|
|
US Department of
Homeland Security
What is the United States Department of Homeland Security?
The United States Department of
Homeland Security (DHS) is a cabinet department of the United States federal
government with the primary responsibilities of protecting the territory of
the U.S. from terrorist attacks and responding to natural disasters.
While the Department of Defense is charged with military actions abroad,
the Department of Homeland Security works domestically to protect the
United States. The goal of the
Department is Homeland Security is to prepare for, prevent, and respond to
domestic emergencies, particularly terrorism.
On March 1, 2003, the DHS
absorbed the Immigration and Naturalization Service and assumed its duties. In doing so, it divided the enforcement and services functions into two
separate and new agencies: Immigration and Customs Enforcement and
Citizenship and Immigration Services. Additionally, the border enforcement
functions of the INS, the
U.S. Customs Service,
and the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service were consolidated into a
new agency under the Department of Homeland Security:
U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The Federal Protective Service falls
under Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
|
|
With more than 200,000 employees, DHS is the third largest government cabinet
department, after the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs.
Homeland security policy is coordinated at the White House by the Homeland
Security Council. Other agencies with significant homeland security
responsibilities include the Department of Health and Human Services, the
United States
Department of Justice, and the Department of Energy.
The creation of the Department
of Homeland Security constituted the biggest government reorganization
in American history, and the most substantial reorganization of federal
agencies since the National Security Act of 1947, which placed the
different military departments under a secretary of defense and created
the National Security Council and Central Intelligence Agency. |
The
DHS also constitutes the most diverse merger of federal functions and
responsibilities, incorporating 22 government agencies into a single
organization.
U.S. Department
of Homeland Security Color Code Threat Advisory System
In March 2002, U.S. Department of Homeland Security Chief Tom Ridge unveiled a new color-coded threat advisory system for the United States. The idea was to create a way to convey the risk of terrorist attacks to federal, state, local authorities and the American people. The coded warning system has five levels that is associated with a suggested protective measure and will trigger specific actions by federal agencies and local law enforcement.
Please note that the Homeland
Security Color Code Threat Advisory System was recently discontinued.
Information on the new advisory system is listed below:
About the
Homeland Security Advisory System
The Homeland Security Advisory
System is designed to guide our protective measures when specific
information to a particular sector or geographic region is received. It
combines threat information with vulnerability assessments and provides
communications to public safety officials and the public.
-
Homeland
Security Threat Advisories contain actionable information about an
incident involving, or a threat targeting, critical national networks or
infrastructures or key assets.
-
Homeland
Security Information Bulletins communicate information of interest to
the nation’s critical infrastructures that do not meet the timeliness,
specificity, or significance thresholds of warning messages.
-
Color-coded
Threat Level System is used to communicate with public safety officials
and the public at-large through a threat-based, color-coded system so
that protective measures can be implemented to reduce the likelihood or
impact of an attack.
For more
information and to see the current terrorism threat level, please visit the
Department of Homeland Security
website.
Source:
Homeland Security |
|
