National Strategy for Homeland Security - Assignment Example

An overview of the 62 page National Strategy for Homeland Security (Editing) On September 11th, 2001, the world laid witness to the sheer terror brought on by Muslim political extremists and the lengths that they were willing to disrupt the American society as well as bring the peril of hate and in-fighting within our nation. Never in American history had such a catastrophic event taken place on our own soil, and 9/11 would undoubtedly reshape the political and social landscape in the coming eras. September 11th, the 1993 World Trade Center bombing and the tragedy in Oklahoma City in 1995 all signify the real threat of domestic terrorism within United States. After 9/11, the United States understood that it could no longer sidestep the threat of domestic terrorism and sought to formulate a strategy for preventing, preparing for and responding to events and circumstances of domestic terrorism, or acts of political extremism occurring within our nation’s borders. Perhaps the most significant publication reflecting the increase in dedication by United States in combating domestic terrorism came with the release of the National Strategy for Homeland Security in July 2002 and the establishment of the Department of Homeland Security. The National Strategy for Homeland Security details U.S. efforts for combating terrorism and an overview of the important elements of the 62 page document providing insights into the steps being taken to secure our borders. With the re-release of the National Strategy for Homeland Security in October 2007, it is evident that United States has made tremendous strides since 9/11. In a letter to the American people, President Bush started off by acknowledging those setbacks and challenges the U.S. is continuing to face and also the progress thus made to date; “with our partners and allies, we have broken up terrorist cells, disrupted attacks, and saved American lives” (http://www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/homeland/nshs/2007/letter.html) The President continues on by stressing the importance of a shared-effort between the American people and the government which has been put in place to protect them. In order to achieve the goals outlined in the strategy, he urges each and every person to be prepared and how the threats we face today demand “multinational effort and cooperation” not only domestically, but also internationally (http://www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/homeland/nshs/2007/letter.html). Furthermore, the President stresses to the American people that we must not only put a structure in place that supports defensive functions aimed at prevention, but also implement offensive tactics to unveil and disable terrorists’ plans before they can strike us. In closing, President Bush reminds the American people of the importance for continued patience and appreciates them for their resilience during this long, hard fought battle to protect the American way of life. The level of commitment exhibited by the United States ensures the American people that “will use all instruments of national power and influence – diplomatic, information, military, economic, financial, intelligence and law enforcement – to achieve our goals to prevent and disrupt terrorist attacks; protect the American people, critical infrastructure and key resources; and respond to and recover from incidents that do occur.” Four main goals are the foundation of the National Strategy for Homeland Security and are focused on preventing and disrupting terrorist attacks, protecting the American people as well as our “critical infrastructure” and “key resources”, and a plan for responding and recovering from incidents and continuing to “strengthen the foundation” enabling the United States towards long-term success. These goals emphasize the need to be proactive and provide direction and organization in formulating a comprehensive national strategy, relying on cooperation not only amongst various levels of government, but also from the American society as a whole. In an effort to uphold the social contract between the government of the United States and its people, the National Strategy for Homeland Security first aims to prevent and disrupt terrorist attacks; quite possibly the most comprehensive of the four goals. By preventing terrorists from entering the country, we are taking the first step in disrupting their operations. Several organizations are the cornerstone for protecting access ports for the U.S, including the Transportation Safety Administration, U.S. Customs Agency, U.S. Border Patrol and the Coast Guard. Whether land, air, or sea, it is vital to collaborate with the intelligence agencies to be able to identify possible threats. For instance, in cooperation with the FBI, U.S. Customs has integrated terrorist watch lists into their daily operations and is able to flag suspected terrorists leading and detaining them as deemed appropriate, in addition to tracking the movements of those who are of special interest. Effective January1, 2008, the Department of Homeland Security will once again implement stricter regulations governing travel both domestically as well as internationally. The Department of Homeland Security also has the ability to increase the National Threat Advisory (low: green – high: red), and as a result, international travel requirements, passport regulations and screening procedures will increase to provide greater protection form possible threats. In response to the increasing threat, the U.S. has implemented the Real ID Act targeted at “enhancing international security standards through the use of biometrics, including in-passports and visas, which has made it increasingly difficult to counterfeit travel documents”. Terrorists jump at the opportunity to acquire weapons of mass destruction to use against the U.S. and by preventing access to these resources; we will be able to prevent terrorist attacks. By enhancing cargo screening procedures and continuing to build support amongst our foreign trade partners, it becomes increasingly difficult for terrorists to transport goods into the United States and continual evaluation of these procedures and practices greatly reduces their chances of “beating the system.” In an effort to uncover the plans and locations of terrorists, the United States has increased its counter-terrorism strategies with the help of the FBI, CIA and law enforcement agencies across the country. Of particular benefit to counter-terrorism came with the re-structuring of the FBI Counter-terrorism Program after 9/11, leading to an increase in the number of subject matter experts in critical fields including linguistics, intelligence and Special Agents. Furthermore, education and training at the local, state, and federal levels serves to provide at least a baseline understanding of the domestic terrorism in the United States. In order to uncover trends and patterns intelligence gathering must remain a top-priority and that information must be passed down in a comprehendible and efficient manner for use at all levels. Furthermore, the primary goal as it pertains to collaboration is to sustain an effective “Information Sharing Environment that supports the vertical and horizontal distribution of terrorism-related information among Federal, State, local, Tribal and foreign governments and the private sector, as appropriate.” With a greater knowledge of the dynamics of domestic terrorism, each level will be accountable for conducting operations pertaining to disrupting terrorist activities to include intelligence gathering, investigating and prosecuting terrorists. In a technologically-savvy age, investigators must not forget to pay attention to the Internet and other mediums facilitating terrorist activities. Finally, in order to prevent and disrupt terrorist attacks, the U.S. must isolate the Islamic extremist culture and prevent the spread of propaganda and radical ideologies. In order to adapt to the constantly changing environment “our strategy can be appropriately tailored to address a variety of domestic communities and groups whose members may be susceptible to radicalization,” primarily be followers of Islam located in the United States. In order to prevent a feeling of disassociation amongst society, the government continues to establish links with Islamic communities, through regular interaction with the Muslims and reinforcing the benefits of a society supporting the free-flow of ideas; especially as it pertains to the War on Terror and Islamic culture. Public condemnation of radical extremist ideologies, combating propaganda and staying the course in establishing democracy and freedom, serve as the primary methods for deterring the free-flow of the terrorist culture in the U.S. Equally as important is continuing to educate ourselves and working towards understanding how Islamic Extremists infiltrate our society, and patterns or trends will allow us to prevent such efforts. The second goal of the National Strategy for Homeland Security is to protect the American people as well as the “critical infrastructure” and “key resources” forming the foundation of our society. As previously mentioned, the first step in deterrence of domestic terrorism is the implementation of strict regulations inhibiting the ability of terrorists and/or their resources from entering the country all together. Deterrence is not realistic unless local, state, federal and all other relevant agencies are receiving proper funding for training and operations. Furthermore, adequate funding allows organizations to evaluate their programs and take the necessary steps towards eliminating any vulnerability. Lastly, deterrence also means that it must be made clear that those nations or groups who are in any way taking part in facilitating efforts of domestic terrorism in the U.S. will be dealt with quickly and harshly. In an effort to protect our national resources and critical infrastructure “our nation has identified 17 sectors of critical infrastructure and key resources, each with cross-cutting physical, cyber, and human elements.” These sectors range from banking and finance, to energy and emergency management. Multiple layers to security and maintaining operational readiness at all levels ensures our vital resources and critical infrastructure will not be compromised by terrorists. In the event an incident does take place, we should have a plan in place to respond and recover in a quick and organized fashion; the by-product of Emergency Management preparations; “at the core of our efforts have been the National Response Plan (now referred to as the National Response Framework) and the National Incident Management System.” The fact of the matter is, unless each organization, from the federal level to the down understands precisely what their roles and responsibilities are in the event of an emergency, the system will be useless. Therefore it was determined that “we will continue to base our Federal planning and response efforts on the premise that the vast majority of incidents will be handled at the lowest jurisdictional level possible.” Furthermore, the agencies must be able to collaborate on procedures for responding to incidents, as a result of which any discrepancies or omissions are much likelier to be identified, and attended to. Anticipating deficiencies or shortfalls in resources or capabilities and understanding how to prioritize the allocation of those resources you have available, is the foundation of situational awareness. In order to facilitate recovery efforts, long and short term rebuilding goals must be established, starting with effective coordination amongst various agencies, aiding in the restoration of societies’ functions from the community level on up, in-turn helping victims in need; all of which are impossible without an organized and efficient system in place. The final goal of the National Strategy for Homeland Security is continuing to strengthen the foundation enabling the United States towards long-term success. Ensuring the long-term success in preventing and disrupting terrorist attacks, protecting the American people as well as our “critical infrastructure” and “key resources”, and a plan for responding and recovering from incidents are contingent upon several significant factors [there are more but these are the most important]; risk management, sustaining a culture of preparedness, and implementing a Homeland Security Management System. Risk management entails the evaluation of multiple “threats, vulnerabilities, and consequences” and then formulation of a suitable plan-of-action in line with accepted risks. In other words, if the potential benefits outweigh the potential risks, it is likely hazards will be dismissed and the plan will be implemented. Establishing an acceptable amount of risk is a launching pad for determining required resources and formulating “a disciplined approach to managing risk will help to achieve overall effectiveness and efficiency in securing the Homeland.” Long-term success also hinges upon sustaining a culture of preparedness, based around four guiding principles. First, we must be aware of understanding the consequences of failing to prepare and the benefits of adequate preparation. By failing to prepare we are leaving ourselves vulnerable to the inevitable, therefore we should be motivated by the actualization that incident will occur, and that being prepared is the best course of action. The second principle encourages supporting the notion that we “must encourage and reward innovation and new ways of thinking as well as better align authority and responsibility so that those who are responsible for a mission or task have the authority to act.” The final two principles discuss the roles that all levels of society play in the success the homeland security effort and rages of responsible for the various levels of government in preparing our nation. Lastly is the implementation of a four-phase Homeland Security Management System facilitating cooperation among all levels to “ensure unity of effort and helps maximize success.” Phase-one focuses on program guidance and provides policy updates and other pertinent information ensuring standardization of procedures and compliance across the board. Phase-two is the planning stage. Using the directives from the guidance phase, resources and personnel can be prioritized for effective allocation and personnel can be trained accordingly. Phase-three is the execution of the tactical and strategic plans that were the by-product of the planning stage, which may be part of the real-world operations or exercises to evaluate plan effectiveness. The final phase of the Homeland Security Management System is assessment and evaluation and whether or not the deemed objectives were met. If problem areas are found to exist, collaboration is a valuable tool for allowing various agencies and organization to work on solving the problem. Also, assessment and evaluation gives the upper-echelon an opportunity to determine whether or not funding is sufficient or needs to be increased if objectives are to be met. On the whole, an overview of the important elements of the 62 page document provided insight into the steps being taken to secure our borders. The four goals of the policy focus on preventing and disrupting terrorist attacks, protecting the American people as well as our “critical infrastructure” and “key resources”, and a plan for responding and recovering from incidents and continuing to “strengthen the foundation” enabling the United States towards long-term success. Organization and a proactive approach employing both offensive and defensive tactics is the cornerstone for sustaining the newly-redefined Homeland Security Strategy aimed at eliminating domestic terrorism in the U.S. References Baker, John C. (2004). Mapping the Risks: Assessing Homeland Security Implications of Publicly Available Geospatial Information. Rand Caudle, Sharon. (2003). Homeland Security: A Challenging Environment; the Meaning of Homeland Security, Its Intent, and the Key Issues Officials Will Encounter in Addressing Its Policy and Management Challenges. The Public Manager, Vol. 32 Ellis, Jason D. (2001). Defense by Other Means: The Politics of Us-Nis Threat Reduction and Nuclear Security Cooperation. Praeger James, Carolyn. (2006). Borders Matter: Homeland Security and the Search for North America. American Review of Canadian Studies, Vol. 36 Lefebre, Stephane. (2006). A War of a Different Kind: Military Force and America's Search for Homeland Security. Air Power History, Vol. 53 Liston, Timothy. (2003). Homeland Security: A Compendium of Public and Private Organizations' Policy Recommendations. Rand Relyea, Harold C. (2003). Organizing for Homeland Security. Presidential Studies Quarterly, Vol. 33 Tulak, Arthur N. (2003). State Defense Forces and Homeland Security. Parameters, Vol. 33 Wise, Charles R. (2002). Organizing for Homeland Security. Public Administration Review, Vol. 62 Word Count: 2,361 Read More