The United States Department of Homeland Security - Research Paper Example

? Homeland Security Homeland Security The twin towers of the World Trade Centre in New York were hit by two hijacked airlines on September 11, 2001. The jets loaded with more than 30000 pounds resulted into the collapse of the towers immediately within an hour. This led to the demise of thousands of people, startling the whole world. This did not just end here, at approximately the same time another hijacked airplane also hit into one wing of the Pentagon and a fourth one crashed in Somerset County, Pennsylvania. The American state found out later that day about nineteen Islamic terrorists, members of Al-Qaeda who had entered into the state and were involved in the strategic planning and execution of their plan which brought about death and sorrow to thousands of people and their relatives (Ball 2005). The aftermath of the attack included immediate search-and-rescue operation and prolonged analysis and investigation of the incident by the federal government. Although the reasons and causative factors of the incident could not be highlighted at the moment, but the need of drastic changes and improvements in the security of the nation was required to prevent any other such terrifying circumstances. Hence, the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was the outcome of an immediate aftermath efforts taken by the federal government. Immediate measures were taken by the federal government after the Al-Qaeda attacks. President Bush stated in his letter to the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representative, “Yesterday evil and despicable acts of terror were perpetrated against our fellow citizens. Our way of life, indeed our very freedom came under attack. Our first priority is to respond swiftly and surely……Congress must act” (Ball 2005). The president, security advisors and foreign policy advisors realized immediately after the attack that the United States was unprepared for such unforeseen attacks and threats against the country’s defense. Although, the president was advised repeated in the earlier years by his security and policy advisors that a better defense organization and strategies were required but the President chose much tradition manners of security and defense. However, the 9/11 attacks served as a stimulus for quick and immediate action to safeguard the country against terrorists and sudden attacks. Two decisive actions were taken by the president in less than two months to defend the nation in this “war of terror”. The foremost step taken was to present in front of the Congress an anti-terrorist act, USA Patriot Act 2001, which was signed by President Bush six weeks later. The act was passed to strengthen the powers and activities of the national agencies of the country such as FBI or the CIA (Ball 2005). On September 20, 2001, just nine days after the attack, the establishment of the Office of Homeland Security was announced by the President Bush. The Office would be established within the White House by executive order and Pennsylvania Governor, Tom Ridge would be the Director of the office. Moreover, Homeland Security Council was also created for the security of United States against terrorist attacks or threats and help in the co-ordination and development of the strategic plans. The legislation for the establishment of the Department of Homeland Security was first introduced by the Texas Representative Richard K. Armey in the U.S. House of Representatives on June 24, 2003. After the political differences and issues against the bills were settled, the Homeland Security Act of 2002 was passed and signed into law by the President Bush on 25 November, 2002 (Bullock et al 2012; U.S. Department of Homeland Security n.d.). These decisions taken by the federal government represented the immediate requirements of a strategic organization which was well-equipped and coordinated to defend the country in the seemingly endless war of terror. The mission statement of the DHS includes the safety, security and resilience of the state against terrorism and other hazards so that American interests and way of life can thrive without any fear or danger. DHS includes a staff of hundreds and thousands of people who are responsible for executing the mission statement of the DHS. These people belong not just to the federal government but also to the private sector, non-governmental organizations and state, local, tribal or territorial governments. The core missions of the DHS include five homeland security missions which are- prevention of terrorism and enhancing security levels, securing borders, enforcing and administering immigration laws, safeguarding and securing cyberspace and ensuring resilience to disasters (U.S. Department of Homeland Security n.d.). These missions highlight the basic goals and aims of the DHS, what it needs to achieve and measures the department has to take such that the country is prepared for any unforeseen disaster or emergency circumstances. Protecting the American citizens from terrorist attacks is one of the main responsibilities of the DHS. The three main goals of DHS regarding security against terrorism include prevent any unauthorized acquisition, importation, use or movement of any chemical, nuclear or radiological material in United States. DHS also has to make certain that proper measures are taken to prevent any terrorist attacks and reduce the defenselessness of the country’s important infrastructure, significant events and vital leadership to any unpredicted terrorist attacks. Country’s border security and management is also one of the key responsibilities of DHS. Security of the U.S. air, land and sea points of entry, safety and observation of legal trade and travel and also the disruption of any criminal organizations are included in the key responsibilities of the DHS border security and management team. The Department is also focused on implementation of strict and effectual immigration laws. The Department of Homeland and Security keeps a check on the immigration of criminal aliens who are a threat for the Americans and carry out an effectual screening identification and removal of such criminal immigrants (U.S. Department of Homeland Security n.d.). DHS is not focused on only securing the borders, infrastructure and leadership from the terrorist attacks or any criminal attack. DHS also works on securing the civilian governments’ computer systems and works in collaboration with state, local, and territorial government to safeguard the significant information systems of the state. Maturation and strengthening of the Homeland Security Enterprise and focusing on the accountability, efficacy and transparency of the Department’s actions and measures are also included in the main responsibilities of the DHS (U.S. Department of Homeland Security n.d.). Department of Homeland Security works efficiently to build a resilient nation that is protected from criminal immigrants, terrorist activities, invasion of information systems and enhancing the security levels of the state. The Department of Homeland Security follows an effectual set of laws and regulations to achieve its mission statement and basic goals for the state security and resilience. Many laws have been passed and signed officially to regulate various immigration, security, maritime security and general laws of DHS. Initiating with the first act that was passed, Homeland Security Act of 2002, this Act established the Department of Homeland Security. The Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act and Related Authorities describes and establishes the basis of declaring emergencies and the different types of assistances that are required and should be provided in such situations. Immigration and Nationality Act includes several provisions regarding to the removal of foreigners, their removal and investigation of the human trafficking crimes. Aviation and Transportation Security Act establishes the security measures to be taken by the Federal Administration Aviation for the transport of various substances across the border and entering the premises of the state. Various Acts have been passed for the establishment of Maritime security. These include the Maritime transportation Security Act 2002, Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act of 2006, Security and Accountability for Every Port Act of 2006 and the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2010. These Acts deal with port and waterway security, U.S. Coast Guard issues, shipping and navigation, programs designed to secure the shipping lanes and sea ports and workforce matters and port security (U.S. Department of Homeland Security n.d.). DHS follows a systematic method of allocating resources and determining priorities. Planning, Programming, Budgeting and Execution are the systematic method of the DHS execution of plans. In Planning, prioritization of the capabilities is carried out. In Programming, resources are allocated to meet the needs and they are projected within the resource constraints. In Budgeting, budget estimates are established and the requirements are corresponded. Consequently, Execution includes the performance of the plan and assessing the output against the planned performance and strategic progression (International Publications USA 2011). DHS has come forward as an effectual and strong organization protecting the state through every possible manner and achieving their goals and aims to a major extent. It is evident from the DHS Accomplishments & Reforms 2010 Fact Sheet that DHS has improved and enhanced the security levels of the country through various strategies and plans. In efforts of protecting the state from terrorist attacks, DHS implemented new and enforced laws for all international air carriers and in conjunction with the FBI, DHS launched the Watchlist Service. This was a technical mechanism of transmitting data from the Terrorist Screening Database to DHS in real time. The methods and techniques of Cargo Screening by the Transportation Security Administration are implemented effectively and strictly. DHS awarded $2.6 billion in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding to rebuild fire stations, ports of entry and bridges, deploy critical aviation and border security technologies across the country. DHS has also worked towards strengthening International partnerships and has also succeeded in doing so. DHS has signed agreements with Austria, Denmark, Finland and the Netherlands to prevent and combat crime (U.S. Department of Homeland and Security 2010). DHS also presented with impressive accomplishments during the year 2010, in enforcing and administering immigration laws. In the fiscal year 2010, Immigration and Customs Enforcement succeeded in the removal of more than 392,000 illegal aliens nationwide. 195,000 of these removed were convicted criminals. DHS also introduced new reforms and methodologies to facilitate legal immigration. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services redesigned the Permanent Resident which is more commonly known as the “Green Card”. Several features were altered due to security issues. In April 2010, Operation in Plain Sight was conducted by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement to combat human smuggling and trafficking. This investigation resulted in the criminal arrest of 62 people for alien smuggling and trafficking. Blue Campaign was also launched by DHS to combat human trafficking and focuses on three basic aspects- protection, prevention and prosecution. DHS also used innovative and effectual campaigns and plans to protect the information systems of the country. National Cybersecurity Awareness Campaign Challenge launched by DHS called for awareness and stimulation of the private sector and government companies to improve their Cybersecurity. DHS also funded the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center which opened the Cyber Security Operations Center. This provides 24 hour watch and warning facility for the government and the private sector as well. In improving the state’s resilience against disaster management, DHS awarded $3.8 billion in 2010 Preparedness Grants which helped the state, territorial and tribal governments in preparing themselves for acts of terrorism and major disasters (U.S. Department of Homeland Security 2010). Infrastructure protection programs have also been promoted by the DHS and many investments have been made to improve the security levels.  Trucking security Program, Intercity Bus Security Grant programs and Buffer Zone Protection Program are some of the infrastructure protection programs funded by the DHS reflecting the risk-based funding and regional co-operation. DHS through FEMA also administers discipline-specific and all-hazards preparedness programs. Emergency Management Performance Grant was established with the purpose of assisting state and local governments in enhancing their all-hazards emergency management capabilities (Ernest et al 2010). Although DHS has covered a long distance from its initiation and establishment and many reforms and reconstructions have led to improvements but DHS has showed certain short-comings in critical circumstances in the history. In August 2005, Hurricane Katrina led to the death of hundreds Americans when it struck the Gulf Coast. DHS failed during this unpredicted yet very critical situation, and during the recovery phase enough support was not provided. It will take DHS a longer time to develop as a functioning organization. It is less than 10 years old and would take a longer time to deliver full resources of the federal government for the support of state and local governments in situations of disasters and hazards. It is important that DHS learns from the mistakes made by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and does not repeat them (Bullock et al 2012). Although Department of Homeland and Security has not yet reached a level where it supports fully the disaster affected areas or helps in the recovery phase, yet DHS has presented with improvements and enhancement of the state’s security and safety measures. The key goals of DHS focus on the security of the state against terrorist attacks, preparedness in cases of disasters, protection of the borders, legal immigration and legal transportation across the country. DHS has to prove itself, yet as an effectual and active organization so that it can come up as an efficient security providing organization of U.S.A. References Abbott, E B, Hetzel, O J, American Bar Association and Section of State and Local Governemnt Law. (2010). Homeland Security and emergency management: a legal guide for state and local governments. Chicago, IL : Section of State and Local Government Law, American Bar Association. Bullock, J, Haddow, G and Coppola, D. (2012). Introduction to homeland security; principles of all-hazards risk management. Oxford : Butterworth-Heinemann. Ball, Howard. (2005). U.S. homeland security; a reference handbook.  Santa Barbara, Calif. : ABC-CLIO. International Publications USA. (2011). U.S. department of homeland security handbook. International Business Publications, USA. U.S. Department of Homeland Security. (n.d.). “Creation of the Department of Homeland Security”. About DHS: Creation of DHS. Retrieved from: U.S. Department of Homeland Security. (n.d.). “Mission”. About DHS: mission. Retrieved from: U.S. Department of Homeland Security. (n.d.). “Key DHS laws”. About DHS; Laws and regulations”. Retrieved from: U.S. Department of Homeland Security. (2010). “Fact Sheet: Department of Homeland Security 2010 Accomplishments & Reforms”. U.S. Department of homeland Security. Retrieved from: < http://www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/department-accomplishments-and-reforms-2010.pdf> Read More