Coordinating Efforts to Improve Homeland Security

Michael Erbschloe, Republished from SafetyIssues Vol 2 Issue 21, August 2003

Volume 4 Issue 44

July 2005
To enable government agencies to better coordinate all of the efforts needed to improve security, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was formed is the United States.

Agencies from several United States government departments were brought together into DHS. The agencies of DHS are organized under four major directorates: Border and Transportation Security, Emergency Preparedness and Response, Science and Technology, and Information Analysis and Infrastructure Protection.
The Border and Transportation Security directorate brings together the major border security and transportation operations including:
  • The U.S. Customs Service (From the Department of the Treasury)
  • The Immigration and Naturalization Service (From the Department of Justice)
  • The Federal Protective Service (From the GSA)
  • The Transportation Security Administration (From the Department of Transportation)
  • Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (From the Department of the Treasury)
  • Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (From the Department of Agriculture)
  • Office for Domestic Preparedness (From the Department of Justice)

The Emergency Preparedness and Response directorate oversees domestic disaster preparedness training and coordinate government disaster response and includes:

  • The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
  • Strategic National Stockpile and the National Disaster Medical System (From the Department of Health and Human Services)
  • Nuclear Incident Response Team (From the Department of Energy)
  • Domestic Emergency Support Teams (From the Department of Justice)
  • National Domestic Preparedness Office (From the FBI)

The Science and Technology directorate has the mission of utilizing scientific and technological advantages to improve security and includes:

  • CBRN Countermeasures Programs (From the Department of Energy)
  • Environmental Measurements Laboratory (From the Department of Energy)
  • National BW Defense Analysis Center (From the Department of Defense)
  • Plum Island Animal Disease Center (From the Department of Agriculture)
The Information Analysis and Infrastructure Protection directorate analyzes intelligence and information from other agencies (including the CIA, FBI, DIA and NSA) involving security threats and evaluates vulnerabilities in the nation's infrastructure. The directorate includes:
  • Critical Infrastructure Assurance Office (From the Department of Commerce)
  • Federal Computer Incident Response Center (From the GSA)
  • National Communications System (From the Department of Defense)
  • National Infrastructure Protection Center (From the FBI)
  • Energy Security and Assurance Program (From the Department of Energy)

The Secret Service and the Coast Guard will also be located in DHS. They will remain intact and reporting directly to the Secretary of Homeland Security. In addition, the INS adjudications and benefits programs will report directly to the Deputy Secretary as the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services.

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