Questions Witnesses At Hearing On Threats To Homeland Security

In our past history, The United States Customs and border officials have been focused on relatively common matters of enforcing laws regarding trade and immigration, watching over agriculture and economic interests from pest and disease, and processing people, vehicles and goods. After the terrorist attacks on September 11th, 2001, the primary concern was the homeland security. The threat of terrorists and terrorist tools coming through our borders all add to an increased set of dangers to The United States. Is it the responsibility of our United States Military to defend our country from these threats? The following myths are often understood as true, when in fact they are not.

To prove to his audience that he is capable of handling the situation, he lists actions in which he is performing to insure the safety of the nation. For example he says,

To start off with I chose to go with our banking or financial industry. The banking industry is constantly getting attacked by various methods on a daily basis. I chose this industry because I happen to know someone who works in the security sector at Wells Fargo Bank, he was a good person to get information on what he sees on a daily or weekly basis. This paper is the opinion of myself and with gathered information from various resources.

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).

Since the principle part of US trade is done on the Atlantic coast, we would only have to defend one main border. He concludes by stating that if the US continues to weaken its government, it wouldn’t be a safe or respectable nation.

“First of all,” he said, “let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” He promised that he would act quickly to deal with the “dark realities of the moment” and guaranteed Americans that he would “wage a war against the emergency” just as if “we were in fact invaded by a foreign foe.” His speech gave many people assurance that they had elected a man who was not scared of taking brave steps to solve the nation’s

The United States has experienced threats against their borders, citizens and resources. After the terrorist attack of 9/11 some changes needed to be implemented to ensure the safety of America. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has the responsibility to protect the Country’s borders as well as to prepare for and respond to disasters and terrorist events. The Department of Defense has the military responsibility to protect the Country abroad. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Department of Defense are America’s backbone to freedom.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) currently has a limited ability to persistently monitor, detect, and track, non-emitting vessels that operate in Customs Waters, which spans from the shore line out to 12 nautical miles. The volume of non-emitting vessels without metadata is due in part by the lack of regulatory policy mandating vessels broadcast their identification and location which would assist with Maritime Domain Awareness. This limited ability situates DHS in need to mature the Maritime Domain Awareness Network and optimize the existing infrastructure and allows for flexibility to expand and evolve as the threat changes.

The main problem Darrel addresses throughout the article is whether or not apple should engineer software for the FBI to allow them to unlock the iPhone used by the terrorists responsible for the San Bernardino attack. He then brings up the fact that “the FBI cannot mandate that apple create a backdoor to override the iPhone’s encryption features without creating a dangerous precedent that could cast a long shadow over the future of how we use our phones and internet for the years to come.” The problem with the FBI asking apple for this is a much larger one than people may think. Darrel uses logos, pathos, and ethos, throughout the article to help persuade and inform his audience that what is happening is a big ordeal. He then goes into detail supporting his thesis by explaining the many problems that could possibly arise.

Secondly, I would go ahead to identify major likely terrorist targets that are highly vulnerable to terrorism attacks. According to the testimony of Assistant Secretary for infrastructure protection James L.Snynder, complex terrorist attacks are executed in a multiple patterns particularly in hotels and religious locations that carry a large number of people. Sometimes terror attacks may change from an overland entry to a water-borne entry, and I would therefore not hesitate to secure the American coasts and beaches and lastly the transportation sector. My major role and responsibility would thus focus on all vulnerable areas as pointed above (Homeland Security, 2012).

The Airspace of the United States remains protected because of an enhanced and a world-class security infrastructure. However, the ports of the country are not as protected. Consequently, the federal government should incorporate a private-public partnership to aid in strengthening our port infrastructure. The government has a duty to preserve and provide the necessary funds for security equipment improvement in the coastal zone. The governing bodies should secure the maritime borders and lands of the United States (Nelson, Fitch & Hersh, 2013).

As we look back, the problems that began decades ago have only developed into more complex problems. With campaigns being bought out by special interest groups, cyber security attacks increasing, and the impact of climate change, these vital issues need to be addressed or we will face insurmountable consequences..

Customs and Border Protection, and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). These three agencies are now under the jurisdiction of the Department of Homeland Security. The Maritime Administration (MARAD) is also, while the Coast Guard and Customs are the two prominent agencies at ports. The Coast Guard is responsible for evaluating, boarding, and inspecting commercial ships as they approach U.S. waters, for countering terrorist threats in U.S. ports, and for helping to protect U.S. Navy ships in U.S. ports. CBP's primary responsibility is the inspecting of cargo, including containers that commercial ships bring into U.S. ports. CBP is also responsible for the inspection of ship crews and passengers aboard the vessel. The TSA's focus was initially focused on air transportation, but now has the authority of all modes of transportation. MARAD is a civilian agency that is part of the Department of Transportation. MARAD publishes Maritime Security Reports and national planning guides on port security. Combined these agencies have the daunting task of preventing a major disaster. Security experts warn that terrorists attempting to use a container to smuggle a weapon of mass destruction or components thereof into the United States could purchase a known exporter with a long and trustworthy shipping record. Drug smugglers have been known to employ this strategy to disguise their contraband

“North America – Our Nation’s most vital interests are the safety and security of our people and territory and our way of life. We will defend the homeland and play a critical role in supporting homeland security. We will work with the Department of Homeland Security, particularly the Coast Guard, to improve air, maritime, space, cyberspace and land domain awareness to help secure the approaches to our continent and Nation.” (National Military Strategy, Mullen, 2011, p.10) The National Military Strategy outlines specifically that the U.S. military will work synergistically with the Department of Homeland Security to ensure the security of our nation’s core territory and interest. The requirements levied upon the homeland defense mission are very overt in nature. The military takes bold action to the conventional threats against the United States such as nuclear inter-continental ballistic missiles or unwarranted territorial expansions. Today we see violent extremism spreading across and controlling other nations which poses a major threat

The 9/11 incident crippled the American economy and its impact is still felt at present times. Following this tragedy, a commission was initiated by President George W. Bush and the congress to investigate the reasons behind the bombing and provide recommendations to help avert such occurrences in the future. Therefore, this paper discusses the impact of making the US border more secure, the rationale behind replacing the "need to know" with the "need to share". Moreover, the paper highlights the DOD's role the role in border and coastal security, its relationship with the Department of Homeland Security and how DOD supports civil authorities.