If we try to define what is meant by “National Security”, we can say that this term means “threaten our way of life”. This term was used successfully during the era of Josef McArthur, with aim to convince Americans that communism is a multidimensional threat of political, cultural, and military nature equally.
What National Security must protect
The National Security should protect the ability of individual citizens and the nation collectively, to protect “of their lifestyles”. Meaning, to live based on their values, their cultural identity and their choices. To always be in a position to choose the regime by themselves, their governments and laws that will affect every aspect of personal, professional, and their economic lives.
Threats to the National Security of a country
Threats can vary and be just as many types. These include external enemies who plot the country’s territorial integrity, territorial, maritime and subterranean wealth respectively, or the rights to exploit them. In addition, are internal enemies who could threaten the constitutionally guaranteed rights of citizens, their financial security etc.
Would include natural disasters, accidents, pandemics etc. that are also threats to life, property and the access to basic leaving goods. Concepts, such as the Constitution, the Civil protection, the welfare state, the economic policy, the investments, the foreign policy , the Security Forces and the Armed Forces which are and the means to ensure or not the optimization condition the term National Security.
Without the proper implementation of each of these concepts can not be implemented National strategy and there are no Armed Forces that can provide in long-term horizon National Security.
A very characteristic example of National Security policy in Ancient era
Perhaps the best and most interesting example which can describe the term National Security and what is an implemented National Security policy can be derived from Ancient Athens of the classical period .
At the beginning of the 5th century B.C., the “King of Persians” Darius and the most fortified state in the then known world, threatened to destroy the way of life of the citizens of the then Athenian Democracy. After beating of Darius in Marathon (490 B.C.) Themistocles persuaded his fellow citizens to not share the significant gains (100 talents) from silver vein discovered in Lavrion mine, in Attica province, but to build triremes (an ancient rowing warship).
This option/policy of Themistocles also achieved four important goals that ensured the application of the term national security for both city of Athens and its citizens.
- The triremes constructed from Athens Republic gave the victory in Athens fleet in the naval battle of Salamis (480 B.C.) against Persian fleet. In with this naval battle for the Persians their strategy was destroyed and stopped the looting of the Persian Army in the city of Athens and the region of Attica.
- The construction of the then large fleet of Athens drove poverty out of the city, which until then the existence of poverty did not allow the city to develop its dynamics. Both the construction and the subsequent maintenance of the fleet gave work in various form of professions, for example shipbuilders, craftsmen, lumberjacks, laborers etc. All these professions then with their wages buying products for living themselves and their families, creating new revenue both for the Dimo (City) as in other categories of professions that are not linked directly or indirectly to the construction and maintenance of fleet.
- The creation of the fleet ensured the smooth flow of goods and commodities through the protection provided by the merchant ships of Athens from competitors Cities-states, ensuring the domination and control of the Bosphorus straits and allowing the seamless introduction of the long-cherished grain from Thrace and the coasts of Black-Sea. According to this policy solved the food problem of the city.
- At the same time the manning of Athens’ fleet of 200 triremes, with each trireme require manning of 175 men, in total 35000 fleetmen, has enabled to vanish the any political – social inequalities in the city, with the same time highlighting the most dynamic social class of that time, of the numerous ” Laikoi”.
Until then in the Athenian Republic, only the upper economic classes had the right to vote and to be elected and acquire high-level education and other privileges. The creation of Athenian fleet enabled the city – state to be saved defeating the Persian invaders and next to display the Athenian force in the whole Archipelago of the Aegean.
Given therefore that the 35,000 crew of 200 rowers trireme receiving salary one drachma per day, gained prosperity, they absorbed in the classes Democrats and given that began to demand civil, labor, social and other rights respectively.
This compact prosperous electoral mass allowed to Themistocles to translate it into political reforms giving them voting rights to vote and to be elected. By voting all citizens Themistocles achieved in this way to weaken the institution of Arius Pagos (the then Athenian Parliament) which until then belonged to aristocrats.
We observe that the creation of the Athenian fleet laid the foundation for the later greatness of classical Athens.
The city of Athens escaped from hunger and poverty, gave wages and jobs and circulated money in its economy, thus attracting the best in every profession from the whole of the then Greek world. This is a classic example of successful applied policy of National Security.
