Homeland Security in the USA - Term Paper Example

On September eleven 2001, nineteen al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked four passenger airlines and intentionally crushed two of them into the Twin Towers in New York City. All the passengers on board died including some who were in the building; several others were critically injured while the lucky survived with minor injuries. The third airline crash landed into the Pentagon in Virginia on the same day while the fourth crash landed into a field near Shanksville in Pennsylvania. The death toll for this disaster totaled to two thousand nine hundred and ninety five. The then president, George W Bush led his government in the reorganization of the government agencies in 2002 to counter against such terrorism against the United States (US). With this into effect, Homeland Security was formed to protect the US against any terrorism whether internal or external in an Act. It is actually a cabinet department of the US federal government that protects Americans against terrorism and is commonly called the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) (Ball, 2005). As an umbrella of the federal government, it combines the responsibility of various government agencies. The homeland Security can simply be defined as an established role of the government to prevent terrorism within the US, reduce America’s susceptibility to terrorism and minimize the damage and subsequently recover from the occurrence of such attacks. Homeland Security Overview The department of homeland security was established under the US president’s office and is headed by the President’s assistant for homeland security. Its mission is to develop and coordinate the enforcement of an all-inclusive national strategy that is to secure the US from ant terrorist threats or attacks. In order to ensure that this office carries out its tasks effectively and efficiently, it has been accorded some functions including, the coordination of the executive’s efforts to identify, prepare for, avert, protect against, react to and recover from terrorist attacks should they occur within the borders of the United States (Ball, 2005 ). The DHS is mainly concerned with the security within US borders while the Department of Defense (DOD) is concerned with the country’s security outside its borders. The department leverages resources within local governments, individual states and the federal state and coordinates the transition of numerous programs and agencies into a sole integrated agency that focuses on protecting the people of America and their homeland. There are over 80,000 different jurisdictions of the government at the local, state and federal levels that lie under the responsibility of the homeland security department according to Ball, (2005). The comprehensive strategy of the nation is to seek and expand a complementary system that would connect all government levels without a replicating effort. Homeland security can therefore be considered as being an authentic national mission. There are several components that in the present day make up the home security department Agencies in Homeland Security The government agencies that fall directly under this cabinet department include: the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the US National Guard, and the US Coast Guard (Ball, 2005). In curbing external threats, the incorporation of the following departments became vital: Customs and Border Protection, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the US Citizenship and Immigration Services. Other departments that beef up security against terrorism include the US Secret Service, the Transport Security Administration, the Civil Air Patrol and the Transport Security Administration. The Federal Bureau of investigation (FBI) and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) do not form part of the DHS (Ball, 2005). The Homeland Security Council in the White House coordinates the running of Homeland Security currently headed by John Brennan. The Scope of Homeland Security The scope within which the department operates includes: responding emergently to both terrorism and natural calamities which therefore encompasses fire personnel, police, medical assistance and emergency management (Ball, 2005). Secondly, it is mandated with the role of domestic intelligent services, infrastructure protection against vandalism and border security including air, land and water. Thirdly, the department offers security in the transportation sector including aviation, land and sea transport. Finally, the department is also responsible for bio-defense, the detection of radioactive and radiological materials and research on sophisticated security technologies. The DHS have been sufficiently equipped and assisted with intelligence from various advisory groups. First, the Homeland Security Advisory Council that originates from the state and the local government includes first responders in the private sector and academics. On the other hand, the National Infrastructure Advisory Council gives intelligence on the security of public and private information systems (Ball, 2005). Secondly, under the science and technology advice, the Homeland Security Science and Technology Advisory Committee offer invaluable support to the DHS. The protection of the infrastructure owned by individuals and the state are protected by DHS and the intelligence resource is the Critical Infrastructure Partnership Advisory Council. Thirdly, the interagency Coordinating Council on Emergency Preparedness offers intelligence on disaster management and offers assistance to individuals that are physically challenged. Special Agencies in Homeland Security The DHS is also incorporated within itself various other special components that work in conjunction with the agents on the ground to ensure maximum security. The detection Nuclear Detection Office for instance, assist in the detection of any nuclear threat at all levels of the government and in the private sector. For effective and skilled agents, a special department in the DHS called the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center has been established to offer training services to the personnel working in the department (Ball, 2005). Other various agencies of the DHS that ensure the proper running of the department include: the directorate for Science and Technology, management, office of policy which cover the office of immigration statistics and the office of health affairs. Since the inception of the DHS, many other agencies have been established that take in: the office of intelligence and Analysis, office of operations Coordination that monitors domestic security daily and the National Cyber Security Center. Other organs of the DHS include the National Protection and Programs Directorate which ensures risk reduction taking in it both the physical and virtual threats and others that affect the livelihood of the American citizen. This organ ensures security for federal building and all the assets of the federal government and the various assets of government interests. In total, the Department of the Homeland Security holds twenty two special government agencies that assist in fulfilling the mandates and the roles of the department. Other executive departments that play important roles in ensuring that the DHS functions efficiently include the Department of Defense, and that of Health and Human Services. Mitigation, Prevention and Preparedness in Homeland Security As a matter of fact, emergencies occur as a direct result of disasters and accidents that happen when they are least expected and in places where there was previously no anticipation of such happenings (Business Dictionary, 2010). This means that many lives are often lost and property destroyed as a result of sudden unpredictable events. It is in realization of this fact that there comes a need o have secure plans for dealing with emergencies. Mitigation, it may well be said, constitutes one part of the cycle of emergency management. The cycle of emergency management is then completed with response and recovery. Preparedness and mitigation always occur even before the occurrence of a disaster. However, post-disaster preparedness and mitigation may always be done in respect of the fact that similar events may be repeated in the future. What this means is that mitigation and preparedness may appear on both parts of the emergency management cycle. This is however not the case with recovery and response which may only be done after an event. Mitigation can basically be defined as a long term pre-disaster management that involves the development of structural and non structural endeavor in reduction and elimination of foreseeable risks (Moltke, nd). While this is long term, it ensures preparedness which simply means getting ready to take the next course of action. Mitigation may also be defined classically as the sustained action taken to do away with or lower risk to assets and people from hazards and their associated impacts. By mitigating the various components of a hazard, the population is less exposed to risks (Moltke, nd). Since September 11, the concepts of preparedness and mitigation have received new meaning. In fact, the event has made terms such as terrorism, preparedness and prevention to be more common. The Department of Homeland Security has been charged with the mandate of ensuring that potential risks to the country are well mitigated and that the citizenry is safe from harm as much as possible (Ball, 2005). The department therefore has to come up always with mitigation plans. Such plans often involve the assessment of threats facing a community as well as the assessment of potential targets. In the case of terrorism, the DHS continues to monitor the environment and comes up with measures that are aimed at mitigating terrorism as a threat. Special plans and practices to counter terrorism define what terrorism mitigation is all about. In this context, mitigation will mean the elimination or reduction of terrorism attack while preparedness will mean a practiced state of readiness to respond in the event of such an occurrence. Key Issues The new secretary of Homeland Security will have an uphill task in curbing terrorism whether internal and external. More so, with the development and dynamism in technology, the preparedness and protection of the American citizens will be a stalemate. As highlighted above, there are two categories of mitigation that both denote the significance of integrated planning. The DHS puts into consideration various issues in the designing and the development of disaster mitigation and management (Ball, 2005). There are various calamities that the DHS is mandated to contain and these can only be done through an effective planning strategy. The four components that make up planning in disaster management include mitigation, preparedness, recovery and response. While the others have been discussed earlier, recovery means the process of repair and restoration and response is the immediate reaction that saves life. The DHS have categorized the disasters in order of occurrence in an attempt to equip themselves with the relevant resources for overcoming them. Among them include hoaxes and threats, minor medical injuries, intellectual property rights violations, crime, weather related problems, public health concerns, attacks of cyber systems natural disasters among others. Allocation of funds for the mitigation and prevention of occurrence of the events is variable on the events planned for. Through training on disaster management, the DHS has come up with Community Emergency Response Teams (Ball, 2005). The department trains volunteers to acquire skills that are useful in emergency cases, more especially in dealing with disasters. In addition to providing anti-terrorism training services to volunteers, the Department also trains on fire administration, critical infrastructure protection as well as the application of NIMS (National Incident Management System). Programs Established Seven major grant programs have been established to provide for resources required to support for the preparedness of the DHS. According to reports, the DHS received one thousand, five hundred and forty million dollars for the financial year 2009. The following are the seven programs established for the development of a strong base of mitigation and preparedness: Urban Area Security Initiative Program (UASI) This program has been established to ensure preparedness in the high risk urban areas by providing a interdisciplinary planning, training, equipment and exercise needs of highly populated cities. The various participants in this aimed to achieve or enhance the capabilities stated in the National Preparedness guidelines. The program has been established to prevent, protect against, and respond to enable such a city recover from any acts of terrorism. State Homeland Security Program (SHSP) This program enables homeland security to meet its obligations at the state and local levels. It enhances the capabilities of the Homeland Security in fighting terrorism, large scale natural disasters and public health emergencies. The analysis of a risk is used to determine the amount of allocation, but each state is assured a percentage in an attempt to prepare for the occurrence of any disaster (Ball, 2005). This program encompasses four other grant programs which are useful in the protection and prevention of the transport and the infrastructure sectors. The national most important economic and transportation assets are safeguarded against any attacks by artificial or natural calamities. National Security and Terrorism Prevention Certain capital projects and operational proposals are funded through this program. It aims at providing funds to specific state and local agencies to support proposals which assist in addressing susceptibilities identified by the secretary as priorities. The secretary always invites proposals from various states which enhance protection for critical infrastructure. The projects that well address the issues of vulnerabilities are prioritized in an attempt to ensure maximum protection. Transportation Infrastructure Protection Program (IPP) This program funds a range of preparedness activities inclusive of the strengthening of infrastructure against explosive attacks. These include: planning, equipment purchase, training, and administration and security management costs. The program also aims at preserving various preparedness doctrines like the National Incidence Management System (NIMS), the National Response Framework (NRF) and the NIPP which stands for the National Infrastructure Protection Plan (Ball, 2005). It also includes the Port Security Grant Program (PSGP) that play a protection role in the port areas from the destruction of the assets by the terrorists. The PSGP is aimed at ensuring the prevention, detection of threats and all the activities that ensure antiterrorism. The highest risk ports are prioritized to ensure protection and therefore curb the occurrence of such events as tourism terrorists. Challenges Facing the Department of Homeland Security There are several challenges that the secretary of the department of Homeland Security faces, among them is the coordination of disaster response efforts. In the event of a catastrophy, the department is not in a position to coordinate response operation effectively. This was quite evident After the Katrina disaster where the department would make unfounded decisions and failures in the communication systems. The involvement of many departments in the management of the DHS contributes greatly to wrong and questionable decisions being reached. The problem of deployment of the nation’s resources and capabilities can be attributed to the lack of preparedness and the will of the stakeholders top achieve magnificent response. Catastrophic planning- whereby the preparedness for such a calamity is fund demanding including such disasters like the Katrina and terrorists attack. The major challenge is therefore that of lack of federal funding or the allocation in the budget of minimum funds that do not meet the demand of such a calamity. Logistics problem – the DHS has been mandated with the duty to coordinate the delivery of man power and facilities in the case of a catastrophy. Previously, like in the Hurricane Katrina, there was evident lack of state resources for the process. The highly complex process of supplying the resources and the inflexibility in meeting the requirements contributes greatly to the failure of the department in response. Essential commodities such as food and water have been lacking during the response to previous man made and natural disasters and fails in the fulfilling in the disaster response goals. The lack of testing for the information systems before deployment can lead to an embarrassing situation in the event of such an occurrence. The purchase of the required equipments like the trucks used in the transport of foodstuffs and water is a setback. Although this may appear as a funding problem, the actual problem is that of logistics. Mission assignment is another logistic issue that needs to be addressed. In the event of a disaster, DHS have had difficulties issuing, tracking and monitoring agencies records that should be reconciled with the department records. Acquisition problem – the DHS have recently proved their inefficiency in the provision of acquisition needed during catastrophic times. The insufficient acquisition planning and preparation needed for response to a disaster was lacking during the Katrina disaster. Communication breakdown within the departments and the collaboration with other departments have been evident when tackling previous disasters. The other problem in acquisiiotn is the lack of personnel to manage and oversee contracts. Housing problem – with the mandate to handle all sorts of disasters from man made to natural, the DHS requires funds to shelter and accommodate the victims and survivors of such an event. The lack of a housing strategy saw the majority of the victims of Katrina seeking refuge in the hotels, motels, Cruise ships and tents. In the event of such an occurrence, many people seek refuge and it would be advisable that the DHS work tirelessly in the implementation of the housing plan. Proposals to the Department The DHS should share their information and intelligence with the local officials and response organizations so as to counter terrorism and natural calamities in the event of their occurrence. The recruitment of terrorists’ informants should be increased so that they can survey and keep track on the occurrence and attack threats. The transport department should work tirelessly in implementing strategies to ensure that agency officials obtain intelligence in time. The creation of a new department that deals with the coordination of collection, analysis, reporting and dissemination is recommended. A counter terrorist centre should be established whose work should be collection of relevant information for any terrorism threat. Additionally, this department should be charged with the duty to provide comprehensive and continuing assessments of potential risks to decisive infrastructure. The authority to levy direct intelligence requirements on the intelligence community in respect to terrorism threats and natural disasters should be vested on this department. The department should work diligently with the airline industry in order to maintain security in that sector. In that connection, the non passenger cargo should be subjected to thorough check before admissions. In response to future biological attacks, the department of security should be the lead in order to counter such threats. Proper logistics and management is vital in the development of a good response in mitigation and preparedness. The DHS should ensure that the four phases of emergency management including preparedness, response, recovery and mitigation are properly managed. Conclusion In realization of the fact that emergencies and disasters occur always without warning, there always is a need to ensure that people and property are well protected from threats. The DHS was actually formed as a result of the threats that the United States faced as a country. Its creation after the September 11th came at a time when the people of the United States really needed an assurance of security. References Ball, H. (2005). U.S. Homeland Security: A reference handbook. New York: ABC-CLIO Business Dictionary (2010) Definition of Disaster Response, retrieved June 7th, 2010. < http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/disaster-response.html> Homeland Security (2010) Training & Technical Assistance, retrieved June 7th, 2010 http://www.dhs.gov/files/training/prepresprecovery.shtm Moltke H. (nd) Mitigation and Preparedness:In the long run luck is given only to the efficient, retrieved 7th June, 2010 http://www.apsu.edu/oconnort/3430/3430lect06.htm Read More