Question

DHS Progress

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has made a number of strides in recent years, including 2011. The department’s organization and cooperation with other agencies continue to strengthen. Read the article discussing the success of the DHS in 2011 located at http://www.dhs.gov/ynews/releases/20111222-dhs-progress-2011.shtm.

Write a ten to fifteen (10-15) page paper in which you:

Explain how the DHS has changed from its inception in 2001 to what it has become today.
Describe how the relationships between the DHS and other law enforcement and intelligence agencies have transformed over the years.
Analyze the current structure of the DHS and other agencies protecting the United States from internal and external threats. Suggest three (3) changes to the current structure of the DHS and justify your suggestions.
Describe the top three (3) characteristics of homeland security that the United States needs to address in the immediate future and why.
Discuss the existing roadblocks that are preventing the DHS from addressing these top concerns.
Predict the role cyber terrorism could play in future attacks against the United States and its allies. Describe what you consider to be the largest cyber threat(s) to the nation.
Use at least seven (7) quality resources in this assignment. Note: Wikipedia and similar Websites do not qualify as quality resources.
Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:

Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.
Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length.
The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:

Describe the foundations of homeland security.
Analyze the role of intelligence and counterterrorism activities among federal agencies.
List and describe the various types of and practice of cybercrime.
Summarize border security and immigration issues.
Use technology and information resources to research issues in homeland security.
Write clearly and concisely about topics related to Homeland Security Organization and Administration using proper writing mechanics and technical style conventions.

Answer

Department of Homeland Security

Contents

Introduction. 2

Homeland Security Department’s Foundations. 2

Three characteristics of Homeland Security to address. 5

Challenges facing the DHS. 5

Suggestions of structure change. 7

The role of intelligence and counterterrorism activities among federal agencies. 8

Threats of cyber terrorism.. 9

Border security and immigration issues. 11

References. 12

Introduction

            Since its inception in 2001 following the September 11 terror attacks on US soil, the Department of Homeland Security has undergone various changes with the aim of protecting and safeguarding national interests. The Department, through the Federal Emergency Management Authority (FEMA), provides funding to state grantees with the aim of promoting their resilience to any potential hazard (Department of Homeland Security, 2016). In this paper, the writer will explain these changes, describe the relationship between the department and other intelligence and law enforcement agencies, the department’s current structure, three characteristics of homeland security that needs to be addressed in the near future, existing roadblocks that hinder the department from addressing the top concerns as well as the threat of cyber terrorism against the US and its allies.

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Homeland Security Department’s Foundations

            The Department of Homeland Security is an American cabinet department that was created following the September 11 attacks. It serves to protect American people and critical infrastructure from terrorism, border insecurity, cyber insecurity and disasters. The department is coordinated by the Homeland Security Council in the White House. Since its inception, the department has changed over the years by absorbing other offices and assuming other duties. As of now, the department is the third-largest federal department in the United States integrating 22 diverse federal agencies with each playing a role to safeguard homeland security. For instance, the department absorbed the Immigration and Naturalization Service in 2003.

            The department has undergone numerous modifications because of numerous congressional acts that have been passed to strengthen it. The Safe Port Act of 2006, for example, authorized the creation of the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office as well as led to the completion of the restructuring of FEMA. The Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act 2007, focused on the reorganization of the grant process under the administrative oversight of FEMA and the intelligence operations of the department. The Federal Protective Services was also transferred from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement office to the National Protection ad Programs Directorate that helped to streamline decision-making processesas well led to the streamlining of the protection of all federal buildings (Department of Homeland Security, n.d, a). The 2014 Quadrennial Homeland Security Review also modified the operations of the department through the establishment of a unified strategic framework within which the goals and objectives relating to homeland security should be actualized.

            The creation of the department marked one of the largest consolidation and reorganizations of government agencies, programs, operations and personnel. Over the years, the department has embraced a number of actions to transform its component agencies with the aim of strengthening and integrating its management functions into a well-organized department. The department has also issued out various strategic documents and reports to guide the implementation of its operations. The department was designated as a high risk department in 2003as it represented a complex and enormous undertaking that required time and resources and has remained to be so since then.

            According to the Department of Homeland Security (n.d, b), the department has made progress since its inception. For instance, the department has promoted federal government partnerships among the federal government agencies. There is increase information gathering and sharing amongst the agencies that comprise of the Intelligence Community. This has resulted in the arrest and prosecution of numerous terror suspects. The American armed forces on the other hand remain on the frontlines of guaranteeing homeland security by fighting off terror groups in the Middle East such as Al Qaida and ISIS thus degrading their capacity to attack the US and other states.

            The Department has also forged state, local, territorial and tribal partnerships with the aim of securing America’s critical infrastructure and citizens. The partnership revolves around sharing of information and resources with these lower units of administration thus empowering them to identify and combat threats and disasters in their communities. For instance, the department designated tribal liaisons to work directly with the tribal communities in 2009 and announced a tribal consultation policy in 2011 that outlines the guiding principles under which the department will interact with the sovereign tribal governments. The department has also transformed its operations by engaging private sectors thus facilitating rapid and efficient communication with key private organizations which has in turn improved on regional information sharing.

            DHS has also fostered international partnership to fight terrorism by collaborating with major multilateral organizations such as the International Civil Aviation Organization, the World Customs Organization, and the International Maritime Organization to enhance the strength of the security of global trade networks and transport. The Department has also put in measures to enhance aviation security in airports and is working with foreign governments and the aviation industry to raise the security standards in the aviation industry. The department has also transformed its operation through public engagement by introducing campaigns such as the “If you see something say something” campaign. The department is therefore focusing on awareness raising to the public on the indicators of crime or terror while laying emphasis on the need to report any suspicious dealings near them to law enforcement officers.

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Three characteristics of Homeland Security to address

            Some of the issues that Homeland Security needs to address are related to Aviation Security, Immigration Enforcement, Geopolitical risks, Combating Violent Extremism and Cyber Terrorism. According to West (2012), the DHS needs to brace itself to meet several challenges in the future. First, the department needs to put in place counter terrorism measures to address terror in the form of nuclear, biological, radiological and improvised devices. With increased drug related violence in Mexico amongst the drug cartels, there are fears that the violence may spill over to the US thus necessitating more efforts at border control.

Challenges facing the DHS

            According to the Office of the Inspector General (2016), there are several challenges that continue to face the DHS thus curtailing its operations. Poor grants management by FEMA remains a major challenge facing the department. The OIG found out that FEMA does not hold the funding grantees accountable for managing the grants. FEMA awards resources through various programs such as the Urban Areas Security Initiative, the Operation Stone Garden and the State Homeland Security Program with the aim of funding states, local, territories and urban areas administrations to enhance their capacity to protect against, detect, thwart, mitigate and recover from any hazard or terror attack that may face them.

            The 2016 OIG report indicates that these funding programs have an inefficient and ineffective oversight which renders the grants vulnerable to waste, fraud and misuse. The report, for instance, reports that $457 million out of the $1.55 billion disaster grants that were audited in 2015 were in questioned costs such as unsupported costs, duplicate payments, unauthorized payments and improper procurement practices. While FEMA has been responsive to recommendations from the OIG with regards to grant management, its failure to clearly communicate internal responsibilities and roles as well as the lack of procedures and policies to carry out substantive trend analyses of audit recommendations compounds to the problem.

            To address this problem, FEMA officials ought to scrutinize current policies, regulations and measures as well as assess the need for more vigorous modifications in all grant programs (Office of the Inspector General, 2016). The agency also needs to improve its supervision of state grantees and proactively engage with the state grantees to improve guidance and management of subgrantees. In addition, the agency ought to nurture positive relationships with its stakeholders that emphasize on accountability for resource stewardship and achievement of results.

            Another challenge facing the DHS is poor employee morale and engagement as it ranks last among large agencies in terms of employee engagement. According to the Office of Inspector General (2016), the department has suffered from a dysfunctional work environment and poor employee morale since its inception. This is largely caused by the department’s failure to create, implement and disseminate clear and consistent department guidance, poor communication between the staff and management and insufficient staff training. The OIG report further attributes the department’s poor employee morale to inherent problems of determining appropriate staff assigning as well as problems when hiring and retaining sufficient employees coupled with the lack of up to date technology and IT systems.

            To address this challenge, the Office of the Inspector General recommends that the department invests in developing its employees through technical training and leadership, increase transparency and engagement of employees, develop and share amongst the employees shared organizational values and goals as well as partner with employee groups to enhance working relationships. In addition, the department needs to hold its top executives accountable for enhancing staff morale and engagement.

            The third challenge facing the department thus hindering its capacity to fulfill its mission is acquisition management. The Office of Inspector General (2016) posits that acquisition management remains a complex, challenging and high risk issue to the department. The department has since its inception spent billions of dollars on a yearly basis fund the acquisition of numerous assets (such as aircraft, ships, nuclear detection equipment, surveillance towers) and services such as human resources and IT and financial services. Unfortunately, the acquisition of these services and assets normally costs more than projected, take longer time to deploy than expected or deliver less capability than promised.

            The department lacks uniform procedures and policies and commitment to adhere to departmental acquisition guidelines. The OIG cites a challenge facing the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) in that the USCIS lags behind in terms of automating immigration benefits. The USCIShas made little progress in transforming its operations from paper-based to virtual immigration benefits processing owing to several factors such as inconsistent involvement of stakeholders and ineffective planning.

Suggestions of structure change

            The current structure of the department designates it as a bloated department tasked with almost everything. From the onset of its creation, the department was mandated with enhancing American security and preventing terrorism; managing and securing the American borders, enforcing immigration laws, securing the country’s cyber space and ensuring disasters. This means that the department is involved in securing almost all aspects of the American critical infrastructure from human led disasters to natural disasters. The integration of diverse agencies has also served to compound on the challenge of employee motivation as former strangers were expected to work together under the Homeland Security umbrella.

            I would propose that the composition of the department is reviewed to ensure that only related agencies are integrated. This will do away with the feelings of misplacement or a bungled up department tasked with safeguarding almost all spheres of American life. Presently, the department comprises of people from different professions such as Secret Service agents, chemical weapon experts, border control guards name them who are expected to work seamlessly across different cultures.

            Secondly, I would propose the adoption of shared organizational values and culture in the DHS and decentralization of management. Currently, all the faucets of the department report to the Department secretary who may not be well versed with the diverse roles and jurisdictions of the department. This has resulted in employee discontent thus curtailing the achievement of departmental goals and mission objectives. Lastly, I would propose a change in the reporting bodies. Currently, the department reports to and relies on presidential and congressional approval which results in long and tiresome bureaucratic procedures that curtail its effectiveness. 

The role of intelligence and counterterrorism activities among federal agencies

            Intelligence and counterterrorism activities among federal agencies play a crucial role in safeguarding and protecting America’s critical infrastructure. The September 11 attacks served to show intelligence lapses amongst federal agencies thus necessitating concerted efforts of intelligence gathering and sharing. Various agencies have been created or strengthened to harness intelligence sharing such as the office of the director of national intelligence, the creation of the intelligence community and increased engagement of state and local units of government in intelligence gathering and sharing.

            According to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (2014), the office was established by the Intelligence Reform and Terrorist Prevention Act 2004 with the aim of sharing pertinent security information with relevant authorities such as the President and the American Congress. The Intelligence Community (IC) that encompasses various federal intelligence agencies such as the CIA, the FBI, the DEA and military and civilian intelligences work harmoniously to gather and share information. The Intelligence community collects both foreign and domestic intelligence and conducts espionage which informs military planning. The IC is mandated to provide intelligence on any form of cyber threats, foil efforts espionage efforts of foreign intelligence entities, counter the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

Threats of cyber terrorism

            The onset of the information age characterized by digitalization of various sectors of the economy has brought about a serious threat across the globe referred to us cyber terrorism. This tremendous adoption of computers globally has stimulated terrorists and criminals to make it their preferred tool for attacking people. A nation’s critical national information infrastructure (CNII) is vital and its disruption or destruction would significantly affect the image, economic strength, security and defense as well as the government’s ability to function. For this reason, CNII remains to be a probable target for terrorists who wish to attack any given country.

            Cyber terrorism denotes the premeditated and politically motivated attack against computer systems, data and information by clandestine agents or sub national groups thus resulting in violence against non-combatant targets. It can also be defined as the unlawful use of computer networks and systems to shut down a country’s critical national infrastructure such as government operations, e-commerce or transport with the aim of intimidating people. As such, it refers to threats of attack or unlawful attacks to computer networks and data with the aim of coercing or intimidating governments in furtherance of social or political objectives.

            The rise of the Internet usage has propagated cyber terrorism through hacking of remote or distant computer networks, posting of violence-related videos such as videos on hostage-taking, bombing or explosives on social media sites and facilitating communication between terror cells. Cyber terrorists can destroy a country’s economy by attacking its critical infrastructure such as water supply and electric power grids or attacking financial institutions through hacking. Cyber terrorists can also steal sensitive data and information such as information regarding defense from both individuals and government agencies with the intention of blackmailing or coercing others or destructing properties.

            Cyber terrorists can also carryout terror acts by demolishing e-governance base. E-governance has revolutionized the interaction of citizens with their governments and to share information in a transparent manner. Citizens are increasingly accessing information about social services that are offered by government agencies by browsing on their websites. Terrorists can hack these systems and post malicious and misleading information intended to create panic. Cyber terrorists can also cause panic through distributed denial of services aimed at overstraining the government’s electronic bases. This can be achieved by infecting unprotected computers through virus attacks and manipulating them from any locality. Cyber terrorism can also be perpetuated by damaging or disrupting computer networks with the aim of diverting security agencies. The disruption of power grids and water supplies pose the largest threat as they would affects a large number of citizens simultaneously.

Border security and immigration issues

            The Department of Homeland Security has put in various measures aimed at securing American borders.  According to the National Immigration Forum (2010) the department through the Operation Stonegarden grant continues to fund and propagate for enhanced border and territorial protection. This allows the department to fosterinteragency collaboration in securing the American borders with international waters, Mexico and Canada (Schied, 2010).In conclusion, the Department of Homeland Security has been influential in safeguarding and protecting American interests both within and overseas.

            Since its inception, the department has undergone numerous changes following presidential directives and congressional laws that aim at strengthening the department. Amongst the notable changes include the consolidation of various federal agencies, fostering international partnership, public engagement, private sector engagement as well as empowerment of local, state, territorial and tribal administrations. The department has had numerous challenges that hinder it from realizing its goal and mission such as grant mismanagement, poor acquisition management as well as low employee morale and engagement.

            With new technological developments, there is need for the department to address these challenges to ensure that the department efficiently honors its goals and visions. The department ought to improve employee relations and motivation to serve, put in place grants monitoring and evaluation measures as well as improve on acquisition and deployment of assets and valuable services. Similarly, the department needs to train its employees on the various intricacies of cyber terrorism and ways of managing it. With the proposed construction of the American-Mexican border, the department ought to ensure that other borders are well manned to control border and immigration issues.

References

Department of Homeland Security (2016). Fiscal Year 2016 Homeland Security Grant Program Fact Sheet.

Department of Homeland Security. (n.d, a). Strengthening the Homeland Security Enterprise.       Web

Department of Homeland Security. (n.d, b). Creation of the Department of Homeland Security.     Web.

National Immigration Forum. (2010).Fact Sheet: Operation Stonegarden. Web.

Office of Inspector General. (2016). Major management and performance challenges facing the   Department of Homeland Security. Web.

Office of the Director of National Intelligence. (2014). The National Intelligence Strategy of the    United States of America. Web.

Schied, E. (2010). U.S. Customs and Border Protection: Performance and Accountability Report: Fiscal Year 2009. Darby: Diane Publishing

West, D. (2012). A vision for homeland security in the year 2012. Washington, DC: Governance Studies at Brookings.