Homeland Security Guide
The White House describes Homeland Security as the collective effort to preserve the safety of the American people from foreign, domestic, and natural threats. Accordingly, the Department of Homeland Security was established with the following goals laid out in the National Security Strategy of 2010.
1. Defeat Terrorism Worldwide
In addition to domestic efforts to counter terrorism, the Obama Administration stated its intention to provide $5 billion to help its allies in the Shared Security Partnership improve their own national security.
2. Strengthen National Biological and Nuclear Security
National security will attempt to reduce “nontraditional” threats like nuclear devices or epidemics by linking public health agencies, hospitals, and health providers while scientists focus on developing health technology to combat biological threats. In addition, the Administration plans to establish coordinated responses to nuclear threats and enhance capabilities to detect nuclear threats, as well as keeping American nuclear materials secure.
3. Improve Intelligence Capacity and Information Sharing
The Administration believes investing in effective intelligence technologies is vital to U.S. security. It also states a commitment to protecting the privacy of American citizens.
4. Ensuring a Secure Global Digital Information and Communications Infrastructure
National security depends on the effective protection of the country’s digital infrastructure. The United States professed a commitment to staying current with technology.
5. Promote the Resiliency of our Physical and Social Infrastructure
The President acknowledges the necessity of updating and securing infrastructures such as public transportation and the electrical grid. Development is underway on an “infrastructure protection and resiliency plan” centered on investments in the private sector, including business, technology, civil society and education.
6. Pursue Comprehensive Transborder Security
Attempts to maximize border security with minimum economic disruption are underway. The Administration will continue to address immigration issues relating to border security.
7. Ensure Effective Incident Management
Domestic events and weather disasters pose a severe threat to Americans. As such, the Administration plans to improve coordination between levels of government while increasing Federal funding and resources to provide support in the event of a crisis.
Brief History of Homeland Security
The attacks which befell the United States on September 11, 2001 were unprecedented in national history. Less than two weeks after the tragedy, Gov. Tom Ridge of Pennsylvania was appointed the first Director of the Office of Homeland Security. It became the duty of the office to create and implement a national security strategy to protect America from further attacks.
Congress passed the Homeland Security Act in November 2002. With the passage of the act, the Cabinet-level Department of Homeland Security was established. The new department integrated aspects of 22 different Federal agencies. Its work officially began March 1, 2003.
What is Homeland Security?
Myriad career opportunities exist within the Department of Homeland Security. In fact, DHS is responsible for more than 87,000 different governmental jurisdictions at the federal, state, and local levels. Most of these responsibilities fall into one of four categories: mission support, law enforcement, immigration and travel security, and prevention and response. For more information, check out the DHS video about career opportunities and apply at the Federal government’s official job site, USAJOBS.
Mission Support
Mission support encompasses a wide variety of fields from human resources to fraud detection, science and technology to intelligence. Components of mission support include the Office of Counternarcotics Enforcement, National Cybersecurity Center, Office of the Chief Financial Officer, and Recovery and Rebuilding of the Gulf Coast Region. See Mission Support Components or a more comprehensive list and Department Subcomponents and Agencies for descriptions of each component.
Law Enforcement
Law enforcement agencies are responsible for protecting the people and property of the United States from harm. Relevant branches of Homeland Security include U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Secret Service, and the Federal Protection Service. The Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) prepares men and women for employment in more than 80 different training organizations. FLETC works in cooperation with local, tribal, state, and national security agencies as well as international agencies headquartered in Botswana, Thailand, El Salvador, and Hungary.
If you are already a law enforcement professional employed by an accredited security agency, you may be eligible to receive online training about human trafficking through the FLETC Electronic Learning Portal.
Immigration and Travel Security
The two main components to overseeing lawful immigration and guarding American transportation systems are U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and the (TSA).
Within USCIS lies the Office of Fraud Detection and National Security (FDNS). The mission of this organization is to determine and eradicate threats from entities filing for immigration benefits. FDNS performs fraud assessments and compliance reviews within immigration benefit programs. Additionally, FDNS conducts on-site inquiries into cases of suspected fraud.
More than 50,000 people work for TSA as security officers, inspectors, directors, air marshals and managers. Visit the TSA website for information on career opportunities.
Prevention and Response
The U.S. Coast Guard and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) comprise the Prevention and Response Sector of DHS. The Coast Guard is one of the five branches of the U.S. Armed Forces whose mission is to protect the United States from maritime threats. FEMA offers a range of employment opportunities as it works to provide support for disaster victims and emergency first responders.
The Future of Homeland Security
In April 2009, the Homeland Security Policy Institute, a nonpartisan group dedicated to finding “innovative strategies and solutions to current and future threats to the nation,” issued a report bringing questions about the future of the Department of Homeland Security. Access to the full text of the report is available online. The panel asserts that the future success of DHS depends on clear lines of communication within the White House and strong leadership from President Obama and his advisers. Meanwhile, the Obama Administration and all the components of DHS will focus on the goals announced in 2010′s National Security Strategy. For the most updated news on issues relating to national security, follow the White House Blog and the Homeland Security Blog.