Homeland Security Homeland Sec, courtesy U.S. Coast Guard, Photo by Petty Officer Third Class Jacob Haslem. A moving target The genesis of homeland security can be traced back to the devastating attacks of September 11th 2001. A few years later, the Madrid and London bombings and most recently, the terrorist shootings in Mumbai highlighted the need for more intelligent protection for the world's nations. Communications are integral to these initiatives. GMC finds out how communications are being used for homeland security today. The devastating events that the world has experienced since the turn of the Millenium have been the jolt that has awoken countries across the world. Terrorists have managed to force us to make changes to the way we live our lives. This, in addition to natural and manmade disasters, means that every aspect of our existence has been touched by the need to be prepared for the next emergency situation. The phrase `homeland security' emerged after the September 11th attacks in New York and the US definition of the phrase is: `Homeland Security is a concerted national effort to prevent terrorist attacks within the United States, reduce America's vulnerability to terrorism and minimise the damage and recover from attacks that do occur'. We are living in a different world to the one that we lived in just 20 years ago. Our governments have to take on the huge task of prevention of these attacks or early warning of natural events. They must consider the possibility of biological attacks, nuclear attacks, cyber attacks, chemical attacks, radiological attacks and natural disasters. An efficient chain of communication is required to enable the protection of critical infrastructure and therefore so is the requirement of state-of-the-art communications and a need to close the digital divides that still exist and prevent the flow of information. Globalisation is opening up borders and coastlines, enabling exchange of cultures and import and export of products ­ each country must be on their guard no more than ever. The term `homeland security' is very broad and encompasses many aspects of life. In addition to the more obvious threats that we face, homeland security includes public health, public safety, law enforcement, the emergency services, border control and public 6 w w w.satellite-evolution.com | February 2009 homeland security.p65 6 03/03/2009, 14:19