Have you harbored questions about what Homeland Security is and how it affects you at the hometown level? This book is directed at the general audience, not necessarily the homeland security professional. A simple Question & Answer format is used to supplement understanding of concepts and terminologies and answer rudimentary questions as posed by an interested, yet casually informed, public. Basic questions about: ? The Role of Individual State Homeland Security Agencies ? Information Sharing Programs ? Risk-based Management ? Public/private Partnerships ? Fusion Centers ? Emergency Operating Centers ? The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) ? Critical Infrastructure and Key Resources ? Grant Programs ? Preparedness and Prevention Programs ? Public Awareness ? Legal Issues ? The Role of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) The content also focuses on the relationships required of comprehensive and individual STATE homeland security programs a relationship that encompasses state and local governments, the private sector, and the public at large.

Distributed to some depository libraries in microfiche.

The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 and the widely criticized response to hurricane Katrina in August of 2005 brought to light the weaknesses in the federal government's homeland security enterprise. In response to these catastrophes, the federal government has dramatically increased its spending on homeland security and expanded the federal level structures devoted to counterterrorism and disaster response. This paper seeks to evaluate the efficacy of the federal government's homeland security efforts and determine if there are ways in which current federal homeland security functions can be decentralized in an effort to reduce cost and increase efficiency. This paper concludes that most federal functions related to homeland security could be consolidated or redistributed within existing national security and law enforcement entities. Also, this paper reaffirms the need for unity of effort across all levels of government, but finds that state and local authorities can play a larger role in defending the nation than they do today. Finally, this paper suggest the possibility of dismantling the Department of Homeland Security and offers one possible reapportionment scheme for its components.

Recent breakdowns in American national security have exposed the weaknesses of the nation’s vast overlapping security and foreign policy bureaucracy and the often dysfunctional interagency process. In the literature of national security studies, however, surprisingly little attention is given to the specific dynamics or underlying organizational cultures that often drive the bureaucratic politics of U.S. security policy. The National Security Enterprise offers a broad overview and analysis of the many government agencies involved in national security issues, the interagency process, Congressional checks and balances, and the influence of private sector organizations. The chapters cover the National Security Council, the Departments of Defense and State, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the Central Intelligence Agency, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Office of Management and Budget. The book also focuses on the roles of Congress, the Supreme Court, and outside players in the national security process like the media, think tanks, and lobbyists. Each chapter details the organizational culture and personality of these institutions so that readers can better understand the mindsets that drive these organizations and their roles in the policy process. Many of the contributors to this volume are long-time practitioners who have spent most of their careers working for these organizations. As such, they offer unique insights into how diplomats, military officers, civilian analysts, spies, and law enforcement officials are distinct breeds of policymakers and political actors. To illustrate how different agencies can behave in the face of a common challenge, contributors reflect in detail on their respective agency’s behavior during the Iraq War. This impressive volume is suitable for academic studies at both the undergraduate and graduate level; ideal for U.S. government, military, and national security training programs; and useful for practitioners and specialists in national security studies.