national security and government

One of the main duties of the US government is national defense. Both the federal and state governments are responsible for public safety. The federal government is responsible for policing its borders, securing individual and national property, and enforcing security measures.
The United States is now dealing with the threat of ISIS, a well-organized terrorist organization. Despite recent significant defeats, it does not seem to be surrendering (Cooper, 2017). There has been considerable speculation about how to fight the military community. During his presidential campaign, Donald Trump vowed to bomb and block Muslim immigrants. His intention provoked considerable public outrage, as it contradicts the American values, thus executives have to come up with the better strategy to fight the terror group. The USA policy makers proposed two tactics to combat ISIS: destruction of ISIS abroad and prevention of immediate threats.

Destruction of ISIS Abroad

The US Congress should pass an authorization to employ military force against ISIS. The country should increase airstrikes. Since 2014 when the fight against ISIS abroad started, the USA has been able to destroy many of its targets. ISIS has lost control of major cities such as Ramadi and about half of its territory. To achieve its complete destruction, there is a need for the nation to form coalition with other countries by promoting the anti-ISIS propaganda. The US should engage regional allies and local groups to assist in supply of troops.

Prevention of Immediate Threats

The government should prevent the potential recruiting of personnel to join the army by stopping the terrorists from getting into the United States and ensuring they cannot access weapons such as guns. ISIS took advantage of the Visa Waiver Program, which allowed the citizens coming from the countries with organized terror groups to travel to the US, therefore enable the military organizations to recruit more people for executing their vile attack (Fernandez, 2015). Thus, there is a need to change this law and counter the militia group. The lawmakers are also required to guard Americans from potential terrorist by enacting a legislation barring them from purchasing guns. According to Posen (2015), one of the solutions to the ISIS problem is containment using viable mechanisms. It would prevent them from gaining more territory.

The Best Approach: Destruction of ISIS Abroad

The best way to combat the terror group is by destroying them from abroad, as mere protection may only be short-term, giving the militia more time to organize their attacks. Striking the terror groups from abroad makes them vulnerable due to destruction of their property and less control over the cities.

Role of federal, state and local governments in combating ISIS

The federal government performs roles that are diplomatic in nature, attending the departments charged with identifying and combating terrorists, military and intelligence policy (Fernandez, 2015). It develops vision that mitigates the security threats. Its key function is deciding whether the country will play defensive or offensive.

The state and the local governments provide useful intelligence information that is necessary in combating the terror group. The Federal entities work to empower them by organizing trainings concerning ways to recognize criminal movements.

The Federal Government Branches’ Responsibilities

The federal government branches are executive, judiciary and legislature (Kurtz, 2017).

The Congress represents the legislature branch and has the mandate of making laws governing the nation.

The Supreme Court, which is the head of the Judiciary, interprets the constitution and limits the powers of the other branches of the government (Pacelle, 2015).

The president, the vice president and the cabinet embody the executive power. They are to implement laws that the Congress produces. The president appoints the cabinet and the heads of the federal agencies (Kurtz, 2017).



References

Cooper, H. (2017, September 2). ISIS is on its heels, but fighting to the death. The New York Times, p. A8.

Fernandez, M.A. (2015). Here to stay and growing: Combating ISIS propaganda networks. The Brookings project on U.S. relations with the Islamic World. U.S.-Islamic World Forum Papers, 1-33. Retrieved from https://www.brookings.edu/wpcontent/uploads/2016/06/IS-Propaganda_Web_English.pdf

Kurtz, G. (2017). American Government. Houston, TX: OpenStax.

Pacelle, R. (2015). The Supreme Court in separation of Powers System. New York, NY: Routledge.

Posen, B.R. (2015, November 20). Contain ISIS. The Atlantic. Retrieved from https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2015/11/isis-syria-iraq-containment/416799/