Introduction 

The concept of National Security has taken a non-traditional turn after the changing global paradigm shift relevant to state sovereignty, notions of power, and unprecedented economic growth. The traditional notion of National Security revolved around the absence of threats to national sovereignty including state borders and increasing the resilience to combat military aggression. After experiencing the havoc of global wars, military intrusion, and changing global ideals of growth, national security analysts and policy scientists reevaluated the subject and reoriented the fundamental idea of National Security. The technologically advanced societies have bolstered this reorientation and further supported the inclusion of ‘non-traditional’ strands of security into the comprehensive analysis of National Security. Unlike the historic definition of National Security, now the concept includes strands such as Cyber-Security, Human Security, Economic Security, Food Security, Energy Security, and Environmental Security. The traditional security ideals including National Defense comprising military, intelligence, policing, and border controls remain instrumental in the broader National Security Framework. In this article, we aim to analyze the role of technology in reshaping the National Security Framework and how technology can be pivotal in strengthening the National Security prospects of a sovereign state. 

Cyber-Security: An Imperative strand of modern-day National Security 

Technology is changing the world and the lives of people every day. Incremental progression in technology advancement has been creating news and impacting economies, global businesses, capital markets, society, and politics. The National Security landscape has been changing as a result of rapid developments in artificial intelligence, unmanned and autonomous systems, digital infrastructure, and expanding cyberspace. The massive upsurge in digital infrastructure has increased the significance of cyberspace protection, thus prioritizing cyber-security as an integral strand of National Security of a sovereign nation-state. It has become highly instrumental for the national security apparatus of a nation-state to protect the confidential and strategic data of its people, government, defense tools, and financial instruments. Public Service Delivery in terms of healthcare, education, legal services, citizenship services, immigration & passports, and municipal services of numerous countries across the globe function through digital portals and platforms. Thus, in this regard, the entire apparatus of government has become part of cyberspace that is open to any external attack and aggression.

The protection of any external attack and aggression in the cyberspace of any country is categorized as Cyber-Security and under this strand, one can easily analyze the presence of a state’s entire apparatus including its people, government, and economy. The frequency and severity of cyber-attacks are proliferating at an alarming rate. As governments and businesses are becoming increasingly reliant on digital technologies, the need for a robust and effective cyber-security framework has become imperative. Likewise, global warfare has now also been amended from a traditional military war to a more trivial cyber war that resulted in increased vulnerability and jeopardy for nation-states. A cyber attack on the banking system of a country can lead to enormous financial damage that may become uncontrollable and unbearable for the country. Similarly, a cyber attack on a strategic repository of data can make things intense for a nation leading to complexity, jeopardy, and volatility. Therefore, a stringent response to a cyber attack is an effective strategy, but ensuring cyber-security ideals during the development of digital platforms, tools, and infrastructure is now more crucial than ever. 

A prudent tech development approach embodying compliance with all relevant global regulatory frameworks has become increasingly important. Unlike numerous other sectors, Technology remains self-regulated with minimal regulatory requirements other than voluntary compliances that differ from product to product. However, the free-market economic model denounces the regulatory regimes and fosters minimal intervention of the state as a regulator in private business. Thus, cyber-security can be effectively ensured without a stringent regulatory framework and can function well in a more competitive environment. Moreover, technology companies are being more careful and proactive in ensuring all these tech compliances with a vision to make the products more resilient to cyber-attacks. Since the cost of cybercrime is rising to an unprecedented level of USD 10.5 trillion annually by 2025, cybercrime is becoming a huge illicit business that needs an effective law enforcement approach as well as more safe cyberspace.

Thus, it is evident from the current happenings across the world that the cybersecurity strand of National Security Frameworks takes precedence over several other domains, though each ideal is equally imperative, the pejorative impact of cybercrime is the highest.

Financing Cyber-Security: Building Nexus with Economic Security 

The imperative ideal of enhancing safety and improving resilience remains an utmost priority of the nation-states. Amid growing global unrest the aforementioned ideals have become more instrumental and highly relevant to the sovereignty principles. It won’t be untrue to state that the 21st century has been monumental in aggrandizing the significance of a robust economy for enhanced security. Nation states have been actively pursuing economic agendas of economic liberalization, market-oriented monetary systems, free-market autonomy, tariff-free global trade, and a globalized system of capital and finance. The success with regard to increased global wealth is well-praised and celebrated with the achievement of every milestone. However, development remains a contested subject as vulnerabilities and disparities remain on an upward trajectory. The history of economic development revolves around the central premise of the robust economy and intrinsic relation with a stronger national security and defense. 

The modern-day concept of National Security has a greater reliance on a resilient, robust, and sustainable economy. Economic Security has become the most integral strand of the broader National Security Framework and has been the subject of the highest attention by the policy community across the world. Moreover, financing any imperative transition becomes a critical challenge, especially by the countries burdened with multi-dimensional challenges. Cyberspace has become increasingly unsafe and vulnerable, thus technology companies have surged expenditures relevant to the security of all digital technologies. Similarly, Cyber-Security as a component of National Security is often seen with a national lens involving public finance, national economic outlook, and budgetary patterns. Stronger economies tend to invest heavily in solidifying the security of their cyberspace including all digital platforms, while fragile economies rely on external financing to support the security transition. 

In the corporate world, the addition of security layers into digital technology is not considered extraneous spending, rather it has become exceedingly important due to user demand. A highly secure platform attracts more users as compared to a similar but less secure alternative, thus profitability can be seen as having a direct relationship with the enhancement of security provisions. Furthermore, for a nation-state, the additional spending can become a challenge if the economy is feeble and economic security is at stake. Therefore, for financing the transition toward a secure cyberspace that is mutually beneficial for all, there is an emerging need to develop a dedicated fund for vulnerable economies to support their transition towards a highly secure cyberspace. While similar to other collective global agendas, this imperative subject matter should be given the highest priority at all relevant global forums to garner support and attention.

Military in the Wake of Modern Technology 

The militaries in the wake of the highly sophisticated world of technology are bearing the pressure of surging demand and constrained supply of fine military technologies. Historically, free trade remained a limited phenomenon especially relevant to the instruments and tools of national defense. In the current times, the defense industry has become one of the most lucrative businesses having a stretch across the entire world. Technologically advanced weaponry is considered to be demanded excessively in the foreseeable future. Every country has been supporting the investment in technology in order to support their military power and further enhance their military technology. 

There has been remarkable advancement in military technology ranging from AI-based autonomous tools including unmanned aircrafts and drones having extraordinary precision. These AI-based military tools provide high-end facial recognition, operational efficiency in extreme weather, consistent surveillance, intelligence information sharing, mapping security threats, and effectively mitigating incidents of collateral damage in targeted operations. Similarly, the availability of high-range laser technology has further increased drone capabilities with another level of sophistication. Upcoming laser lethality has a high impact on enemy targets through powerful heat signature while embodying increased laser penetration energy to take out vehicles, aircraft and other weapon systems. Furthermore, cyberwarfare has emerged as the most imperative modern-day warfare regime and the cyber infrastructure has become instrumentally significant in maintaining top-notch security systems. These cyberwarfare instruments come with inherent challenges and perils while having high costs associated. 

Hypersonic technologies have reoriented traditional warfare with missiles flying at an incredibly high speed and great precision. The hypersonic engines have enhanced the capability of traditional aircrafts to travel to remote locations. Similarly, border controls have become exceptionally different from traditional border security protocols and techniques. Traditionally, international borders have been monitored through heavy policing, security checks, traditional security cameras, and limited surveillance. However, modern-day Border Security has surpassed all previous milestones and has become technologically advanced. Unmanned drones of ultra-sophisticated technology, precision, and coverage are prevalent across borders. Surveillance of every difficult terrain has been made possible without any security personnel being involved. Similarly, the climatic conditions, day-night challenges, and denied access are no more a challenge. 

The entire development of tech weaponry, instruments, and tools requires meticulous development, testing, and effective management. Enormous capital is involved in the development and prudent management of these technologies and that is the major reason for the higher development of such technologies taking place in economically robust economies. Another imperative notion is the state policy for defense-related expenditure. The policy quarters decide the defense strategy along with relevant national security stakeholders that generate demand for funds to be available to garner support for technologically advanced weaponry and military instruments. 

Although analyzing the technologically advanced military is an interesting subject to research, there are several contested issues. War remains a renounced and repudiated happening by the global community of nation-states. The international governance frameworks including the United Nations promote peace, harmony, and tolerance to mitigate war situations. Therefore, warfare development especially in the wake of the technology surge needs to be catered to more prudently than ever and there should be effective mechanisms that support the prudent management of such advanced technologies.

Politics of Comprehensive Non-Traditional National Security 

The remarkable advancement in technologies for National Security has excessively impacted the tech societies towards more exposure. New military strategies are generating more technology demand and the thin layers between military innovation, tech development, and consumer product innovation would deplete soon. The existing global political and strategic debates revolve around non-proliferation and arms reduction, thus giving an obvious signal of lower arms demand, but states who have invested highly in national defense consider the arms accumulation significant like always. Honoring such commitments remains a controversial matter, if these legally binding accords are taken seriously then one could expect a dwindling trend of arms and warfare instruments. 

The conventional National Security Framework seems to have faded to a large extent across all continents. This paradigm shift has bolstered the alteration of the National Security Apparatus of a nation-state as well. Technology remains in the chair of the entire National Security Stakeholders quorum. It would not be untrue to mention that the Security of a nation-state has not remained a national subject anymore. A political shift towards globalization and global governance has taken into the fold the National Security aspect as well. Reliance on foreign-produced technologically advanced arms and weaponry is growing every passing day. Politics curbing free trade ideals is on the rise. Tariffs and Non-Tariff Barriers are being levied every other day in different forms. Thus, National Security of a nation-state has turned out to be an international subject. 

This complex situation gives rise to the debate of the impact of technology on dwindling state sovereignty. The sovereignty principle includes national defense, security, state narrative, policy decisions, critical stance on global issues, and complete autonomy on internal political matters. Every intervention comes with a trade-off. There is no perfect choice and no ideal state of affairs. Nation states are governed under global regulatory frameworks that are legally binding, but not to a larger extent. National Security Frameworks include all these considerations and technology has a limited role to play in prioritizing national security ideals. Nevertheless, with changing times and paradigm shifts complexities grow and are catered to with a collective wisdom approach. 

Conclusion 

The noteworthy technology developments in the field of national security are incredible. National Security relies heavily on several key dimensions that have emerged after numerous different global events. Technology has a significant role in this imperative area of National Security involving Cyber-Security, Military, Weaponry, and AI-powered instruments. There remains an ongoing debate on the trade-offs of all these advancements and the politics of technologically advanced security, but the overall development is top-notch and worth praising. It is important to cater to these trade-offs and negative externalities and spill-offs of this development and a more holistic approach is required to mitigate economic discrimination and fear of illicit use of sophisticated defense technologies.