HLSC 510 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY History of Homeland Security _ESSAY_ASSIGNMENT_2024.pdf

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History of Homeland Security

Tyler J. Gregory

Liberty University | HLSC 510

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History of Homeland Security

The reason we make it to church on Sunday morning, wake up for work every day, and

get to love the ones we do. Homeland Security has a long history of defending the patriots of this

country and those who support it. The intentions of this paper are to report the history of

homeland security, the critical events that have led us to where we are now, and the pieces and

homeland security emerged and is currently still evolving as we speak. Over the span of three

eras, homeland security has found success by using intelligence, counterterrorism methods, and

emergency management operations. Today, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) houses

22 different agencies and over 240,000 employees.

The Start of Homeland Security (Founding - WWII)

Some will argue that homeland security began well before 1776 and the US Revolution,

given that the United States government and its patrons defended the land against a threat. While

this is especially true within the works of our founding fathers, additional documentation is hard

to come by until the founding of the Department of Treasury. Just 13 years after the signing of

the Declaration of Independence, the Department of Treasury was founded in 1789. Soon after

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restrictions into the United States and its waters. This can be seen as one of the earliest signs of

homeland security. The Revenue Marine service was later renamed to the U.S. Revenue Cutter

Service, named after the 10 cutter ships that were armed for defense purposes. Today, it is better

known as the United States Coast Guard. This, including the creation of medical support

installations, pioneered the homeland security field well into the 19th and 20th centuries.

today. The reports of national security related incidents took weeks, sometimes months to reach

their intended audience. Unfortunately, due to this homeland security became more of an

observe-and-advise field due to the need of approval for action. Richard Sylves mentions in

Disaster Policy and Politics (2019), “In the United States before 1950, whenever a major

disaster occurred that captured or involved the national interest, it would be Congress that would

respond, with the president as a secondary respondent. This system proved to be slow,

ineffective, and cumbersome.” (p.82). Those who fell victim to catastrophic events such as

natural disasters and hazards found themselves waiting a noticeable amount of time before

receiving any sort of assistance from the United States Government. In addition, the government

would not simply grant money or provide aid in the form it does today. Victims who received

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provided by the government was merely a push in the right direction, nowhere near enough to

cover the full costs of repair.

Founding Fathers

Homeland security showed signs as early as our founding fathers such as Benjamin

Franklin, John Adams, George Washington, and Thomas Jefferson. Encryption, a method that is

framework for the following eras of homeland security.

Civil Defense Era (WWII-9/11)

Following the attacks on Pearl Harbor in 1941, the United States ushered in a new era of

homeland security. In the midst of the most technologically advanced war to date, homeland

security was advancing rapidly whether it be reactionary or preventive. This era placed a massive

emphasis on civilian protection and the protection of our infrastructures. In an article found on

jstor.org, Barbara Gruder (2017) reports on the initial establishments that the civil defense era

placed a focus on. She states, “The first institution concerned exclusively with civil defence was

the Federal Civil Defence Administration inaugurated in 1950 (-1972), which was tasked to:

strengthen our capacity to substantially withstand attack, our national resiliency, by insuring the

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defense period, giving plenty of history to look back on today. Hsdl.org publishes a timeline

updated periodically that mentions the beginning of the civil defense period by stating, “The

Federal Civil Defense Act of 1950 is signed into law.D Prior to this act, there was no

comprehensive legislation covering disaster relief. This actDestablishes a basic framework for

preparations…” (hsdl.org 2023). When looking at disaster relief and emergency management, it

Although the phases have changed names over the years (mitigation, preparedness, response, and

recovery) the work is relatively similar in nature. As compared to the first era of homeland

security, massive improvements were made in the communication and response phases, leading

to more lives saved and economically better decisions when it came to relief.

Economic Powerhouse

Aside from the large wins that The United States took part in during this era of homeland

security, we quite honestly saw the bright side of the economic factor. As World War II stemmed

from The Great Depression and a global landslide of poor economies, the US began upscaling its

economy and proceeded to do so throughout the war. The question of whether our homeland

security efforts were successful or not was hardly a question at all. As an economy we

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World War II, and in this research article author Christopher J. Tassava states, “nowhere was the

federal government’s leadership more important than in the realm of “preparedness” — the

national project to ready for war by enlarging the military, strengthening certain allies such as

Great Britain, and above all converting America’s industrial base to produce armaments and

other war materiel rather than civilian goods.” (Tassava, 2008). Following World War II, the US

too did the PRC and Russia. The PRC’s economy and geopolitical influence grew rapidly. Russia

joined the G8 and G20 and recovered economically in the 2000s.” (whitehouse.gov, 2022).

While the rest of the globe celebrated successful economics, the United States further grew its

homeland security department by strengthening intelligence sectors, adding additional agencies,

and recovering allies. One of the greatest outcomes for the United States and global security

entirely was the formation of NATO and the dissolution of the Warsaw Pact.

Homeland Security Today (Post 9/11)

At 9:03 am on September 11, 2001, the United States of America was under attack for the

first time in nearly 60 years, since the attack on Pearl Harbor. From this day forward, the US

would adopt a new form of homeland security, one dedicated to counterterrorism, liaison,

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and punish terrorist acts in the United States and around the world, to enhance law enforcement

investigatory tools, and for other purposes.” (govinfo.gov, 2022). This act would improve

homeland security capabilities, giving them intelligence opportunities as if all collectible

intelligence was open-source or OSINT. Just over a year after the debut of this new era of

homeland security, the United States would sign the Homeland Security Act, eventually placing

time, FEMA has implemented the disaster life cycle in all areas of government and private

organizations. Ultimately, any operation done in any agency can be analyzed and placed into the

four stages. As mentioned earlier, these four stages present themselves as mitigation,

preparedness, response, and recovery. Mitigation and preparedness work themselves into all

national security elements as well as domestic, homeland security. An uncontrollable threat that

the globe faces, particularly the United States due to its diverse locations, is natural disasters or

hazards. These disasters cannot be anticipated or prevented much like an enemy or terrorist

could, therefor it calls for mitigation and preparedness efforts to dampen the harsh effects felt by

the disaster. The University of Central Florida has posted an informational resource regarding

emergency management and has even posted recent statistics, saying, “The number of disasters

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increasing importance in the role of homeland security as time continues. However, FEMA’s

largest role comes from its “post-boom” operations, response, and recovery. Millions every year

are affected by disasters, hazards, terror attacks, and abnormal events that change an individual’s

everyday life. FEMA provides grants, financial assistance, and accommodations that allow the

victims to carry on with normal daily activities. Response and recovery operations have come a

“Enhanced explosive screening...” (dhs.gov, 2022). As time continues, we have become more of

a reactionary workforce, establishing new policies and procedures once a threat has slipped

through the cracks.

Biblical Implications

In the book of Joshua 1 verse 8, it states, “This Book of the Law shall not depart from

your mouth, butDyou shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do

according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you

will have good success.” (theholybible esv, 2001). This verse fits this paper, it fits the United

States, and it correlates with our motto, “In God We Trust”. Joshua 1:8 speaks about trusting

God’s word, carrying out his word through your actions, and being rewarded with success as you

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From the beginning of the United States, the primary objective has been to defend our

constitution, the people of America, and our allies. Throughout the three periods of homeland

security, the main takeaway has been that increase in communication, liaison, togetherness, and

international commonalities has brought us to the successful period that we are experiencing