HISTORY OF HOMELAND SECURITY 1
History of Homeland Security
Robert M. Gleason
HLSC 510
Dr. Carlino
Liberty University
HISTORY OF HOMELAND SECURITY 2
Abstract
The United States Constitution contains provisions to promote the general welfare and provide
for the common defense. As the country came out of the Revolutionary War, many politicians
believed the common defense and general welfare was a responsibility delegated to the State and
Local governments. As the country expanded its borders and military might, the likelihood of a
national emergency or natural disasters striking the United States became a more and more real
possibility. During times of war, the country was focused on being prepared for attacks from
foreign enemies, such was the case during the first and second World War. After WWII, more
and more threats exposed the US to potential attacks, which called for the country to be more
prepared. This movement morphed from a civil defense mentality to that of an all-hazard
protection for the federal government. This paper will provide a brief history of homeland
security from the crude, hands off approach at the beginning, to the creation of the Department of
Homeland Security signifying a centralized approach to emergency management.
History of Homeland Security
The Constitution of the United States does not give much direction in how the federal
government should respond to natural disasters or other emergencies. Some may point to the
General Welfare clause, or the Common Defense clause, for reasons why the federal government
should lend aid to states, while others will say it is the responsibility of the state and local
government. What is true today is that the federal government has become the leader in security
in the homeland and leaders in coordinating a response to natural disasters.
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Homeland Security from 1789 to WWII.
Coming out of the Revolutionary War, the federal government did little to assist states
experiencing disasters. From 1803 to 1947, the federal government responded to 128 disaster
events (Painter, 2020). Federal aid provided prior to the Civil War consisted of refunds on duties
paid, resettlement of destroyed lands, and allowing for delayed repayment of loans (Painter,
2020).
During this time, many supported federal government supporting emergency relief
pointing to the constitutions “general welfare” provision, but those who did not support this idea
believed it was the responsibility of the state and local governments arguing that disasters like
flooding are foreseeable and the state and local government should be prepared to handle the
consequences (Painter, 2020). Most assistance came from non-government organizations like the
Red Cross. The San Fransisco Earthquake in 1906 is a good example on how the federal
government viewed disaster response. The government did provide over 2.5 million dollars to the
Secretary of War, to provide food and supplies to the victims of the quake, in contrast to private
donations of 9 million dollars that was raised for earthquake victims (Painter, 2020).
Prior to WWI, government officials did not believe the United States was vulnerable to
an outside attack, but when the US entered WWI, the Council of National Defense was created.
Due to the feeling less vulnerable than other countries, the purpose of the Council of National
Defense was to gather resources and garner support from the public (Department of Homeland
Security, 2006).
In the1920s, the government did little to provide any civil defense or public aid. This
changed in the 1930s when activity in Europe raised concern over civil defense. As a result, in
1933, President Franklin Roosevelt revived civil defense efforts and created the National
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Emergency Council (NEC). The council consisted of the President, his Cabinet members, and
the heads from other agencies and commission within the federal government (DHS, 2006). The
council included programs like the Reconstruction Finance Corporation, which was given
authority to provide loans to rebuild government buildings and other approved businesses and
buildings. In 1933 National Recovery Administration was created to assist the nation's economic
recovery during the Great Depression (National Industrial Recovery Act, 1933).
The Army Corps of Engineers was a federal agency created in the 1800’s with the
purpose to control flooding, for the purpose of improving transportation over the nations
waterways, project like building canals, dams, and other flood prevention measures (Arnold,
1986). After a call from the American public for the federal government step in and help those
effected by severe flooding, Congress passed the Flood Control Act (1936), which deemed
controlling of flood waters was an appropriate federal activity, which authorized hundreds of
projects throughout the United States (Arnold, 1988). These new programs created canals, dams,
flood gates, and levies to assist the public living in areas that were affected by severe flooding.
The Army Corps of Engineers is a great example of the federal government creating an agency to
mitigate potential disasters, saving lives and untold millions of dollars.
Emergency management post WWII to September 11, 2001.
Emergency management era beginning at the end of World War II through the 1970s
consisted of a period filled with anxiety due to the fear of a potential nuclear attack. During this
time federal civil defense acts and disaster relief acts brought about new agencies with missions
to plan and prepare for potential nuclear attacks, as well as respond to other national emergencies
and disasters, such as hurricanes, flooding, and other natural disasters.
Civil Defense
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Shortly after the allied victories in WWII, civil defense was considered, by President
Truman, a state and local responsibility. The federal government and military were in the process
of providing recovery aid to Europe and containing the Soviet Union. The federal government
role in civil defense at the time was to provide planning contingencies to state and local
governments for any future emergencies (Blanchard, 1985).
On July 26, 1947, President Harry Truman signed the National Security Act (NSA).
When Japan attacked Pearl Harbor in 1941, it shocked the United States population, creating a
sense of vulnerability and the belief in perpetual preparedness (Goldman, 2019). Turman was a
proponent in a balanced budget, especially after the war, but realized the importance of
maintaining active intelligence gathering and calling for a strong policy of national security
(Goldman, 2019). The NSA of 1947 created the Central Intelligence Agency, the Department of
Air Force, unified the branches of the military under the National Military Establishment, later
called the Department of Defense, and created the National Security Council, all with the idea to
protect the United States from another attack like Pearl Harbor (Stuart, 2003).
In January of 1948, the Finletter Commission Report predicted the Soviet Union would
have the capabilities to produce an atomic bomb by 1953, which was a great concern to President
Truman and others due to the capability to cause great destruction. In 1949 and 1950 several
events occurred that created an atmosphere of fear. In August 1949, the Soviet Union exploded
their first atomic bomb, in June of 1950, The North Koreans invaded the South Korea and in
November 1950, the Peoples Republic of China drove out the United Nations forces (Blanchard,
1985). These events culminated in the creation of the Federal Civil Defense Act (FCDA) of
1950. The FCDA provided guidance, coordination and assistance, training, and financial grants
to local and state governments (Blanchard, 1985). The FCDA took several steps to prepare the
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population of the United States by creating programs that established plans for evacuations of
major cities and a nationwide shelter system. The shelter program would locate potential suitable
shelter locations and construct new shelter in area that were determined to be critical to the
nation (Blanchard, 1985). Millions of pamphlets were sent to homes in the United States and
concept of “duck and cover” was introduce in a short cartoon that was sent to schools across the
country (Jacobs, 2010). The FCDA also established procedures of an air raid warning system to
warn the public of an incoming attack or danger.
Over the next several years, civil defense remained geared towards providing planning
and guidance to state and local government. It was not until 1961 when President Kennedy was
able to secure significant funding, from congress, to the Office of Civil Defense. The goal was to
survey the current shelters, make repairs, establish fallout shelters markers, and stockpiles of
food and other resources (Blanchard, 1985).
In the late 1960, President Nixon created the National Security Decision Memorandum
(NSDM), which made several recommendations to improve the civil defense and disaster
management (Sylves, 2019). Based on the recommendations, President Nixon replaced The
Office of Civil Defense was with the Defense Civil Preparedness Agency (DCPA), which was
then placed under the Department of Defense. Using the disaster Relief Act of 1966, Congress
made it possible for the civil air sirens to be used for weather emergencies (Sylves, 2019). In
1973, the dual-use policy came about when it was determined that civil defense activities could
be used to plan and prepare for natural emergencies (Sylves, 2019).
Disaster relief
At the end of WWII, the Federal Works Administration was given the authorization to
provide surplus war supplies to areas where the president declared that a disaster was worthy of a
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national response (Davies, 2017). In 1950, along with the FCDA, congress passed the Disaster
Relief Act, which gave the president the authority to provide federal aid to states at the request of
the state’s governor (Federal Emergency Management Agency, 2015). What is significant about
this act is the nation's focus on response and recovery programs. The act made it clear that the
federal government would support state and local disaster response and recovery efforts. The
federal government would not, however, replace state and local responsibilities (Federal
Emergency Management Agency, 2015).
Initially, responsibilities for emergency preparedness were part of the National Security
Resources Boards, created by the NSA of 1947. In the late1950’s, integration of disaster relief
and civil defense took place. For example, in 1958 several the offices from agencies created from
the FCDA and the Disaster Relief Act merged to create the Office of Civil and Defense
Management (OCDM), (United State Archives and Records Administration, 2016). In 1961, the
office was renamed to the Office of Emergency Planning. During the 1960’s several significant
natural disasters struck the country that led to the federal government expanding its financial role
in recovery and response. Due to the increase of financial expenditures, the federal government
began to focus on mitigating the costs by initiating new regulations for state and local
governments to comply with to receive federal funding (Clary, 1985). In 1968 for example, the
federal government, in effort to assist communities, signed into law the National Flood Insurance
Program. The new law required communities to create and enforce techniques in the construction
of buildings in identified flood plains (Federal Emergency Management Agency, 2015).
After several devastating natural disasters, the United States Congress signed the 1974
Disaster Relief Act, renamed the Robert T. Stafford Act in 1988, defined the types of emergency
declarations which the president could declare emergencies, as well as providing a robust
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preparedness program (Painter, 2020). The Federal Disaster Assistance Administration was
created under the Department of Urban Housing and Development.
During the President Carter Administration, the federal government evaluated their response and
recovery to natural disasters to improve efficiency and be more cost effective (Federal
Emergency Management Agency, 2015). That year the Federal Emergency Management Agency
was created and combined several governmental agencies. The first disaster FEMA (Federal
Emergency Management Agency) was called into action was the Mount St. Helens eruption in
1980. In 1988, amendments were made the 1974 Disaster Relief Act. These amendments,
DREAA (Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Amendments) established requirements for
public assistance, gave funds to states and local governments to manage public assistance
projects, encouraged state and local governments to mitigate several types of hazards through a
new grant program, and gave the government the authority to provide aid, no matter the cause
(FEMA, 2015).
The Stafford Act is still used to this day as a guideline for governmental assistance. From WWII
to September 11, 2001, emergency management, at the federal level, morphed from a national
civil defense effort, with the burden focused on state and local government, to an all-hazards
preparedness mentality, with the federal government leading the effort to provide mitigation
resources, planning, response and recovery aid to state and local governments.
Post 9/11 Emergency Management
The terrorist attack on September 11, 2001, changed the landscape of emergency
response and disaster management. Shortly after the attacks, Congress signed the US Patriot Act,
in October 2001, which gave great authority to law enforcement to track activities of suspected
terrorists (Oh, L., 2018). In 2003, after recommendation of the President and other political
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leaders the Department of Homeland Security was created and merged 22 different federal
departments and agencies into one unified cabinet agency, which was the largest federal
reorganization since the 1947 National Security Act (Sylves, 2019).
The new Department of Homeland Security began developing new safeguards to prepare
and defend the country against another attack, whether it be terrorism or otherwise (Department
of Homeland Security, 2015). The department set out to improve aviation security along with
important infrastructure from attacks by terrorist.
Over the next several years, Congress passed several Acts and laws to protect the
countries points of entry and other vulnerable targets from attacks. Such as Maritime
Transportation Security Act of 2002, Intelligence reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004,
SAFE Port Act 2006, and the 9/11 Commission Report Act of 2007 (Center for Homeland
Security, 2018)
The Department of Homeland Security was not only responsible for the preparation of terrorist
attacks, but it was also responsible for the preparation other disasters, whether it be natural or
man-made. In 2005 Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast of the United States, causing
massive amounts of damage along the coast. In 2006, Congress passed the Post Katrina
Emergency Management Reform Act, which provided accelerated assisted from FEMA (Center
for Homeland Security, 2018).
When the Homeland Security Act was passed in 2002, so too was the NRP (National Response
Plan) which was designed to be the national plan that included state and local governments, to
incorporate a comprehensive approach, provide direction for planning, make recommendations
to the political leaders, conduct assessments, and much more. The NRF (National Response
Framework) was set up to provide a national template for leadership to use in response to major
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incidents. This then led to the National Incident Management System (NIMS) which was a
consistent all-hazard management system for federal, state, or local government to be able to
work together prevent, protect, respond, and recover from an emergency disaster no matter the
nature or complexity (Sylves, 2019).
Conclusion
Homeland Security and Civil defense has seen many changes from the beginnings of the country
to today. In its infancy, the United States had a hands-off mentality, leaving the defense and
emergency management to the states to handle. As the country grew, different factors caused the
country to call for more federal involvement and oversight. After WWII, the country was focused
on returning to normalcy, but at the same time understood that there was an immerging threat in
the Soviet Union. The fears of the nuclear bombs and armed conflicts in Europe and Asia, led to
an ideology of Civil Defense where Americans protected each other and infrastructure from
destruction. Out of this era, brought about a dual approach where activities conducted by
agencies within Civil Defense could also be used to prepare for natural disasters and other
emergencies. This dual approach can be seen in today’s environment as evident in the
Department of Homeland Security mission of “We will safeguard the American People, our
homeland, and our values” (DHS, 2019).
Christian Worldview
As I drafted this paper on Homeland Security, I began to look up scripture about crisis and how it
would relate to this class and to homeland security in general. I found a story from 2 Chronicles
20 about Jehoshaphat King of Judah who was faced with an impending crisis. When the king
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first heard the news, he responded by praying to God for guidance. Now, guidance is reaching
out to find information, or asking for advice, to help resolve an issue. Mitigation is the act of
identifying an issue and reducing the negative effect of the issue. I may be loosely connecting the
two, but when we pray are we not asking for healing or help on an issue that is bearing on our
heart. Are we not asking God to examine our hearts and minds to identify an area in which we
need to change?
After the King Jehoshaphat prayed, he received instructions from the Lord through a man named
Jahaziel. From there, the king gathered the people and he consulted with them. They then
appointed men to go out in front of the Army and sang praises to the Lord. Jehoshaphat acted on
the instructions and planned, with advice from the people. They were prepared by developing a
plan and appointed men to go in front of the army and sang praises to God. The king mitigated
the problem by praying to God. Then they prepared with plans and consultations. Lastly, they
acted, or responded. The preparations were complete and responded the way God had instructed.
When they reached the battlefield, Jehoshaphat and his people found his enemies were defeated.
Jehoshaphat’s story can be viewed as all hazards approach for our lives.
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