In his first State of the Union address, President George W. Bush focused on the war against terrorism, homeland security, and the economy.  He presented his goals and general means to achieve these goals, but gave few details, as was expected. 

In the speech, President Bush made two key commitments to increase prevention of terrorist attacks in the United States and increase the Country’s ability to respond to an emergency situation brought about by a terrorist attack.  First, President Bush laid out his fiscal priority by proposing increased funds for defense and homeland security. 

He stated, “The next priority of my budget is to do everything possible to protect our citizens and strengthen our nation against the ongoing threat of another attack.”  To clarify, President Bush continued, “My budget nearly doubles funding for a sustained strategy of homeland security, focused on four key areas: bioterrorism, emergency response, airport and border security, and improved intelligence.” These statements showed President Bush’s vision for his Presidency, to be the leader in fighting terrorism and protecting the homeland.

Later on in the State of the Union address, President Bush spoke of a new volunteer program to assist the government in the protection of the homeland.  Speaking to all Americans, President Bush stated, “…, I invite you to join the new USA Freedom Corps.  The Freedom Corps will focus on three areas in need: responding in case of crisis at home, rebuilding our communities, and extending American compassion throughout the world.”

President Bush mentioned some of the details of the new program, but left most of the program as a mystery.  One aspect that was certain is that one purpose of the program is to provide resources in the fight for homeland security and emergency response.  The cost of protecting the United States and its many assets and targets is enormous in terms of money and human resources.  After the September 11th attacks, Americans have been eager to contribute to homeland security, and the new volunteer program will give Americans this opportunity. 

While little detail of the new program was given in the State of the Union Address, information was available on the Internet.  The official website of the White House (www.whitehouse.gov) contained a press release defining the USA Freedom Corps.  The program umbrellas three major programs, the Citizen Corps, Americorps/Senior Corps, and the Peace Corps, organizing them in a fashion that will make it easier for citizens to volunteer using their talents.  The website reported that President Bush will request more than $560 million for the new USA Freedom Corps in the 2003 budget.  The web page also contained a link to a homepage for the USA Freedom Corps (www.usafreedomcorps.gov), which gives a brief description of the program and contact information for volunteering.

As part of the new USA Freedom Corps, the new Citizen Corps (www.citizencorps.gov) will be formed to organize ordinary citizens into the vanguard of homeland security.  Citizens Corps will be coordinated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (www.fema.gov) and will consist both of existing programs and newly formed programs that target specific segments of emergency response and homeland security, utilizing specific talents and capabilities of citizens to provide the necessary functions. The Citizen Corps will include the creation of the Medical Reserve Corps, a Volunteer in Police Service (VIPS) program and a Terrorist Information and Prevention System (TIPS). 

In addition, the Citizen Corps will umbrella a doubling of the Neighborhood Watch program and a tripling of the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program.  The President’s budget for 2003 will include $230 million for these efforts and $144 million in matching funds for the creation and support of Citizen Corps Councils.  The Citizens Corps Council will be made up of local leaders from different sectors of a community with the purpose of increasing and organizing involvement in the Citizens Corps, developing community action plans, and assessing possible threats.

Citizen Corps will create three new programs, each utilizing the already existing skills of individuals and applying them to prevention and response scenarios.  The Medical Reserve Corps will enable retired healthcare professionals to assist in emergency situations.  Operation TIPS will organize citizens such as postal workers, truck drivers, utility workers, etc into an early warning and/or prevention system.  The VIPS program will use civilians to perform very low risk, police-related activities.  These programs, and perhaps more to come, will aid the government in protecting a very large homeland.

President Bush used the State of the Union to introduce the USA Freedom Corps.  The program is a continuation of his policy that public volunteer organizations should augment, if not replace, the services of the federal government.