THREATS AND RESPONSES
6. The NSS lays out the fundamental security
architecture for its approach to threats to UK security and resilience,
acknowledging that the traditional boundaries between Government
departments, and between concepts of foreign and domestic policy,
no longer apply. Equally, the concept of 'threat' has changed
with the development of non-state actors such as international
terrorist organisations.
"In the past, the state was the traditional
focus of foreign, defence and security policies, and national
security was understood as dealing with the protection of the
state and its vital interests from attacks by other states. Over
recent decades, our view of national security has broadened to
include threats to individual citizens and to our way of life,
as well as to the integrity and interests of the state."[4]
7. The definition of national security and resilience
now, therefore, encompasses a wide range of threats, from traditional
state-on-state aggression through terrorist groups to civil emergencies
such as flooding or pandemics. It also encompasses a spectrum
of capabilities and responses—not merely preventing or dealing
with attacks or natural disasters ('security'), but also ensuring
that vital services are maintained and life can continue as close
to normal as possible ('resilience').
8. A central plank of the Government's approach
to national security is its Counter-Terrorism Strategy (CONTEST),
an updated version of which was published on 24 March 2009. It
aims "to reduce the risk to the UK from international terrorism
so that people can go about their business freely and with confidence".[5]
The strategy is built around what are described as the 4 'P's,
Prevent, Pursue, Protect and Prepare. The MoD notes that it "provide[s]
a range of support in each of these areas to a greater or lesser
extent".[6]
PARLIAMENTARY SCRUTINY OF NATIONAL
SECURITY
9. Several committees are active in the scrutiny
of national security issues. Table
1: Scrutiny of national security issues
