Homeland Security Definition

Within the areas of Homeland Security and Homeland Defense lie specific primary missions, tasks, duties, and responsibilities of each. The primary missions, tasks, duties, and responsibilities of Homeland Security and Defense include preventing terrorism and enhancing security, securing and managing our borders, and enforcing immigration laws. Additionally, some primary tasks of Homeland Security also include safeguarding cyberspace and protecting ourselves from natural disasters (DHS, 2014). In order to achieve these goals, there are certain resources that play an integral part in accomplishing the mission.

Some of these resources include strategic documents, law enforcement agencies, intelligence agencies, and the Department of Defense

It is safe to assume that after the attacks of 9/11, something needed to be done. The events of 9/11 “drastically altered the way in which society views the threats within a rapidly expanding interconnected world. In the wake of these catastrophic attacks, the U.S. federal government engaged in the single largest bureaucratic overhaul since 1947, when Harry Truman reconfigured the nation’s armed forces, creating the Department of Defense” (Noftsinger, et al., 2007). This overhaul was the creation of the Department of Homeland Security. In my personal opinion, the definition of homeland security is simple. It is the accomplishment of the protection from natural disasters, all enemies, foreign and domestic while utilizing all possible resources in order to accomplish that mission. It may sound vague, but in homeland security there are so many moving pieces that it is hard to give a specific

A great example of how the DHS is handling our infrastructure would be the National Infrastructure Protection Plan. This plan provides an updated approach to critical infrastructure security and resilience focuses on integration of cyber and physical security efforts and drives action toward long term improvement (DHS, n.d.). Although there are some great resources available for critical infrastructure protection, there are still vulnerabilities that exist. In my opinion, the fact that a lot of critical infrastructure is privately owned and operated is a cause for concern. Because of this “partnerships between the public and private sectors are essential to maintaining critical infrastructure security and resilience. These partnerships create an environment to share critical threat information, risk mitigation, and other vital information and resources” (DHS, n.d.). This is, in my opinion the best way to combat these vulnerabilities. It is essential that these private companies work with the DHS and allow them to conduct vulnerability assessments. Without the use of these assessments, then a company may not know where it stands. And with the growing threat of cyber-attacks, it is essential that our infrastructure be protected. Without homeland security and homeland defense, I believe this would not be as much a top priority as