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Definition of Threat Level

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The Homeland Security Advisory System was instituted by presidential directive.

The national threat level is measured by the Homeland Security Advisory System. This color-coded system warns the public and law enforcement of the risks of a terrorist attack and informs them of the appropriate preparations to be made.

  1. Origin

    • The Homeland Security Advisory System was introduced in Homeland Security Presidential Directive-3 in March of 2002.

    Purpose

    • After the September 11, 2001, attacks, the government sought a universal way to disseminate information about national terrorism threats. All government agencies conformed to this system.

    Scale

    • Red indicates a severe risk; orange, a high risk; yellow, an elevated or significiant risk; blue, a guarded or general risk; and green, a low risk.

    Administration

    • The Secretary of Homeland Security raises or lowers the threat level based on intelligence collected by the FBI, CIA and other intelligence organizations. The Attorney General chooses whether to publicly announce changes in the threat level.

    Threat Level Changes

    • According to a September 2009 report from the Homeland Security Advisory System Task Force, the Homeland Security Advisory System has changed threat levels 17 times. Since its inception, the national threat level has never been lower than yellow, or elevated. It was raised to severe just once, in 2006.

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References

  • Photo Credit The White House image by dwight9592 from Fotolia.com

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