The Assessment Team Administrator Should Begin The Process Of Soliciting Evaluation Team Members

I certify that I have read the project of Hugh H. Scully II entitled instructions for the preparation of the Senior Research Project and that, in my opinion; it is satisfactory in scope and quality for the degree of Bachelor of Science in Homeland Security and Emergency Management at National University.

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

Critical thinking is imperative to perform functions that hold so much responsibility. Homeland Security holds Liability for the American people in terms of lives and property which is necessary to guide the decision making process. Homeland security professionals have a need to be able to think like their adversaries in order to anticipate how they might react to the organizations operations, tactics, and policies.

The Baldrige Criteria is used when conducting a Homeland Security Assessment for an organization. Within this particular assessment there are eight (8) steps listed that are suggested for a positive implementation of the assessment (Fisher, 2013). The Baldrige Criteria was developed as established guidelines and best practices that can be used by the organizations to appraise the homeland security efforts. By using the Baldrige Criteria it allows a comprehensive assessment based on criteria with a national standard of excellence. It should be noted, in preparing for the initial assessment of any organization, first is must be very important that senior management/command staff should be fully supportive of the initiative and have it’s full support for it to be successful (Fisher, 2013).

Aspects Essential in Identifying the Appropriate Members for a Team and Ensuring the Team Is Successfully Launched

The ability of the Department of Homeland Security to effectively manage risk is vital to national security. Risk in general, is something that is permanent but because this is known, strategies can be used to mitigate situations as they present themselves. Government managers must manage risk in a complex environment taking into consideration the diverse missions and multiple objectives of public agencies (Hardy, 2014). The role of risk management within the homeland security enterprise was managed by best and worst case scenario planning. This is something that is inevitable as we are faced within a definite variety of threats. One way to grade or rank threats is through worst-case analysis. As this analysis can be used for worst-case scenarios the federal government cannot leave out lower ranking situations (Roberts, 2007). Since the Department of Homeland Security is charged with managing risk within the enterprise, a basic equation is used to help figure out different variables and how they would be affected.

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

The long-term implications for business owners and security professionals as it relates to the Aurora Colorado theater shooting comes down to preparedness for the threat of an active shooter. The FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin list some key considerations for business owners and security professionals when addressing the problem of the active shooter. The FBI reinforces that there is no one specific demographic for an active shooter. In fact, they may display preattack behavior, that when recognized can disrupt the threat. Special Agent Katherine Schweit, who serves as a special assistant to the executive assistant director of the FBI’s Criminal, Cyber, Response, and Services Branch, explains that “The pathway to targeted violence typically involves an unresolved real or perceived grievance and an ideation of a violent resolution that eventually moves from thought to research, planning, and preparation.” (Schweit, 2013) The FBI further explains that threat assessment needs to include

Britton also argues that we have six major issues as a field to resolve. We are still highly response oriented. Although the thrill of the fight is in response, lives may be saved simply by preventing them from being at risk in the first place. The recruitment of emergency managers tends to focus on those with response oriented goals. Although I personally have a good skill set when it comes to prevention, on paper I am very response oriented. Being response oriented is not necessarily a bad thing, however, emergency managers must learn the skills involved in mitigation. As the counter-terrorism field is drawn

The assessment will involve studying and reviewing the community bylaws and constitution and the TEC-USA status as a 501(c) (3) organization. Moreover, as part of the assessment initiative, the team executive leadership will commission a team to collect qualitative and quantitative data on feature of the TEC-USA. This assessment process will be limited to gap analysis, to gauge present human capital and monetary resources, SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) analysis, to identify the internal strengths and weaknesses, as well as external opportunities

For us as security managers to begin to dissect the threat we must go back to the Risk and threat assessment as stated in (Risk and Security management 2008) the threat assessment specifically defines the scope, nature and impacts of risk the company may face during the life span of the operation. It should be written in the context of both the risk environment and the company’s risk tolerences, as these will define what risks are considered noteworthy and which fall within acceptable ranges for a project or organization. The Security Director should not assume that the initial threat assessment will be read in conjunction with the intelligence review. Therefore the key elements from the intelligence review should be included (if) to clarify the environment in which the organization will operate. The threat assessment can be conducted in isolation of a site visit, although specific risks associated with the project will be difficult to ascertain without firsthand knowledge through an actual visit. Secondary threat assessment may be done concurrently with, or as part of the security survey to provide the final specifics for the organization itself, as opposed to the more overarching initial assessment.

“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 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

Doing so, creates a cohesive hierarchy of leadership and communication from the top all the way down within the infrastructure. According to May, Jochim, and Sapotichne (2011), a key element to homeland security is ensuring that your organization has a common set of goals. (p.290). Establishing a clear set of goals allows an organization to track whether they are meeting those goals by reassessing on a regular basis. It would not prove to be beneficial of an organization to reassess their goals every few years, instead, it would be prudent to re-evaluate at least on a yearly basis or even more frequently. An additional benefit of reassessing your organizations goals, you also ensure that you are staying competitive within the marketplace. The marketplace is fast-paced and ever-changing so it is imperative that companies are assessing themselves on a routine basis. An added benefit is ensuring that the organization is aligning the appropriate resources with the company’s

Nearly every community has some sort of community risk, threat, and assessment plan that takes into account one of the six potential risks that are of concern to homeland security. Though each of these plans will likely differ from one another, many communities will have the same types of information in their plans. This essay will look at the Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment Guide (THIRA), the Community Risk Reduction Planning Guide, as well as FEMA’s National Preparedness plan. Any combination of these guides are a good starting point for every community in America. At top of every communities list as well as the nation is the protection of the critical infrastructure. Loss of infrastructure regardless of how big or small the community is could have very crippling effects on that community.