Summary: The Homeland Security Cycle

Throughout its history, FEMA has had two main missions. First, FEMA’s mission is to enhance the federal government 's capacity to deal with and survive foreign attacks. The main types of foreign attacks that FEMA is tasked to respond to relate to terrorist attacks and nuclear war. The second mission of FEMA is to assist state and local authori¬ties to respond to man-made and natural disasters that are to enormous for the local and state resources to respond to efficiently. While national security focuses more on civil defense, state and local authorities are more focused on natural disasters such as hurricanes, storms, floods and potential nuclear power accidents. These divergent focuses really presents FEMA with huge challenges since federal security authorities’ main objective is quite different from state or local authorities’ focus. Considering that FEMA designed the Federal Response Plan, the agency has the challenge of balancing these interests while working on its two key missions.

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.

Planning ties with one of the National Preparedness Goal’s mission area, that is prevention. The 9/11 events made DHS to aggressively change its focus to an “all hazards” approach. Prevention is a core component to accomplish this objective. However, for an effective prevention requires thorough planning. The private sector provides this type of service and DHS may hire a private sector entity to develop a prevention plan for them. In planning, all levels of government and private sector entities must coordinate with one another in developing and executing courses of action to prevent or reduce the impact of natural disasters or terrorist attack (Homeland Security, 2011). According to the National Preparedness Goal, planning is one of the mission are capabilities and preliminary targets of prevention (Homeland Security, 2011, p. 5). The private sector’s impact in planning with the DHS is essential for an effective prevention in support of the National Preparedness

The Cybersecurity Act of 2012 and its revised version S.3414 addressed several cyber security needs, which have been often overlooked or opposed. The nation stands vulnerable to cyber-attacks, as everyday technology is revamped and upgraded, while laws to protect the nation creep slowly through Congress. Many politicians have argued that these bills have imposed too much regulation on the cyber world and therefor oppose it (CITATION NEEDED). Congress needs to pass laws and regulations if they wish to help protect the nation from the growing threat of cyber-attacks, which can easily cripple the United States from across the globe. The Quadrennial Homeland Security Review Report reveals that the threat of cybercrime is a growing concern.

By understanding the steps to prepare for countering and responding to a terrorist, the well-being of US national security interests can be promoted and the exposure to risk and susceptibility to experiencing harm can be efficiently managed for communities, families and individuals in the event of a terrorist incident. The welfare of US national security, citizens and property can be effectively safeguarded through the understanding of protection strategies administered collectively by local communities, families and individuals. Local emergency operations planning, family disaster planning, as well as self-protection planning each represent important protective measures, which serve to educate the nation and its citizens how to

The Homeland Security in the all-hazards helps with the coordination and transitioning between the agencies on the federal, state and local government. The purpose of have affect Homeland Security has to be establish and to be prepared in all critical hazards necessity. The preparation is at the utmost for homeland security for the variety of ranges man made or natural incidents. A natural disaster on Homeland Security has ready to handle any kind of threat to citizens ranging from first responder providing and specialty resource to reach hard areas. Hurricane Katrina in 2005 had except hard criticism for inadequate response and care for the individual that where in need. This storm was relentless causing major destruction up and down the Gulf Coast Region. The lessons we learned the positive and negative in this tragedy for the lack response and preparedness in this catastrophes. I hope America could see the serious of mistakes that are handle different in or society. The Federal government studies what specific hazardous and vital mistakes to improve in the overall action of Homeland Security. The National Response Plan helps the agencies to improve the ability and strengths individual to be in the right at the place at the right time in handling disasters. In Hurricane Katrina has help society to realize the

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

Additionally, this concept seems to be constantly evolving as does the threat to national security. The final definition is that all threats can be looked at as a homeland security area of concern (Bellavita, 2008, p. 1). Recently, natural disasters hit Texas, Florida, and several islands and is a concern for security. To sum it all up, homeland security is a joint effort needing security professionals engaged at all times. DOD to be involved extensively with any situation arising from an earthquake to Domestic and international

The National Response Framework is a guide designed to assist local, State, and Federal governments in developing functional capabilities and identifying resources based on hazard identification and risk assessment. It outlines the operating structure and identifies key roles and responsibilities. It established a framework to identify capabilities based on resources and the current situation no matter the size or scale. It integrates organizational structures and standardizes how the Nation at all levels plans to react to incidents. The suspected terrorist attack will have health, economic, social, environment and political long-term effects for my community. This is why it is essential that local government’s

“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.

Prevention is the bedrock of combatting terrorism, and referred as the cornerstone of homeland security. From the attacks on 9/11 to hurricane Katrina, an ounce of protection is worth a pound of treatment. Countermeasures need emplaced before an attack, or possible disaster strike. After the 9/11 attacks, the National Guard was placed at the airports, newer modified armored cockpits were installed in airplanes, and more air Marshalls were utilized

The risk management plays an important role within the Homeland Security enterprise, because can help to organize the tasks and prepare better each organization to respond effectively in the event of terrorist attack or natural disaster (CRS 2007). Since the 9/11 terror attacks, preparation and response to terrorist attacks has changed thanks to the federal government’s attitude to distributing funds to states and local governments (CRS 2007). To better comprehend the current approach to each phase of the grant program development, it’s important to understand its origin (CRS 2007). While the nation was begin to understand the importance of homeland security, the development of the grant program and the risk management methodologies was happening at the same time (CRS

“The National Protection Framework describes what the whole community should do to safeguard against acts of terrorism, natural disasters, and other threats or hazards” (FEMA 2014).The 11 core capabilities described in the National Protection Framework are Planning; Public Information and Warning; Operational Coordination; Access Control and Identity Verification; Cybersecurity; Intelligence and Information Sharing; Interdiction and Disruption; Physical Protective Measures; Risk Management for Protection Programs and Activities; Screening, Search and Detection; and Supply Chain Integrity and Security (FEMA, 2014).

The quote; “Threats and Vulnerabilities emanating from man-made and natural disaster are the crux of the U.S. all-hazard approach to homeland security (HS), but this approach appears to be inherently flawed.” is not true. This essay will argue that emergency response operations are at the crux of the U.S. all-hazard approach to homeland security and that this approach is not inherently flawed just not all encompassing. This is because the emergency response operations such as crisis and consequence management directly correlate with the length and overall effect of vulnerabilities and threats emanating from a disaster, presenting post disaster risks that need to be accounted for but are not. Also, the all-hazard approach is correct, threats to homeland security do not just come from militarized attacks but also chemical spills, tornadoes and other disasters showing that it is not inherently flawed. The approach simply fails to recognize the effect that interagency and intergovernmental coordination during the emergency response operations, or lack thereof, has on the magnitude of threats and vulnerabilities that emanate from man-made and natural disasters. Preparedness should account for both pre and post disaster conditions. Section one of this paper will define the concept of an all hazard approach to homeland security. Section two of this paper will argue that emergency responses act as the crux of the all-hazard approach. The third section will argue that all hazard

The Department of Homeland Security released the 2014 Quadrennial Homeland Security Review on June 18, 2014 as required by the Homeland Security Act of 2002 and its amendments. This review outlined the current state of preparedness, as well as the future areas of concentration. It also determined six strategic challenges facing the nation: terrorist threat; growing cyber threats; biological concerns as a whole; nuclear terrorism; transnational criminal organizations; and natural hazards. The basic building block of emergency management in the U.S. is the local community. Each step begins here. Threat assessments are completed on the local level. Planning, mitigation, and response are all responsibilities of the local community to support the state and Federal practice using the guidance provided by both.