Homeland Security Final

Research Question & Thesis Statement Assignment

Research Question & Thesis Statement Assignment

Private Sector Homeland Security

American Military University

HLSS498

15 Nov 20

Research Question: How can the United States leverage U.S. based and owned Private Sectors to enhance and improve Homeland Security?

The protection of critical infrastructure is a collective responsibility and partnership between the private and public sectors is vital. The private sector operates 85% of the national critical infrastructure and there is need to integrate them in enhancing protection and management of domestic incidents through a unified approach, (Cellucci, 2018). The law enforcement and private sector partnerships play a pivotal role in enhancing the effectiveness of Homeland Security and security of critical national infrastructure as well as terrorism. The United States can leverage private sectors to enhance “Department of Homeland Security” (DHS) through collaboration strategies. The public and private sectors can coordinate to share resources and information to attain mutual goals. The partnerships would lead to improve creative and innovative problem solving tactics. The law enforcement can synchronize efforts to defend the critical infrastructure of the nation and gain unrestricted training services from the U.S based and owned private sectors, (Morabito & Greenberg, 2015). 

The integration of private sectors in Homeland Security can help improve the evacuation, transportation, and food services in the event of emergencies can improve on the response time and efficacy to the needs of the public. Also, after disasters there will be reduced recovery time which is beneficial to the DHS, (Morabito & Greenberg, 2015).  It provides an opportunity to bring together the intelligence community to explore ideas and alternative perspectives in real-time, (McAleenan, 2019). New knowledge and recommendations will be obtained on how to further the national security goals and improve the priorities of the intelligence community, (Department of Homeland Security. (n.d). Data, intelligence and information sharing will be improved in the DHS.

Information sharing means that resources have to be deployed, critical incident response plans have to be put in place, infrastructure protection, liability minimization, and enhanced communication, (Busch & Givens, 2012). The private sector has improved communication technology that can be used by DHS to have access to communities. The surveillance and monitoring efforts will be improved to counter terrorism and acts of targeted violence that are difficult to predict using the DHS’s systems. The partnerships will enhance preparedness and readiness of potential attacks. The technologies will help predict vulnerabilities and gaps as well as understanding the risks that communities are likely to encounter, (McAleenan, 2019). The DHS partnership with the private sector stakeholders leads to better federal efforts in the mitigation of national infrastructure and critical assets.

Crime prevention in the HS will be improved because private sectors can share information about the unusual behaviors and suspicions acquired through the technologies with law enforcement. Private sectors have technical knowledge that the DHS may lack thereby providing resource sharing opportunities to mitigate criminal activities at local, state and federal levels, (Morabito & Greenberg, 2015). The private sectors can use their advanced technologies to predict and identify the changing nature of terrorism and targeted violence on the lands of the U.S. Private sectors can coordinate and collaborate with policy makers and legislators to facilitate laws that can assist the homeland security, (Hemme, 2015).Moreover, the private sector can provide research and guidelines that are related to emerging issues in the homeland security department. DHS will help private sectors to build and sustain capabilities that are required for protection, prevention, mitigation, response and recovery of significant and potential threats, (McAleenan, 2019). The Homeland Security will improve extensively since the private sectors have the best resources to handle outside threats. The DHS needs to adapt the intelligence capabilities and apply them to new security landscapes and be in a position to craft responses that are innovative.

Thesis statement: The Department of Homeland Security must continue to have a robust program in engaging private sector companies and build partnerships that will protect our National Security and interests. DHS stands ready to defend the U.S citizens and the way of life against external threats through a collaborative approach with private entities and U.S public agencies. The partnership program provides the DHS with access to expertise and strengths of the private sector in the mitigation of cybersecurity threats and physical security risks, (Brody, 2020). Homeland security is a collective responsibility, the government cannot address and meet their needs solely; there is a necessity to create a strong partnership that involves potential stakeholders such as the energy sector and communications, (Cellucci, 2018).

Purpose Statement: The purpose of this paper is to provide information on how the United States Department of Homeland Security and other U.S. government entities can enhance and improve the country’s Homeland Security by partnering with Private Sector companies. In this paper, I will also cover how to address emerging technologies and how to combat vulnerabilities. The paper will address the benefits of partnering with private sectors in the U.S to Homeland Security and national security. Information sharing is a common aspect covered in DHS and private sector partnership and the exchange of information offers substantial details to solution designers based on the description of the issue, (Harrell, 2017). Due to the increased access to private sector technologies, the paper will look at the opportunities that partnership facets provide. How the deployment of multi-technologies in the Homeland Security improves functionality and crime prevention will be addressed in this study, (Cellucci, 2018). The study will cover the reduction of redundant programs that were put in place to address the issue of security.

References

Busch, N. E., & Givens, A. D. (2012). Public-Private Partnerships in Homeland Security: Opportunities and Challenges. Homeland Security Affairs, 8(1). https://www.hsaj.org/articles/233

Brody, M. H. (2020). Enhancing the Organization of the United States Department of Homeland Security to Account for National Risk. Homeland Security Affairs, 16. https://www.hsaj.org/resources/uploads/2020/04/hsaj_V16_Enhancing-Organization_v2.pdf

Cellucci, T. (2018). Perspective: Innovative Public-Private Partnerships Help Secure Critical Infrastructure, published by the National Security today, 27 Nov 2018. https://www.hstoday.us/subject-matter-areas/infrastructure-security/perspective-innovative-public-private-partnerships-accelerate-technology-and-secure-critical-infrastructure/

Department of Homeland Security. (n.d). Private Sector Engagement. DHS. https://www.dhs.gov/private-sector-engagement

Harrell, B. (2017). The private sector is the key to success for the Department of Homeland Security. csooneline. com. https://www.csoonline.com/article/3161793/the-private-sector-is-the-key-to-success-for-the-department-of-homeland-security.html

Hemme, K. (2015). Critical infrastructure protection: Maintenance is national security. Journal of Strategic Security, 8(3), 25-39. https://www.jstor.org/stable/26465242?seq=15#metadata_info_tab_contents

McAleenan, K. (2019). STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK FOR COUNTERING TERRORISM AND TARGETED VIOLENCE. Department of Homeland Security. https://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/publications/19_0920_plcy_strategic-framework-countering-terrorism-targeted-violence.pdf

Morabito, A., & Greenberg, S. (2015). Engaging the private sector to promote homeland security: law enforcement-private security partnerships. Washington: US Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Assistance. https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/bja/210678.pdf