Introduction The security of the United States and living without being under a constant threat should be very important to all citizens and those who visit this country. The research revealed some interesting facts, it is impossible to secure every commercial building, airport, bridge, bypass, and government building. One element of the security is that terrorists will not have the ability to attack every place in the United States. However, everything is a possible target and terrorists want to do as damage as possible and cause the greatest amount of disruption in our way of life as possible. The Department of Homeland Security is responsible for protecting the United States of America. However, it is a very complex and difficult job, an overwhelming amount of information must be shared and filtered daily. Terrorists may attack at any point and they will change plans to attack a less protected target randomly. The Department of Homeland Security must make decisions and decide which possible targets to give the highest priority based on the information available. The higher the possibility a target might be attacked the more resources must be applied. The more critical targets have visible guards and a screening system in place (Mueller 2010). Challenges There are more than five million commercial building in the United States. While every commercial building is a possible target, there are not enough resources to guard five million possible targets. Everything in the United States is a potential target and it is impossible to change some of the fundamentals used in protecting the homeland. Therefore, the DHS has to work within those restraints. The number of terrorists appears to be a small percentage an... ... middle of paper ... ...59. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier database. Mueller, J. (2010). Assessing Measures Designed to Protect the Homeland. Policy Studies Journal, 38(1), 1-21. doi:10.1111/j.1541-0072.2009.00341.x. Penn, E., Higgins, G., Gabbidon, S., & Jordan, K. (2009). Governmental Efforts on Homeland Security and Crime: Public Views and Opinions. American Journal of Criminal Justice, 34(1/2), 28-40. doi:10.1007/s12103-008-9052-0. Renuart, G. (2009). HOW THE MILITARY SUPPORTS HOMELAND SECURITY. U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings, 135(10), 26-31. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier database. Stockton, P. (2009). Reform, Don't Merge, the Homeland Security Council. Washington Quarterly, 32(1), 107-114. doi:10.1080/01636600802535523. Williams, M. (2009). Homeland Security and NATO Policy. Military Technology, 33(10), 95-100. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier database.
The terrorist attacks on September 11, 2011 prompted the world to reevaluate and drastically modify airport and airline security. “Four targets had been chosen, all iconic American buildings that would send a clear message of the depth of their hatred for the United States. All four planes crashed, killing all on board—terrorists, crew members, and passengers, along with hundreds who were killed inside the structures, on the ground, and the men and women who ran into collapsing buildings in an effort to try and save others” (Smutz 1). As Jason Villemez said “the decade after the 9/11 attacks reshaped many facets of life in America” (Villemez 1). Before the attacks, people did not think that large scale hostility towards innocent people in our country was remotely possible. Ever since that fateful moment, citizens in America are on their toes every day worrying about another attack happening. United States citizens have had to adapt and change in response to this fear of further terrorist assault on our country. One of the ways they have adapted is by changing their means of security concerning airline travel.
Retrieved from http://www.terrorismanalysts.com/pt/index.php/pot/article/view/268/540 White, J. R. (2014). Terrorism and homeland security (8th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
After the fear of terrorism grew in the United States do to the Al Qaeda 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, the US Government found a need for a centralized department that umbrellas all other agencies when it comes to homeland security. The U.S. Government found this umbrella agency with the passage of the Homeland Security Act by Congress in November 2002, the Department of Homeland Security formally came into being as a stand-alone, Cabinet-level department to further coordinate and unify national homeland security efforts. (Homeland Security) With the creation of the new Department of Homeland Security (DHS) the government had a pinpoint location for the collection and gathering of intelligence, control of policies that effect national security, and a no fail mission. The Department of Homeland Security started to engulf other agencies and created many more, a total of 22 agencies now fall under the DHS. The DHS is control of all areas that deal with national security which included but are not limited to coastal and boarder protection, domestic terrorism, international terrorism, protection of the American people, protection of key infrastructure, protection of key resources and respond to natural disasters.
The general topic for this literature review will be an examination of the Department of Defense and the National Guard in terms of Homeland Security. The areas of Homeland Defense and Civil Support will be primary subsections of Homeland Security which will be reviewed. For purposes of defining a time period none of the literature reviewed will be prior to September 11, 2001. The reasoning for this being to examine Homeland Defense using literature pertaining to 9/11 and the Boston Marathon Bombing, and Civil Support using literature pertaining to Hurricane Katrina.
Homeland security is an American measure to ensure the security of the country. It is the national effort to ensure safety, security, and strength against terrorism and other issues, The goals of homeland security is to which will minimise the vulnerability of the U.S. to terrorism, and reduce the number of damages to the country.
This paper will briefly discuss the formation of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). With every government program or agency comes an alphabet soup of acronyms and DHS is no different from the rest. To better understand the agency and concepts that comprise DHS, this paper will also examine acronyms associated with DHS. They are QHSR, HSE, NRF, NIMS, ICS, and UC. Each will get a description while highlighting and discussing core elements or requirements that each acronym calls for or offers.
The Executive Order Establishing Office of Homeland Security Council puts forth an agenda on countering terrorist acts; it is done to prevent untold a...
"Building Resilience Against Terrorism: Canada’s Counter-terrorism Strategy." Government of Canada, Public Safety Canada. Government of Canada, 19 Aug. 2013. Web. 09 Nov. 2013.
Homeland security was developed by the United States government to protect the country from external aggression, reduce the likelihood of terrorist attacks and manage the damage that occurs in case of attacks. To this end, the government set up and reconstituted numerous agencies to aid in the fight against terrorism in the United States. The United States Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security constitute the most prominent departments under the United States law to champion the fight against any attacks by extremist groups. Federal, State and local law enforcement agencies, as well as the United States’ military also have a role to play in homeland security. With the increasing cases of attacks and acts of aggression towards the United States, the government sought to strengthen the resolve to curb any attacks aimed at killing or maiming the citizens or destruction of government institutions and installations. In the wake of the September 11 attacks, it was apparent that stringent measures were needed to prevent attacks on American soil and protect the citizens of the country. This paper examines the duties; responsibility and intelligence methods used by the military, federal, State and local law enforcement agencies, as well as homeland security agencies in the fight against terrorism, with the aim of drawing similarities and differences.
Homeland defense is primarily a Department of Defense (DOD) activity and is defined as “... the protection of US sovereignty, territory, domestic population, and critical defense infrastructure against external threats and aggression, or other threats as directed by the President.” Homeland security, regardless of the definition or strategic document, is a combination of law enforcement, disaster, immigration, and terrorism issues. It is primarily the responsibility of civilian agencies at all levels. It is a coordination of efforts at all levels of government. The differences between homeland security and homeland defense, however, are not completely distinct. A international terrorist organization attack on and within the United States would result in a combined homeland security and homeland defense response, such as on 9/11 when civilian agencies were responding to the attacks while the U.S. military established a combat air patrol over New York and Washington, DC. This distinction between homeland security and homeland defense, and the evolution of homeland security as a concept, was reflected in the strategic documents developed and issued following 9/11 (Reese
Homeland security is the way Americans put forth the effort to ensure the homeland is safe, secure, and stands firm against terrorist acts and other hazard that could put the health and welfare of the American people. The mission of the Homeland Security is to prevent terrorism, secure and protect our open borders, uphold all immigration laws, safeguard and secure cyberspace, and be content and resilient when it pertains to disasters.
Homeland Security’s mission is “to secure the nation from the many threats we face. With honor and integrity, we will safeguard the American people, our homeland, and our values.”[3]
Col. Randy Larson, renown author and Director of the Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) Center, speaks on an in-depth prospective of the field of homeland security and factors that drive the continued efforts to address future threats to the nation for the 21 century. The area of focus presented in the interview are the various ways an individual may enter the field but are not limited to a particular area of study. For example, health care, agriculture, or political science, there is essential no set track for finding a career in homeland security. Challenges surrounding area of homeland security are the mounting financial burdens and the need for the appointment of leadership at a national executive level to address this realistic future threat. Despite these concerns, evidence suggests quality system practices can assist in guiding theses area and the adoption of tools that support quality improvement when addressing homeland security and future concerns.
Over the course of the history of the United States of America, the country has had struggles with its own borders and the protection of those borders. Illegal immigration is a big problem and the smuggling of drugs, weapons, and cash over our borders into our country has evolved into a bigger problem. The United States has over seven-thousand miles of border to cover each day. That is quite a bit of land, but the only problem with this is there is a lack of manpower to cover every single mile of border. The US shares its borders with Canada and Mexico. All along these borders are small communities and cities that are occupied by US citizens. This means that these cities and communities require the protection of our Homeland Security Agency.
Seidenstat argues that security is a relative thing and that no set of policies or measures can eliminate all terrorist acts (Seidenstat 2009 ,4). Terrorists will stop at nothing to foil our defenses. They are very patient and creative in planning their attacks. Terrorists will continue to invent ways to defeat our security measures while we are busy with our lives and forgetting about the last attack. Sometimes they don’t need to do nothing but wait for us to let our guard down so they can easily slip passed security measures.