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Produced by the Monterey Institute's
Center for Nonproliferation Studies
Updated August 2003
After the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and the subsequent mailing of
anthrax letters,
concerns grew over the ability of the U.S. government to protect the
country from future acts of terrorism, particularly WMD terrorism.
Over 100 different federal agencies, including the Secret Service,
the Coast Guard, the U.S. Customs Service, the Immigration and
Naturalization Services (INS), the Federal Emergency Management
Agency (FEMA),
and the Transportation Security Agency (TSA),
had been tasked to address the threat of terrorism. Unfortunately, all of these agencies had other responsibilities
beyond those of national security, and communication and cooperation
among the agencies was often complicated by questions of
jurisdiction. Without one federal organization solely devoted
to preventing terrorist attacks on the United States, many believed
that this crucial task was being left to a "confusing patchwork" of
government agencies.
To
address these concerns, President George W. Bush created a new Office of Homeland Security
(OHS). The new office
was led by a director (appointed by the president) who did not
require Congressional confirmation. OHS served the president in an advisory role, similar to that of the
National Security Council. It was responsible for
coordinating efforts among the various federal agencies working to
prevent acts of catastrophic terrorism against the United States.
The OHS soon became the subject of criticism in the media and among
some members of Congress. Some believed that the new
office lacked the jurisdictional authority to create significant
change. It also did not have the authority to determine
budgets for homeland security programs, or to effectively coordinate action among the federal
agencies. In response to this criticism, President Bush agreed
to the creation of a new
Department of Homeland
Security. Since
it was to be a department of the federal government, and not just an
advisory body, the Department of Homeland Security would have the
authority that the Office of Homeland Security lacked.
The new
department began operation on March 1, 2003. It defines its
mission as "a concerted national effort to prevent terrorist attacks
within the United States, reduce America's vulnerability to
terrorism, and to minimize the damage done from potential attacks
and natural disasters." Under the department,
22 federal agencies
with over 180,000 employees have come "under one roof" to work
towards protecting the United States from terrorist attacks.
The
Department has
five major divisions,
or "directorates": Border and Transportation Security, Emergency
Preparedness and Response, Science and Technology, Information
Analysis and Infrastructure Protection, and Management. The
department works together with the national intelligence agencies to
gather information about potential terrorist attacks. It
monitors groups and individuals suspected of plotting such attacks,
and works to prevent terrorists or WMD from entering the country. It also trains first-responders such as local police and
firefighters on proper procedures in the event of a
terrorist attack, including attacks involving WMD.
The creation of the Department of Homeland
Security has been called the most extensive restructuring of the
U.S. federal government in over half a century. President
Bush's requested budget for FY 2004 provides $41.3 billion for the
new department.
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Further Reading:
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The White House, "Securing
the Homeland, Strengthening the Nation" |
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CNS,
Organizational
Chart of U.S. Terrorism Response |
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GAO, "Counterterrorism Leadership and National Strategy,"
March 27, 2001 |
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GAO, "Need for Comprehensive Threat and Risk Assessments of Chemical
and Biological Attacks,"
September 1999 |
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GAO,
"The Nunn-Lugar-Domenici Domestic Preparedness Program,"
October 2, 1998 |
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The White House,
Department of Homeland Security Fact Sheet |
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Brookings Institution,
Project on Homeland Security |
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Government Executive Magazine,
Homeland Security |
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Council on Foreign Relations, "Fact
Sheet on Department of Homeland Security" |
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NTI Issue Brief,
"The Department of Homeland Security: Goals and Challenges" |
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DHS,
"Emergencies and Disasters, Planning and Prevention" |
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