from homeland security significantly through the provision of the first responders as well as the incident commanders with the same level of incident awareness as the military commanders. On the other hand, DOD capabilities can satisfy the informational requirements of the ISR.

However, the IAA is tasked with other capabilities to survey large areas through the use of radar, infrared and optical imaging techniques. The only difference that exists between the two is that the IAA operates only within the American borders while the ISR operates both within and without the American borders. Benefits of Using IAA in Homeland The ability to provide support to the civil authorities and deliver the ISR and IAA capabilities is not just carried out randomly but is constrained by laws, policies, doctrine and ethical considerations.

Doctrine enables the DOD in the planning and execution of operations. The policy which constitutes regulations and executive orders limit the department to operate within the homeland. The law provides narrow guidelines which regulate the way the department of homeland security is operated within the United States. Moreover, privacy concerns are what pose ethical barriers which have to be put into considerations by the department while utilizing the IAA and the ISR capabilities (Cannon, 2011).

The Military has to be considerate of privacy while using intelligence apparatus, despite being used for altruistic intentions. Despite having all these ethical considerations while responding to an incident, the homeland departments assume some for some benefits that result from using the IA A capabilities. Costs or Opposing Views to Its Use One of the costs of using IAA in homeland security is that the Americans are denied the rights to their constitutional protections to freedoms, expression and to privacy.

The Americans consider these rights as fundamental as the oxygen they breathe. They value their rights and freedom. Therefore, they loathe any opinions that will threaten these constitutional rights. Another cost is the danger of the information falling in the wrong hands. The enemies of the country could make use of the information meant for the good of the country to bring the country down in one way or the other. This is a cost that will result from the use of IAA capabilities in any incident.

The information would also be manipulated by the enemies and hence end up not being useful as required in the response to an incident. Acres of Tended Marijuana The criminal activity that involved acres of marijuana could have been handled differently if it was observed during IAA missions. The privacy of the data could have been lost since the department could not be solely responsible for the information. When the IAA missions are used in conducting damage assessments, the information obtained is shared among different parties (Howard, et al., 2018).

This means that the information could even end up falling in the wrong hands. Once the IAA missions are involved, the privacy of the information is definitely affected. Therefore, information such as that involving acre of tended marijuana is best handled solely by the department of homeland security. Converting the Term ISR to IAA Converting the term ISR to IAA for operations was a wise decision by the department of homeland security.

The term surveillance used to make the American citizens feel like they are being spied by their own government. However, when the term was changed to the IAA, the term awareness made the Americans feel part of the process as well as feel that the entire operations were meant for their own good. Selection of Terminology The use of different terms to carry out the same functions brought a significant difference in their operations after Hurricane Katrina.

The selection of terminology matters since it affects the operations that are being carried out by the departments. The use of IAA had greater value than the former use of ISR. The Symbolism of IAA As explained above, the use of term awareness in the IAA and its symbol has been useful in the carrying out of its capabilities. The symbol has enabled the department to be able to collect information easily from American Citizens.

Americans feel free to share information with the department because they feel it is for their own protection. The Symbolism of ISR Unlike the IAA, the symbolism of the ISR hinders the department of homeland security in their operations. The symbolism does so by limiting the cooperation given to the department by the citizens who feel that the department is a threat to them (Knight, 2008).

The feeling that the US Department of Homeland Security is doing surveillance over them makes the Americans not to co-operate with them hence hindering the operations of the department. Air Forces North (AFNORTH) IAA Handbook The book serves to ensure that the processes and relations pertaining to the use of the Homeland Department are laid bare to the public. The book provides an overview of the entire spectrum of the capabilities of the homeland security department.

The availability of the manual on the website is to ensure the unity of the agencies that are involved in responding to incidents that occur in the American soil whether natural or man-made (Cannon, 2011). The fact that different agencies are required to be on.