This paper examines the communication and information-sharing challenges facing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) since its formation after the September 11, 2001 attacks. It discusses how agencies such as the FBI, CIA, Coast Guard, and Border Patrol struggled to coordinate under one department, the technological barriers created by incompatible computer systems, and the failures of first-responder communication during the 9/11 response. Drawing on sources by Huang (2007) and Ranum (2004), the paper argues that while initiatives like the DHS Fellows Program have promoted a shared identity and leadership culture, significant structural and technological communication problems remain unresolved.
The paper demonstrates effective use of integrated quotations — each quoted passage is introduced with an attribution phrase, placed within context, and followed by the writer's own analytical comment. This shows how to let sources support an argument rather than simply substitute for one.
The paper opens with a broad claim about the necessity of interagency communication, then narrows to the formation of DHS and early coordination efforts, moves through two specific problem areas (institutional culture and technology), addresses the real-world consequences seen on 9/11, and closes with a summary of what still needs to be fixed. It is a classic problem-focused expository structure appropriate for an undergraduate-level policy essay.
Homeland security presents a natural barrier to communications between agencies and jurisdictions. Homeland Security agencies must learn to work together, sharing information and intelligence, to truly keep America safe.
With the formation of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) after the September 11, 2001 attacks, many government agencies came together under one broad roof and had to learn how to communicate effectively and share information. When the department first formed, it was quite clear that all these agencies — from the Coast Guard to the Border Patrol — had to change the way they communicated and cooperated. One writer notes, "Admiral Thad Allen, Coast Guard Commandant, met with the fellows to discuss the mission of the department and the goals to improve cross-component communication" (Huang, 2007). DHS also created Team DHS in an effort to build effective leadership throughout the department and to develop a core mission statement and strategy for working together. As Huang explains, "The DHS Fellows Program is a catalyst for promoting a common identity and culture throughout the department and ensuring that Team DHS continues to meet its mission of protecting the homeland by developing a pipeline of candidates who are ready to assume key leadership roles" (Huang, 2007). However, the agency is far from perfect at the communications level, as many experts agree.
From the inception of the agency, it has been difficult for its many components — often accustomed to working alone and in secrecy — to learn to share information and intelligence. As one author notes, "One constant thread through the post-9/11 investigations was a lack of coordination and communication between the FBI and CIA (mostly, the lack of coordination and communication was internal to the FBI)" (Ranum, 2004, p. 60). These are not agencies known for sharing information or intelligence, and overcoming this problem has proven difficult, since their institutional practices have been deeply embedded for so long.
Any agency or department is subject to communications problems, but because Homeland Security is so broad, it has more issues to address and more to fix. DHS must coordinate communications between its component agencies, align the computer systems and the information they share, and ensure that intelligence is properly communicated across the enterprise. Significant work remains before these communication problems are fully resolved.
Huang, M. P. (2007). After reorganization: A leadership journey. The Public Manager, 36(1), 67+.
Ranum, M. J. (2004). The myth of homeland security. Indianapolis: Wiley.
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