National Security Issues in Science, Law, and Technology
The tragedy of 9/11 placed homeland security and the prevention of further attacks into the central focus of our national consciousness. With so many avenues of terror open to our enemies in terms of mode, medium, and location, effective management and mitigation of threat must be grounded in objective risk assessment. The structure of national security decisions should be premised on decision theory and science with minimal political posturing or emotional reactivisim. National Security Issues in Science, Law, and Technology demonstrates a mature look at a frightening subject and presents sound, unbiased tools with which to approach any situation that may threaten human lives. By applying the best of scientific decision-making practices this book introduces the concept of risk management and its application in the structure of national security decisions. It examines the acquisition and utilization of all-source intelligence, including the ability to analyze data and forecas… More >>
National Security Issues in Science, Law, and Technology
Tagged with: Issues • National • Science • Security • Technology
National security studies comprise an academic field exhibiting exponential growth. This excellent textbook describes the basic component parts of this area of study in a straightforward style and well-organized format. It also makes sense of the mass of essential individual disciplines that are necessary elements of the concept of “national security.” Many threads are well-woven into a clear, cogent, and perceptive tapestry making a complicated area of study readily accessible to professionals, students, academics, and laypersons alike.
The book is also an indispensable guide for policy-making and implementation, made possible by the far-ranging expertise and experience of the authors. It is a veritable almanac in the breadth of its coverage, yet more than that since each chapter goes into sufficient depth to give the reader a good grasp of the topic as well as directing the avenues available for further study. Carefully researched and usefully, unobtrusively footnoted, the book makes penetrating a vast and often unwieldy area of study more approachable and manageable.
Well-written and edited throughout, even the fairly complex technical passages are understandable and digestible to the non-technical or non-scientific user. The index is thorough and the appendices are relevant. Scientists, intelligence professionals, law-enforcement and government officials, as well as attorneys will find it a solid resource. Students, in particular, will benefit because it provides a comprehensive first footing in an area of study still being defined.
This book stands apart from the hastily cobbled together and mass-produced offerings often rushed to market of late. It would be an excellent textbook for a variety of courses as well as a professional reference resource. It is sincerely and unreservedly recommended.
By:
Prof. Roy Shannon and
Prof. Micah Van Zandt
Lawrence Livermore/Sandia National Laboratory
and Los Alamos National Laboratory