DHS the United States Department of Homeland

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 and Border Protection, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and the United States Secret Service (USSS).

The Office of the Secretary oversees the various DHS components and facilitates coordination strategies. 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 belong, natural disasters can in fact present problems for national security.

3. Are there any federal, state and/or local agencies that are not present in the current organization and should be added (e.g. The FBI)? If so, explain why. If not, explain why.

It would not make sense to place the FBI under the same umbrella, given that some autonomy between government agencies is probably healthy and facilitates a system of checks and balances. However, excluding the FBI also prevents easy communication between it and the DHS so that some intelligence gathering might be thwarted. The DEA is also excluded, even though the DHS assumes some anti-narcotics roles with the Office of Counternarcotics Enforcement (CNE).

4. Has the organizational and procedural layout of the DHS ever been altered, streamlined, or changed in any way since the DHS was first created? Hint….YES, it has. If so, describe how it has changed since inception. What is the same, what components were changed? Be detailed.

The organizational and procedural layout of the DHS has been altered rather significantly since it was first created. However, the first major reorganization plan was passed as early as 2002, with the Department of Homeland Security Act of 2002. New agencies have been added to the rubric, and a series of management reforms have been instated. The consolidation of facilities has also recently ensued (DHS 2011, "Mature and Strengthen the Homeland Security Enterprise").