Department of Homeland Security Case Study

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The Department Of Homeland Security

Case Study

Bowie State University

PUAD 630.191 Dr. Glasper

May 7, 2015

Presented By: Anthony Brooks, Vivica Brooks, Kenneth Carter, Lanneice Jones, and Justin

Middleton

Abstract

The program evaluation/policy analysis conducted is on the Department of Homeland

Security. Since the department’s establishment its priority has been terrorist prevention.

From the perspective of the Department of Homeland Security terrorist prevention is

casted as a large umbrella of sorts and underneath – different facets and/or areas that

contribute to uplifting the main goal of the department. Throughout each section of the

paper, it will be an underlying tone that coincides with answering a simple evaluative

question, how has past events helped shape the future of homeland security? This question

will be answered in its entirety throughout the introduction; review of program policies,

goals, and objectives; stakeholder analysis; methodology; data results; and concluding

analysis sections.

Introduction

The program that our group decided to introduce and provide a program evaluation for is

the Department of Homeland Security. The Department of Homeland Security was formed

eleven days after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Tom Ridge, who at the time

served as Governor of Pennsylvania, was appointed as the first Director of the Office of

Homeland Security in the White House. The offices duty and/or responsibilities oversaw

and coordinated a comprehensive national strategy to safeguard the country against

terrorism and respond to any future attacks. The Homeland Security Act was passed by

Congress in November, 2002; the Department of Homeland Security formally came into

being as a stand-alone, Cabinet-level department to further coordinate and unifies national

homeland security efforts, opening officially on March 1, 2003.

The Department of Homeland Security has an authorized budget of $60.9 billion as of the

2015 fiscal year. Those funds are appropriated over several agencies and divisions within

DHS. Agencies including the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), U.S.

Citizenship and Immigration Services (USSCIS), U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), U.S. Custom

and Border Protection (CBP), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), U.S.

Secret Service (USSS), and Transportation Security Administration (TSA) were allotted

funding. The divisions which benefited from the authorized budget are the DHS

Management Directorate, National Protection and Programs Directorate, Office of Health

Affairs, Office of Intelligence and Analysis, Office of Operations Coordination, Office of

Policy, Science and Technology Directorate, Domestic Nuclear Detection Office, and the

Federal Law Enforcement Training Center.

To provide an efficient and/or effective approach to the evaluation of the Department of

Homeland Security, we have incorporated qualitative research. Qualitative research entails

the first step analyzing the topic and formulating question(s) that addresses the issue to be

studied. So to depict the topic of the Department of Homeland Security we have posed an

evaluative question; how has past events helped shape the future of homeland security? To

effectively answer the aforementioned question the following sections have been assigned

to each group member:

Section Group Member

Abstract Anthony Brooks

Introduction Anthony Brooks

Identity & Review Vivica Brooks

Stakeholder Analysis Vivica Brooks

Methodology Kenneth Carter

Data Results Lanniece Jones

Concluding Analysis Justin Middleton

ii. Conducting an academic evaluation of the Department of Homeland Security would

generate knowledge and provide supportive information that is valuable to answering our

evaluative question. An academic evaluation/assessment is a research designed to capture

valid evidence. The responsibility that lies with the group is to provide adequate

information and knowledge generated from research on the Department of Homeland

Security. So what is the purpose? The purpose of our research is to enlighten individuals of

past events that may or may not have been publicly known but, nonetheless, played a

valuable role into shaping the Department of Homeland Security into the program that is

today. Providing the information regarding program policy changes, changes in goals and

objectives, or etc. we will also provide a glimpse of what may be to come and/or future

implications of the Department of Homeland Security.

To speak on providing a glimpse of future implications or an example, Patrick S. Roberts

wrote an article titled, “A Capacity for Mitigation as the Next Frontier in Homeland

Security”. This article discusses opportunities and effectiveness derived from a mitigation

approach to natural disasters and terrorism as opposed to the current amendment which

focuses on preparedness. Policies being discussed in this article are the National Incident

Management System and Homeland Security Presidential Directives 7 and 8. Due to major

disasters and terrorism the author stresses that building a mitigation capacity to reduce

future disaster losses and turn catastrophes into lesser scale events would be the next step

in the process to ensuring a more capable and/or efficient agency.

The aforementioned Presidential Directives 7 and 8 were negligent towards language using

mitigation. Instead those policies focused on preparedness, prevention, protection,

response, and recovery to frame emergency management. By revamping these directives

incorporate mitigation would lead to activities decreasing the damage disasters cause to

lives and property by anticipating hazards and making communities more resistant to their

effects. These steps range from low-cost and relatively simple actions such as relocating

electrical outlets to more-complex measures that require coordinated action among public

agencies, private individuals, and nonprofits, such as buying low-lying land and preventing

construction on it or strengthening building codes so that structures better resist the effects

of earthquakes, tornadoes, or bombs. A variety of means promote mitigation, such as

hardening structures, building redundancy, and de-centralizing essential networks and

services. (Roberts, 2009)

iii. The scope of the Department of Homeland Security’s evaluation will be that of its

entire entity. As stated prior, our evaluative question is ‘how has past events helped shape

the future of homeland security?’ The underlying tone to the question is a causal

relationship. Causality is the relation between an event and a second event, where the first

event is understood to be responsible for the second; or cause and effect in layman’s terms.

For instance, the terrorist attacks on 9/11 spawned the creation and development of the

Department of Homeland Security. Throughout the paper it will be uncovered or revealed

that several events have spawned changes in policy, regime changes, and etc.

Program Policies, Goals, and Objectives

The vision of homeland security is to ensure a homeland that is safe, secure, and resilient

against terrorism and other hazards. According to the DHS mission there are three key

concepts that form the foundation of the homeland security strategy, including: security,

resilience, and customs and exchange. It is noted that these three key concepts are the

driving factors in homeland security missions.

These homeland security missions function on an “enterprise-wide” basis; and in turn, not

limited to DHS. Additionally, these missions, goals and objectives illustrate how to

“prevent, protect, respond, and to recover, as well as to build in security, to ensure

resilience, and to facilitate customs and exchange.” (Affairs, 2012)

There are five homeland security missions: 1. Prevent terrorist attacks through the

prevention of the unauthorized acquisition, importation, movement, or use of chemical,

biological, radiological, and nuclear materials and capabilities within the United States;

and reduce the vulnerability of critical infrastructure and key resources, essential

leadership, and major events to terrorist attacks and other hazards. 2. Secure and manage

our borders by effectively securing U.S. air, land, and sea points of entry; safeguard and

streamline lawful trade and travel; and disrupt and dismantle transnational criminal and

terrorist organizations. 3. Enforce and administer our immigration laws; the department

has fundamentally reformed immigration enforcement, prioritizing the identification and

removal of criminal aliens who pose a threat to public safety and targeting employers who

knowingly and repeatedly break the law. 4. Safeguard and secure cyberspace; the

department works to: analyze and reduces cyber threats and vulnerabilities; distribute

threat warnings; and coordinate the response to cyber incidents to ensure that our

computers, networks, and cyber systems remain safe. 5. Ensure resilience to disasters; the

department builds a ready and resilient nation through efforts to: bolster information

sharing and collaboration; provide grants, plans and training to our homeland security and

law enforcement partners while facilitating the rebuilding and recovery along the Gulf

Coast. (Affairs, 2012)

Hundreds of thousands of people from across the federal government, state, local, tribal,

and territorial governments, the private sector, and other nongovernmental organizations

are responsible for executing these missions. These are the people who regularly interact

with the public, who are responsible for public safety and security, who own and operate

our nation’s critical infrastructures and services, who perform research and develop

technology, and who keep watch, prepare for, and respond to emerging threats and

disasters. These homeland security professionals must have a clear sense of what it takes to

achieve the overarching vision articulated above. Lastly, “we must specifically focus on

maturing and strengthening the homeland security enterprise itself.” (Affairs, 2012)

Stakeholder Analysis

DHS initiated various efforts to increase its stakeholder outreach. Efforts including:

creating new outreach offices and state and local working groups. During the second

Quadrennial Homeland Security Review (QHSR), the department established a platform to

allow state and local first responders and preventers to offer their thoughts and

suggestions. “The DHS expert analytic corps distributed throughout the components is

uniquely positioned to fuse information from all sources into accurate and timely products.

From warning to strategic analysis and operational support, we will tailor our analysis to