ABSTRACT
Introduction Since its founding, the United States has continually faced threats to its economic, social, and political well-being. Before the attacks of 9-11, America felt protected by two oceans and the security that its nonthreatening international neighbors to the north and south provided. Since that time, the United States has reexamined and, in many cases, redened the dangers and threats facing the nation. is has led to the major realignments of the intelligence community (IC) described in Chapter 3 (“e IC Today”). In a very real way, the attacks woke the United States from the stupor that hung on even aer the end of the Cold War. If any good came from that horrible day in 2001, it was that it forced the government to face the realities of the twenty-rst century.
