Defining Homeland Security Homeland security (HLS) is an expansive enterprise that includes many agencies and departments at all levels of government. As such, it has been defined in many different but similar ways. For example, in their book Understanding Homeland Security, Noftsinger, Newbold, and Wheeler (2007) define homeland security as “a concerted national effort to prevent terrorist attacks within the United States, reduce America’s vulnerability to terrorism, minimize the damage, and recover from attacks that do occur” (pp. 29-30). In its 2010 Quadreannial Homeland Security Review Report, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) similarly defined HLS as “a concerted national effort to ensure a homeland that is safe, secure, and
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There is even a flawed common belief that the two are interchangeable names of the same initiative (Noftsinger et al., 2007). According to the Department of Defense (DoD), homeland defense is defined as “the military protection of United States territory, domestic population, and critical defense infrastructure against external threats and aggression” (Bowman, 2003, p. CRS-1). However, Noftsinger et al. (2007) states that according to the U.S. Army HLD is “the protection of our territory, population, and critical infrastructure by deterring and defending against foreign and domestic threats, supporting civil authorities for crisis and consequence management, and helping to ensure the continuance of critical national assets” (p. 28). Again, like homeland security, this is an example of a similar yet different definition for the same …show more content…
These partnerships are necessary because of the interdependency of the nation’s critical infrastructure and because most of these infrastructures do not belong to government agencies and as such cannot be controlled by any government (Department of Homeland Security, 2009). These partners work together to ensure protection of CIKR through risk analysis and risk management strategies (Department of Homeland Security, 2009). These strategies are developed through information sharing and protection between Sector Coordinating Councils (SCC) and Government Coordinating Councils (GCC) which represent the interrelationship between private, non-governmental and governmental entities with CIKR assets. Collectively, this organization of partners, strategies, plans, and representatives combine to ensure that CIKR assets are identified and protected. Moreover, these efforts work in concert with the National Response Framework and the National Preparedness Guidelines to ensure the approach is comprehensive including preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation
There is even a flawed common belief that the two are interchangeable names of the same initiative (Noftsinger et al., 2007). According to the Department of Defense (DoD), homeland defense is defined as “the military protection of United States territory, domestic population, and critical defense infrastructure against external threats and aggression” (Bowman, 2003, p. CRS-1). However, Noftsinger et al. (2007) states that according to the U.S. Army HLD is “the protection of our territory, population, and critical infrastructure by deterring and defending against foreign and domestic threats, supporting civil authorities for crisis and consequence management, and helping to ensure the continuance of critical national assets” (p. 28). Again, like homeland security, this is an example of a similar yet different definition for the same …show more content…
These partnerships are necessary because of the interdependency of the nation’s critical infrastructure and because most of these infrastructures do not belong to government agencies and as such cannot be controlled by any government (Department of Homeland Security, 2009). These partners work together to ensure protection of CIKR through risk analysis and risk management strategies (Department of Homeland Security, 2009). These strategies are developed through information sharing and protection between Sector Coordinating Councils (SCC) and Government Coordinating Councils (GCC) which represent the interrelationship between private, non-governmental and governmental entities with CIKR assets. Collectively, this organization of partners, strategies, plans, and representatives combine to ensure that CIKR assets are identified and protected. Moreover, these efforts work in concert with the National Response Framework and the National Preparedness Guidelines to ensure the approach is comprehensive including preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation