The Organization, Structure, and Mission of the US Department of Homeland Security - Report Example

The Organization, Structure, and Mission of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security The effects of 9/11 on our lives have been exhaustively studied,researched, talked about and written. The way things are done totally changed and all aspects of security was “brought home” and made the American public realize that the life as they knew will never be the same. Responding to the terrorist attacks, the Patriot Act of 2001 was implemented by the U.S. government implemented. This piece of legislation is otherwise known as "Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001. Aside from the Patriot Act, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was organized through House Resolution 5005 – Homeland Security Act of 2002. The DHS’ primary mandate is “to prevent terrorist attacks within and reduce the vulnerability to terrorism of the United States (Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America, 2002).” As the lead U.S. lead agency responding to terrorist threats, several major government agencies were absorbed and/or transferred to the DHS. Annex A lists the various agencies incorporated in the organizational structure of the DHS. The vision of the DHS is “Preserving our freedoms, protecting America ... we secure our homeland and its mission statement is “We will lead the unified national effort to secure America. We will prevent and deter terrorist attacks and protect against and respond to threats and hazards to the nation. We will ensure safe and secure borders, welcome lawful immigrants and visitors, and promote the free-flow of commerce (http://www.dhs.gov).” Indeed, the task of the DHS is daunting and despite the term “homeland,” it carries with it the protection of U.S. citizens not only locally but abroad as well. The protection is not really confined to its citizens but also to those within the territory or jurisdiction of the U.S. government. The DHS has a seven-point strategic goal (http://www.dhs.gov): Awareness -- Identify and understand threats, assess vulnerabilities, determine potential impacts and disseminate timely information to our homeland security partners and the American public. Prevention — Detect, deter and mitigate threats to our homeland. Protection — Safeguard our people and their freedoms, critical infrastructure, property and the economy of our Nation from acts of terrorism, natural disasters, or other emergencies. Response — Lead, manage and coordinate the national response to acts of terrorism, natural disasters, or other emergencies. Recovery — Lead national, state, local and private sector efforts to restore services and rebuild communities after acts of terrorism, natural disasters, or other emergencies. Service — Serve the public effectively by facilitating lawful trade, travel and immigration. Organizational Excellence — Value our most important resource, our people. Create a culture that promotes a common identity, innovation, mutual respect, accountability and teamwork to achieve efficiencies, effectiveness, and operational synergies. Fulfillment of the DHS’ vision, mission and strategic mandates are well planned, coordinated and documented. The development of the National Response Plan (NRP) was one of the initial documentary deliverables of the DHS. The NRP “is an all-discipline, all-hazards plan that establishes a single, comprehensive framework for the management of domestic incidents. It provides the structure and mechanisms for the coordination of Federal support to State, local, and tribal incident managers and for exercising direct Federal authorities and responsibilities. (DHS, 2004)” Thirty government departments and agencies are signatories of the NRP and it has been aligned with the National Incident Management System (DHS, 2004). As an incident response plan, the NRP carries policies “to protect national security, coordinates the activities of the other members of the law enforcement community to detect, prevent, preempt, and disrupt terrorist attacks against the United States. This includes actions to prevent, preempt, and disrupt specific terrorist threats or actual incidents that are based upon specific intelligence or law enforcement information. (DHS, 2004)” As an all-source security and protection agency, the inclusion of the various agencies (Annex A) in the DHS’ order of battle is logical and effective wherein any sort of threat, risk or vulnerability can be immediately mitigated, controlled or stopped as a result of having an agency that can meet any challenge. For instance if there is a terrorist group threatening to use “dirty bombs,” then the Nuclear Incident Response Team (NIRT) can be the lead team in handling the situation. Thus, the DHS became the “jack of all trades, master of none” in the realm of homeland security. If certain specialized agencies did not become organic to the DHS, there would be problems getting immediate support from other agencies since the chain of command and protocols have to be followed. If there was a threat of biological weapons for example and the National BW Defense Analysis Center is still part of the Department of Defense, the Secretary of Homeland Security will have to go through channels and request the Secretary of Defense to provide assistance. Overall, the organization, structure and mission of the Department of Homeland Security are such that it can always meet any challenge terrorists or other elements pose to the security of the United States. In the end, there is total cohesion and effectiveness in implementing the requirements given to it in protecting the U.S. homeland and its citizens –hopefully 9/11 would never happen again! ANNEX A – The Agencies Attached to the Department of Homeland Security (Source: http://www.dhs.gov) The agencies slated to become part of the Department of Homeland Security will be housed in one of four major directorates: Border and Transportation Security, Emergency Preparedness and Response, Science and Technology, and Information Analysis and Infrastructure Protection. The Border and Transportation Security directorate will bring the major border security and transportation operations under one roof, including: The U.S. Customs Service (Treasury) The Immigration and Naturalization Service (part) (Justice) The Federal Protective Service The Transportation Security Administration (Transportation) Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (Treasury) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (part)(Agriculture) Office for Domestic Preparedness (Justice) The Emergency Preparedness and Response directorate will oversee domestic disaster preparedness training and coordinate government disaster response. It will bring together: The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Strategic National Stockpile and the National Disaster Medical System (HHS) Nuclear Incident Response Team (Energy) Domestic Emergency Support Teams (Justice) National Domestic Preparedness Office (FBI) The Science and Technology directorate will seek to utilize all scientific and technological advantages when securing the homeland. The following assets will be part of this effort: CBRN Countermeasures Programs (Energy) Environmental Measurements Laboratory (Energy) National BW Defense Analysis Center (Defense) Plum Island Animal Disease Center (Agriculture) The Information Analysis and Infrastructure Protection directorate will analyze intelligence and information from other agencies (including the CIA, FBI, DIA and NSA) involving threats to homeland security and evaluate vulnerabilities in the nations infrastructure. It will bring together: Federal Computer Incident Response Center (GSA) National Communications System (Defense) National Infrastructure Protection Center (FBI) Energy Security and Assurance Program (Energy) The Secret Service and the Coast Guard will also be located in the Department of Homeland Security, remaining intact and reporting directly to the Secretary. In addition, the INS adjudications and benefits programs will report directly to the Deputy Secretary as the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Bibliography: Department of Homeland Security. National Incident Management System. March 1, 2004. Department of Homeland Security: Washington, D.C., 2004 Department of Homeland Security. National Response Plan. December 2004. Department of Homeland Security: Washington, D.C., 2004. Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America. House Resolution 3162 –USA Patriot Act of 2001. Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America, Washington, D.C., 2001. Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America. House Resolution 5005 –Homeland Security Act of 2002. Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America, Washington, D.C., 2002. Read More