Homeland security is an umbrella term for security efforts to protect the United States against perceived internal and external threats. The term arose following a reorganization of many U.S. government agencies in 2003 to form the United States Department of Homeland Security after the September 11 attacks, and may be used to refer to the actions of that department, the United States Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, or the United States House of Representatives Committee on Homeland Security.
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In the United States, the concept of "homeland security" extends and recombines responsibilities of several government agencies and entities, including the United States National Guard, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the United States Coast Guard, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, the United States Secret Service, the Transportation Security Administration, and Civil Air Patrol.
The George W. Bush administration consolidated many of these activities under the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS), a new cabinet department established as a result of the Homeland Security Act of 2002. However, much of the nation's homeland security activity remains outside of DHS; for example, the FBI and CIA are not part of the Department, and other agencies such as the Department of Defense and Department of Health and Human Services play a significant role in certain aspects of homeland security. Homeland security is coordinated at the White House by the Homeland Security Council, currently headed by John Brennan.
Homeland security is officially defined by the National Strategy for Homeland Security as "a concerted national effort to prevent terrorist attacks within the United States, reduce America's vulnerability to terrorism, and minimize the damage and recover from attacks that do occur".[1] Because the U.S. Department of Homeland Security includes the Federal Emergency Management Agency, it also has responsibility for preparedness, response, and recovery to natural disasters.
The term became prominent in the United States following the September 11, 2001 attacks; it had been used only in limited policy circles prior to these attacks. The phrase "security of the American homeland" appears in the 1998 report Catastrophic Terrorism: Elements of a National Policy by Ashton B. Carter, John M. Deutch, and Philip D. Zelikow.
Homeland security is also usually used to connote the civilian aspect of this effort; "homeland defense" refers to its military component, led chiefly by the U.S. Northern Command headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
The scope of homeland security includes:
Conflicts exist between bodies of international law (ratified by the United States or not) and those applied under "homeland security". One example is the notion of an unlawful combatant.[2] The United States government has created a new status that would exclude prisoners captured by a military force from coverage under the Geneva Convention. While the United States has only been a signatory to portions of the Geneva Conventions,[3] much international law is based upon it.
Homeland security is an umbrella term for security efforts to protect the United States against terrorist activity. The term arose following a reorganization of many U.S. government agencies in 2003 to form the United States Department of Homeland Security after the September 11 attacks, and may be used to refer to the actions of that department, the United States Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, or the United States House of Representatives Committee on Homeland Security.
Contents |
In the United States, the concept of "homeland security" extends and recombines responsibilities of several government agencies and entities, including the United States National Guard, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the United States Coast Guard, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, the United States Secret Service, the Transportation Security Administration, and Civil Air Patrol.
The George W. Bush administration consolidated many of these activities under the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS), a new cabinet department established as a result of the Homeland Security Act of 2002. However, much of the nation's homeland security activity remains outside of DHS; for example, the FBI and CIA are not part of the Department, and other executive departments such as the Department of Defense and Department of Health and Human Services play a significant role in certain aspects of homeland security. Homeland security is coordinated at the White House by the Homeland Security Council, currently headed by John Brennan.
Homeland security is officially defined by the National Strategy for Homeland Security as "a concerted national effort to prevent terrorist attacks within the United States, reduce America's vulnerability to terrorism, and minimize the damage and recover from attacks that do occur".[1] Because the U.S. Department of Homeland Security includes the Federal Emergency Management Agency, it also has responsibility for preparedness, response, and recovery to natural disasters.
The term became prominent in the United States following the September 11, 2001 attacks; it had been used only in limited policy circles prior to these attacks. The phrase "security of the American homeland" appears in the 1998 report Catastrophic Terrorism: Elements of a National Policy by Ashton B. Carter, John M. Deutch, and Philip D. Zelikow.
Homeland security is also usually used to connote the civilian aspect of this effort; "homeland defense" refers to its military component, led chiefly by the U.S. Northern Command headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
The scope of homeland security includes:
Conflicts exist between bodies of international law (ratified by the United States or not) and those applied under "homeland security". One example is the notion of an unlawful combatant.[2] The United States government has created a new status that addresses prisoners captured by a military force who do not conform with the conditions of the Geneva Convention. While the United States has only been a signatory to portions of the Geneva Conventions,[3] much international law is based upon it.
   | National Terror Alert Response Center - Homeland Security News |
| | Congressional Research Service (CRS) reports on homeland security - Congressional Research Service Reports on Homeland Security |
| | Government Accountability Office (GAO) reports on homeland security - U.S. GAO - Topic Collection: Homeland Security Products |
| | Canadian Ministry of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness - Public Safety Canada's website |
| | Comprehensive homeland security links (USAF Air War College site) - Center for Homeland Defense and Homeland Security Studies |
| | Homeland Security Weekly - Homeland Security Weekly - The Homeland Security Industry's Web Resource |
| | Homeland Security Affairs - Homeland Security Affairs: Table of Contents |
| | Catastrophic Terrorism: Elements of a National Policy - Catastrophic Terrorism: Elements of a National Policy |
| | HS Daily Wire - Homeland Security News Wire – The Business of Homeland Security |
| | United States Department of Homeland Security - Department of Homeland Security | Preserving our Freedoms, Protecting America |
| | 9/11 Commission Final Report - National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States |
| | H.S. Television (HSTV) - www.homelandsecuritytelevision.com |
| | Hart-Rudman Commission for National Security in the 21st Century (1998-2001) - U.S. Commission on National Security/21st Century, Hart-Rudman Commission |
| | The Hart-Rudman Commission and the Homeland Defense by Ian Roxborough - The Hart-Rudman Commission and the Homeland Defense |
| | Max Manwaring, Papers from the Conference on Homeland Protection, US Army War College, (September 2000) - ". . . to insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense . . .": Summary |
| | Protecting the Homeland, Defense Science Board (February 2001) - Protecting the Homeland - Report of the Defense Science Board - 2000 Summer Study - Executive Summary - Volume I |
| | The Army and Homeland Security: A Strategic Perspective, by Antulio Echevarria (March 2001) - The Army and Homeland Security: Summary |
| | H.R. 1292: Homeland Security Act of 2001 (March 2001) - Homeland Security Strategy Act of 2001 - SourceWatch |
| | George W. Bush speech on Homeland Security, June 6, 2002 - George W. Bush - Speech on Homeland Security - June 6, 2002 |
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