Department of Homeland Security: Difference between revisions

m
Text replacement - "George W. Bush" to "George W. Bush"
m (Text replacement - "**" to "")
m (Text replacement - "George W. Bush" to "George W. Bush")
 
(3 intermediate revisions by the same user not shown)
Line 77: Line 77:
The '''Department of Homeland Security''' ('''DHS''') is the U.S. [[United States federal executive departments|federal executive department]] responsible for [[public security]], roughly comparable to the [[Interior minister|interior or home ministries]] of other countries. Its stated missions involve [[anti-terrorism]], [[border security]], immigration and customs, [[cyber security]], and disaster prevention and management.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dhs.gov/our-mission|title=Our Mission|date=June 27, 2012|publisher=Homeland Security}}</ref>
The '''Department of Homeland Security''' ('''DHS''') is the U.S. [[United States federal executive departments|federal executive department]] responsible for [[public security]], roughly comparable to the [[Interior minister|interior or home ministries]] of other countries. Its stated missions involve [[anti-terrorism]], [[border security]], immigration and customs, [[cyber security]], and disaster prevention and management.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dhs.gov/our-mission|title=Our Mission|date=June 27, 2012|publisher=Homeland Security}}</ref>


It began operations on March 1, 2003, after being formed as a result of the [[Homeland Security Act of 2002]], enacted in response to the [[September 11 attacks]]. With more than 240,000 employees,<ref name="dhs.gov">{{cite web|title=About DHS|url=https://www.dhs.gov/about-dhs|publisher=Homeland Security|date=June 29, 2016}}</ref> DHS is the third-largest [[Cabinet of the United States|Cabinet]] department, after the departments of [[United States Department of Defense|Defense]] and [[United States Department of Veterans Affairs|Veterans Affairs]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.napawash.org/pc_management_studies/dhs.html |title=Department of Homeland Security Executive Staffing Project |publisher=[[National Academy of Public Administration (United States)|National Academy of Public Administration]] |access-date=May 31, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20100310171217/http://www.napawash.org/pc_management_studies/dhs.html |archive-date=March 10, 2010 }}</ref> [[Homeland security]] policy is coordinated at the [[White House]] by the [[United States Homeland Security Council|Homeland Security Council]]. Other agencies with significant homeland security responsibilities include the departments of [[United States Department of Health and Human Services|Health and Human Services]], [[United States Department of Justice|Justice]], and [[United States Department of Energy|Energy]].
It began operations on March 1, 2003, after being formed as a result of the [[Homeland Security Act of 2002]], enacted in response to the September 11 attacks. With more than 240,000 employees,<ref name="dhs.gov">{{cite web|title=About DHS|url=https://www.dhs.gov/about-dhs|publisher=Homeland Security|date=June 29, 2016}}</ref> DHS is the third-largest [[Cabinet of the United States|Cabinet]] department, after the departments of [[United States Department of Defense|Defense]] and [[United States Department of Veterans Affairs|Veterans Affairs]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.napawash.org/pc_management_studies/dhs.html |title=Department of Homeland Security Executive Staffing Project |publisher=[[National Academy of Public Administration (United States)|National Academy of Public Administration]] |access-date=May 31, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20100310171217/http://www.napawash.org/pc_management_studies/dhs.html |archive-date=March 10, 2010 }}</ref> [[Homeland security]] policy is coordinated at the [[White House]] by the [[United States Homeland Security Council|Homeland Security Council]]. Other agencies with significant homeland security responsibilities include the departments of [[United States Department of Health and Human Services|Health and Human Services]], [[United States Department of Justice|Justice]], and [[United States Department of Energy|Energy]].


==History==
==History==
Line 83: Line 83:
[[File:"We Are DHS" (2016).ogv|thumb|A video released in 2016 by the DHS, detailing its duties and responsibilities]]
[[File:"We Are DHS" (2016).ogv|thumb|A video released in 2016 by the DHS, detailing its duties and responsibilities]]


In response to the [[September 11 attacks]], President [[George W. Bush]] announced the establishment of the [[Office of Homeland Security]] (OHS) to coordinate "[[homeland security]]" efforts. The office was headed by former Pennsylvania governor [[Tom Ridge]], who assumed the title of Assistant to the President for Homeland Security. The official announcement states:
In response to the September 11 attacks, President George W. Bush announced the establishment of the [[Office of Homeland Security]] (OHS) to coordinate "[[homeland security]]" efforts. The office was headed by former Pennsylvania governor [[Tom Ridge]], who assumed the title of Assistant to the President for Homeland Security. The official announcement states:


{{blockquote|The mission of the Office will be to develop and coordinate the implementation of a comprehensive national strategy to secure the United States from [[terrorism|terrorist]] threats or attacks. The Office will coordinate the executive branch's efforts to detect, prepare for, prevent, protect against, respond to, and recover from terrorist attacks within the United States.<ref name="hsact2002">{{cite web|url=https://www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/nat_strat_hls.pdf |title=National Strategy For Homeland Security |publisher=DHS|access-date=October 31, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071114000911/http://www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/nat_strat_hls.pdf|archive-date=November 14, 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref>}}
{{blockquote|The mission of the Office will be to develop and coordinate the implementation of a comprehensive national strategy to secure the United States from [[terrorism|terrorist]] threats or attacks. The Office will coordinate the executive branch's efforts to detect, prepare for, prevent, protect against, respond to, and recover from terrorist attacks within the United States.<ref name="hsact2002">{{cite web|url=https://www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/nat_strat_hls.pdf |title=National Strategy For Homeland Security |publisher=DHS|access-date=October 31, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071114000911/http://www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/nat_strat_hls.pdf|archive-date=November 14, 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref>}}
Line 402: Line 402:


===Data mining===
===Data mining===
On September 5, 2007, the [[Associated Press]] reported that the DHS had scrapped an anti-terrorism [[data mining]] tool called [[ADVISE]] (Analysis, Dissemination, Visualization, Insight and Semantic Enhancement) after the agency's internal [[inspector general]] found that [[Pilot (experiment)|pilot]] testing of the system had been performed using data on real people without required [[privacy]] safeguards in place.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dhs.gov/xoig/assets/mgmtrpts/OIG_07-56_Jun07.pdf|title=ADVISE Could Support Intelligence Analysis More Effectively|work=pdf file|publisher=DHS|access-date=October 31, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |first=Ryan|last=Singel|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna9353365|title=Homeland Data Tool Needs Privacy Help, Report Says |magazine=Wired|date=March 20, 2007|access-date=October 31, 2007}}</ref> The system, in development at [[Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory|Lawrence Livermore]] and [[Pacific Northwest National Laboratory]] since 2003, has cost the agency $42 million to date. Controversy over the program is not new; in March 2007, the Government Accountability Office stated that "the ADVISE tool could misidentify or erroneously associate an individual with undesirable activity such as [[fraud]], crime or terrorism." Homeland Security's Inspector General later said that ADVISE was poorly planned, time-consuming for analysts to use, and lacked adequate justifications.<ref>{{cite news|first=Michael J.|last=Sniffen|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/05/AR2007090500795_pf.html|title=DHS Ends Criticized Data-Mining Program|newspaper=The Washington Post|agency=Associated Press|date=September 5, 2007|access-date=October 31, 2007}}</ref>
On September 5, 2007, the Associated Press reported that the DHS had scrapped an anti-terrorism [[data mining]] tool called [[ADVISE]] (Analysis, Dissemination, Visualization, Insight and Semantic Enhancement) after the agency's internal [[inspector general]] found that [[Pilot (experiment)|pilot]] testing of the system had been performed using data on real people without required [[privacy]] safeguards in place.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dhs.gov/xoig/assets/mgmtrpts/OIG_07-56_Jun07.pdf|title=ADVISE Could Support Intelligence Analysis More Effectively|work=pdf file|publisher=DHS|access-date=October 31, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |first=Ryan|last=Singel|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna9353365|title=Homeland Data Tool Needs Privacy Help, Report Says |magazine=Wired|date=March 20, 2007|access-date=October 31, 2007}}</ref> The system, in development at [[Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory|Lawrence Livermore]] and [[Pacific Northwest National Laboratory]] since 2003, has cost the agency $42 million to date. Controversy over the program is not new; in March 2007, the Government Accountability Office stated that "the ADVISE tool could misidentify or erroneously associate an individual with undesirable activity such as [[fraud]], crime or terrorism." Homeland Security's Inspector General later said that ADVISE was poorly planned, time-consuming for analysts to use, and lacked adequate justifications.<ref>{{cite news|first=Michael J.|last=Sniffen|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/05/AR2007090500795_pf.html|title=DHS Ends Criticized Data-Mining Program|newspaper=The Washington Post|agency=Associated Press|date=September 5, 2007|access-date=October 31, 2007}}</ref>


===Fusion centers===
===Fusion centers===
Line 425: Line 425:
The department declined to outline what criteria are used to determine when a piece of personal correspondence should be opened or to say how often or in what volume [[U.S. Customs and Border Protection|Customs]] might be opening mail.<ref name=Mail/>
The department declined to outline what criteria are used to determine when a piece of personal correspondence should be opened or to say how often or in what volume [[U.S. Customs and Border Protection|Customs]] might be opening mail.<ref name=Mail/>


Goodman's story provoked outrage in the [[blogosphere]],<ref>Cole, John (January 9, 2006) [http://www.balloon-juice.com/2006/01/09/your-mail-free-for-government-inspection/ Your Mail- Free for Government Inspection], ''Balloon Juice''</ref> as well as in the more established media. Reacting to the incident, ''[[Mother Jones (magazine)|Mother Jones]]'' remarked "unlike other prying government agencies, Homeland Security wants you to know it is watching you."<ref>Dees, Diane (January 9, 2006) [http://motherjones.com/mojo/2006/01/department-homeland-security-opens-kansas-professors-mail Department of Homeland Security opens Kansas professor's mail], ''[[Mother Jones (magazine)|Mother Jones]]''</ref> [[CNN]] observed "on the heels of the [[NSA warrantless surveillance controversy|NSA wiretapping controversy]], Goodman's letter raises more concern over the balance between privacy and security."<ref>[http://quiz.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0601/12/sitroom.02.html Transcript] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110708171125/http://quiz.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0601/12/sitroom.02.html |date=July 8, 2011 }} from ''[[The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer|The Situation Room]]'' (January 12, 2006)</ref>
Goodman's story provoked outrage in the [[blogosphere]],<ref>Cole, John (January 9, 2006) [http://www.balloon-juice.com/2006/01/09/your-mail-free-for-government-inspection/ Your Mail- Free for Government Inspection], ''Balloon Juice''</ref> as well as in the more established media. Reacting to the incident, ''[[Mother Jones (magazine)|Mother Jones]]'' remarked "unlike other prying government agencies, Homeland Security wants you to know it is watching you."<ref>Dees, Diane (January 9, 2006) [http://motherjones.com/mojo/2006/01/department-homeland-security-opens-kansas-professors-mail Department of Homeland Security opens Kansas professor's mail], ''[[Mother Jones (magazine)|Mother Jones]]''</ref> CNN observed "on the heels of the [[NSA warrantless surveillance controversy|NSA wiretapping controversy]], Goodman's letter raises more concern over the balance between privacy and security."<ref>[http://quiz.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0601/12/sitroom.02.html Transcript] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110708171125/http://quiz.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0601/12/sitroom.02.html |date=July 8, 2011 }} from ''[[The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer|The Situation Room]]'' (January 12, 2006)</ref>


===Employee morale===
===Employee morale===