Threats to Homeland Security
The threats to homeland security are far-reaching; enemies of the country can employ a wide array of tactics to invade the country from a personal level to a nationwide threat. The United States Department of Homeland Security manages all of the initiatives to protect the nation from all of these potential threats. They provide a comprehensive range of solutions -- from information to active security -- to prepare the country to respond to these situations.
Other People Are Reading
-
Terrorism
-
The Department of Homeland Security considers terrorism among the highest priority threats to the United States. As of 2011, there are several counterterrorism measures in place including in areas of aviation and chemical attacks. These rose to notoriety from the start of the 21st century: particularly during the September 11, 2001 attacks and the biochemical threats during the start of the first decade. Since then, Homeland Security has enacted much stricter measures to protect against these two types of attacks such as an overhaul of airport security.
Disasters
-
Natural and manmade disasters would represent a time of severe crisis in the U.S. The Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, is a subdivision of the Department of Homeland Security in charge of responding to major disasters. Among their tools include a national response framework and an urban search and rescue plan; both are designed to quickly and comprehensively manage domestic incidents and deploy assistance.
-
Borders
-
The two major divisions of border security are product control and immigration. Product control inspects all incoming freight into the U.S., as well as the actual means of transportation. For example, if there is suspicion of a ship carrying illegal cargo, there are separate inspection processes for the cargo and the ship itself. This is to provide a comprehensive protection against attacks -- including potential terrorism. Immigration protection includes screening all incoming people through the Document and Benefit Fraud Task Forces; they cross-check a wide range of paperwork including driver's licenses, green cards and passports.
Cyberattacks
-
The Internet has grown to become a highly critical area due to the vast amount of information transmitted on a daily basis. In addition to giving the Internet the traditional forms of protection, the U.S. also established a comprehensive national cybersecurity initiative solely for protecting online information. This initiative released several programs to heighten civilian awareness about online security as well as established the legislation required to deter and punish instances of online crime.
-
