Skip to Main Content
live chat

National Security Studies at Webster University Library

Department of History, Politics, and International Relations (HPIR)

Additional Online Sources of Information About National Security

Other Helpful Websites

Advisory Panel to Assess Domestic Response Capabilities for Terrorism Involving Weapons of Mass Destruction
Also known as the Gilmore Commission, the panel's site, hosted by the Rand Corporation, includes the reports to Congress, minutes, and news releases.

Armed Conflict and Intervention Project
Data sets and bibliographic citations to data sets on world conflict regions, direct military interventions, political interaction events, bilateral trade flows, memberships in conventional intergovernmental organizations, forcibly dislocated populations, and arms trade.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Constitutional Security Law

Both the powers of the President and the powers of Congress to declare war, direct the military, repel invasions, suppress insurrections, and govern the land are laid out within the United States Code. Examples of legislation include: Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978; Homeland Security Act of 2002; Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004; National Emergencies Act; USA PATRIOT Act of 2001; War Powers Resolution. You can also find administrative security law in the Code of Federal Regulations and in the Federal Register.

  1. Espionage provisions of the United States criminal code, 18 U.S.C. §§ 792-799.
    (Describes criminal penalties.)
  2. Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978, P.L. 95-511, 92 Stat. 1783, codified as amended at 50 U.S.C. § 1801 et seq.
    (Regulates collecting of counter-intelligence operations.)
  3. Homeland Security Act of 2002, P.L. 107-296, 116 Stat. 2135 (2002).
    (2002 Act moved various government agencies under Department of Homeland Security.)
  4. Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004, P.L. 108-458, 118 Stat. 3638 (2004).
    (Created Office of Director of National Security; and it authorized various agencies to regulate minimal security standards.)
  5. National Emergencies Act, Pub. L. 94-412, 90 Stat. 1255, codified as amended at 50 U.S.C. § 1601 et seq.
    (Provides for presidential declaration of national emergencies.)
  6. National Security Act of 1947, July 26, 1947, ch. 343, 61 Stat. 495, codified as amended at 50 U.S.C. 401 et seq.
    (1947 Act established the Department of Defense and civilian oversight of armed forces.)
  7. Posse Comitatus Act, June 18, 1878, ch. 263, §15, 20 Stat. 152, codified as amended at 18 U.S.C. § 1385.
    (Limits military use in domestic matters.)
  8. Uniform Code of Military Justice, May 5, 1950, ch. 169, 64 Stat. 108, codified as amended at 10 U.S.C. 801 et seq.
    (Defines military criminal conduct and establishes types of courts martial.)
  9. USA PATRIOT Act of 2001, P.L. 107-56, 115 Stat. 272.
    (Defines terrorism-related crimes; establishes new border security; expands surveillance powers.)
  10. War Powers Resolution, 50 U.S.C. §§ 1541-1548.
    (Limits military engagement unless authorized by Congress.)

Data and Statistics Sources

Terrorist Groups

Homeland Security

Accessions and Openings of Records
from the National Archives

CIA FOIA Electronic Reading Room
CIA's Historical Review Program, with the exception of several statutorily mandated requirements, is a voluntary declassification program that focuses on records of historical value.

CIA Publications
Links to full text of reports published by the CIA.

CIA World Factbook
This is a reference resource produced by the CIA with almanac-style information about the countries of the world. The Factbook is available online and is partially updated every week. It provides a two- to three-page summary of the demographics, geography, communications, government, economy, and military of 266 entities including U.S.-recognized countries, dependencies, and other areas in the world.

Cold War International History Project
The project supports the full and prompt release of historical materials by governments on all sides of the Cold War, and seeks to disseminate new information and perspectives on Cold War history emerging from previously inaccessible sources.

 
Declassified Documents
Provides access to post- World War II papers from the CIA, the FBI and many other agencies, which have been gathered from presidential libraries. Major domestic and international events of the post-World War II world are covered, including the Cold War, Vietnam, foreign policy shifts, and the civil rights movement. Documents display in a digital facsimile format or ASCII text.
 
Homeland Security Digital Library
Electronic documents made available by the Dudley Knox Library at the Naval Postgraduate School, searchable by keyword or by topic, including general U.S. policy documents, national strategy documents, theses and research papers from the Center for Homeland Defense and Security and the Naval Postgraduate School, and homeland security executive orders. Also includes notices of events and conferences pertaining to homeland security, and news items drawn from various news sources.
 
The National Security Agency Declassified
 
National Security Archive