Assignment
Jennifer Pepe
After reading the DHS strategic plan I chose mission five out of the mission areas. Mission five is strengthen National Preparedness and Resilience. This mission area has four goals that are what the whole mission is based off of. 1) enhance national preparedness; 2) mitigate hazards and vulnerabilities; 3) ensure effective emergency response; and 4) enable rapid recovery. (DHS.35.1) Making sure that our country as a whole is worth more than anything. This mission area tries to make sure that happens. Their take is that it take all of the community to make sure that the whole nation is prepared and resilient. I agree with this approach meaning because even in a investigation the police will take to everyone around at the time of the crime. This can be used when it comes to preparing any city for anything type of event or disaster. Whole Community is a means by which emergency managers, organizational and community leaders, government officials, private and nonprofit sectors, faith-based and disability organizations, and the general public can collectively understand and assess the needs of their respective communities as well as determine the best ways to organize and strengthen their assets, capacities, and interests. (DHS.35.2)
I think that all the measures that is used in mission five are logical and useful. The goal is to be able to rebuild and recover any city or any area within our country quickly and within fail. I think that our country has learned a lot from different disasters and terrorist events in the last 20 years. Of course we have learned from 9/11 and we have learned from major natural disasters like hurricane Katrina or Sandy and the tornado's that have destroyed many different cities. We learn from each mistake from each rebuilding process everything that occurs is a learning experience and we must continue to do so. By having a rapid recovery time frame everyone involved is able to get back to normal life quicker. This also helps any businesses that may have been affected by the situation so that they are not losing any money from the time the disaster occurs to the time that it takes for them to re-open and continue normal operation.
References
Department of Homeland Security. Fiscal Year Plan 2014-2018. Washington DC. https://edge.apus.edu/access/content/attachment/344535/Forums/75b9a38a-6b7e-4258-92d4-a46406975db2/DHS%20Fiscal%20Year%20Plan%202014-2018.PDF
Victor Sandoval
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.
B. Are the measures useful, logical, relevant? Are any of them odd or unusual? Why or why not?
The five mission areas of the Department of Homeland Security Strategic Plan are as followed: Prevent terrorism and enhance security, secure and manage our borders, enforce and administer our immigrations laws, safeguard and secure cyberspace and strengthen national preparedness and resilience. (DHS, 2014). The concentration among the "preventing terrorism and enhancing security" mission is to protect assets vital to national security such as critical infrastructures and U.S. leadership. This includes the prevention of unwanted terrorist attacks with the usage of Weapons of Mass Destructions, such as chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear components. There are key performance measures that are calculated in order to carry out the focus of mission 1.
The people must understand the terrorism and criminal threats. The threats are then acknowledge in which increases security measures such as foreign airports in route to U.S. operations complying with Transportation Security Administration standards. This includes monitoring the terrorist watch list, and the random screening of cargo and passengers in route to the United States, from other countries. Imported and exported cargo shipments that are encountered at borders or other entry points, are also inspected by the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office. The shipments are scanned through radiation portal monitors to prevent the shipment of Weapons of Mass Destructions. National Protection and Programs Directorate ensures that the performance standards are enforced by the highest risk chemical facilities. The Secret Service ensures that there are no interrupted or unwanted events, targeted towards key personnel or events. Finally the Secret Service also investigates cases in order to prevent lost financial crimes.
Compared to the other categories, mission one is above satisfactory. I believe that this is the most important mission among the DHS Strategic Plan. The understanding of the threat in mission one is rated at satisfactory as it is calculated in the 90th percentile. People must understand and acknowledge the existing threats or risks and be aware of their surroundings. All security measures remain high in order to protect the people within the United States. There are random measures and searches that are directed among passengers and cargo to prevent entry to unauthorized materials. The performance measures among mission two have increased as it is focused among border protections. Calculations and standards within the enforcement of immigrations laws have been steady and consistent. As cyber threats continue to evolve the safeguard of cyberspace continues to adapt and improve. The mission five measures must continue to be exercised and practiced in order to be more effective. As a man-made or natural disaster can occur at any time, an effective Emergency Management plan must be established. All performance measures are evolving in order for them to become more useful and effective as they must continue to adapt to the current threats and risks.
References
Fiscal Years 2014-2018 Strategic Plan. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/publications/FY14-18%20Strategic%20Plan.PDF