Homeland Security: Preparedness, Prevention, and Deterrence

Homeland security is a union formed under the United States government for the sole purpose of counterattacking terrorism within the borders of the country. According to Andreas (2003), Homeland security is a joint force under the national coherence mandated with the tasks of restraining any forms of terrorist ambush in America, minimize U.S. exposure to terrorism, and reduce the destruction and recuperate from the effects of any past attacks. Homeland security is obliged to undertake the role of preparedness, prevention, and deterrence to provide its country the maximum protection it deserves. The paper will also key out other essential systems responsible for the smooth running of Homeland security. Below is a security plan for the Newport Naval Station.

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Preparedness is mostly described as a situation whereby an individual or organization is ready, especially for war. For readiness to be effective, an agency, organization or a specific discipline has to amend plans for any attack by implementing policies, procedures and train individuals that are willing to protect the country. Preparedness also includes installing essential systems and possessing equipment that might deter the occurrence of an attack (Bush, 2003). The Homeland security task force is also obliged to prevent and respond to any Federal, State, or local attacks. Homeland security should eradicate all mass destruction weapons that might pose a threat to the safety of the country. Recruits of the Newport Naval Station are to be trained on how to prepare for any form of terrorism. The preparedness model is most efficient when most intergovernmental agencies from the Federal, State and local levels collaborate with a common agenda; protecting the country's boundaries. Generally, the preparedness model is divided into different categories; collaboration, sharing of valuable information, recognizing threat, and management and intervention of risks. Capability assessment is performed after risk management. This exercise determines the legibility of the preparedness plan, recruited personnel, available equipment and the ability to counterattack any threats. Capability assessment is ideally necessary for the evaluation of the vulnerability and possible risks. Once Newport Naval Station is provided with the personnel, equipment, planning competence, and proper training, a jurisdiction is made that the naval base is prepared to carry out Homeland security tasks.

Capability assessment is viewed in different dimensions. Newport Naval Station should assess the possible terrorist attacks by figuring out which ways the terrorists would implement to succeed in their mission. Another assessment is the magnitude of attack to merit awareness and a call for action. Usually, terrorists consider two aspects; the capability to attack a country or part of it and the motivation to carry out the attack. If one of the two elements is missing, the naval base has no reason to prepare for the act of terrorism would be a failure (Hulnick, 1999). However, it is difficult to determine the terrorist's competence. It is important to note that a terrorist does not display all the steps to perform an attack. The complexity of capability assessment is to cover the tracks that terrorists might plan to use. The naval base should implement the same elements that terrorists use: motivation and means. The preparedness model is efficient when different agencies are collaborative with a common goal; protecting the country. The Law Enforcement, Fire Department, and other agencies, together with separate jurisdictions should be willing to share information freely so that identification of threats or attacks, and the exercise of spotting the people planning destruction becomes a simple task to accomplish. In the whole preparedness process, Law Enforcement is the principal governmental group that plays a crucial role in Homeland security.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), is another agency that operates towards the common goal of maintaining Homeland security. FEMA has implemented one of its programs, National Incident Management System (NIMS), as an approach to managing any types of incidences and emergencies. NIMS works under two policies; flexibility and fair response to all incidents (Jensen & Yoon, 2011). For NIMS to be more efficient, a system referred to as the Incident Command System was executed. The ICS is an organization that functions on emergency scenes with the critical purpose of managing the available resources. This system has been implemented by both public and private agencies to analyze and manage incident operations critically. Organizations that enforce the ICS model for their preparedness plan often adopt standard procedures, protocols, and standard hierarchical levels. In most cases, essentials of the ICS were unfolded following past security-threatening events. Organizations that use the ICS can integrate their views on various situations since their systems on tackling security issues are similar. ICS works under a chain of command with the Incident Commander (IC) or some agencies referred to as Unified Command as the chief of the system (Tierney, 2007). The IC or Unified Command is on the Command level where the objectives and orders of resources are formulated. The other four levels are on the same level. The planning department tracks the allocated resources. The department of logistics orders the resources and notes down the statistics. The area of operations deals with identification, allocation, and supervision of the necessary resources to fulfilling intended goals. The administration level secures and purchases the resources required. Below are the plans Newport Naval Station should implement to have complete and adequate training on preparedness model.

Collaboration

Collaboration involves the intervention of different agencies in the private and public sector. One of the primary tasks involved in collaboration is the establishment of a common center where information and data are integrated. The task force will include all necessary terrorism data that any agency might need to review. Some of the disciplines involved are the Homeland security, Law Enforcement, Private security, Emergency Management Agency (EMA), and loss prevention. The capabilities of these disciplines should have a social, technical and physical connection (Reddick, 2008). The motivation of the recruited personnel gears the ambition to work for security purposes. Another mandate associated with collaboration is the preparation of Memorandums of Understanding and common accords between the private and public organizations. Under the agreements, the agencies exchange necessary information concerning the risks, vulnerabilities, coordination of responses and information sharing processes. Among the disciplines involved in this task are: Private Sector, Public Health, Government Administrative, Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, and Fire. According to Kamensky and Burlin (2004), the capabilities of the second task are the same as the first task; the technical, physical and social connection between the agencies and the motivation to drive them towards a common goal. The last task in collaboration is building flourishing relationships among all agencies involved working towards the same capabilities of connectivity and motivation.

Information Sharing

Information sharing in Homeland Security involves the exchange of necessary information that can be vital for threat assessment. One of the chief tasks is to improve the analysis of information that is fit for figuring out potential threats. The agencies involved in this exercise are Emergency Management Agency (EMA) and the Law Enforcement as the main organization. The capabilities of these agencies are to develop essential tactics, investigative competence, and technical abilities to integrate centers that analyze, collect, and disseminate vital data (Relyea, 2004). Another exercise mandated to information sharing is establishing a foundation for sharing intelligence information and creating prevention strategies. The major discipline involved in this task is the Law Enforcement that works hand-in-hand with the EMA and Homeland Security. The capabilities in this exercise are the same as those in the first task: tactical abilities, investigative prowess and technical connection effective for the analysis, collection, and dissemination of terrorism-related data. Information sharing also involves relaying threat information data to emergency personnel and alerting chief decision makers in case of warnings about terrorist attacks. The key disciplines should ensure that the information is timely regardless of the magnitude of the threat and should relay to the important agencies before sharing with the public. The disciplines involved in this process are EMA, Homeland Security, Media Management, Public Information, and Public Warning or Alert agency. The capabilities of these agencies should be to ensure the technical ability is stable to relay warning and efficient medium for voice and data with a connection to all involved organizations. Information sharing, one of the key responsibilities of Homeland Security should educate the public, create awareness, and provide tactics on how to seek protective cover during terrorism threats. All disciplines involved in Homeland Security are responsible for this exercise and are required to be capable of creating awareness with information in details about any threats (Caruson & MacManus, 2006). Another task related to information sharing is creating a fully functional facility for the sole purpose of relaying information. All agencies are mandated to this process and should be capable to analyze any nature of terrorism. The last task involved in information sharing is providing investigative information that is related to criminals that are planning on terrorist attacks. The agencies involve in this process are: Law Enforcement, Government Administrative and the Prosecution. The capabilities of the three agencies should be to provide enough sufficient information that support the intelligence and undertaking legal procedures that show evidence.

Threat Recognition

Threat recognition involves detection of possible Federal, State or local attacks within the country's borders. As Wise and Nader (2002) postulate, one of the tasks involved in threat recognition is to plot threats and enact duties to counterattack the risk. Among the disciplines involve in this task are Law Enforcement, Homeland Security, Transportation, Utilities, and EMA. The capabilities of this task are similar to the collaboration competence; physical, technical and social connection. Motivation is necessary to encourage the personnel in this exercise. Another task in threat recognition is qualified training personnel in assessment and discovering suspected terrorists. This exercise involves observation of behavioral changes to establish the threat. Some of the agencies involved in this task are EMS, Law Enforcement, and Public Works. Social, technical and physical connectivity is essential for the procedure. The motivation of the personnel often drives them forward. Another complex task connected with threat assessment is the installation of chemical, biological and nuclear systems that can track any possible threats in public and private places. The responsible organizations for this task are among the Law Enforcement, Public Works, and the EMS. The capabilities of this task are for personnel training on the utilization and calibration of the technical equipment. Another exercise related to risk recognition is managing recent data and inventories for dangerous biological hazards and the irregularity processes (Reddick, 2008). Among the conce...