America Preparedness Post 9-11

Lead Federal Agencies

When it comes to lead agencies in the U.S. government -- designed to respond to an emergency, a disaster, or an attack on the U.S. -- there is one that stands out as having the greatest responsibilities, and that is the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Prior to September 11, 2001, there was no homeland security department, but FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency), the military, and other agencies were responsible for security in the event of disaster or other emergency.

But following the September 11 attacks, the U.S. Congress authorized the creation of the DHS, and a total of 22 different federal departments and agencies were brought under one umbrella. The DHS helps citizens and communities where there is a flood -- which is the most common disaster situation in America -- or a terrible tornado or hurricane, or an explosion in a factory or sudden, unpredictable and frightening event like the huge rain-soaked hill in Washington State that engulfed a community and killed a number of people in March, 2014.

Within the DHS are these agencies: U.S. Customs; Immigration and Naturalization Services; Federal Protective Service; Transportation Security Administration; Federal Law Enforcement Training Center; animal and Plant Health Inspection Service; Office for Domestic Preparedness; FEMA; Strategic National Stockpile and the National Disaster Medical System; Nuclear Incident Response Team; Domestic Emergency Support Teams; National Domestic Preparedness Office; CBRN Countermeasures Programs; Environmental Measurements Laboratory; National BW Defense Analysis Center; Plum Island Animal Disease Center; Federal Computer Incident Response Center; National Communications system; National Infrastructure Protection Center; Energy Security and Assurance Program; U.S. Coast Guard; and the U.S. Secret Service (www.dhs.gov).

The Washington Post published an investigative report (in 2010) on the various "top-secret" activities going on -- in addition to the DHS -- to protect American and Americans. The report showed that the government agencies created (in response to Sept. 11) has "…become so large, so unwieldy and so secretive that no one knows how much money it costs, how many people it employs, how many programs exist within it or exactly how many agencies do the same work" (Priest, et al., 2010). Clearly, the federal programs that are supposed to protect citizens have become so big and so bureaucratically cumbersome the wisdom behind them is unclear.

TWO: One positive aspect of the NTAS alert system is that specific plans have now been put in place in the event there is clear evidence that North Korea, for example, is ready to attack the U.S. Or its territories with sudden force; previous to 2001, specific plans were not drawn up.

One of the major negative aspects in this article is the fact that the "…blurring of the nuclear/conventional" weapon systems by CONPLAN 8022, which could raise the risk that a nuclear war could be launched (Arkin, 2005). As Arkin explains, it is difficult to imagine "…a U.S. president ordering a nuclear attack on Iran or North Korea under any circumstances," so why would the nuclear weapons be part of the conventional preparedness?