Peer Response HSE 400

Quentin: The Homeland Security Law came into effect after the attacks on 11 September 01 also contributing to this set of laws was the mailing of anthrax spores through the U.S. mail system. The attacks highlighted the glaring vulnerabilities that the United States had in reference to its preparedness to defend and recover from terrorist attacks on U.S. soil. The law was dubbed the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (HAS) and was signed into law by then President George W. Bush. One brilliant thing that the Homeland Security Act does is that it centralizes intelligence and data collection of suspected threats that may inflict harm on American citizens or the critical infrastructure of the United States. 

            The Department of Homeland Security has such a vast area to cover. This is a cabinet level institution of government that reports directly to and advises the President. DHS is also responsible for managing natural disasters and manmade incidents. The laws of Homeland Security are doing exactly what they are designed to do. They are often under fire for certain shortcomings. In my opinion this is due to the unprecedented events that occur and cause the laws and practices to be adjusted to fit new incidents like cyber security. There are laws that encourage and promote information sharing across sensitive government agencies. This is another example of how the laws of Homeland Security must remain fluid and flexible enough to be adjusted to the climate of terrorism in the world. As I mentioned before cyberterrorism has been a focus for a few years as terrorist groups like al Qaeda have made attempts to cripple certain elements of critical infrastructure like power plants. Border security has quickly made itself into the to 5 priorities of DHS as suspected terrorist often target migrants in an attempt to radicalize them to the point of carrying out their jihadist ideals. Although there is a lot of work ahead for the department of Homeland Security, in terms of planning and intelligence, they are definitely headed in the right direction.  

https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/PLAW-107publ296/pdf/PLAW-107publ296.pdf

Zebedee: Explain the Homeland Security Law, analyzing whether it has served its purpose for which it was drafted.

A: According to Alperen (2017), the Homeland Security Law had its official beginning on September 11, 2001 a.k.a 9/11; Prior to that date the nation had lacked a unifying vision to secure the homeland against terrorism (p.4). To analyze whether the Homeland Security Law has served its purpose you would need to consider various factors, such as the effectiveness of the law in preventing and mitigating security threats, its impact on civil liberties, and its ability to adapt to evolving challenges in our country. One of those new emerging challenges is cyber security, it wasn’t until President Trump became president that the Cyber security and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) was established in 2018 so that makes you think why did we go so many years without a proper defense agency in place. Regardless, the DHS is about every and anything, from natural disasters, to protecting the border and the homeland from possible terrorist attacks is an around the clock thing and is enforced 24/7. Despite the 5 mission statements that the DHS lists as Prevent terrorism and enhancing security; Secure and manage our borders; Enforce and administer our immigration laws; Safeguard and secure cyberspace; Ensure resilience to disasters (Alperen, p.1); It is safe to assume that the DHS has served its purpose for which it was drafted. Even the tightened security at airports from the TSA has helped prevent another 9/11 from happening. 

References

Alperen, M. J. (2017). Foundations of Homeland Security: Law and Policy (2nd ed.). Wiley Global Research (STMS). https://bookshelf.vitalsource.com/books/9781119289135

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