National and international security industry

Industry Snapshot

GENERAL INDUSTRY: Government and Public Administration

CAREER CLUSTERS: Government and Public Administration Occupations; Law, Public Safety, and Security

SUBCATEGORY INDUSTRIES: Intelligence Agencies; Intelligence and National Security Consultants; International Development; International Security Organizations; Technology Manufacturers; Think Tanks

RELATED INDUSTRIES:Civil Services: Public Safety; Defense Industry; Federal Public Administration; Legal Services and Law Firms; Public Health Services

ANNUAL DOMESTIC REVENUES: Homeland Security & Public Safety: $141.3 billion (Grand View Research, 2021)

ANNUAL GLOBAL REVENUES: Homeland Security & Public Safety: $531.4 Billion (Allied Market Research, 2023)

NAICS NUMBERS: 928, 336992

Summary

The national and international security industry is an overarching network of private and public corporations and agencies dedicated to locating, assessing, and defending against threats to a nation’s interests. The industry is often interconnected with various branches of the military, but it focuses on systems and analysis as opposed to policy making.

The national and international security industry has been in a constant state of evolution throughout history, adapting to meet an ever-changing threat environment. Generally, this industry comprises two manifested areas. The first area involves systems, such as computer networks, early-warning systems, and satellite technology. The second of these areas is more academic and focuses on events, organizations, and key individuals that may strengthen or destabilize the interests of a given country.

History of the Industry

In the mid-seventeenth century, the governments of Europe coalesced to address common economic issues. Europe had long been in crisis from war and economic stagnation, and the leaders of each major government sought to move away from past conflicts to create a framework whereby the many nations of the continent could work together. This common desire resulted in the signing of two peace treaties, commonly known as the Peace of Westphalia, that fostered the creation of a new type of political entity—the sovereign nation-state, with defined interests and goals.

After the establishment of the Peace of Westphalia in 1648, countless regional and imperial governments began to form nation-states with borders, individual governments, and discernible cultures and social groups. They also demonstrated their own interests and goals, in some cases coincidental with the pursuits of other nation-states. Nonetheless, these nation-states remained independent of one another. The military remained the primary tool of national defense throughout preindustrial history. Designed to defend or attack with blunt force, armies and navies were organized and dispatched to challenge threats to a given nation-state’s way of life.

After World War I, many new nation-states rose from the ashes of defeated European and Asian empires. Each of these emerging countries developed its own government, military, and other institutions. With time, the interests and goals of these new states coincided with the interests and goals of neighboring countries. Often, two or more neighbors identified a potential mutual threat in some other nearby country or countries. As a result, it became necessary for nations to set forth policies that would protect each country’s interests and people in the event of a foreign attack. As more countries emerged on the global stage, an increasing volume of national and international security plans were effected.

Although espionage, one of the oldest aspects of security, dates as far back as ancient Egypt, the boom of modern nation-states that followed World War I caused a surge in intelligence institutions and organizations. In the interests of protecting their lifestyles and assets, new nation-states created systems designed to analyze the actions of other nation-states to assess any potential threats. In the years leading up to World War II, some of the most elaborate and far-reaching security networks were operated by Nazi Germany and Japan. In the United States, the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) was developed as a wartime intelligence agency in 1942, although the key intelligence-gathering entity used by the Allies in the war was that of the British government.

Following World War II, the Cold War between the Soviet Union and the United States brought about a renaissance in national and international security pursuits. The Soviet Committee for State Security (Komitet Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnosti, or KGB) and the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)—of which the OSS was the predecessor—engaged in a decades-long cat-and-mouse game.

The Industry Today

Modern national and international security endeavors did not subside with the 1991 dissolution of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War. Rather, the industry changed significantly along with the rest of the international environment. In fact, the end of the Cold War helped foster an increase in two new potential security threats: international terrorism and rogue states. These two threats, long in the background during the Cold War era, were brought to the forefront after the terrorist attacks on the United States of September 11, 2001, and the increasing penchant for aggressive countries to combat their adversaries by funding terrorists.

The national and international security industry has become one of the most pivotal global industries in the early twenty-first century. Generally, government agencies and organizations are the primary drivers of this industry, as they set and implement security policy. In most cases, these agencies have become clients of private security and defense companies, which have entered into development and manufacturing contracts to meet a country’s security needs. Thus, government intelligence and security agencies such as the CIA, the National Security Agency (NSA), and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) are not the only components of the national and international security industry, as private corporations work closely with government agencies to develop surveillance and weapons technologies.

The vast collection of public and private organizations constituting the national and international security industry spans a wide range of fields. For example, the aerospace industry, long dedicated to creating military aircraft, increasingly emphasizes surveillance aircraft used to track the movements of hostile elements in such areas as Iraq and the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. Similarly, the naval defense industry is changing its focus from defenses against naval attack toward long-distance detection systems such as radar. The naval defense industry is also shifting from larger ships to smaller patrol craft. This evolution toward a focus on security rather than combat is not accidental: with the demise of the Cold War, the primary threat to national interests comes from smaller, more agile, and stealthy nonmilitary enemies. As a result, military contractors across the spectrum are now meeting the demand for national security-oriented technologies and hardware.

In addition to public and private institutions concerned with the security of individual nations, entities exist to coordinate international security. These entities administer international security partnerships, which are usually forged between two or more countries with common interests and which are seeing greater participation than in previous decades. Two of the most prominent of these organizations are the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), which was created among Western nations to counter the perceived Soviet threat during the Cold War era, and the European Union (EU), which was established to concentrate and strengthen the economic and political interests of the tightly knit countries of Western Europe.

These organizations are hardly alone in terms of their focus on integrated regional and international security. In 2003, the twenty-one-member Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) established the APEC Counter-Terrorism Task Force, and in Central and South America, the Organization of American States (OAS) created the Inter-American Committee Against Terrorism (Comité Interamericano Contra el Terrorismo, or CICTE). Additionally, the United Nations maintains a number of security and counter-terrorism committees and organizations under its umbrella.

Beyond government agencies and partnerships and the private manufacturing and contract support corporations they utilize, there exists another element of this industry that is critical to analyzing issues and implementing proper reactive policies: think tanks. National security think tanks are research companies and academic nonprofit organizations that assess potential security threats and submit reports to governments and their security agencies. Often, these think tanks, also known as policy institutes, operate as the primary policy actors or counsels within an organization or government.

Government Security Agencies

US government agencies include intelligence and espionage services, such as the CIA and NSA, as well as investigative and enforcement agencies, such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The DHS integrates both functions, as well as assuming primary responsibility for monitoring and securing the United States’ national borders against illegal entry.

Potential Annual Earnings Scale. According to PayScale, in 2024 the average salary for all positions in the Department of Homeland Security was around $89,000; to take just two positions, transportation security officers earned between $34,000 and $48,000 per year, while intelligence analysts earned between $48,000 and $128,000 per year.

Clientele Interaction. Federal national security employees have varying degrees of public interaction. Those who work in such agencies as the CIA or NSA rarely interact with private citizens outside of their workplace. Homeland Security personnel, including airport screeners employed by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), and protective service personnel, including law enforcement officers and some members of the US Secret Service, have constant contact with private civilians as part of their job descriptions.

Amenities, Atmosphere, and Physical Grounds. Federal security agents may work in offices, at airports, at border stations, or in military installations. These work settings are typically team oriented, with peers working closely alongside one another, often in compartmentalized divisions of labor.

Typical Number of Employees. The number of people employed by government security agencies is rarely disclosed. However, it is believed that the CIA employs about 22,000 (excluding private contractors), while the NSA is believed to have considerably more employees. The Department of Homeland Security is estimated to have about 196,000 employees around the country, many of whom are civilians.

Traditional Geographic Locations. Although most federal agencies are headquartered in the greater Washington, DC, area, positions with such agencies as the CIA and DHS may be based in virtually every state and in offices around the world. In some cases, national and international security jobs are located on both domestic and foreign military bases.

Pros of Working for a Federal Security Agency. The federal government continues to hire personnel for national and international security agencies. The government offers competitive salaries and benefits and, in the light of the ongoing nature of security concerns, relative stability.

Cons of Working for a Federal Security Agency. Federal salaries, while typically competitive, are also regimented according to experience and limited by budgets, so increases in such salaries are not as frequent or dramatic as they are in the private sector. Additionally, jobs are beholden to the federal budget, which may cause layoffs or work furloughs when legislative budget impasses occur. Furthermore, security agencies in particular are managed strictly with protocols and oversight, which may frustrate those who prefer organizational flexibility in the workplace.

Costs

Payroll and Benefits: Pay for employees of federal security agencies varies based on the job performed and the experience of the individual. Such agencies pay both hourly and salaried rates for their employees. For full-time employees, benefits such as health insurance are provided.

Supplies: Federal agencies must procure a wide range of office and personnel supplies. In addition to up-to-date computer and communications systems (along with office supplies and furniture), many agencies must pay for vehicles, weapons, and uniforms.

External Services: Like most federal agencies, national security agencies use contractors as administrative, logistical, and consultative support resources. Such “stringers” often work in offices alongside agency personnel and receive their salaries and benefits from the private company by which they are employed. Because of the sensitive nature of the data handled (and the security clearance required to work in such an environment), other external services would be limited to activities that do not provide access to key internal areas.

Utilities: Because of their sheer size, federal agencies pay a considerable percentage of their budgets to utilities, including heat, electricity, and telecommunications providers. Utility providers and government procurement offices usually negotiate a lower rate for such utilities than is paid in residential areas.

Taxes: Public national security agencies rarely pay property or corporate taxes. However, in many cases, such federal departments offer a payment in lieu of taxes to the communities or states in which they are located. National security employees are also often exempt from certain kinds of sales taxes as long as they are traveling on official government business.

Private National and International Security Corporations

Private corporations form a crucial portion of the national security sector, although as is the case with government-agency employment figures, the precise proportion and distribution of security roles filled by private contractors are not public knowledge. Private contractors have been increasingly integrated into military and intelligence operations, and many have job descriptions—such as interrogation of suspected terrorists or providing personal security for government officials in war zones—that were once the sole purview of public employees. Many contractors previously worked for the government, whether in the armed forces or in the intelligence community, and they capitalize on the skills, experience, and security clearances they obtained as public employees.

Potential Annual Earnings Scale. The salaries of private contractors depend on the size and scope of their contracts. The average private military contractor earned between $115,880 and $228,800 per year in 2022.

Clientele Interaction. Private contractors provide hands-on support to national security agencies. Typical contractors spend a large percentage of their work time in communication with (if not at the offices of) their clients, presenting frequent reports, assisting in financial reviews, and conducting program audits to ensure quality service.

Amenities, Atmosphere, and Physical Grounds. While many private contractors work alongside federal agencies, often in the same offices, others are located in their own office spaces, although usually near the client. In many situations, private contractors work in the field, alongside their clients. Arlington, Virginia, which is located just outside Washington, D.C., and is home to the Pentagon, contains a large number of office buildings filled with national and international security companies.

Pros of Working for a Private National Security Corporation. Private contractors are able to perform many of the same tasks as public employees for greater pay and benefits. Many contractors also receive per diem payments to cover travel expenses. In addition, private contractors are not necessarily beholden to the stringent internal policies found in military branches and other government agencies, so private companies are able to attract a more diverse base of employees.

Cons of Working for a Private National Security Corporation. Private corporations risk losing their government contracts, which could result in them laying off the staff funded by those contracts. Additionally, contractors must compete for contracts by offering cost-effective budgets to potential government clients, so they must keep salaries in check. In some cases, this competition can keep pay levels lower than some federal employee salaries (as the federal government has no competition). Additionally, national security firms must work within parameters set by the government, fostering little creativity for those who work under such contracts.

Costs

Payroll and Benefits: Salaries for employees of private national and international security agencies vary based on the job performed and the experience of the individual. Such agencies pay both hourly and salaried rates for their employees. Benefits such as health insurance are provided for full-time employees.

Supplies: Private corporations must procure a wide range of office and personnel supplies to support their efforts. They must have up-to-date computer and communications systems (along with office supplies and furniture), as well as audiovisual capabilities in order to assist in client reports.

External Services: Private national and international security agencies may employ subcontractors to help manage administrative, logistical, and systemic support services. Such workers remain beholden to the same parameters and guidelines established by the main contract and the private company, although they receive pay and benefits from the company through which they are employed.

Utilities: Private national and international security companies must pay for such operational utilities as heat, electricity, and telecommunications. Although some are large enough to own their offices, others must pay rent to building owners or leasing companies. Such costs may or may not be attached to the contracts they hold with the federal government.

Taxes: Unlike public national and international security agencies, private companies must pay property and corporate taxes. Under some circumstances, they may be exempt from sales tax, hotel occupancy tax, and other such taxes. In many instances, however, they are not.

Technology Manufacturers

National security technology includes everything from spy satellites and military hardware to proprietary software used to intercept and evaluate telecommunications. Manufacturers of this technology often receive government contracts to create it, and they may receive support in their quest for such contracts from the members of Congress representing their districts.

Potential Annual Earnings Scale. Average salaries for engineers, scientists, and other personnel working for aerospace and security technology manufacturers ranges widely, from laborers on the low end to elite executives on the high end.

Clientele Interaction. The level of client interaction for technology manufacturers varies based on job responsibilities. For example, sales managers and senior officials are responsible for designing proposals for technology delivery that can fit the needs of clients, and they therefore have a great deal of interaction with clients. Project managers and engineers, on the other hand, may spend more time in their plants conducting research, operations, or assembly endeavors; they often have very little interaction with clients.

Amenities, Atmosphere, and Physical Grounds. The work environment of a security technology manufacturer varies based on the type of work performed. Many such manufacturers operate in large complexes of interconnected plants and warehouses, rather than in office buildings. Because of their size, many of these campuses offer employees walking areas outside of the buildings, cafeterias, and other amenities. Project managers and more senior personnel may have individual offices, while other workers are grouped together in teams, whether in shared office space or in cubicle settings. Typically, these manufacturing complexes are carefully monitored and protected by security personnel, gates, and systems.

Typical Number of Employees. Security technology manufacturers often employ a great many people. For example, the Raytheon Company, which is an industry leader in producing homeland-security-oriented intelligence-gathering and information technology, employs about sixty-three thousand workers worldwide. Such large employee pools are usually broken up and departmentalized, with small teams working on individual projects under the oversight of project managers. Major projects such as coastal defense systems and integrated satellite technologies, however, require much larger groups of interconnected teams.

Traditional Geographic Locations. Because producers of security and military technology must have access to transportation systems, reliable telecommunications systems, and employee bases from which to draw, plants are often located near urban centers. Many manufacturers require an enormous amount of real estate in order to produce their systems and maintain sufficient building security. As a result, they tend to remain near but outside cities, where sufficient land is available and affordable.

Pros of Working at a Technology Manufacturer. Security technologies are among the most advanced, best funded, most cutting edge technologies in the world. As a result, employees take a great deal of pride in their work, as well as enjoying opportunities for invention and innovation that exceed those afforded by most other technology subsectors. Additionally, because security manufacturers seek the best engineers and teams available, they usually pay higher than average salaries and benefits.

Cons of Working for a Technology Manufacturer. Security technology manufacturers enforce strict rules governing the workplace. These include a wide range of security protocols, some of which are company-imposed and some of which are imposed on companies by clients, such as the military. Many of these requirements involve frequent administrative reporting, strict project oversight, concrete deadlines and timelines, and tightly controlled access. This level of control, combined with the size of manufacturing facilities, can make leaving those facilities for lunch or brief breaks challenging. Additionally, the workplaces themselves are not always accommodating and may include makeshift offices and workstations and occasionally inefficient air and heating systems.

Costs

Payroll and Benefits: Security technology manufacturers generally pay annual salaries. Benefits are usually competitive and tailored to those who work in a hands-on environment: Most major manufacturers offer accidental death and dismemberment insurance, as well as short- and long-term disability plans.

Supplies: Manufacturers require a great deal of office, machine, hardware, computer, and other supplies in their day-to-day operations. In addition, they need wiring, computer modeling software, heavy machinery equipment, power generators and other tools, as well as hard-hats and uniforms for personnel working in environments in which clothing may be damaged on the job. Manufacturers that produce aircraft, ground vehicles, or naval systems need gasoline, jet fuel, or other energy sources. Finally, they may need audiovisual equipment to present their technologies to prospective buyers.

External Services: Because of the classified nature of the systems and equipment they produce, security technology manufacturers often perform in-house many operations that other manufacturers would normally contract to external vendors. Nonetheless, they may still contract groundskeeping services (including winter snow removal), shuttle-bus services (to transport staff from building to building on large campuses), and even gate security. Snack machine maintenance services and cafeteria operations may also be staffed by external vendors who are kept away from secured areas. Even with limited access, these external vendors must often pass background checks as a condition of employment on-site.

Utilities: Security technology manufacturers use a relatively large amount of energy and utility services during the course of their daily operations, including electricity to run computers, heavy machinery, lights, and other key systems. Because of the size of their facilities and the large number of on-site personnel employed at a given time, trash, water, and sewage utilities are also heavy components of a manufacturer’s monthly expenses. In order to mitigate the cost of utilities, manufacturers may implement green technologies such as solar power, low-pressure faucets, and recycling programs.

Taxes: Technology manufacturers are often among the largest property tax contributors in a given area. Unlike federal agencies, they are not exempt from state and local taxes (although, in many cases, they are able to negotiate their corporate and property tax rates with local governments, which benefit from their presence as high-paying employers of large workforces).

International Security Partnerships

International security organizations often exist by virtue of treaties among their member states. Their immediate mission may be to administer and execute the terms of those treaties, while their larger mission is to protect the mutual interests of their members. These interests may include maintaining the relative stability of strategically important global regions, so international security partnerships often engage in peacekeeping missions in third-party nations.

Potential Annual Earnings Scale. The earnings of employees at a given international security organization are usually dependent on the civil service standards of the participating countries. These standards usually include pay scales for various positions, such as senior leadership, managers, support staff, and administrative personnel.

Clientele Interaction. Employees of an international security partnership act as representatives of their respective countries while in service to the overarching organization. They work closely with representatives of other states, as well as project administrators from higher levels. They remain, however, beholden to the countries they represent, taking orders from their home countries’ international relations leadership (such as the US Department of State or the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office).

Client interaction varies at these organizations based on the position involved, as does the definition of a client. In some contexts, a client may be a project team, while for others it will be an ambassador. In any case, partnership staff must have strong communication and interpersonal skills, and they must be able to relate to and interact effectively with people of vastly different cultural backgrounds.

Amenities, Atmosphere, and Physical Grounds. The work performed at an international security organization is professional and diplomatic in nature. Many such organizations’ operations are conducted in or near government or military installations. In the interest of cost-effectiveness, many such organizations lack the personalized décor of an Internet start-up or the grandiose architecture of a skyscraper. In fact, many staff must share office space or work in cubicle settings. Those who work in the field are often sent to unstable zones, where they are charged with combating the elements that create threats to regional security.

Typical Number of Employees. The number of employees at a given international security organization varies based on the size of that organization. For example, NATO employs thousands of nonmilitary personnel in its efforts to maintain international security, while similar organizations dedicate smaller task forces to their regional efforts.

Traditional Geographic Locations. International security partnerships have headquarters and other facilities throughout the world. Because of the large volume of high-level diplomats and leaders that frequent them, they are usually headquartered in major cities. Smaller offices are found in locations throughout their regions of influence or in strategically important centers. Additionally, these organizations may have offices located on military bases, at transportation centers, or in other key facilities.

Pros of Working for an International Security Partnership. Working for an international security partnership offers employees unique opportunities. International security professionals assess and address regional, national, and international security threats in diverse and cosmopolitan settings. They are able to work with people from other countries, analyzing information from sources to which they may not have access on a national level. While working in international settings, they are able to receive the benefits and salaries typically provided by their home countries. Workers from wealthy nations such as the United States and those in Western Europe thus receive competitive pay, even when they are located in regions with much lower annual salaries than those of their home countries.

Cons of Working for an International Security Partnership. In most cases, work at international security partnerships is not conducted over the long term; assignments may last only a year or two, which may hinder professional growth. Additionally, although the directives of an individual working for an international security partnership are clear (as they originate in the individual’s home country), the diversity of the environment entails being surrounded by colleagues from other countries with conflicting directives and interests. Such divisive conditions may hinder the work being performed or slow its progress considerably. Furthermore, employees’ duties may require them to travel to unstable or dangerous areas for prolonged periods of time.

Costs

Payroll and Benefits: International security organizations pay salaries and benefits based on the pay scales of member countries’ civil services. These salaries, like most of the organizations’ operating budgets, are supplied by the member nations themselves.

Supplies: Like any large government agency, international security partnership organizations must procure large amounts of office supplies, such as computers, telecommunications hardware, and audiovisual equipment (such as overhead projectors and screens). Because of the large quantity of supplies purchased, the managing organization and its individual members may negotiate lower procurement costs with suppliers.

External Services: While most international security partnership organizations are staffed primarily by public employees, some contract external services for less integral positions. Because of the sensitivity of the data they handle and the level of security clearance necessary to view such data, externally contracted positions may be limited to janitorial services, building security, or systems maintenance (such as groundskeeping and building engineering).

Utilities: International security partnerships must pay for standard utilities such as electricity, heat, water usage, and waste management.

Taxes: The tax status of an international security partnership organization can be vague, particularly when it operates in a third-party country. In the case of the former Yugoslavia, for example, NATO’s establishment of operations depended on the Croatian, Serbian, and Bosnian governments’ willingness to exempt NATO employees from any national income, property, or sales taxes, as long as their presence was part of official NATO business. When they do not secure such exemptions, the organization and its employees must pay the relevant taxes of the countries in which they are operating.

Think Tanks

National and international security think tanks conduct research and engage in advocacy in order to shape the foreign and defense policies of national governments. Some think tanks are avowedly partisan, embracing a progressive or a conservative point of view. Others strive to be nonpartisan and seek a balance of diverse opinions from their staffs. Some—particularly in the national and international security realm—are funded by the government itself. These government-funded institutes evaluate current and prospective policies and provide reports and recommendations directly to the government. They bring together governmental, industrial, and academic resources in a way that a fully governmental entity cannot.

In addition, some think tanks are funded by particular business interests, such as defense contractors. Their job is to shape policy for the specific benefit of their funders—usually for their financial benefit. Even those nonpartisan entities funded by public donor contributions may have a vested interest in producing analyses that confirm the opinions of their particular donor bases. If so, they tend to shy away from expressing opinions that those bases will find controversial.

Think tanks may employ researchers and analysts with varying levels of academic credentials versus practical experience in government and national security. Indeed, one of the benefits of the think tank as an entity is its ability to bring together academics and those with real-world experience to work cooperatively on the same project.

Potential Annual Earnings Scale. The earnings of a national and international think tank vary based on the contracts under which the organization is operating, as well as the security clearance required for a given position. At the largest security think tank, the Rand Corporation, the average annual salary in 2023 ranged between $54,059 to $143,690.

Clientele Interaction. Government-funded think tanks report directly to government agencies, while other institutions tend to issue press releases and reports and hold public events to disseminate their findings. In either case, at small think tanks it is likely that most if not all employees will present findings and publicize positions in forums outside their institutions. By contrast, large institutions generally employ specific staff members tasked with client relations, public relations, or government relations. Other employees are unlikely to interact much with clients or the general public.

Amenities, Atmosphere, and Physical Grounds. The environment of a national and international security think tank is typically an office setting with individual offices, cubicles, or a combination thereof assigned according to seniority. The environment is professional, and most of the work is performed with computers and telecommunications technologies.

Typical Number of Employees. Think tanks vary in size, from small, nonprofit organizations staffed by only a few individuals and administrative personnel to large corporations with hundreds of staff members working on a large number of contracts. Small institutions may supplement their small staffs with unpaid interns or part-time workers. Large corporate think tanks often divide employees into teams that are each assigned specific projects.

Traditional Geographic Locations. National and international security think tanks are typically located either in major urban areas or in major university environments. Urban areas facilitate transportation and access to a large amount of information, whereas academics and staff may dedicate a larger percentage of time analyzing data and utilizing a wide range of information resources within an academic setting.

Pros of Working for a Think Tank. Working at a think tank involves a great deal of academic research and policy analysis (if not recommendations). It is intellectually stimulating work that allows specialists in such fields as political science, defense, economics, and national security to capitalize on their training and expertise. Additionally, although think tanks study threats to a nation’s security, their employees are not typically placed in harm’s way (though they may have previous experience in high-risk environments, including battlefields and front-line counter-terrorism assignments).

Cons of Working for a Think Tank. The work conducted at a think tank is done in something of a vacuum, in that it is shielded from the reality of the political process or the dangers of physically repelling a security threat. The think tank is an academic setting, dependent on models and theoretical concepts as well as actual data. Those seeking a real-world career environment may become frustrated with the approach of a think tank.

Additionally, while the larger, corporate think tanks have sufficient financial resources to offer high salaries to their employees, the same cannot be said for a significant number of think tanks, which are often nonprofit entities. As a result, salaries, while at times competitive for higher-level managers and executives, are typically set at the level of the nonprofit sector rather than at the level of the corporate sector. A corporate employee doing comparable work is likely to be better paid.

Costs

Payroll and Benefits: Think tanks generally offer annual salaries and benefits to employees, although small institutions that receive contractual funding for specific projects may pay the staff working on those projects on a contract (per-project) basis.

Supplies: Think tanks require office hardware and equipment, such as phones, computers, photocopiers, and fax machines, as well as stationery, writing implements, staples, and similar supplies. They also require computer software that is capable of collating and modeling large amounts of data.

External Services: Think tanks may use external accounting services, employment agencies, custodial services, and private security agencies. Small institutions that are only occasionally in the public spotlight may also hire external public relations professionals or legal counsel.

Utilities: Think tanks pay for standard utilities, which may include electricity, water, sewage, and trash removal, as well as telephone and Internet access.

Taxes: Nonprofit think tanks are exempt from most taxes, though they must still pay payroll taxes on employees’ salaries. For-profit institutions must pay corporate and real estate taxes to state and federal governments.

Industry Outlook

Overview

Since the earliest development of the modern nation-state, the security of a country and of the regions in which it has interests has been a high governmental priority. However, the environment in which the national and international security industry operates has changed considerably over the last several decades, and it will no doubt continue to evolve. What has emerged as a sizable, diverse, and global industry has been modified in response to changes in the nature of the threats against which it guards. While the need still exists for nations to have military and police presences to deter and defeat would-be attackers, the industry increasingly employs technological solutions to combat terrorism, monitor national instability and the behavior of rogue states, and protect against other threats.

Concerns over security have major implications for other important national and international sectors and, as a result, may affect their operations. For example, it has been estimated that the heightened state of vigilance stemming from the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, helped spur American defense spending by as much as 60 percent over a six-year period. The growing national security industry continues to have strong ties to the arenas of aerospace, maritime, and conventional weapons (such as missiles, armor, and small arms), with which it has long been connected. Additionally, computer and communications surveillance, fields overseen in part by the NSA, continue to be a mainstay for the national and international security industry.

The changing landscape of potential threats to a nation’s security has required adaptation and expansion into other areas. Although the NSA has been pursuing suspected combatants by monitoring telephone and electronic communications since the turn of the twenty-first century, the agency and its contractors have also had to defend against attempts to breach the country’s economic, governmental, and other vital systems via the Internet (so-called cyberterrorism). In doing so, the industry has needed to train personnel to create online defenses, as well as tracking and destroying viruses and other programs that pose a danger to a nation’s infrastructure.

Additionally, biological and chemical weapons, while not necessarily new to the world, are seeing a renaissance of sorts. With the collapse of the Soviet Union, most countries eschewed the development of such weapons. However, many former Soviet chemical weapons scientists and their products disappeared after the Soviet collapse. Their disappearance gave rise to anxiety that they would resurface among terrorists and rogue nations. Fears persist that terrorist groups such as al-Qaeda and the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) will obtain such weapons and deploy them in heavily populated urban centers. As a result, the national and international security industry has paid a considerable amount of attention to the myriad biological and chemical agents that might be used in terrorist weapons. The industry is also helping local law enforcement establish protocols in the event that such weapons are used.

National and international security industry representatives in both the government and the private sector have demonstrated an increasing interest in undoing the elements that foster terrorism. Working alongside military, diplomatic, and even nonprofit organizations, many such groups are helping train local law enforcement, develop democratic institutions, and help build business and social service networks. To this end, international development organizations and international security organizations increasingly work hand-in-hand to defeat terrorism at its roots.

Employment Advantages

The national and international security industry is constantly growing and adapting in response to a changing environment. The industry offers an extremely wide range of career areas and, with them, a large number of opportunities for advancement along different career paths. Additionally, individuals who are part of this industry are also buoyed by the fact that they are part of a network that works to protect their country and its allies. The tragic events of September 11, 2001, fanned passions about not just defeating al-Qaeda but also preemptively neutralizing other terrorist organizations around the world. This industry and those who work within it are dedicated to preventing another tragedy.

Annual Earnings

The ongoing global effort against terrorism, coupled with continued conflicts in the Middle East, South Asia, and the former Soviet Union, perpetuates a perceived need among policy makers for continued investment in national and international security efforts.

The budget of the US intelligence community was estimated at around $80 billion in 2018, although the total spending of the United States on national defense and homeland security was closer to $1 trillion. Many studies estimate that US spending on national and international security programs will continue to increase steadily. The United States is the world's biggest spender on defense; in 2022, it accounted for 39 percent of global defense spending and spent more than the next seven biggest-spending countries combined. As nations such as Russia and China increase their defense budgets, the United States's total share of defense spending is declining, but the amount of money spent continues to increase. The North American national security market is projected to grow at a 5.9 percent rate during the 2020s and reach $292 billion by 2028. Globally, the national security market is expected to surpass $1 trillion by 2030.

Bibliography

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