Chapter 4 Homework
U. S. Department of Homeland Security The Department of Homeland Security, charged with the primary responsibilities of protecting the United States and its territories from and responding to terrorist attacks, man-made accidents, and natural disasters, first proposed by the U.S. Commission on National Security/21st Century in January 2001 and expedited in response to the September 11 attacks on World Trade Center, Pentagon, and several other targets. Eleven days after the 9/11, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge was appointed as the first Director of the Office of Homeland Security in the White House. The office oversaw and coordinated a comprehensive national strategy to safeguard the country against terrorism and respond to any future attacks. With the passage of the Homeland Security Act by Congress in November 2002, the Department of Homeland Security formally came into being as a stand-alone, Cabinet-level department to further coordinate and unify national homeland security efforts, opening its doors on March 1, 2003. DHS was created through the integration of all or part of 22 different Federal departments and agencies into a unified, integrated Department. Since its creation, Department of Homeland Security faced multiple modifications. Secretary Michael Chertoff took office on February 15, 2005, and initiated a Second Stage Review to evaluate the department’s operations, policies, and structures. More than 250 members of the department and 18 action teams participate in this effort. On October 13, 2006, Congress passed the Security Accountability for Every Port Act, or SAFE Port Act of 2006. The act authorized the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office and completed the reorganization of FEMA, transferring the Radiological Preparedness Program and the Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program to FEMA. The Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007 was enacted on August 7, 2007. The Act built on the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006, focusing on the reorganization of the grant process as administered by FEMA. The Act also reorganized intelligence operations at the Department, elevating the Assistant Secretary for Intelligence and Analysis to the Under Secretary level, requiring Senate confirmation.
In 2010, Secretary Janet Napolitano led the completion of the first-ever Quadrennial Homeland Security Review (QHSR), which established a unified, strategic framework for homeland security missions and goals. Subsequently, DHS conducted a Bottom-Up Review to align our programmatic activities and organizational structure to better serve those missions and goals. The QHSR reflects the most comprehensive assessment and analysis of homeland security to date.
The Department of Homeland Security is headed by the Secretary of Homeland Security, who is appointed by the President of the United States with the consent of the United States Senate. The Secretary is assisted in the management of the Department by the Deputy Secretary, several Under Secretaries, and several Assistant Secretaries. Jeh Charles Johnson was sworn in on December 23, 2013 as the fourth Secretary of Homeland Security. Prior to joining DHS, Secretary Johnson served as General Counsel for the Department of Defense, where he was part of the senior management team and led the more than 10,000 military and civilian lawyers across the Department. As General Counsel of the Defense Department, Secretary Johnson oversaw the development of the legal aspects of many of our nation’s counterterrorism policies, spearheaded reforms to the military commissions system at Guantanamo Bay in 2009, and co-authored the 250-page report that paved the way for the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” in 2010. Within the Department of Homeland Security are several component agencies and internal divisions:
Agencies
United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) secures
