|
|
Institute for Crisis, Disaster, and Risk Management Crisis and Emergency Management Newsletter Website |
|
|
|
January
2004
Volume 5
- Number 4 |
|
|
Related Sites:
|
History of the Department of Homeland Security (Executive Summary) By Junko SEKINE The President delivered a proposal to create the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to secure the United States, consisted of 22 previously disparate domestic agencies, and got the approval to establish DHS on July 26. According to the enabling legislation, DHS’s
primary mission
is to 1) prevent terrorist attacks within the United States; 2) reduce
the
vulnerability of the United States to terrorism; and 3) minimize the
damage,
and assist in the recovery, from terrorist attacks that do occur within
the
United States. The agencies merged into DHS were housed in one of four major directorates: Border and Transportation Security, Emergency Preparedness and Response, Science and Technology, and Information Analysis and Infrastructure Protection. The Border and Transportation Security (BTS) directorate will bring the implementation of the plan to achieve following two goals: to improve border security while at the same time, facilitate the unimpeded flow of legitimate commerce and people across our borders. The integrity of the borders goes hand-in-hand with the security of the transportation systems and the transport authorities work with the federal and private sector partners to assess and take the necessary steps to secure our means of transportation, including our railways, roadways, bridges, waterways and especially our seaports. The Emergency
Preparedness
and Response (EPR)
directorate will oversee domestic disaster preparedness training and
coordinate
government disaster response by partnering with the states, cities and
counties.
EPR will build on the strong foundation already in place by the
Federal
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and treat “crisis management” and
“consequence management” as a single event. EPR will consolidate
federal
emergency plans and grant programs for first responders to prevent the
duplication of the efforts and scattered grants programs in federal
agencies. The Science
and Technology
directorate will seek to utilize all
scientific and technological advantages when securing the homeland. Its structure
is envisioned to be a streamlined, integrated team that will access the
technical resources and assets of the private sector, academia, and
federal
government. The
Science and
Technology directorate will be for conducting and
enhancing the normal operations
of DHS for chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear attacks and
provide
the assessments of the greatest threats and highest priorities based on
nature
of threats, customer requirements and technological capabilities. The
Information Analysis and
Infrastructure Protection (IAIP)
directorate will analyze intelligence and information from other
agencies
(including the CIA, FBI, DIA and NSA) involving threats to homeland
security
and evaluate vulnerabilities in the nation's infrastructure. The prevention
of terrorist acts requires a proactive approach that will enhance the
capability of policymakers and law enforcement personnel to preempt
terrorist
plots and warn appropriate sectors. DHS follows the
strategic
planning guidance provided by The National Strategy for Homeland
Security (July,
2002) and implementation of the programs and activities given by HSPD-5
(February, 2003) and created the Initial National Response Plan and the
National Incident Management Systems, both of which are essential
guidance for
response activities. History of the Department of Homeland
Security (White paper) By Junko SEKINE On
October 8, 2001,
President George W. Bush established the Office of Homeland Security
with in
the White House to develop and coordinate the implementation of a
comprehensive
national strategy to secure the United States from terrorist threats or
attacks
and to perform the functions necessary to carry out the mission. Although
the President
initially rejected calls for the creation of a Department of Homeland
Security,
he delivered a proposal to create the Department of Homeland Security
(DHS),
consisted of 22 previously disparate domestic agencies, which would be
the most
significant transformation of the U.S. government since 1947, when
Harry S.
Truman merged the various branches of the U.S. Armed Forces into the
Department
of Defense. On July 26, 2002, members of the House voted 295 – 132 to
approve a
bill (H.R. 5005) to establish DHS. According to the enabling legislation, DHS’s
primary mission
is to 1) prevent terrorist attacks within the United States; 2) reduce
the
vulnerability of the United States to terrorism; and 3) minimize the
damage,
and assist in the recovery, from terrorist attacks that do occur within
the
United States. The agencies merged into DHS were housed in one of four major directorates: Border and Transportation Security, Emergency Preparedness and Response, Science and Technology, and Information Analysis and Infrastructure Protection. The Border and Transportation Security directorate will bring the implementation of the plan to achieve following two goals: to improve border security while at the same time, facilitate the unimpeded flow of legitimate commerce and people across our borders. The integrity of the borders goes hand-in-hand with the security of the transportation systems and the transport authorities work with the federal and private sector partners to assess and take the necessary steps to secure our means of transportation, including our railways, roadways, bridges, waterways and especially our seaports. The agencies merged into DHS as a part of The Border and Transportation Security are following:
The Emergency
Preparedness and
Response (EPR) directorate will oversee domestic disaster preparedness
training
and coordinate government disaster response by partnering with the
states,
cities and counties. EPR will build on the strong foundation
already in
place by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and treat
“crisis
management” and “consequence management” as a single event. EPR will
consolidate federal emergency plans and grant programs for first
responders to
prevent the duplication of the efforts and scattered grants programs in
federal
agencies. The agencies merged into DHS as a part of The Emergency Preparedness and Response (EPR) are following:
The Science and Technology directorate will seek to utilize all scientific and technological advantages when securing the homeland. Its structure is envisioned to be a streamlined, integrated team that will access the technical resources and assets of the private sector, academia, and federal government. The Science and Technology directorate will be for conducting and enhancing the normal operations of DHS for chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear attacks and provide the assessments of the greatest threats and highest priorities based on nature of threats, customer requirements and technological capabilities. The agencies merged into DHS as a part of The Science and Technology are following:
The Information Analysis and Infrastructure Protection directorate will analyze intelligence and information from other agencies (including the CIA, FBI, DIA and NSA) involving threats to homeland security and evaluate vulnerabilities in the nation's infrastructure. The prevention of terrorist acts requires a proactive approach that will enhance the capability of policymakers and law enforcement personnel to preempt terrorist plots and warn appropriate sectors. The agencies merged into DHS as a part of
The Information
Analysis and Infrastructure Protection are following:
The Secret Service and the Coast Guard will also be located in the Department of Homeland Security, remaining intact and reporting directly to the Secretary. In addition, the INS adjudications and benefits programs will report directly to the Deputy Secretary as the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services. DHS follows the strategic planning guidance provided by The National Strategy for Homeland Security (July, 2002) and implementation of the programs and activities given by HSPD-5 (February, 2003) and created the Initial National Response Plan and the National Incident Management Systems, both of which are essential guidance for response activities. References: http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/theme_home1.jsp http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/display?theme=13http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/omb_org_chart.pdf http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/interweb/assetlibrary/DHS_Org_Chart.ppt
|
