Office of Homeland Security
Just as our parents and grandparents remember where they were and what they were doing when President John F. Kennedy was shot, so will it be with this generation when asked the same questions pertaining to September 11, 2001. This horrific event will be a scar on the body of our wonderful nation until the end of time. Parents lost children, children lost parents, spouses lost their heartmates – so much anguish and emotional devastation demands that something be done to prevent tragedy like this from occurring in the future. This is why President George W. Bush created the Office of Homeland Security.
This cabinet-level position was created in lieu of the 9-11 attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon and will report directly to the President himself. In an executive order given on October 8, 2001, President Bush stated as follows:
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered as follows:
Section 1. Establishment. I hereby establish within the Executive Office of the President an Office of Homeland Security (the ``Office'') to be headed by the Assistant to the President for Homeland Security. (Boston, sec. 1).
The first director of the Office of Homeland Security is a Pennsylvanian Republican, Governor Tom Ridge. “The post … will be comparable to a domestic variation of the National Security Advisor, said a senior administration official” (Stenger, 2001: screen). Governor Ridge is more than qualified for this illustrious, though sadly needed, position. In the Presidents address to a joint session of Congress and the American people he states that Governor Ridge is “a military veteran, an effective governor, a true patriot and a trusted friend” (Address, 2001: screen). His military experience includes serving as infantry staff sergeant in Vietnam where he earned the Bronze Star for valor. As the first enlisted Vietnam combat veteran elected to the U.S. House he was re-elected six times (Biography, 2001: screen). As Governor of Pennsylvania he began his term in 1995. Since then he has cut taxes every year in office. His Education Empowerment Act helped more than 250,000 children in the states lowest-performing schools.
The Office of Homeland Security has many functions that it will perform to ensure the safety of the...
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...21 by the National League of Cities reveals that two-thirds of cities over 100,000 are reassessing their emergency plans, although 83% have a terrorism response plan in place” (Kenworthy, 2001: screen). The largest impact that the Office has on American citizens is, in fact, a greater feeling of togetherness.
Works Cited
Boston_Liberty. “Establishing the Office of Homeland Security and the Homeland Security Council – Text of EO.” 10 Oct. 2001. Online Posting. FreeRepublic. 1 Apr. 2002. <http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/544498/posts>
Kenworthy, Tom. Struggling to Create A Homeland Defense. 8 Oct. 2001. 1 Apr. 2002. <http://www.usatoday.com/news/attack/2001/10/09/homeland.htm>
Stenger, Richard. Domestic Security Czar to Tame ‘Bowl of Spaghetti.’ 21 Sept. 2001. 1 Apr. 2002. <http://www.cnn.com/2001/US/09/21/rec.homeland.defense/>
The White House. 1 Apr. 2002. <http://www.whitehouse.gov/homeland/ridgebio.html>
The White House. Sept. 2001. 1 Apr. 2002. <http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2001/09/20010920-8.v.smil>
The White House. Oct. 2001. 1 Apr. 2002. <http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2001/10/20011008.html>
Homeland Security Presidential Directive 5 directly relates to the National Incident Management System and the National Response Framework. In fact, it directly correlates with their missions. HSPD-5 was the directive that needed to start things in motion; NIMS and the NRF are the aftermath of the directive. With the formation of NIMS and soon after the NRF, America can operate successfully under one national manage...
After 9/11 there was a great increase in security nationwide. One major example of this is the number of agencies created as a result of 9/11. Among these agencies include the creation of the TSA (Transportation Security Administration), the DHS (The Department of Homeland Security), the ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement), and lastly the massive advancement of the US Coast Guard. Every one of the budgets of these agencies has doubled since 9/11. The creation of the transportation and security administrations primary goal is to improve the safety of all American Citizens traveling by plane. The TSA started implementing, new policies and new technological advancements.
Creating and managing agency budgets is a complicated process. How an agency receives and allocates its funds determines how, when, and if the agency will remain viable and how it will achieve its mission. “As a practical matter, therefore, agencies often base their annual budget request on last year’s budget after making incremental categorical changes of previous expenditures” (Stojkovic, Kalinich, & Klofas, 2012, p. 40). Organizations, however, are affected by the political climate around them. The September 11, 2001 attack on America brought a substantive reaction, including military deployment abroad and increased surveillance within the homeland. As a result, the Department of Homeland Security was created to control and coordinate a number of federal law enforcement and
The 65-year evolution of the National Security Advisor (NSA) and the National Security Council (NSC) staff into an influential shaper of US foreign policy reflects an acceptance by successive iterations of national leadership that America’s place in the world necessitates a small, yet decisive body capable of producing viable options to deal with a complex world. Although its prominence has ebbed and flowed from administration to administration (and even within individual terms of office), the overall assessment remains that the NSC staff, and by extent the NSA, stand as “attractive tool[s]” for presidential political and policy maneuverings. Their importance is also rooted in historical reasons as well.
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.
After September eleventh, President George W. Bush signed a congressional bill to create a department of Homeland Security. This department examines the levels of security risk at airports, ship ports, railway stations, and other public transportation locations. Both candidates Bush and Kerry agree that homeland security is a priority. Furthermore, the candidates have stated that it is essential to provide the American people with a strong common defense. For example, “both pledge to have the government spend more money to furnish first-responders-the police and firefighters who are the first to arrive on the scene of an accident or an attack-with the materials and equipment they need to do their jobs to the best of their ability” (David Dulio). The recent war in Iraq has divided the candidates on how to carry out the plan on homeland security. Bush believes that we must take a protective approach in Iraq to prevent further terrorist damage to the United States. Kerry on the other hand believes that the United States must seek international support in Iraq to insure safety at home and abroad.
George W. Bush, The National Security Strategy of the United States (Washington, D.C.:The White House, September 2002).
Office of the President of the United States, National Security Strategy. (Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 2010).
The Department of Homeland Security was created just 11 short days after the events of 9/11. The Department of Homeland Securities was created to ensure a homeland that is safe, secure and resilient against terrorism and other hazards. The foundation has three key concepts according to the website, those include; security, resilience and customs and exchange. The Homeland Security website also states that there are five core missions preventing terrorism, secure and mange our borders, e...
The federal government also developed a security framework that would help to protect their country from large scale terrorist attacks. They introduced “Department of Homeland Security in March 2003 which brought together 22 separate agencies and offices into a single, Cabinet-level department”
Communities must come together in order to be aware of the steps that must be taken to reduce or prevent risk. “The guidance, programs, processes, and systems that support each component of the National Preparedness System enable a collaborative, whole community approach to national preparedness that engages individuals, families, communities, private and nonprofit sectors, faith based organizations and all levels of government.” (FEMA, 2011). Resources within a community are prioritized and customized based on community-based issues and local security programs. The resources used as the front line of defense are first responders, such as police officers, firefighters and medical personnel. The resources are provided and prioritized based on the priority of threat and risks to a specific community. Therefore, the threats and risks targeted towards a community must be analyzed and acknowledged in order to apply the correct resources to the opposing prioritized threats. Disasters and emergencies typically begin at the local level and eventually require resources from state and federal
The concept of homeland security has developed over the last decade. Homeland security as a concept was precipitated by the terrorist attacks of 9/11. However, prior to 9/11 such entities as the Gilmore Commission and the United States Commission on National Security discussed the need to evolve the way national security policy was conceptualized due to the end of the Cold War and the rise of radicalized terrorism. After 9/11, policymakers concluded that a new approach was needed to address the large-scale terrorist attacks. A presidential council and department were established, and a series of presidential directives were issued in the name of “homeland security.” These developments established that homeland security was a distinct, but undefined
The first area is the Department of Homeland Security’s mission. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was created in 2002 by the Homeland Security Act. In 2003 the DHS started their operations. The DHS primary responsibilities and objectives includes prevention, protection, and response to issues that threaten national security. There are five core missions that define the DHS: Managing and securing our nation’s borders, strengthening security initiatives to help prevent terrorism, administering and enforcing the nation’s immigration laws, ensuring that the nation can rebound fast and or prevent disasters, and ensuring the internet is secure by instituting safeguards that protect the nation against cyber-attacks. (TWH, 2003)
September 11, is a time etched in history of the United States, more so than the majority any past conflicts or disasters felt on domestic land. This caused our country to consider its safety for family, friend, and country that has caused a shift in considered career paths or chosen professions. Larsen address the need for a different type expert needed to talk the threats of homeland security (n.d). Studies now show that the past prerequisite degrees like, biomedical are chemistry are no longer the normal backgrounds in the profession of homeland security. Furthermore, to meet the demand of the new career path, many colleges, and university to introduce and address the needs of the field. By 2012 nearly a quarter of all federal jobs were related to homeland security, while ...
On September 11, 2001 a series of attacks were planned on the World Trade Center, Pentagon, and Washington, D.C. On this day, I remember, after my fifth grade teacher received the news of the attacks, she turned on the television. At this age I could not come to grips of why this was happening. I was saddened to watch the buildings burn down knowing that on the inside lives of people were being lost. Now, almost a decade later, the attacks on 9/11 has left a long-term effect on the United States. The aftermath of 9/11 caused America to be vulnerable to terrorism. It affected every race across the U.S. causing some to be racially profiled because of the race that was “assumed” to be behind the attacks. In order to strengthen the U.S. from future attacks, the Homeland Security Act was passed in 2002. This Act was introduced after the 9/11 attacks and mailing of anthrax. It was signed into law by then President George W. Bush in November 2002. It created both the United States Department of Homeland Security and the cabinet-level position of Secretary of Homeland Security. The Act's first responsibility was to prevent terrorist attacks in the United States. Actions were needed after 9/11 occurred, from issuing a Commission Report to creating the Department of Homeland Security that specialized in terrorist attacks.