HLSS502Wk7

Homeland Security

In the wake of 9/11, the Department of Homeland Security was formed by merging 22 agencies. This means that there were many agencies that were not merged – including the Department of Defense, CIA, the Department of Jus�ce (which includes the FBI) and the CDC. To be�er understand this, one must realize that presently there are 35 different agencies involved in counterterrorism and DHS with its 22 agencies is only one of them.

The 9/11Commission, among other things, called for integrated joint ac�on by the federal agencies responsible for homeland security. If one wants accountability, the star�ng point at the federal level should be aimed at joint ac�on rather than ac�vi�es of the individual agencies. If one takes just one singular objec�ve – counterterrorism – it is evident that there cannot be a score of agencies doing their own thing. To take it a step further, this federal mandate should be extended to state and local levels.

Looking at the state and local levels, one can see that every state in America has created a homeland security department, or something with that func�on with words that are very close to “homeland security.” Recognizing this fact, one can appreciate the problem of, and the need for, joint ac�on from scores of different agencies that exist at the federal level. It is fair to mul�ply that number by 50 (the 50 states) to get an idea of why accountability can only be obtained from joint ac�on between the different agencies. It gets even more obvious when you know that many locales also have their own counterterrorism agencies. There are approximately 2,800 agencies in this country that deal with counterterrorism. While all of this may show some complexity to the coordina�on of homeland security efforts, there is yet another issue complica�ng coordina�on efforts-new threats.