Impetus
of the DHS
DHS,
(Department of Homeland Security) was created a decade ago with the aim of
providing internal security and protecting the country against terrorist
attacks (Robinson, Liu & Vedlitz, 2011).
9/11 terrorist attacks was an external attack that raised the awareness of the
country towards being vigilant and attentive in protecting the welfare of its
citizens. According Michael Chertoff, the former Homeland Security Secretary,
the impetus for creating the department was in the wake of the 9/11 attacks and
was based as a countermeasure towards terrorism ('US
Department of Homeland Security slammed for breaches', 2007). However,
the staff has grown to incorporate tools for handling critical and emerging
adversaries. The internal security of the country is paramount, and the staff
is committed to providing protection for all costs.
Prior
to the 9/11 attacks, the USA had faced other terrorist attacks such as the
bombing of the world trade center Oklahoma City. Despite this attacks being
devastating, there did not incur the same impact as the 9/11 attacks. The
latter posed a dramatic impact to the United States. The result of the Oklahoma
City bombing and that of the world trade center had a minor influence since the
attacks were not major ('Patriots, politics, and
the Oklahoma City bombing', 2008). In addition, after a careful
investigation, the perpetrators were brought to justice, and the case was put
to rest. However, the same does not hold concerning the 9/11 attack. The case
was beyond devastating as the people were unprotected, the state was vulnerable
and the response was inadequate. It was after this event that it became
inherently clear that the people needed protection. The loss of lives and sustained
injuries in the catastrophic event were a constant reminder of the failure of
the nation. To add insult to injury, justice could not be obtained as the
nation was in a mourning and crying state.
If
the hands of time could be taken back, and with the measure put in place today,
terrorist attacks could be avoided. To avoid the failures that resulted in the
Oklahoma and bombing of the world trade center, intelligent services have been
emphasized and streamlined. The department of homeland security, for example,
being in place is more vigilant and focused on home based areas of security.
Therefore, intelligent services such as constant surveillance and monitoring of
activities within the borders of the nation act as the ground for protecting
the nation against threats and attacks (Robinson,
Liu & Vedlitz, 2011). With the advancement in monitoring and
oversight technology, the department of homeland security would have curtailed
the occurrence of the terrorist attack as detection would be done prior to
enactment of the Act. In addition to this, to avoid chances of loss of lives,
evacuation procedures would be implemented to uphold the protection of the
people and keep them sound and safe. The purpose and duty of the DHS boil down
to protecting the nation from both internal and external threats. The
activities carried out to achieve this are not limited to monitoring and
surveillance. However, cyber threats are also constantly monitored and in any
case, this makes the department stay abreast in offering security to the
nation.
In
conclusion, the creation process of the DHS does not count as does the role and
purpose the department plays (Moeller, 1993).
It is a critical branch of the administration and works fervently towards
protecting the welfare of the state and its citizens. After the 9/11
occurrence, the creation of the DHS restored hope in the security of the nation
References
Moeller,
M. (1993). World Trade Center bombing tests disaster recovery. Computer Fraud & Security Bulletin, 1993(3), 1-2. doi:10.1016/s0142-0496(09)90122-9
Patriots,
politics, and the Oklahoma City bombing. (2008). Choice Reviews Online, 45(09), 45- 5301-45-5301. doi:10.5860/choice.45-5301
Robinson,
S., Liu, X., & Vedlitz, A. (2011). Public Support for the Department of
Homeland Security. Journal Of Homeland Security And
Emergency Management, 8(1).
doi:10.2202/1547-7355.1764
US
Department of Homeland Security slammed for breaches. (2007). Computer Fraud & Security, 2007(7), 4-5.
doi:10.1016/s1361-3723(07)70087-8
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