HOMELAND SECURITY

Homeland Security

Homeland Security

Introduction

Defending the homeland of the USA from attacks of terrorists is a difficult and alarming job. The scale is huge. The Freedom at the USA makes it very easier for terrorists to hide within the residents and hang around for a chance to attack as occurred on 9/11. To respond to the openness innate to US culture, the government has extended a way for homeland security which organizes the hard work of several agencies at the state, local and federal stages. The general objective is threefold: fortify U.S. defenses against an attack, prevent terrorists from striking in the United States, and prepare the American people and emergency responders in case an attack does occur.

Discussion

Terrorists were not behind the unprecedented blackout that darkened the Northeast on Aug. 14. But with the 12th anniversary of the 9/11, terrorist attacks advancing quickly, many Americans initially feared another attack. The fear was understandable, given the increasing number of warnings in recent time: For example:

On July 30, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) warned that terrorists may be conspiring to hijack airplanes yet again, this time not with simple box cutters but by exploiting holes in the international air-travel system that allow foreign visitors to pass through U.S. airports without visas. Attorney General John Ashcroft warned as recently as Aug. 3 that the al Qaeda terrorist organization is still plotting attacks on America or its interests abroad.

On Aug. 12 an FBI undercover operation led to the arrest in New Jersey of a man hoping to buy shoulder-launched missiles that could be fired against commercial passenger jets.

In early August, an al Qaeda tape surfaced warning that Americans will be attacked if terrorist detainees in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, are harmed.

Meanwhile, in the past years, al Qaeda has been blamed in two terrorist attacks in Indonesia, as well as in Morocco and Saudi Arabia, raising concerns that it is only a matter of time before the group turns its sights back toward the United States. (Faddis , 2010)

Homeland Security Department

The department has faced criticism primarily on the grounds of its alleged inefficiency. In 2008, media reports indicated that the department was responsible for $15 million worth of failed contracts from projects such as baggage screening and trailers for Hurricane Katrina evacuees. In 2009 the department released warnings to law enforcement agencies that right-wing extremism poses an increasing threat to the United States. Information released by the department reflected that right-wing terrorists were growing in number, as the result of recruitment campaigns based upon fears related to a down economy. The recruitment is also said to be based on racism related to the election of Obama, the nation's first African American President. In the final week of the year, Napolitano came under severe criticism for commenting, “The system worked,” after security checks in Amsterdam had failed to stop a Nigerian passenger from boarding a transatlantic flight, bound for Detroit, with a syringe and explosive chemicals, which he ignited while the plane was in the ...