This issue of Homeland Security Affairs examines significant developments in the technological and human dimensions of security challenges facing our nation. The five articles in this issue highlight the interplay between emerging analytical capabilities and evolving security threats and offer insights into defensive and offensive adaptations in contemporary security operations.
Leading our issue, Kay and colleagues present an innovative network science approach to identifying vulnerabilities in critical infrastructure systems in “Multi-Layer Network PageRank for Critical Infrastructure Analysis.” Their multi-layer PageRank methodology offers security practitioners a sophisticated yet practical tool for analyzing complex infrastructure interdependencies, demonstrating how advanced analytical methods can enhance our defensive capabilities. This technical innovation in security analysis is complemented by Levenson’s timely review of Paul Scharre’s “Four Battlegrounds: Power in the Age of Artificial Intelligence,” which explores the broader implications of AI in national security, including its transformative potential and inherent risks.
The human dimension of security challenges is illustrated in Brannan’s compelling analysis of Hamas’s October 2023 attacks. His examination describes how terrorist organizations adapt their tactics when status-quo violence no longer effectively communicates their political message, demonstrating the critical importance of understanding both the operational and communicative aspects of terrorist violence. This theme of adaptation in security threats is further developed in Logan, Braun, and Hughes’s research note, which analyzes anti-government violent extremism, examining the commonalities and distinctions between anarchist, sovereign citizen, and militia violent extremists.
Rounding out the issue, Eddleman, Maye, and van Harte examine the evolving role of the National Guard in southern border security operations, highlighting the complex interplay between federal law enforcement, military assets, and domestic security missions.
These articles underscore a central theme: the need for sophisticated, multi-dimensional approaches to homeland security that integrate technological innovation with a modulated understanding of human behavior and organizational adaptation. As our contributors demonstrate, success in the modern security environment requires advanced analytical tools, robust defensive capabilities, and deep insight into the evolution of security threats and the complex motivations driving them.
