Department of Homeland Security Organizational Structure - Research Paper Example

Number Due History of the Department of Homeland Security The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) draws its origin from the aftermath of the September 11 attacks on the United States. The department was therefore created with the primary duty of protecting the country and its territories from terror, man-made accidents and natural disasters. The responsibility of the DHS does not conflict with that of the Department of Defense which is concerned with military actions abroad. When it was formed on October 8 2001, it was known as the Office of Homeland Security with a mission to coordinate and implement a comprehensive national security strategy aimed at securing the United States from terrorist attacks. On November, 25 2002, the DHS was established fully after the enactment of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (Reddick, 2010). The responsibilities of DHS today basically revolve around the security of the country. Securing the borders is therefore one primary role of the department and this has led to close to one million deportations of illegal immigrants per year. In addition, thousands of illegal immigrants are also deterred from crossing the borders into the country. The department also facilitates legal immigration and provides guidance to various organizations in the field concerning issues of employment in order to address illegal immigration. With respect to natural disasters, the department seeks to ensure that the country is always ready to assist communities at all stages in the event of a disaster (Logan, 2010). Organizational Design The current design of the DHS is created to ensure the best service delivery and limit any challenges that might arise as a result of a poor structure. Like other departments in the country, DHS is headed by a secretary in this case the Secretary of Homeland Security. The Secretary is appointed by the President with the approval of the Senate. Second in line is the Deputy Secretary with several Under Secretaries and Assistant Secretaries within different sections of the Department. Currently, DHS has a number of component agencies and divisions charged with different functions. The agencies include: Customs and Border Protection Transportation Security administration Citizenship and Immigration Services Immigration and Customs Enforcement United States Coast Guard Federal Emergency Management Agency United States Secret Service In addition, the Department is further divided into nine divisions. Considering the objectives of the DHS, it is imperative to note that its structure is certainly appropriate in ensuring its core mandate. For instance to enhance the formulation of policies within the department, there is an Undersecretary for Policy who is charged with the duty of strengthening this important role. The structure of the organization is much “flatter” and this is a source of empowerment as agencies with overlapping missions are consolidated while the agencies can directly report to the secretary through the Deputy Secretary (Cackley, 2010). Considering that the primary recipients of the department’s services are the people of the United States, there is a lot of rationalization through the creation of a risk-based mechanism for resource allocation which is effective in responding to catastrophic terrorism. Assessment of Organizational Design In order to ensure better service delivery and address most of the challenges realized in these changing situations, it is important for the department to adopt slight modifications in its present organizational design. Presently, there is little clarity on the subject of bio-defense and cyber-defense despite these two issues becoming a major concern across the world. In line with the department’s commitment to rationalize its activities, there should be an improvement in departmental oversight through the establishment of efficient oversight committees within the department. It is further seen that the department lacks an efficient internal review mechanism to evaluate the performance of the various sections. The creation of such a mechanism can be important in the realization of the mission and objectives of the department (Relyea, 2011). Evaluation of Planning and Implementation DHS is currently facing a number of great milestones and challenges which influence its operations. One of the most pressing issues in this respect is the need to ensure a proper coordination of the homeland security enterprise. Indeed, it should be noted that the vastness of the United States and the presence of various security challenges is major challenge in implementing effective strategies. In this regard, the provision of leadership and proper coordination is never an easy undertaking. In this respect, DHS is required to forge proper partnerships and ensure efficient sharing of information in order to achieve its objectives. Another factor affecting the success of the department concerns its border protection function. Indeed, it is totally impossible to ensure effective and efficient border protection without affecting various operations in such borders. For instance, in cargo processing at the ports, there is always much difficulty in inspecting and ensuring the safety of the incoming cargo while also ensuring the process occurs in timely manner so as to limit the wastage of time at the ports. In addressing illegal immigration through border control, there is always a lack of sufficient resources by the border unit. There is need for thousands of agents and additional technology to implement an effective border strategy especially in the southwest border. Another major challenge presently faced by DHS regards the sharing of critical information by federal partners. Indeed, for effective security operations, there must be a close association between the DHS and other security organs in the country including the department of defense. However, this is not currently the case due to the lack of well-defined mechanisms to ensure proper cooperation (May, 2011). In order to address these challenges and ensure the realization of the objectives of the department in the most successful manner, the design and structure of the organization must be redesigned to incorporate effective functional units with respect to the emerging areas of cyber terrorism and cyber security. In the same way, a proper cooperation strategy must exist which defines the relationship of the department and other security organs in the country. Such cooperation would be crucial in ensuring the maximum protection of the United States. In the same way, the federal government should ensure the department is sufficiently resourced in terms of personnel and funding to provide the best technology that is crucial in addressing issues of security and immigration. References Cackley, A. P. (2010). Department of Homeland Security organizational structure, spending, and staffing for the health care provided to immigration detainees : testimony before the Subcommittee on Homeland Security, Committee on Appropriations, House of Representatives. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Govt. Accountability Office. Logan, K. G. (2010). Homeland security and intelligence. Westport, CT: Praeger Security International. May, P. J. (2011, May 1). Constructing Homeland Security: An Anemic Policy Regime. Policy Studies Journal, 2, pp. 42. Reddick, C. G. (2010). Homeland security preparedness and information systems strategies for managing public policy. Hershey, PA: Information Science Reference. Relyea, H. (2011). Homeland security department organization and management. Washington, D.C.: Congressional Research Service [Library of Congress]. Read More