Essay On Homeland Security

While the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is one, centralized agency, securing the homeland involves the cooperation and collaboration of many, different agencies and organizations ranging from local law enforcement to national agencies such as the NSA, CIA, and FBI. Each of these agencies contributes to the development of homeland security intelligence. By carefully analyzing and commenting on the objectives, tasks, strengths, weaknesses, and roles of each agency, a larger picture emerges regarding the capabilities and limitation of intelligence in supporting homeland security efforts.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security was formed more than a decade ago with a very significant mission of safeguarding America's homeland from hazards, threats, and national disasters. This department conducts its mission through securing the country's borders, preventing terror attacks, and responding to incidents or threats to its citizens (Miller, n.d.). Generally, the most important roles of the Department of Homeland Security are to lead a concerted national effort in securing the United States and preserving the American way of life. The department was established in 2002 in reaction to the 9/11 terror attacks and has since developed a nationwide strategic plan for evaluating and updating its mission statement and effectiveness of operations. These plans can be updated and transformed to accomplish the needs of the Department for Homeland Security and the American people.

Just as our parents and grandparents remember where they were and what they were doing when President John F. Kennedy was shot, so will it be with this generation when asked the same questions pertaining to September 11, 2001. This horrific event will be a scar on the body of our wonderful nation until the end of time. Parents lost children, children lost parents, spouses lost their heartmates – so much anguish and emotional devastation demands that something be done to prevent tragedy like this from occurring in the future. This is why President George W. Bush created the Office of Homeland Security.

The homeland security is a department responsible for developing various mechanisms aimed at ensuring that the country is safe. The main focus of homeland security is to shield or reduce the cases of terror attacks. The prevention and response to both manmade and natural disasters also fall under homeland security (McElreath, Jensen, and Wigginton, 10). The Department of Homeland Security, therefore, has a broad range of responsibilities. At its formation in 2003, the department was composed of twenty-two federal agencies with over 180,000 employees. Homeland security’s formation was necessitated by the September 11th attacks in United States. Today, the Department of Homeland Security

As a Chief executive, the president’s main duties are to enforce and execute laws however they see fit. The President signs executive orders directing law enforcement agencies, including the agencies that enforce immigration laws, that has “prosecutorial discretion”– the power to decide whom to investigate, arrest, detain, charge, and prosecute. The Agencies may develop discretionary policies specific to the laws they are charged with enforcing, the population they serve, and the problem they face. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) may decide how to prioritize its resources in order to meet its stated enforcement goals that are set by the President. With executive unilateral powers the president, drafts policies without and sometimes over the objection of Congress or the courts. The President can design policies regarding the immigration matter without approval of Congress, he can simply follow the former presidents’ footsteps on immigration laws. I am making the argument that U.S. President does have too much unilateral power.

The idea of securing the nation’s borders and securing the safety of the citizens has been a major topic since the beginning of the nation’s existence. There have always been means and procedures for it but it was never defined to the point it is today. The Homeland Security Department is a fairly new program which is constantly improving and adjusting in accordance to the threats that may arise. In the attempt to secure the United States, homeland security has become paramount and a lot of emphasis is being provided so as to ensure the safety of the borders and the citizens of the United States. So one must ponder what the difference between homeland security and homeland defense are since they both tend to mean the same

In this research paper, I am going to discuss the plan that the Department of Homeland Security has set forth for the years of 2012-2016. This plan outlines the entire vision of the department to essentially accomplish their missions and goals. The plan consists of missions varying from border security to cyber security. We must not forget the men and women on the front line working hard to ultimately secure and provide safety for the United States of America.

As all officers know, domestic violence is a serious problem throughout the United States. Unfortunately, it is also a crime that some officers perpetrate in their own homes. When officers - who are sworn to protect and serve in their communities - abuse their power and control at home, they violate the law. When this occurs, the victim, the family, the agency, and the entire community suffer. Officers are trained to maintain control, to use weapons, and to justify their use of force on the job. Officers also need to understand, however, that the core behaviors that make them effective on the job must not be used against family members and intimate partners (University of Florida).

Over the years it has been brought up that domestic violence is a very serious but also a very preventable crime. It is not the type of crime that is drawn to one class of people. Any person of any social class of either sex of any background and profession such as a doctor, lawyer or a judge can commit an act of domestic violence or can be a victim of it. And children, although they may not get abused, there are in fact effected emotionally by witnessing the abuse going on in the house. However domestic violence committed by those who are in law enforcement seems pretty ironic, but it is very common and has become a very controversial topic that has been researched and examined by professionals about this issue. Domestic violence should not be taken lightly and is inexcusable especially by those of law enforcement who’s job is to protect people from harm. It’s not only unethical but it sets a bad example, and should not be tolerated, especially on more than one offense, those officers should have their badges taken away, or be taken out of active duty at the least. These officers have a great advantage in getting away with these acts of violence because they know their wives will not report it due to a great number of risks. However in situations where the perpetrator are those officers coming back from combat, with serious psychological concerns deserve proper treatment and therapy so that hopefully the domestic violence will be

Homeland security and homeland defense. Both have similar titles and can be regarded as the same thing. By definition however they are two separate sides of the coin that keep the United States regulated and protected against the threats from both the inside and outside. Homeland security is defined simply as a combination of law enforcement, disaster, immigration, and terrorism issues and is the prime responsibly of civilian agencies at all levels. Homeland defense is defined as, the protection of the United States Sovereignty, territory, domestic population, and critical defense infrastructure against external threats and aggression, or other threats as directed by the President. (U.S. Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service, 2) The definition on one side of the coin protects the United States from one aspect with different agencies involved and the other vice a versa.

Since the attacks on September 11th, 2001, intelligence activities has been one of the most controversial issues facing this country with one of the most controversial being the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Created in November of 2002 and concepted just two weeks after the attacks, the DHS focuses in five goals; prevent terrorism and enhance security, secure and manage the borders, enforce and administer immigration laws, safeguard and secure cyberspace,

In response to the savage attacks orchestrated by foreign terrorist organization Al-Qaeda on September 11, the United States Congress enacted the Homeland Security Act in 2002. This Act established the Department of Homeland Security as an executive department of the United States. The Department of Homeland Security combined 22 different federal agencies into a unified, integrated Department for the purpose of protecting the nation against threats to the homeland. The Homeland Security Act authorized the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to “prescribe regulations prohibiting the disclosure of information . . . if the Under Secretary decides that disclosur[e] would . . . be detrimental to the security of transportation.” Acting on the authority outlined in the Homeland Security Act, the TSA created and implemented regulations that prohibited the unauthorized disclosure of “sensitive security information,” which included “[s]pecific details of aviation security measures . . . [such as] information concerning specific numbers of Federal Air Marshals, deployments or missions, and the methods involved in such operations.”

“We have learned as a Nation that we must maintain a constant, capable, and vigilant posture to protect ourselves against new threats and evolving hazards. But we have also learned that vigilance and protection are not ends in and of themselves, but rather necessary tools in the service of our national purpose.”(Napolitano, 2010, p.iv) In the wake of the September 11th, 2001 attacks our nation has taken upon itself extreme vigilance to ensure the security and defense of the American people. The relationship between homeland security and homeland defense is one that is tightly knit. Each has a very distinct mission set but somewhere along the spectrum they cross over and mutually support each other in the best interest of the nation.

The government can implement many new methods to increase security, or better yet give off the image of better security which is what they have predominantly done, yet ultimately there will always be a way to bypass or come up with a new way to infiltrate that measure. The government so far has done a variety of things ranging from the closing of the Dulles airport (permanently), working with the FAA on new security measures, having pilots carry handguns, and a not so specific, profiling.

The distinction between homeland security and homeland defense is pivotal in gaining a better understanding of how these agencies work and how they correlate to our nations infrastructure. We must understand the designated missions set forth for both these agencies while learning how they meet the tasks appointed to them and resources utilized to accomplish the mission. Learning the fundamentals of our nations infrastructure information must be provided to showcase how these agencies utilize the appropriate resources to guarantee the security of these critical infrastructures. Offering an opinion in the definition of homeland security and how resources are being utilized to fix vulnerabilities is vital to showcase what is being distributed and learned on a researchers and readers level. Homeland security and homeland defense play a pivotal role in ensuring our borders are protected.