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Homeland Security

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Homeland Security

The Department of Homeland Security (D.H.S.) is the third-largest Cabinet department

responsible for public security, which is mainly considered the interior or home ministries in

other nations. The department is under the federal executive department of the United States.

Homeland security missions entail border security, disaster prevention and management, anti-

terrorism, cyber security and, immigration. The activities of homeland Security began in 2003 in

response to the attacks on eleventh September. Homeland Security Council, department of

Justice, Health, Energy and Human services co-ordinate the responsibilities of Homeland policy

at the White house. The formation of the Department of Homeland Security accelerated the

reorganization of the United States government and federal agencies since the cold war and the

National Security Act of 1947, respectively (Robinson et al., 2013). The secretary of Homeland

security heads the Department of Homeland Security. A draft of a Policy Document for the

Biden Administration.

The Department of Homeland Security constitutes diverse federal responsibilities and

functions. One of the main objectives of this D.H.S. was to unite twenty-two United States

government agencies into a single organization. The introduction of the word 'homeland' was to

create attention and protect human needs rather than putting too much attention on natural

disasters and threats. American thoughts towards threats changed after the introduction of this

department. Implementation of D.H.S. brought change under the Biden administration. The

primary function of D.H.S. is to prepare for, protect and respond to civilian sphere emergencies

within, at, and outside United States borders. The department of Justice in 2021 began

investigating white supremacy and extremism under the Department of Homeland Security

ranks. White supremacy and extremism also faced criticism for extending discretion as a
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rationale for ignoring the existing policies on arrests, explicit statutory requirements for

detention, and immigration matters.

A policy document is a plan that provides government details on policy commitment

achieved through the exploitation and development of Information and Communications

Technology in a country. The American Ports are the main booster of the U.S. economy.

However, the outbreak of the Corona Virus pandemic and outdated infrastructure have affected

the global supply chains. The ports offered jobs to more than thirty million individuals in

America. The American Society of Civil Engineers(ASCE) reported that the American ports

contributed to approximately twenty-six percent of the United States' G.D.P. On the other hand,

ASCE said that the ports face extensive challenges in modernizing and maintaining infrastructure

and other essential facilities. These facilities are under threat due to climatic challenges and a rise

in sea level (Leonard et al., 2015). Many United States ports have a depth limitation or bridge

that restricts the Transportation of larger Panamax vessels. More so, more container traffic flows

through a few U.S. ports, which can strain outdated landside infrastructure. This policy

document explains how Biden's administration has improved infrastructure at inland ports, land

ports, coastal ports, and waterways.

Following the challenges facing the United States ports, President Biden allocated $17

billion to improve infrastructure. The resources will strengthen the supply chain resiliency by

enhancing the long-term and near-term investments. Additionally, the assets will help the United

States outcompete China and offer job employment to Americans. Biden has laid down various

action steps to accelerate the improvement of these structures. On the other hand, these action

steps will mobilize federal agencies and form the backbone of the successful implementation of

the Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal. Further, the action plan will accelerate port infrastructure
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grant awards, improve national flexibilities for port grants, launch the first port infrastructure

grant through Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal, and announce new construction projects (Givens et

al., 2018). Some of the actions include:

Allowing For Flexibility in Port Grants to Support Creative Strategies to U.S. Supply

Chain Disruptions.

The department of Transportation in the United States will tackle supply chain challenges by

allowing port authorities to reduce costs spent on projects.

Funding the Georgia Port Authority to Mitigate Congestion at Port Of Savannah.

Georgia Port Authority will reallocate eight million dollars to convert the available inland

facilities into pop-up container yards in North Carolina and Georgia. The Port of Savannah will

move its containers to inland ports via rail and trucks to ensure they are close to their final

destination. This act will bring valuable real estate closer to the port and speed up the flow of

goods to and from the Port of Savannah. Additionally, expanding the port of Savannah will

increase agricultural exports in the United States.

Other near-term actions include:

Modernize Port And Marine Highways By Launching New Programs With Grant Funding

Of More Than Two Hundred And Forty Million Dollars.

The only federal grant program wholly responsible for port infrastructure investments is the Port

Infrastructure Development Grant program. Different departments will fund the project to

support waterborne freight service.

Give Priority To Key Ports For Expansion And Modernization Within Three Months.

The plan will upgrade obsolete inspection facilities by using $3.4 billion. The investments will

facilitate international trade through the southern and northern borders.

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The Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal Will Open Competition For The First Round Of

Infrastructure.

Department of Transportation will provide more than four hundred and seventy-five million

dollars to fund the port and marine highway infrastructure.

The United States Army Corps of Engineers will initiate and construct projects at the inland and

coastal ports waterways within two months.

The Security and Accountability for Every Port (S.A.F.E.). The act was responsible for

modifying existing legislation and initiating new programs related to maritime security. In the

past, the Department of Homeland Security, United States Coast guard, Transportation Security

Administration Transportation Security Administration and, Customs and Border Protection

were responsible for maritime security. S.A.F.E. port Act was concerned with cargo container

security, security of individual facilities, and overall port security. This port Act achieved all its

securing port, personal facilities, and cargo container security (Williams, 2015). After the ninth

September attacks, Congress initiated another port-security framework called Maritime

Transportation Security Act (M.T.S.A.). This port security role was to protect the nation’s

waterways and ports from terrorist attacks. The primary requirements of M.T.S.A. were to

develop security plans to control the existing risks in Maritime and to restrict access to secure

areas by setting the Transportation Worker Identification Credential (T.W.I.C.). The two-port

acts were implemented to improve port security in the United States.

Secure Freight Initiative (S.F.I.) is a D.H.S. program and a section of the Security and

Accountability for Every Port (S.A.F.E.) port Act. S.F.I. uses radiation detection and non-

intrusive Inspection technology. The program also gathers information to establish the trade

activity trends for risk protection and management of U.S. international trade. The secure Freight
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Initiative has two sides: the Importer Security Filing and Container Security Initiative program.

Secure Freight Initiative's principal function is to protect the United States International trade

from risks.

Following the homeland security issue, the United States government should recommend

for cyber-related strategy. The current changes in technology, techniques, information, and

equipment can solve homeland security threats. Terrorists are buying, manufacturing, and

modifying weapons of mass destruction. Non-state actors and rogue states are putting more effort

into developing, accessing, and updating weapons of mass destruction that they may use to attack

the United States. On the other hand, chemical and biological materials and technologies are

widely spread across the globe, make easy to attack different states. Fast and actionable

intelligence is the most effective method of identifying and preventing threats in America.

Hence, the Department of Homeland Security puts more significant effort into improving

intelligence collection, analyzing, integrating, and sharing available information to shareholders,

partners, and executives who have great experience in actionable intelligence and knowledge.

One of the significant duties of D.H.S. is to deliver crucial intelligence and information to local,

state, federal, business sector partners, and tribal governments. This information will aid in

making informed decisions and operations in the country. Thus, the state created an integrated

intelligence network to eradicate mission-focused approaches and redundancies.

Terrorist attacks have increased dramatically in America since the September eleventh

attacks. Despite the success of the United States in detecting and thwarting complex terrorist

assaults, the terrorists' plots to attack the country still exist. Decentralized terrorist groups use

social media and the internet to initiate terrorist training and propagate terrorist propaganda.

Training materials and propaganda inspire people to join for training and commit acts of
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violence. Currently, terrorists are encouraging different industries to manufacture more

technological weapons such as small guns, chemical and biological materials, automobile attacks

and, homemade explosives to target vast public gatherings.

To control terrorist assaults, the Department of Homeland Security has adopted a

comprehensive counterterrorism strategy that solves both domestic and foreign terrorism. D.H.S.

also requires resources and capacities to handle the targeted violence of all kinds, including

threats in places of worship, schools, hospitals, and infrastructure. The department is working

hard to abolish cyber threat attacks by addressing the challenge to the public, launching better

initiatives, and removing roadblocks that may hinder the success of its programs. The state has

established various cybersecurity priorities: International cybersecurity Sprint, Election Security

Sprint, Ransomware sprint, Industrial Control Systems, and Cybersecurity Workforce sprint. The

government launched the above initiatives at different times to ensure effectiveness in tracking

and addressing cybersecurity threats.

In conclusion, the Department of Homeland Security (D.H.S.) is the third-largest Cabinet

department responsible for public security, mainly considered the interior or home ministries in

other nations. D.H.S. initiated its operations after the September eleventh attacks as Homeland

Security Act of 2002 Homeland security missions entail border security, disaster prevention and

management, anti-terrorism, cyber security and, immigration. President Biden's Administration

developed a policy document with action steps. The policy document explains how Biden's

administration has improved infrastructure at inland ports, land ports, coastal ports, and

waterways. Some of the action steps include; allowing for flexibility in port grants to support

creative strategies to U.S. supply chain disruptions and funding the Georgia Port Authority to

mitigate congestion at Port of Savannah. To solve the challenges facing the United States ports, I
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recommend implementing cyber security policies since terrorists use social media and the

internet to pass propaganda to people.

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References
Givens, A. D., Busch, N. E., & Bersin, A. D. (2018). Going global: the international dimensions

of US homeland security policy. Journal of Strategic Security, 11(3), 1-34.

Leonard, T. J., Gallo, P., & Véronneau, S. (2015). Security challenges in United States sea ports:

an overview. Journal of Transportation Security, 8(1), 41-49.

Robinson, S. E., Liu, X., Stoutenborough, J. W., & Vedlitz, A. (2013). Explaining popular trust

in the department of homeland security. Journal of Public Administration Research and

Theory, 23(3), 713-733.

Williams, A. D. (2015). Beyond a series of security nets: applying STAMP & STPA to port

security. Journal of Transportation Security, 8(3), 139-157.

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