There are many instances in which intelligence code breaking meant the difference between life and death. In these cases, code breaking was directly responsible for uncovering sinister plots against free people all over the world. The war on terror began on September 11th, 2001, when the World Trade Centre was taken down by 2 hijacked airplanes. Terrorists were responsible for this attack, and the fact that they were able to pull off such an elaborate catastrophe caused the CIA and others to investigate ways in which they could better understand coded language.
Decoding plays a direct role in predicting and thwarting major attacks. Those who have the ability to decipher codes work tirelessly to analyse chatter between terrorists. This chatter occurs most often online. Analysts took their time combing through chatter between terrorist leaders in order to stop attacks before they began. This has led to the arrest of countless people who wish to do the U.S. and other countries ultimate harm. President Bush took unprecedented steps to protect the country following September 11th. One of these steps was to hire people to join the CIA who understood the intricate language used by those who wish to do us harm.
Those who are skilled in the art of language are employed to decode secret messages. So, why is this so important? For starters, many attacks are stopped before they ever take shape. Terrorists come from a variety of different countries. This means that not only are the plans and messages coded, but they are in multiple languages. People who are skilled in speaking and writing in other languages are a valuable asset to the government as it tries to protect the innocent. Operatives are trained to look for keywords, and to discover new codes that lead to arrests.
Protecting lives is the number one priority for people who are in power. A major attack can wreak havoc on the economy, and it instills fear in the general population. In many cases, cracking the code leads to the arrest of high ranking terrorists. This is why, when a code is discovered, some operatives allow the communication to continue. In the grand scheme of things, more arrests can be made, and more lives will be protected. It takes a skilled person to understand the complex language of coding, but those who do are some of the most important people in the world.
Simple interrogations are not enough to prevent major issues in the world. Fanatical people will not willingly divulge information. Torture techniques are illegal. This means that pressure is put on the decoders to find out what is being said, and what is being planned. It is much more effective to listen in on conversations than it is to force someone to admit guilt. The art of decoding is important in the war on terror. More people than ever before are being relied upon to help those who cannot help themselves during a time of crisis.