Instructions Please Respond To At Least 2 Other Students Responses Should Be A M 2

Instructions: Please respond to at least 2 other students. Responses should be a minimum of 150 words FOR EACH ONE and include direct questions.

Student#1

Nathan Perez

Read the DHS Strategic Plan [DHS SP]. Select any one of the 5 mission areas. Within that selected mission area, assess ALL the performance measures [incl the one on DHS website].

A. Conduct analysis of ALL the mission area performance measures and report your deductions.

The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) strategic plan has five main mission areas. These five areas are prevention, protection, mitigation, response, recovery (Department of Homeland Security, 2018). The area that I selected was the first step which is prevention. Prevention is mission which looks to prevent, avoid or stop an imminent, threatened or actual act of terrorism (Department of Homeland Security, 2018). The first mission are is important because it is the first layer of capabilities necessary to avoid, prevent or stop a threatened or actual act of terrorism (Department of Homeland Security, 2018). Prevention is also the mission step that ensures the United States is prepared, the best it can, to prevent imminent terrorist attacks (Department of Homeland Security, 2018). Some of the strategies taken to preventing and minimizing these threats is through public information and warnings and screening, search, and detection (Department of Homeland Security, 2018). As the focus changes to securing borders and preventing terrorist attacks, this step is critical to ensuring that the United States is being as efficient and as safe as possible. Without this step, the United States moves from being proactive and become reactive.

B. Are the measures useful, logical, relevant? Are any of them odd or unusual? Why or why not?

The measures taken in the prevention step are logical and useful. Prevention means taking the steps needed before anything happens. By this I mean alerting or warning people if a threat has been increased. We let people know to be extra vigilant when needed and to warn the public if a threat is immanent. Not only do we do this with terrorism, but with weather as well, with FEMA. One thing that could be done better is being able to adjust to changing threats. Terrorists know that they need to be flexible and fluid. As terrorists change, so do our tactics. The issue is they can change faster than we can. With that being my mindset, I would say that we lack on the relevance side of things. Once we do understand a threat, we can adapt eventually. There is just a lot of moving parts that have to be adjusted on our end that can slow the process down.

Reference

Department of Homeland Security. (2018, February 5). Mission Areas. Retrieved July 19, 2018, from https://www.fema.gov/mission-areas

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Student#2

AARON BECKER

PREVENT TERRORISM AND ENHANCE SECURITY

A. Conduct analysis of ALL the mission area performance measures and report your deductions.

DHS states that the “cornerstone” of their agency is the principles laid out in Mission Area 1, Prevent Terrorism and Enhance security (DHS, 2013, 14). In substance, the main goal of DHS is to prevent terror in the homeland. Although some challenges arise and terror attacks are carried out, DHS also addresses response and recovery efforts. However, the priority mission is Mission 1: Prevent Terrorism and Enhance Security. If this mission is carried out successfully, the need to respond and recover can be drastically reduced.

To accomplish this first mission, priorities have been identified as the following: “prevent terrorist travel…strengthen aviation security…prevent the hostile use of nuclear materials against the homeland…” and “protect key leaders, facilities, and National Special Security Events…” (DHS, 2013, 15). The Fiscal Years 2014-2018 Strategic Plan laid out the measures to be implemented in order to accomplish these priorities for preventing terrorism and enhancing security.

1) Terrorist travel will be prevented by the enhancement of intelligence exchange, cooperation from international allies, and targeting areas and organizations based on a risk assessment (DHS, 2013).

2) By using “risk-based mitigation strategies”, DHS will strengthen aviation security measures (2013, 15).

3) Deterrence measures should be put in place which make it more difficult and/or less desirable for Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTO) to trafficking and smuggling WMD materials (DHS, 2013). Additionally, the detection measures for identifying the transport and manufacture of WMDs should be improved. If implemented, these measures could help to prevent the ill-motivated use of hazardous materials against the United States.

4) Finally, protecting leaders, facilities, and National Special Security Events can be accomplished by identifying areas of vulnerability and then responding to threats against the President, Vice President, and other individuals considered to be “protected” (DHS, 2013).

B. Are the measures useful, logical, relevant? Are any of them odd or unusual? Why or why not?

These measures identified in the Fiscal Years 2014-2018 Strategic Plan are useful, if the enforcement of their implementation is addressed. Although legislation becomes law and policy, there must be special committees in charge of the oversight for that legislation. There is far to much confusion in the modern world of terrorism not to have a specified group of invested individuals ensuring that these new policies are implemented and improved when gaps are identified.

Additionally, these measures are logical. It is not beyond the capabilities of American Intelligence efforts to make these mission priorities, realistic. It is important that proper consideration is given to all levels of government, and perhaps even stake holders within the private communities of American civilization.

Of these missions, there is one that sparks debate. In regards to preventing the travel of terrorists, solutions such as the complete prevention of travel from certain countries has been criticized heavily by the American Left (Barrow, 2018). Many believe that the current administration’s efforts to prevent terrorism by implementing travel bans is racist. Supporters on the other side of the aisle argue that this is a necessary measure to accomplish the DHS missions stated above.

References

Barrow, J. L. (2018). trump’s travel ban: Lawful but ill-advised. Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy, 41(2), 691-717.

Department of Homeland Security (DHS). (2013). Fiscal Years 2014-2018 Strategic Plan.