Homeland Security Strategies in the United States - Research Paper Example

Homeland Security Strategies in the United States Abstract This research paper aims at studying about the functions and objectives of the Homeland Security Strategies and analyzing them in detail. It starts with giving a brief introduction and history of the Homeland Security. The economic implications have been mentioned in some detail using important relevant data. The criticism and impact of these implications has also been mentioned. The research paper has tried to highlight important issues regarding the heavy economic costs that the Homeland Security Strategies has incurred. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) took actions without putting many efforts into mitigating their social and legal implications. Some instances regarding this aspect have also been quoted. Positive aspects of the system have been mentioned as well, but the need to make the strategies weigh less on the economy and provide more results has been stressed. The amendments and work being done right now on these strategies has been discussed and some points to take into consideration have been given in the conclusion. It is hoped that future research work in this subject helps in providing the outline to revamp and overhaul the Homeland Security Strategies. Keywords: Homeland Security, terrorism, economy INTRODUCTION The government of the United States of America formed the Department of Homeland Security in response to the events of September 11, 2001. The National Strategy for Homeland Security was a document presented by the then president George W. Bush with the objective of preventing terrorist attacks within the United States and providing a deterrence that would decrease the nation’s vulnerability. It also outlined the strategy of quick response to any natural or manmade catastrophes. The next sensible step to fulfill the purpose of this document was the formation of the Department of Homeland Security. It is a Cabinet Department of the Federal Government of the United States created with the purpose to provide security to the state from within the borders and also secure the borders from outside. It is the third largest Cabinet department with a workforce of more than 200000 employees. This department is also the biggest merger of federal functions incorporating almost 22 agencies of the government of the United States into a single department. The formation of this department has proved to be one of the most significant moves by the Federal Government in the recent decades. There are several functions and responsibilities that come under the manifesto of the DHS (Department of Homeland Security). HOMELAND SECURITY The department’s strategic functions include: Counter-terrorism It provides the global aviation security, cargo screening, critical infrastructure support, support local law enforcement, and enhance national preparedness for any disaster or attack. It also strengthens the international partnerships in term of fighting terrorism. Border Security Important issues like Small Vessel Security Strategy and National Strategy for Maritime Security come under the Border Security Strategy of the Homeland Security. Preparedness Response and Recovery Citizen corps (FEMA), READY, preparedness planning for home health care providers and National Incident Management System etc. come under this sub-department. Immigration This strategic component includes Security US Ports and Borders, Worksite Enforcement, Document and Benefit Fraud Task Forces (ICE), Taskforce on New Americans and many other aspects of immigrant scrutiny and screening.[Hom12] Cyber-security This is a relatively virtual kind of a threat but threats of proliferation have forced the formation of a cyber-security network. THE STRATEGIES The basic strategies of the Homeland Security include making sure that no immigrant or imported material should enter the borders of the USA that can turn out to aid terrorism in any form or manner whatsoever, all elements within the borders that might pose a threat to the national security should be recognized and reported so that they can be effectively eliminated, the air space is completely secured and any possible violation of the airspace be dealt with promptly, the public be made completely prepared for any hazardous situation that may arise out of a natural or manmade catastrophe, a quick national response can be arranged for any such event, and the threats to national security that have already been recognized be effectively dealt with. The coast guard and the airport scanning systems have been made more efficient and have been upgraded in this regard. More rules and regulations have come into existence that have added several more layers of security check on almost everything that enters the borders. The public have been introduced to a color coded system of security; green means low level of threat of a terrorist attack, blue means guarded or general level of threat, yellow means an elevated level of threat, orange signifying high and red meaning severe risk of an attack. IMPLICATIONS OF THE HOMELAND SECURITY STRATEGY One of the basic reasons for the formulation of this strategy was to secure the economic backbone so that no event would shake the economy the way the September 11 attacks did, but most studies have indicated that the cost of keeping Homeland Security Strategy has far outdone the economic effect of any possible terrorist attack. Even the impact of the September 11 attacks on the economy would have to be exaggerated to justify the national spending on National security. Some view this spending as the result of the paranoia of the United States Government. Following is a brief of the economic implications: ECONOMIC IMPLICATIONS Economic implications of the Homeland security encompass a wide range of effects; from direct costs to property and productivity to indirect long term costs. Human cost of any terrorist attack would definitely be incalculable but the biggest cost of the September 11 attacks in economic terms has been the formation of the DHS. The direct cost of the attack has been estimated to be around 20 billion dollars and the government is currently spending more than 500 billion dollars for fighting terrorism with the help of defense and Homeland Security [Fro]. Economic impact on the supply chains has significantly increased because of the added layers of security on land and ports because these added steps cost time and indirectly a lot of money. In the fiscal year 2011 the Homeland Security spending reached 69 billion dollars. The estimated total cost of Homeland Security from 2001 t0 2011 has been a whopping 649 billion dollars. This spending comes with an opportunity cost; meaning reduced funds available for important areas like education and health. The annual Federal spending has almost doubled since 2001. [Ani11] There is a growing sense of restlessness in the people regarding this spending following the economic situation US has been facing in the recent years. Some of these views seem to be justified as the audit of the spending of the DHS has proved that some of the expenses incurred have not been put to any direct use. Scandals regarding DHS Have also surface from time to time. The extensive bureaucracy and lack of transparency in the system has also prompted some visible criticism over the years. The congress estimated the department to have wasted around 15 billion dollars in failed contracts in only the first 7 years after WTC attacks. A DATA-mining system, called ADVISE and that had cost over 42 million dollars, was cancelled as it was later declared relatively uncompetitive by the DHS. Similar issues have worked in undermining the people’s confidence in the Homeland Security System. SOCIAL AND LEGAL IMPLICATIONS Many voices have been raised against the excessive interference of DHS in the lives of the common people. Additionally, the ever increasing number of rules and regulations and sanctions has made simple processes cumbersome for not only the average man but also international corporations. Instances of TSA going overboard in scanning foreign immigrants even political delegations roused voices of anger all across the international community. Some of the actions that include the April 2009 Virginia report on terrorism threat assessment that indirectly targeted black population also put Homeland Security in the spotlight for supporting racist views. Muslims have come under excessive scrutiny many a times just for being from the religion Islam. Instead of providing security, such actions have made the vast population if immigrants living in USA feel more insecure than ever before. The instances of Mail interception and cyber space violation have also made the DHS come under attack and justly so. Some of the activities of homeland security have been completely redundant, like police in Maryland assigned undercover detectives to infiltrate NGOs and peace groups. Targeting such youth organizations was a disastrous breach of the civil rights and liberties of the people. Such implications have regularly been ignored by the DHS and this might be counterproductive to the efforts of the department. According to writers like Markus Ranum, the extensive bureaucracy exists solely for the purpose of extending its own existence [Ran03]. CURRENT HOMELAND SECURITY STRATEGIES The heritage foundation has published issue briefs analyzing the administrations current policies and proposals by the congress on Homeland Security. Issues like port security and global supply chain have been addressed in these strategies. The Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) offered voluntarily by the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has been pressed to provide a greater commitment towards making the trade easier for the international traders and minimize unnecessary delays in the transport of legitimate goods. The report on the Global Supply Chain Security released by the government of the United States falls short of giving a comprehensive plan [The12].More than 90 percent of the trade occurs through the ports in the United States. These ports face significant manmade threats. The six page report by the White House does little to lay out a reliable plan regarding the security of this supply chain in case of any attacks. Let’s be honest, we are not going to find a nuclear bomb hidden in a ship’s cargo. The maritime cargo screening is a security procedure that fails to justify or give any logic for its existence. The current strategy treats every piece of cargo as a threat. This situation needs to be put to order. CONCLUSION The existence of the Homeland Security strategies and their implementation is a necessity in face of the threat of terrorism but the social, legal and economic implications should be taken into account while formulating these strategies. The current situation of the economy demands an overhaul of the budget allotted to the Homeland Security. Research and study of a budget review of the Homeland Security should be carried out and tough decisions regarding budget cuts have to be made. The system should be made more transparent and de-layered. The people of the United States witnessed the worst day of their history on September 11, 2001. The loss of the lives cannot be undone through any amount of spending. It seems that in wake of these attacks the Homeland Security strategies were more successful in instilling permanent fear of an imminent attack in the hearts and mind of the public rather than providing them with security and peace of mind. The only positive aspect of the strategies, which seems to be above criticism, is the disaster management and response which played an effective role in wake of the natural catastrophes like hurricanes. There was a time that the mere mention of the Great nation of United States was deterrence enough for any elements that wanted to harm the country’s national interests. It is still the same nation with the same agencies. A sad event in history should not trigger so much paranoia in such a brave nation that it goes berserk and spends more than half its budget in fighting an unknown uncertain threat. There are methods to contain the threat. The innumerable layers of bureaucracy are not going to be of any help other than making every procedure lengthier. Nor is the extensive database going to be much help. Precise and targeted information should be gathered. Frisking old ladies and international diplomats at airports does not make any sense either. If a formal political delegation is such a threat then why invite them in the first place. And if they are not then they should be given the proper protocol they deserve. We are definitely going a little overboard fearing a threat lurking in every nook and cranny. Obsession with security is good but over obsession can be detrimental. The Homeland Security has become like an elephant that is constantly eating up on the resources and not doing much work. The economy of the United States can ill afford such a burden on it at such a crucial time. Immediate steps toward curtailing the heavy expenditure on mostly futile attempts of enhancing security are inevitable and should be given due consideration by the higher echelons of power. References Hom12: , (Security, 2012), Fro: , (Amy Zalman), Ani11: , (Dancs, 2011), Ran03: , (Ranum, October 2003), The12: , (Foundation, 2012), Read More