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Introduction
The National Security Branch (NSB) of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is a national security service that aims to prevent, identify, and eliminate threats to the national security of the US with the help of the strategic use of intelligence and counterterrorism efforts (U.S. Department of Justice [DJ], n.d.). Since its establishment, NSB has played a major role in the development of the means of protecting the national security of the US (Morse, 2016). The five elements of NSB combine the intelligence and law enforcement techniques, as well as research, training, and collaboration efforts, to combat national security concerns.
History
DJ (n.d.) reports that NSB has been operating since September 2005 and was created in accordance with a presidential directive. The goal of the directive was to unite the efforts of several FBI elements and produce a single security service that would focus on “counterterrorism, counterintelligence, and intelligence” (DJ, n.d., para. 1). It is noteworthy that some of the elements of NSB were created before 2005, but at least one of them was established later. For example, the Terrorist Screening Center exists since 2001, but the Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) Directorate was only founded in 2006 (DJ, n.d., para. 8-9). This factor demonstrates that NSB was created to manage the existing functions of FBI in a more efficient way, but it also has been developing to respond to the emerging needs of the national security.
Structure
NSB has five key components (Morse, 2016). Its Counterintelligence division protects the national security by addressing the threats connected to foreign intelligence activities, and the High-Value Detainee Interrogation Group is concerned with lawful interrogations (both their practice and theory). The Terrorist Screening Center is involved in managing the Terrorist Watchlist database, which DJ (n.d.) views as a most effective tool in combating terrorism, and the WMD Directorate works to prevent and eliminate the “chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear” threats (DJ, n.d., para. 9). Finally, the terrorism element of NSB is concerned with the collaborative effort that directly addresses the terrorist threat both within the US and abroad with the aim of eliminating it. It is noteworthy that, according to DJ (n.d.), terrorism is characterized by the interconnections between the criminal and national security concerns, which is why the elements of NSB employ both intelligence and law enforcement methods. From the perspective of DJ (n.d.), this combination enables NSB to perform its function.
Role in the criminal justice system
The role of NSB in the national security is most notable (Morse, 2016), especially with respect to combating terrorism, which is a major concern for the US criminal justice system (Lafree & Freilich, 2016). NSB supports collaborative and international counterterrorism efforts, promotes education and research (for example, in the field of interrogation), and contributes to the development of national security strategies (DJ, n.d.). From the perspective of the criminal justice system, FBI is a law enforcement agency, as well as an investigative, intelligence service (Cole, Smith, & DeJong, 2016, p. 214). Specifically, FBI is tasked with addressing “all federal crimes not placed under the jurisdiction of other agencies” (Cole et al., 2016, p. 213). As a result, NSB employs the methods of the criminal justice system to gain the intelligence about terrorists and incapacitate them.
Conclusion
In summary, the five components of NSB employ a variety of intelligence and law enforcement approaches to combat major threats. The structure and the methods of NSB are the result of the direct response to the needs of the national security of the US. By uniting the efforts of the major elements of FBI, NSB plays a vital part in preventing, detecting, and eliminating key security concerns.
References
Cole, G., Smith, C., & DeJong, C. (2016). American system of criminal justice (15th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.
Lafree, G., & Freilich, J. (2016). Bringing criminology into the study of terrorism. In G. Lafree & J. Freilich (Eds.), Wiley handbook to the criminology of terrorism (pp. 163-171). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.
Morse, E. (2016). Analytical methods for nonproliferation. New York, NY: Springer International Publishing.
U.S. Department of Justice. (n.d.). National security branch. Web.
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