Homeland Security - Research Paper Example

?Running Head: HOMELAND SECURITY Homeland Security In America, homeland security has always been a matter of concern long before the September 11 attacks. For decades, national and international terrorist groups have attacked the homeland of America to disrupt its internal interests and facilities. These events did not create many waves and so any programs regarding counterterrorism did not fetch much help from the government. Only the massive and destructive nature of the September 11 attacks in 2001 managed to shake the US Federal government out of its torpor to make terrorism a major issue in public, political and media agendas. Within 9 days of the terrorist attack, George Bush declared that an Office of Homeland Security would be created to develop a “comprehensive national strategy” to protect the country from any future terrorist attacks (Bullock, et al, 2009, pp.1-2). This paper focuses on the major components of homeland security and their functions since the September 11 attack. Homeland Security When George Bush became the president of America in January 2001, terrorism was not a matter of priority in his administrative agenda. His administration was busy coping with many other problems like scarcity of staff in programs of foreign translation, poor and inefficient information systems and cultural differences between various agencies resulting in disruption of sharing of information. In 2011, the FBI requested the government to increase funding for counterterrorism programs in the coming Budget session. This proposal was rejected by the Attorney General just one day before the September 11 attack (United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary, 2005, p.62). The events of September 11 compelled the president to give more focus on terrorism with special priority to “biological weapons of mass destruction”. The Bush administration went on to establish the department of homeland security within the “White House Congress” (Gottron & Shea, 2010, p.4). The department of homeland security was created with many new authorities to prepare the country against any future terrorist attacks. The focus was also on rapid response and recovery to terrorism. The Bush administration developed many new strategies and manuals on guidance for homeland security with extra focus on bioterrorism (Gottron & Shea, 2010, p.4). The department of homeland security embodies multiple government departments and effectively manages its challenges. National Cybersecurity Initiative One of the most important concerns for the Bush administration was the nationwide cyber security. Cyber networks became a primary area of attack for the terrorists which resulted in unlawful access to the secret information and strategies of the Federal agencies. Electronic system of storing information had become the major support for securing a wide variety of strategy information regarding security and economy in both public and private sectors. Such systems were a primary target for terrorists and attacks on such system had become widespread. The Bush administration suspected that many such attackers were working in coordination with the “foreign military organisations or the foreign intelligent services.” Thus, among the many new enemies of America after the September 11 attack, the foreign intelligence bureaus attacking the electronic system became new and dangerous kind of adversaries. Cyber security became a crucial matter for the department of homeland security. Bush administration established the Comprehensive National Cybersecurity Initiative (CNCI) in January 2008 to strategically focus on protecting the country from all kinds of threats to the cyberworld. The main function of CNCI is to anticipate future technological threats on electronic systems. The CNCI then instructs the Federal government to “integrate many of its technical and organisational capabilities to better address sophisticated threats and vulnerabilities” (Rollins & Henning, 2009, p.1). The CNCI has established five steps for providing stronger security to the cyberworld – 1) to create awareness among the internal users, 2) to create knowledge of security by training and education, 3) to revaluate the policies concerning the employees and the procedures used for technological purposes, 4) to create awareness about the lower level risk factors like “social engineering and dumpster driving” and this can be done by increasing security awareness, and 5) to give equal importance and focus on risk factors involving technology and human risks. Other than all the five steps, CNCI also finds it equally important to keep the internal technology updated and also a team of trained and educated personnel should always be alert to tackle any kind of sudden crisis (Cyber Security: Key to Homeland Security, 2002, p.10). U.S Customs and Border protection This law enforcement agency of the department of homeland security provides effective security to the international borders of America which includes air, water and land borders. The agency focuses on two main objectives – 1) to ensure free and uninterrupted flow of trade, commerce and travel, and 2) to identify and abolish all transnational organisations of criminal and terrorist activities. (Secure and Manage our Borders, 2011). The Border protection agency has several responsibilities which it needs to fulfill in order to ensure full protection of the borders. The first responsibility is to timely acquire information from the headquarters of Customs and Border protection (CBP). The information then needs to be thoroughly analyzed as it is important to the primary mission of CBP which is “detecting, identifying, and preventing terrorists and terrorist weapons from entering the United States”. The second responsibility of the Border protection agency is to ensure that the officials and policymakers of CBP always have the effective intelligence that is needed to sustain awareness regarding the current situation of the borders (Committee on Homeland Security, 2006, p.32). Counterterrorism Counterterrorism is a set of strategies that identify, prevent and prosecute terrorist activists with the mission of protecting the country from all kinds of national and international terrorism. The department of homeland security integrates the functions of different security agencies of government to coordinate and promote counterterrorism. The department performs a variety of functions to prevent terrorist attacks. It detects presence of any explosive materials in “public places and transportation networks”. Another function of the department is to protect the vital infrastructure of the country and cyber networks from terrorist attacks. The department makes an effort to maintain compatible relationship between the state and local law enforcement agencies so that there is smooth flow of information between the agencies to facilitate the common task of preventing terrorism (Counterterrorism, n.d.). Domestic counterterrorism is one of the major missions of the department of homeland security. This area of mission works towards supervising and integrating the functions of the law enforcement agencies of the nation. Such functions include “identifying, halting, preventing, and prosecuting terrorists in the United States” (Rabkin, 2005, p.63). In addition, the mission area works towards identifying individuals who are direct members of terrorist groups and organisations that support and encourage these groups by providing them financial and material resources. The strategy adopted by the mission area covers several functions – 1) it improves the coordination between difference law enforcement agencies of the government, 2) it smoothens the process of capturing the terrorist activists, 3) it ensures smooth and uninterrupted continuation of investigation processes, 4) it helps in completing restructuring process of the FBI to focus on prevention of future terrorist activities, and 5) it tracks down international terrorists and brings them to justice (Rabkin, 2005, p.63). Emergency preparedness It is a primary responsibility of the department of homeland security to always be prepared for any kind of emergency ranging from terrorist attack to natural disasters like earthquakes and hurricanes. In the event of any such emergency, the department focuses on providing a “coordinated, comprehensive Federal response and mount a swift and effective recovery effort”. The department also ensures that the professional managers of emergency situations are efficiently trained and educated (Preparedness, response & recovery, n.d.). The responsibility of ensuring protection and security for a nation not only lies with government and its agencies, it should be shared by every citizen and all private sectors. The Emergency Management Accreditation Program (EMAP) was created within the department of homeland security to focus on the vitals needs regarding security of the nation of America. EMAP functions with the coordination of all the states of America. The EMAP sets high standards in its strategy for preventing terrorist attacks and preparedness to any disasters. The standards can be applied to all emergency management programs of any size. The EMAP has 14 program areas that coordinate to ensure smooth flow of activities. The 14 program areas are – 1) Program Management supervises the structure of a program and assesses its capability to coordinate various activities regarding emergency management between different agencies and organisations, 2) Laws and Authorities supervises the legal problems that may arise while execution of emergency management programs, 3) Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment ensures proper identification of risk factors from terrorist attacks and other natural disasters, 4) Hazard Mitigation needs a proper strategy to reduce any impact from disasters including terrorist attacks, to minimise losses, 5) Resource Management ensures effective acquisition and distribution of resources, personnel and equipments required for functioning of emergency management programs, 6) Planning focuses on the standard and efficiency of different plans regarding strategy, mitigation and recovery, 7) Direction, Control and Coordination uses an incident management system for dealing with emergency situations, 8) Communications and Warning ensure that there is smooth communication between personnel and to effectively warn the public of impending danger, 9) Operations and Procedures ensure effective execution of emergency management programs, 10) Logistics and Facilities provide supports for response and rescue operations, 11) Training ensures that there are proper training courses for emergency management personnel, 12) Exercises, Evaluations and Corrective Action requires scheduled evaluations of emergency management programs, 13) Crisis Communications, Public Education and Information calls for providing information to the public regarding any disaster, and 14) Finance and Administration ensures distribution of funds in disaster areas (Bentley, 2004, p.19). Immigration and Naturalization Service In the last ten years since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, many profound changes have been made in the immigration laws and policies of America. Immediately after the attacks there was a growing concern that terrorists were present within the boundaries of the nation. This concern resulted in linking immigration screening processes as part of national security strategy. The “border areas and ports of entry” were considered as vulnerable pathways for entry of international terrorist groups. The Federal government enhanced restrictions and security measures on all foreigners who were striving to enter the United States. The Federal government also designed the immigration policies in ways to apprehend everyone who seemed to be suspicious, considering them to be part of current or future terrorist organisations. The government emphasised on scrutinizing individuals of “Muslim, Arab and South Asian descent. In November, 2002, Bush administration passed the Homeland Security Act which integrated the Immigration and Naturalization Service with the department of homeland security. After this structural change was completed, focus was given on creating new rules and regulations which had significant impact on immigrants from MASA communities. The most significant feature of the immigration policy after the September 11 attacks was the “heightened scrutiny” of those who were trying to enter the United States. It became a challenging process for tourists, visitors coming for business purpose and students to procure temporary visas. As a result of this, prospective students and business visitors arriving from countries perceived to be shelters of terrorisms were denied visas. This created agitation among universities and business groups. They argued that America was losing “intellectual and entrepreneurial capital to countries with more permissive entry requirements” (Iyer & Rathod, 2011, pp.12-14). Conclusion The urgency, with which the department of homeland security was created after the September 11 attacks, raised the question whether America would successfully fight against the international terrorists, more specifically al-Qaeda and its Taliban allies who threatened the nation. The combat was difficult in the last decade mainly due to concern regarding the efficacy of the methods of nuclear preventions. There was also the concern regarding availability of military assets that were required for efficient functioning of the department of homeland security. This was because such assets were prepared for sending overseas for a potential war (Binnendijk, 2002, pp.19-20). The task of preparing America to face another disastrous terrorist attack was enormous and posed a challenge for the Bush administration. 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