DHS The United States Department of Homeland Security was formed in response to the growing threat of international terrorism. Since its official inception in 2002, the Department's mandate has expanded to encompass immigration law enforcement and bolstered response to natural disasters affecting the United States. The DHS represented a significant restructuring of several American federal government agencies.

The stated mission of the Department of Homeland Security, indicated on the Department's Web site, includes five core areas: the prevention of terrorism, the security of national borders, the enforcement of immigration law, the safeguarding of cyberspace, and the ensured resilience to natural disasters (DHS 2011 "Department of Homeland Security Missions and Responsibilities").

The Department of Homeland Security operates as a coordination body, which "leverages resources within federal, state, and local governments, coordinating the transition of multiple agencies and programs into a single, integrated agency focused on protecting the American people and their homeland," (DHS 2011 "Department Subcomponents and Agencies"). The jurisdiction of the Department of Homeland Security is therefore broad and stretches into such disparate areas as health affairs and medical activities; transportation security; and the coast guard. Other components of the Department of Homeland Security include the Directorate for Science and Technology, Directorate for Management, Office of Policy, Office of Intelligence and Analysis, Office of Operations Coordination and Planning, Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, Domestic Nuclear Detection Office, United States Customs...

The Office of Secretary also encompasses counternarcotics enforcement and an office of public affairs. A series of advisory panels and committees provide the research and policy advice needed to facilitate coordination and make effective homeland security-related decisions.
Part Two

1. Is the department is logically organized for effectively fulfilling its mission? If so, explain why / If not, explain why. Be detailed.

Although the Department of Homeland Security has shockingly broad powers and far-reaching tentacles, it is logically organized for effectively fulfilling its mission. The only foreseeable problem is that the Department is stretched too far, and that the Office of the Secretary could not possibly coordinate so many different affairs at once.

2. Are there any federal, state, and/or local agencies present in DHS that do not belong? If so, explain why / If not, explain why. Be detailed.

On some level, it is possible to draw connections between the various federal, state and local agencies that are present under the DHS umbrella. For example, border control aids the DHS in preventing human trafficking and illegal immigrants as well as the flow of drugs. The Coast Guard performs a similar function on America's seas. Intelligence gathering serves a direct counter-terrorism function, while the Secret Service is engaged in the protection of people. Although it would seem that FEMA does not…