Module 3 : Discussion Board

September 11, 2001 (herein referred to as 9/11) was a day in American history, which will be remembered as the most horrific attack on American soil. This attack, carried out by nineteen Islamic extremists, was associated with al-Qaeda, and involved the hijacking of four airplanes. Two of those airplanes were hijacked and flown directly into the World Trade Center in New York City, New York. The third plane’s target was the Pentagon in Washington D.C., and the fourth plane was brought down in Pennsylvania where it is believed the passengers aboard fought the hijackers. This horrific day in history cost over 3,000 people their lives, and was labeled the worst attack on American soil since the attack on Pearl Harbor during World War II.

The components of DHS are Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Border Patrol, Transportation Security Administration, and the U.S. Customs Service and the last federal agency the Secret Service (Oliver, W. M., Marion, N. E., & Hill, J. B. 2015). These components will help secure the protection of the people of the United States from terrorist attacks and any other disasters such as the preparation for a nuclear attack that possible deals with chemical, radiologist, and biologist or any other man-made material. The Department of Homeland goal is to also focus more on how to help the people to prepare for emergency preparedness and how to properly response if any act occurs and to also know how to properly recover

4. Compare and contrast the counterterrorist efficiency of the Federal bureaucracy before and after the September 11, 2001 attack.

Many people can look back and remember September 9th, 2001, like it was yesterday. This day will be forever remembered in America’s History. This is the day the world seemed as it stood still. On 9/11, America experienced a major terrorist attack, which hijacked planes were crashed into the World Trade Centers in New York City, crashed into the Pentagon in the District of Columbia, and had a plane crash into the fields of Pennsylvania.

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.

Homeland Security is a relatively new concept that became a national issue following the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. There are multiple definitions that define what Homeland Security is. According to Defining Homeland Security: Analysis and Congressional Consideration, “Homeland Security, regardless of the definition or strategic document, is a combination of law enforcement, disaster, immigration, and terrorist issues. It is the responsibility of civilian agencies at all levels. It is a coordination of efforts at all levels of government” (Reese, 2013). The 2010 Quadrennial Homeland Security Review and Report defines Homeland Security as” a concerted national effort to ensure a homeland that is safe, secure, and resilient against terrorism and other hazards where American interests, aspirations, and ways of life can thrive”. (Homeland Security, 2010) There are multiple Federal, State and Local agencies involved in

DHS has a specific purpose, and mission. The vision of homeland security is to ensure a homeland that is safe, secure, and resilient against terrorism and other hazards. Three key concepts form the foundation of our national homeland security strategy designed to achieve this vision: Security, Resilience, and Customs and Exchange.

Later, the federal, state, and local government responses to disasters such as Hurricane Katrina expanded the concept of homeland security to include significant disasters, major public health emergencies, and other events that threaten the United States, its economy, the rule of law, and government operations (2). Homeland security is the combination of law enforcement, immigration, disaster relief, and terrorist activities within the United States’ borders. This would be based on the local agencies and civilian departments to safeguard the people from any threat within while being assisted by the government. In some aspects of terror attacks, there will be a combination of both homeland security and homeland defense. 9/11 is the perfect example as homeland security was responding to the local disasters and threats while the homeland defense, military, was deploying to get to the root of the threats. This is essential to the way homeland security operates because this will stop the attack on the nation’s soil before it reaches the borders and local government agencies are required. The biggest issue with the homeland security aspect is that the

The 9/11 commission clearly identified a problem with communication between the Intelligence Community and State and Local Law Enforcement which resulted in a new edict (from the IRTPA) of Information Sharing yet clearance levels and accesses quickly became an issue in disseminating information to those with a need to know. To help bridge this gap, the Homeland Security Act of 2002 was passed to crate the DHS by bringing 22 under its umbrella with a primary mission of protecting the homeland from terrorism (Blum, 2010). To do so, DHS’s key mission is to collect, analyze, and disseminate key/related information and share it with the IC and nontraditional partners (state/local governments as well as the private sector) (Blum, 2010). Likewise,

Manhattan. September 11, 2001. Until this day the eleventh of september had always been a regular day, a usual day, a safe day. It was a beautiful Tuesday morning when thousands of workers had begun to make their way to the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and Washington DC. Eager tourists and home sick patrons made their way to the airport and catch planes California bound. What they don’t know is that 19 hijackers from the terrorist group, Al Qaeda have also scrambled their way to the planes. What happened then would change American way of life forever.

Homeland security, is a term that is used to denote all efforts and means in which the US takes to ensure that the US is safe from external aggression of terrorism and illegal immigrants. After the terrorist acts of September 11, all agencies and organizations that dealt with activities of making the homeland safe were put under the umbrella control of the Department of Homeland Security.

“The DHS has the following missions; to prevent terrorism and enhance security, secure and manage our borders, enforce and administer our immigration laws, safeguard and secure cyberspace, and ensure resilience to disasters (Homeland Security).” The Department of Homeland Security seeks to ensure the safety of all U.S. citizens and as such puts forth considerable effort to prevent or counteract any acts or potential acts of terrorism. The DHS has many different groups and agencies that each focus on different types of terrorism and any other potential threats to the nation. The many agencies under the DHS survey different parts of the world, certain interest groups, and any unusual activities taking place inside and outside the national borders. If any evidence of possible terrorist activity is detected immediate action is taken to end the activity or to keep the activity to a minimum until it can

Homeland security is entrusted with ensuring that the local population within the USA borders is all safe at all times and this includes adequate preparation for any emergency, safety of each member of the community during and after an emergency. The jurisdiction of the Homeland security is quite wide, ranging from border security, aviation safety, emergency response, cyber security as well as chemical facility safety among many others. There are a wide range of duties within this department. But the goal is one, that of keeping America safe (U.S Department of Homeland Security, 2011). This has been and will continue to be one of the core concerns of America in the next five or so years. Without the safety of the American population during disasters, then the homeland security shall have failed in executing their duties.

We see this with the Department of Homeland Security taking lead on drug reduction and illegal border crossing. Vast amounts of intelligence and manpower are required for an effective homeland security program. Additionally, the crossflow of communication is key in-between the various agencies and departments within the government.

September 11, 2001 marked the most horrific day in history for United States of America. The events of this day changed the lives of those residing in America forever. United States was considered somewhat safe, in regards to terrorists’ attacks. However, this all came to a screeching halt when 19 militants known to be a part of the Al-Qaeda terrorist group hijacked four planes for the purpose of destroying targeted areas in the United States. As a result of the deadly attack on the United States, security measures drastically changed. Although, security measures throughout the United States have been in place, extreme caution came into effect. All departments looked at different measures to improve preventing terrorists’ attacks.