Congress of the United States/Cabinet-Department of Homeland Security - Research Paper Example

Congress, for instance, has been at the forefront in making sure that any bill introduced in the house is thoroughly scrutinized and its benefits to the country analyzed before being passed into law according to Kura (2001). The Department of Homeland Security is a cabinet component of the U.S. federal government that derives its powers from the Homeland Security Act of 2002, a regulation passed by the U.S. Congress. This paper will explore how the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is structured and how effectively it is being managed.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is an agency of the federal government of the United States of America. It is a cabinet department that was established following the 9/11 attacks that mainly targeted the twin towers off the World Trade Centre. The Department was established with its core mandate being to protect the United States of America and its territories from natural disasters, terrorist attacks, and engineered accidents as noted by Perl (2004).

While the Department of Defense focuses on military actions in other nations, the DHS is dedicated to protecting the United States of America both from within and outside the country’s borders in the civilian sphere. . The Department of Homeland Security is made up of several main components, each with its unique set of functions (DHS, 2013). Some of the main components of the DHS include: The Directorate for National Protection and Programs (NPPD), Science and Technology Directorate, the Office of Intelligence and Analysis (I&A), the Directorate for Management, the Office of Policy, the Office of Health Affairs, and the Office of Operations Coordination and Planning.

Its other main components include: The Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP), United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the United States Coast Guard, and the United States Secret Service (USSS). The NPPD aims at advancing the Department’s mission of reducing risks, a task that demands an integrated approach to establishing virtual and physical threats (DHS, 2013).

The Science and Technology Directorate arm of the Department on the other hand focuses primarily on research and seeks to provide government officials with the technologies that they need to accomplish the task of protecting the homeland. The Directorate for Management on its part is charged with the duty of managing the Department’s IT systems, funds, facilities and equipment, budgets, accounts, human resources, and procurement. It is also responsible for the identifying and tracking measures for performance.

The office of policy is primarily charged with the duty of formulating policies that govern the DHS, and coordinates its various components. The Office of