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Backgrounder: Homeland Security Technologies

Council on Foreign Relations

Author: Eben Kaplan, Associate Editor

November 19, 2007

Security experts emphasize that the “war on terror” is a different sort of conflict than wars past. Nevertheless, at least one commonality links the current struggle to previous wars: an army of private contractors has emerged to supply both governments and private companies with the products and services needed to make fighting more efficient. According to Homeland Security Research Corporation, a consulting firm, the U.S. market for homeland security products and services was $23.8 billion in 2006, and barring any future attacks, that figure is expected to increase roughly 50 percent by 2011 (PDF). Fueled by voracious government and private sector demand, this booming business features a bevy of cutting-edge products designed to perform new functions.

Technology on the Front Lines

The array of homeland security technologies is as varied as the perceived threats to national security. Industry experts and market analysts generally agree that the following sectors will likely see an influx of technologies in the coming years. They are listed in order of spending projections (PDF) from the Civitas Group, a security consulting firm.

• Domestic and Foreign Intelligence: Though much of the intelligence community’s technological needs are classified, experts anticipate a growing demand for data-mining software and improved devices for intercepting communications signals. With information fed in from such sources as overseas operatives and local police, tools that can compare and analyze multiple information streams are also sought.

• Law Enforcement and Counterterrorism: Among the 9/11 Commission recommendations seized upon by the 110th Congress is the need for improved, interoperable communications systems for law enforcement officers and first responders. With the advent of fusion centers at the state and local level and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence at the federal level, communication across agency lines has become increasingly important.

Read the rest of this article on the cfr.org website.

Copyright 2007 by the Council on Foreign Relations. This material is republished on GlobalSecurity.org with specific permission from the cfr.org. Reprint and republication queries for this article should be directed to cfr.org.