Homeland Security Stephen Flynn Summary

Tragic events that cause damage to property and life may destroy the social, cultural and economic life of a community. Communities must be engaged in the various phases from prevention to recovery to build disaster resilient communities. In order to do this, there must be a disaster preparedness plan in place that involves multiple people in various roles.

The Department of Homeland Security is responsible for securing our nation’s borders and transportation systems, they manage who and what enters our homeland and work to prevent the entry of terrorists and the instruments of terrorism. In addition, if it is really hard for the terrorist or the bad to enter the country. It will be extremely hard for them to attack the United States. Many suspicious terrorist groups and organizations are under a microscopic viewpoint from the group of Homeland Security because it is their job to help secure our borders, airports, seaports, and waterways. In the article it says, “Data suggest that, in the year after the attacks, agencies' participation in all of Stewart and Morris' homeland security activities was not high and statistically significant differences

The original goal of the Department was to enhance the safety of the American citizenry. Unfortunately, this has not occurred as the resources of the Department of Homeland Security have been so widely spread that increasing the safety level of the nation has taken a back seat to other concerns and what additional security that has been provided has come at the expense of the civil rights of the American citizens (Kettl, 2004).

September 11, 2001 forever impacted America and gave a new challenge to our government that went far beyond any challenges that a natural disaster had presented in decades. The terrorist attacks were definitely a wake up call to being more prepared for natural disasters and reevaluating our intelligence agency jobs and communication levels. In chapter 2, one of the key points that Kettl discuss is connecting the dots. We can see that in the midst of 9/11, America focused on the nation’s intelligence services for answers. As the American people we wanted to know, who were the hijackers, where was security and most importantly, and who do we hold accountable? Furthermore, that the intelligence agencies failed to piece together information that already had about terrorism speculations. In chapter 1, Kettl talks about the warnings and signs that the government has before catastrophes (such as September 11, Hurricane

The creation of the Department of Homeland Security was a result of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. “The establishment of this organization provided this nation with a real opportunity for making vast improvements within our communities social and economic infrastructures to combat all threats, mainly terrorism” as stated by Bullock, (2013, P. 1). The 9/11 attacks exposed a

Communities, according to Kapucu and Özerdem (2011) have a drastic effect on the recovery process. In the end, by having a recovery place in plan within the community, it will ensure economic and resident resiliency for when a crisis is to occur. In order to ensure such a plan is in place, it is up to the American Red Cross to partner with and focus on the citizen involvement in decision making, from the beginning stages of planning all through mitigation; increase the buy in within the community; and provide for the community in an effective manner after a disaster has occurred Kapucu and Özerdem

In August of 2007 Congress mandated the Department of Homeland Security to undertake the Quadrennial Homeland Security Review. This review is submitted to congress and published for public review in the Department of Homeland Security’s website (6 U.S. Code § 347 - Quadrennial homeland security review n.d.). This journal at one point only examined problem issues with the Department of Homeland Security. Since then the Obama administration has incorporated different aspects of the journal to include plans for “maturing and strengthening the homeland security enterprise.” (Bullock, 2016, p. 14). Just to add, the most recent Quadrennial Homeland Security Review from 2014, is not just about

The President 's Fiscal Year (FY) 2016 Budget Request of $41.2 billion for the Department of Homeland Security reflects the constant commitment to safeguarding a homeland that is safe and secure. A safe and secure homeland is one in which the liberties of all Americans are guaranteed, privacy is secure, and the resources by which we tradeoff with the world-through travel, lawful immigration, trade, commerce, and exchange, are secured. The FY 2016 Budget centers resources on key competences in each of their mission areas. These includes, but is not limited to “preventing terrorism and improving security, fortifying and managing the borders, enforcing and supervising the immigration laws, safeguarding and securing cyberspace, and solidifying national preparedness and resilience” (Johnson, 2015).

In the article, “Border Security After 9/11: Ten Years of Waste, Immigrant Crack-downs and New Drug Wars”, the author claims border security grew to be the largest accounting line for the Department of Homeland Security. However, Department of Homeland Security has failed to develop an adequate border security policy complementing the United States domestic and national security intentions. Department of Homeland Security has yet to define point of reference measuring the security of the southern border. Department of Homeland Security fails to identify exactly how the massive border security buildup improved the overall homeland security posture. The author claims the federal government is failing to meet its obligation to secure the border

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.

Strict restriction on the immigration is one way to remove the dangers of potential terrorists. In “Safety through Immigration,” Krikorian describes how the 9-11 attacks contribute to the controversial need to reevaluate the better homefront security. Many corporations and ordinary people try to ignore the fact that the 9-11 attacks are a warning sign of potential security threats. Krikorian stated that the 911 Commission views the immigration failures as “devoting inordinate attention” and “peripheral issues” that contributed to the attacks (Krikorian 1). This means that the 9-11 attacks are indirectly

“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.

Actions taken to minimize adverse impact of disasters. These including structural measures like building of flood defences and non-structural measures like training etcetera. Public awareness related to disaster risk reduction, contribute in promoting a "culture of prevention" by changing attitudes. It revolves around civil institutions responsible to prevent disasters.

Risk for disasters is a part of life; emergency situations occur more frequently than many people believe. A wise person plans for the worse, and hopes for the best. After a disaster, how well a community can recover will depend largely on how well they prepared in advance. Risk management includes identifying any potential risks to a community and proactively planning to minimize the threat. Proactive organization of resources and people to respond to emergencies can mean the difference between a community’s ability to regroup and recover, and the loss of life. To better

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.