Category: Homeland Security

1. Introduction:
For this final paper you condense two previous papers into a single research document and then add 3 substantive recommendations on how you propose that domestic intelligence can be employed more effective to support the HSE to stop terrorist attacks. This is essentially what you need to know to write this final paper.
2. Full Spectrum Domestic Intelligence to Counter Terrorism within the Homeland:
Develop a comprehensive (NMT) double spaced 6-8 page paper summarizing the content and research from your first two papers, and then make at least three substantive recommendations on how to prevent or thwart your selected terrorist group from succeeding in their hypothetical attack on the United States homeland. Use the Organizational Profile (Red Cell paper) you prepared for your Midterm Assignment and combine it with the Progress Assignment you prepared about collecting and analyzing on that group (making all necessary changes based on instructor feedback) and melding them both into one seamless research paper that also adds a major new section to address your specific recommendations to counter your selected terrorist organization’s planned attack in the homeland. Make sure your recommendations are focused only on what happens within the homeland as this is not a foreign policy or international relations course. The recommendations need to be something new or enacting a policy or procedure that is not already in place (do not describe how we already protect the homeland or discuss what current agencies do). Be original or cite ideas from others on how to adapt or reform how intelligence can better support homeland security here domestically to stop your hypothetical attack. Also, make sure your recommendations address a role for state and local agencies (as we discussed in week 4).
The focus of this paper is to address how intelligence, law enforcement and homeland security officials from all three levels of government can prevent or disrupt this attack here in the U.S. (not overseas) by clearly specifying your recommendations of counter-measures to stop or interdict the terrorists here at home before the attack occurs. Employ all that you have learned about intelligence to support Homeland Security and feel free to express your own opinions when making recommendations for Homeland Security intelligence. Just listing what the government already does to collect and analyze and conduct law enforcement on the terrorism threat to the Homeland is not sufficient — make some original or even controversial proposals if you like. Do not discuss defensive or protective measures such as increasing physical security — the thrust of your recommendations needs to be focused on domestic intelligence (that is what this class is about). You can recommend a change to policy, procedure or an organizational change to how the IC (or an individual agency) supports the homeland which directly contributes to stopping a terrorist attack. Feel free to make radical proposals or even changes to existing laws, but do not make proposals that are illegal or unconstitutional (but you can propose changing a law). Remember your hypothetical attack was supposed to be imminent (in the immediate future), so longer term proposals may not be viable for this paper.
Your paper needs to clearly identify your three homeland security intelligence and law enforcement recommendations at the end of your paper before your conclusions, and include specific section headings for each recommendation with the short title for each recommendation. Your proposals to stop a terrorist attack are the heart of your final assignment, this will be the primary criteria for grading this paper and the comprehensive and culminating event for this course. You must use sections headings like these:
Recommendation 1: Your idea to improve homeland security (domestic) intelligence and law enforcement to specifically stop this impending attack; only what you think should be done at home — DO NOT make overseas recommendations. All three must be homeland intelligence focused proposals and not address anything going on abroad — that is not the subject of this course.
Recommendation 2: Make sure at least one recommendation includes a role for the all-important state and local agencies (week 4).
Recommendation 3: Intelligence is about collecting, analyzing, collaborating, sharing/disseminating, etc, so your recommendations must fall somewhere within the intelligence cycle/process we covered about in week 3. Do NOT make recommendations about increased security measures or ‘force protection’ and defensive approaches — remember this course is about INTELLIGENCE (which is proactive / preventative, not protective / reactive).
Note: The only paper of this paper that will be graded are the recommendations since the first four pages of summaries of the first two assignments. The recommendations will be  ORIGINAL material. Make sure your ideas are original and something you think the government can do better related to intelligence — not status quo or what we are already doing. If you are at a total loss for ideas about how intelligence could stop an attack or be improved with domestic homeland security intelligence, then I suggest looking back over the required reading in week 4 on Fusion Centers for Homeland Security in the section on recommendations on page 24, or consider Tromblay, D. E. (2019). Spying: Assessing U.S. Domestic Intelligence since 9/11. Chapter 12: Lessons Observed (if not learned). Lynne Rienner Publishers. (pp 209-218) available as an ebook in our library.
Note on the three paper assignment series: This final assignment combines all that you wrote in the first two papers (they build on each other) for a MAXIMUM total of 6-8 double spaced pages of content (not including title and reference pages). The final paper is not 6-8 pages of completely new writing since this paper integrates what you wrote for the midterm assignment in week 3 (summarize that first 5-7 page midterm paper with 1-2 pages of content in this final paper), then add information from the progress assignment on collecting and analyzing on them (summarize that second 5-7 page progress paper with 1-2 more pages of content in this final paper as well) — making sure to improve that writing based on my feedback. Then add new information where you are making at least three recommendations (MAXIMUM of 3-4 pages double-spaced new material – this is all that will be graded). So, the first 2-4 pages of the final paper will summarize your first two papers, and then the last 3-4 pages or so address your recommendations and summarize the whole paper.
Again, in plain terms, for this final paper, all you have to do is condense your two previous papers (as a research paper) and then make 3 recommendations on how to better stop attacks at the end.

Please see attached photo for requirements. Below are some of the mandatory sources to be used.
Yim, R. A. (2004, February 3). Evaluation of Selected Characteristics in National Strategies Related to Terrorism. U.S. Government Accountability Office GAO-04-408T. Retrieved from https://www.gao.gov/assets/120/110567.pdf
Kean, T. H. & Hamilton, L.H. (2017, September). The Limits of U.S. Counterterrorism Policy to Date, in Defeating Terrorists, Not Terrorism: Assessing U.S. Counterterrorism Policy from 9/11 to ISIS. (pages 44-57). Bi-Partisan Policy Center. Retrieved from https://bipartisanpolicy.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/BPC-National-Security-Defeating-Terrorist-Not-Terrorism.pdf
National Strategy for Combating Terrorism 2003. Retrieved from https://www.cia.gov/news-information/cia-the-war-on-terrorism/Counter_Terrorism_Strategy.pdf National Strategy for Counterterrorism 2011. Retrieved from https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/sites/default/files/counterterrorism_strategy.pdf

Explain Liberalism as an International Relations Theory define institutionalism in terms of democratic peace and neo conservatism. Compare and Contrast with the Realist International Relations Theory. Must Cite Chan in Search of Democratic Peace Article and Brown – American Nightmare Article and Chapter 3 of Sterling- Folker- International Relations Theory Book.

A formal thesis proposal shall be prepared in accordance with the standards of the academic discipline. The formal proposal must provide a clear and lucid description of a question or problem and a proposed method of answering the question or solving the problem. Capstone thesis faculty must approve the proposal before students move on to the next stage of the process. The proposal should explain the question or problem to be investigated and convince the thesis professor that the question or problem merits investigation. It should show that the student has read the relevant and recent literature on the subject and it should contain a list of academically appropriate resources consulted during the preliminary stages of research.
In general, the thesis proposal should include background information related to the research topic, purpose of the research, methodology, and analytic procedures to be used. Proposal drafting is considered a learning process and helps students avoid oversights and possible mistakes. For further guidance on what the thesis should contain, see the Homeland Security Program Exit Overview and the End of Program Assessment Manual). HLSS699 Research Proposal – Specific Instructions
For the thesis proposal, include each element in an abbreviated format. PLEASE USE THE ATTACHED TEMPLATE TO ENSURE YOUR PROPOSAL CONFORMS TO THE STRUCTURAL REQUIREMENTS. MA Theses are expected to contain the following elements:
(Adapted from the End of Program Assessment Manual) Introduction – Approximately one (1) page in length. Your introduction will provide background and contextual material justifying your topic. Your introduction will also include a statement of the problem followed by a purpose statement. The introduction concludes with one or several specific research questions that sets the general context for the study. Literature Review – Approximately two (2) pages in length with at least six (6) peer-reviewed journal articles that address the conceptual elements of the thesis and demonstrate that there is a “research gap.” Your review of the literature centers on your specific research question(s). The literature review focuses on discussing how other researchers have addressed the same of similar research questions. It introduces the study and places it in a larger context that includes a discussion of why it is important to study this topic. It provides current state of our accumulated knowledge as it relates to your specific research question. In your literature review you should summarize and synthesize the material. Identify the findings as well as the methodology used to obtain those findings. Theoretical Framework – Approximately one (1) page in length which includes a scholarly source that illustrates the framework you may use in your own study. In this section you will identify the gap in the literature and explain how your thesis addresses that gap. You will also present, explain, and justify your preliminary thoughts on a theory or model that you will use in your study. If you are developing a model you should present a preliminary diagram. Finally, you should state a hypothesis that is testable. Research Design. Approximately two (2) pages in length. This section represents your preliminary thoughts on how you will answer your research question(s). What design do you intend to use (i.e. case study method, mixed methods approach, interviews, surveys, policy evaluation). What data will you need to collect to answer your question? Where does this data exist? How will you collect it? How will you analyze it? What are the limitations of your method?
Reference List – References should be presented alphabetically in APA format. Technical Requirements
Your paper must be at a minimum of 4-5 pages (the Title and Reference pages do not count towards the minimum limit).
Scholarly and credible references should be used. A good rule of thumb is at least 2 scholarly sources per page of content.
Type in Times New Roman, 12 point and double space.
Students will follow the current APA Style as the sole citation and reference style used in written work submitted as part of coursework. Points will be deducted for the use of Wikipedia or encyclopedic type sources. It is highly advised to utilize books, peer-reviewed journals, articles, archived documents, etc.
All submissions will be graded using the assignment rubric.

Once you begin data collection, for those two weeks (or however long you set your data collection period to be), your research essentially stops. Take advantage of this time. Begin writing about your research. You can write everything up to the results and discussion portion of your dissemination phase. This includes:
Introduction-
Significance
Review of literature — this is your expanded review of literature you did in hour 1
IRB approval — this just takes a sentence
Methodology — quant/qual and other descriptives
Sample — recruitment, size, description

Submit your Research Design
Review your articles/sources and continue writing your 25 -page literature review due week eight
Research Design is due at the end of Week 7: describe how you will test the hypothesis and carry out your analysis. This section describes the data to be used to test the hypothesis, how the student will operationalize and collect data on his/her variables, and the analytic methods that to be used, noting potential biases and limitations to the research approach. It should include:
Identification and operationalization (measurement) of variables.
A sampling plan (i.e., study population and sampling procedures, if appropriate).
Justification of case studies used.
Data collection/sources (secondary literature, archives, interviews, surveys, etc.).
a summary of analysis procedures (pattern-matching, etc.); and
Limitations of study and bias discussion.
Submission Instructions:
Please review the rubric and Capstone Manual for more specific guidelines on expectations; however, please note you are to provide comprehensive analysis of details, facts, and concepts in a logical sequence. You should demonstrate a higher- level of critical thinking necessary for 500-600 level work. You are to provide well-supported ideas and reflection with a variety of current and/or world views in the assignment. You are expected to present a genuine intellectual development of ideas throughout assignment. You should thoroughly understand and excel in explaining all major points. An original, unique, and/or imaginative approach to overall ideas, concepts, and findings is required. Overall format of assignment needs to include an appropriate introduction (or abstract), well- developed paragraphs, and conclusion. Finished assignment demonstrates your ability to plan and organize research in a logical sequence.
Research Design Rubric – Grading Rubric
Major Areas to Review
Points Available
Hypothesis/Research Questions:
These are your research questions (what you plan to measure/examine). This section may also be in paragraph form. Research questions must be individual questions that each measures only one item (one question = one measurement). A couple of questions are expected in this section (typically 2 to 5). You MUST put these questions in traditional null hypotheses format.
If you are conducting a qualitative study, you may use your research questions.
For example: There is no statistical significant difference between someone who grows up in a poor neighborhood and someone from a middle or upper class neighborhood likely involvement in crime (quantitative design would use this example).
For example: If someone grows up in a poor neighborhood, they will be more likely to be involved with crime than someone in a middle or upper class neighborhood.
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The Research Design Section:
•Identification and operationalization (measurement) of variables.
•A sampling plan (i.e., study population and sampling procedures, if appropriate).
•Justification of case studies used.
•Data collection/sources (secondary literature, archives, interviews, surveys, etc.).
•a summary of analysis procedures (pattern-matching, etc.); and
•Limitations of study and bias discussion.
In short, your research design should be the “step by step” directions that would enable a researcher to carry out and execute your research should you be unable to conduct the study yourself. (Think of this as directions from how to get to point A to point B. This detail is necessary as it demonstrates that you understand how to best do your research for your topic.)
Research Design Lecture by Lisa Campbell (Youtube)
A Brief Comparison of Qualitative and Quantitative Research Methods (Youtube)
Types of Research Design: Education Portal Academy (Youtube)
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Turnitin will be used to assess originality report and supports attachments only—submit the paper as an attachment with less than 15% originality.
Searching for Literature Reviews: Before You Write, You Have to Find (Youtube)
Reviewing a Sample Literature Review (Part I) (Youtube)
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Reference:
Incorporated all this sections references into one comprehensive list and should be in APA 6th Edition format.
Also if you had a reference in your reference section, you must have a citation from that work somewhere in the body of your work. The citations and references must match up.
You will be strictly held to the APA standards. Proper citations, in format and use as well as proper references must be implemented.
Provided scholarly articles to support selected topic in the reference area.
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Writing Format: APA
What is Plagiarism and How to Avoid It: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIsLV9zOOe0
Writing Help: http://apus.campusguides.com/writing/thesiscapstone
Purdue Online Writing Lab
Writing Commons: http://writingcommons.org/open-text/writing-processes/format/apa-format
APA and MLA Citation Game Home Page: 10
Grammatical, spelling or punctuation—the writing is grammatically correct, clear and concise. The response is well formulated and easy to read and understand. Correct terminology was used when needed.
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Total
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