Strategies to improve collaboration and cooperation between the Homeland Security agencies

Strategies to improve collaboration and cooperation between the Homeland Security agencies The department of homeland security (DHS) controls the territorial, local, state, tribal, and federal government resources (DHS, 2018). The DHS coordinates various programs and agencies into one single and unified effort that is given to protecting the American homeland and the people. The first QHSR (Quadrennial Homeland Security Review) was completed in the year 2010 with an objective of establishing an incorporated strategy for the goals and missions of homeland security (Homeland Security, 2005).

Following this, DHS carried out a BUR (Bottom up Review). The objective was to synchronize organizational structure and programmatic activities in order to effectively achieve the goals and missions of homeland security. The primary duty of homeland security is to protect the U.S. from any terrorism. The counterterrorism duties of the DHS are concentrated on these three goals i.e.

First goal is protecting and resisting any terrorist attacks: In this, the DHS prevents illegal acquisition, movement, importation, or application of biological, chemical, nuclear and radiological materials and such capabilities inside the U.S (DHS, 2018). The second goal is to reduce key resource and critical infrastructure vulnerability, prevent terrorist attacks on major events, essential leadership and other such like hazards.

DHS secretary, Napolitano initiated and guided the worldwide initiative for enhancing the international systems of aviation through collaboration and partnerships with industry and governments, new technology investment, and strengthened targeting initiatives (DHS, 2018). The secretary also started the awareness campaign encouraging people to be vigilant. This has been an effective and simple strategy that helps to raise the level of public awareness with respect to terrorism indicators, threat and crime indicators as well as accentuate the need to report any unusual activities to the enforcement agencies.

This campaign was initiated in collaboration with SAR (Suspicious Activity Reporting) initiative (DHS, 2018). SAR encouraged administrative efforts towards training the local and state enforcement agencies on behavior recognition strategies and the pointers associated with terrorist activities and specific threats as well as sharing and reporting of information concerning awkward activities or incidents. The reports trigger an analysis aimed at identifying broad trends (DHS, 2018). DHS has also continually enhanced the fusion centers in the urban areas.

It is DHS that secures the air, sea, and land boarders in order to protect the country from illegal activities while at the same time facilitating lawful trade and travel (DHS, 2018). The management efforts for border security is focused on 3 goals that are related and they are effective security for the sea, air and land borders, streamlining and safeguarding lawful travel and trade, and dismantling and disrupting transnational terrorist and criminal organizations.

DHS continues to position resources, technology, and personnel along the southwestern border while at the same time getting into agreements with the international partners and the national law enforcement (DHS, 2018). This helps encourage cooperation and enhance information sharing in order to narrow down on any transnational threats without compromising trade and travel (DHS, 2018). In combating the detrimental crime of human trafficking DHS initiated the blue movement which entails advanced training for local and state enforcement officers.

The blue movement entails international radio, video, and print campaign, multilingual awareness campaigns locally in newspapers printed in fifty foreign languages, assistance materials for victims distributed at the entry port, as well as the DHS website which offers resources and materials detailing information against human trafficking, private sector, NGOs, concerned citizens, and officers involved in law enforcement (DHS, 2018). DHS also deals with immigration laws enforcement during the facilitation and streamlining of the legal process of immigration. In many ways the DHS has reformed the enforcement of immigration.

The priority has been the elimination and identification of aliens posing danger to the safety of the public. Some employers bleach the immigration laws knowingly (DHS, 2018). DHS also targets such unethical employers. The immigration department The U.S. ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) aims at protecting Americans from illegal immigration and crimes across the border as well as from anything that might compromise the safety and security of the public (Homeland Security, 2018).The objectives of the security department are achieved by way of enforcing the numerous federal statutes.

Focus is given to the enforcement of smart immigration, alleviation of illegal transfer of goods and people, and prevention of terrorism (Homeland Security, 2018). The enforcement of immigration laws and regulations is the one most conspicuous ICE responsibility. Certain aspects of ICE duties revolve around cooperation and collaboration with the border protection and custom departments. This said though, most immigration and citizenship services are executed within the interior of the U.S. A significant amount of assets for the ICE is found along the borders though (Homeland Security, 2018).

The agents working at ICE endeavor to offer assistance to businesses in order to make it possible for them to secure lawful employees. ICE also enforces the immigration laws against the employees who depend on and encourage unlawful workers (Homeland Security, 2018). Some employers cherish the opportunity to take advantage of the situation by offering peanuts to the undocumented and illegal immigrants and offer them inadequate working conditions.

Various programs have been put in place to help ICE enhance and pay more focus on the laid out priorities in order to identify and eliminate illegals who are found to be fugitives, criminals and those who arrived recently (Homeland Security, 2018). The enforcement of immigration details cracking the whip of the immigrants who use fake documentation for the purpose of initiative and enabling unlawful activities.

In addition there are various efforts that have been put in place to help improve humane and safe detention and eventual removal of illegals who get involved in illegal activities (Homeland Security, 2018). Border Security Department Border protection from illegal contraband, drugs, people, and weapon movement is paramount to the safety and security of the country (Homeland Security, 2018b). The discipline of lawful travel and trade is fundamental to the sovereignty, economic prosperity, and homeland security. There are 7,000 miles of border distance that America shares with both Mexico and Canada.

There are also coastal waters, lakes and rivers shared among the three countries (Homeland Security, 2018b). Borders are fundamental economic gateways into a country. Borders are responsible for the dollar trillions of money worth in travel and trade. They also encompass some of the country’s safest and most enormous communities and cities (Homeland Security, 2018b).

Border protection from illegal weapon movement, movement of illegal drugs, weapons and contraband goods, and illegal movement of people while at the same time promoting lawful exit and entry is fundamental to the sovereignty, economic prosperity, and homeland security in general (Homeland Security, 2018b). The DHS travails to ensure that the borders are secured through the infrastructure, technology, and personnel deployed and the close collaboration with Mexico and Canada as well as collaboration with other federal, local, territorial, and tribal partners (Homeland Security. 2018b).

The Customs and Border Protection (CPB) agents, marine and air agents, agriculture specialists and other officers work to guard America’s frontlines. They help alleviate terrorism and illegal weapons from entering America. During their mission the officers apprehend and seize criminals and those who attempt illegal entry into the U.S.

By increasing staffing during border patrol, development of new fencing and infrastructure, application of potent technology such as radar, aerial assets, and sensors, modernization of the entry ports, and enhanced information sharing and collaboration the DHS is able to provide secure, safer, and border environments that are more efficient. FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) FEMA offers support to the citizens and to the emergency workers to improve, sustain and build the capacity of the country to organize for, respond to, protect against, mitigate, and recover from all hazardous situations (Parisi, 2013).

FEMA has focused on strengthening the integration method for the purpose of enhancing the ability of the nation to handle disasters, terrorist events, and emergencies. FEMA also delivers coordinated and accessible assistance to any program, and offers significant information in the appropriate time for every user. In order to make sure that missions succeed FEMA invests in people through building their confidence and trust using stewardship and performance (United States, 2013).

The immigration department, border security department, and FEMA are all interested in the safety and the security of the American people. While immigration agencies ensure immigration laws are respected, the border security department ensures that no illegal activity happens along the borders and at any entry port. FEMA on the other hand employs strategic approaches to mitigate any situations that might have a safety and security consequence to the American people.

These agencies can coordinate to ensure that acts of terrorism are alleviated and if by chance they occur, the coordinating prowess of FEMA would come in handy in the attempt to quell the severity of the negative impact that would happen. 3 Strategies to improve collaboration and cooperation between the Homeland Security agencies In order to achieve effective, consistent, and sustained homeland security all the responsible agencies under the DHS should be able to establish a strong network of collaboration for the purpose of intelligence and information sharing.

Smart collaboration, cooperation, coordination, and sharing can be achieved through employment of these three strategic initiatives. · Having a central engine A successful homeland security strategy must have a central engine that drives collaboration between agencies. This central engine should be shared and should have a centralized framework that ensures there is communication and collaboration across the existing organizational barriers (Homeland Security Today, 2016). The framework should be flexible enough to allow all the parties involved the tools and access they require.

The focus of the framework should be vertical industries such as utilities in order to wholesomely handle homeland security. Core technology ought to be focused on the application and should be scalable with adequate controls that are agency and purpose focused (Homeland Security Today, 2016). The centralized system may be a centralized data center that condenses all the data sources into a single place therefore making analytics and reporting simpler and possible. The centralized engine makes centralized control possible as well as providing larger flexibility and scale.

· Dynamic Capability of Application There are various tools used by each agency for doing everything although every one of the tools needs to work in unison. It is important to have a central system in a control and command environment. However, the central system has to support mass collaboration and support application that run between numerous communication technologies (Homeland Security Today, 2016). With the increasing chances of disasters happening, it is not practically possible to be 100% prepared for them.

It is however possible to institute better risk mitigation strategies and alleviate catastrophic situations. In order to evaluate whether there are any improvements in all the government levels it is important that the agencies to communicate successfully and for the systems employed to inevitably and uncompromisingly support communication (Homeland Security Today, 2016). The communication between agencies and strengthened infrastructure can be enhanced by the nation. This can help save financial resources through the alleviation of duplication of homeland security systems.

Whenever incidents happen at local levels the leadership has to be shown from the national level. This must not be limited to policy perspectives but also to the technological perspective. The technology, control strategy, and centralized command at the federal level can help break the frequent government agency silos therefore improving collaboration (Homeland.