ABSTRACT
Top government contractors continue to apply digital innovations toward defense purposes, and according to polling, US citizens support an increasing private role along with a decreasing public role in delivering safety and security. This public-private hybrid defense model has evolved recursively where private organizations deliver digital defense services that public defense entities increasingly rely upon. A relationship like this depends on perceptions of capabilities and intentions; private organizations must signal to taxpayers their advanced digital capabilities alongside their benevolent intentions toward citizen welfare and protection. While public opinion indicates that taxpayers expect fewer defense capabilities from the government, these structures still broadcast their enduring intentions to provide citizen protection. Our linguistic analysis of the websites of US public and private security-focused organizations reveals increasing concern with safety and security across both groups. Public-private partnerships are a modern standard in defense, and this relationship in the United States shows no sign of tilting away from government leadership.
