Unit 1 Essay MSE 6201 Management Essay Research Paper

Understanding Homeland Security
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October 5, 2020
Introduction
Homeland security is a matter of national importance. Homeland security, contrary to the popular belief that it only deals with anti-terrorism matters, also extends to other national security matters such as cyberspace protection and disaster risk, resilience, and reduction management. Despite its weighty import, homeland security has fallen short of reaching a consistent and standardized definition in the legislature and the executive. The term's common uses often revolve around anti-terrorism, reaching out to other matters, then circling back to anti-terrorism (Reese, 2013).
For example, the 2010 Quadrennial Homeland Security Review from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) defined homeland security as "a concerted national effort to ensure a homeland that is safe, secure, and resilient against terrorism and other hazards where American interests, aspirations, and ways of life can thrive" (Reese, 2013). There are some qualms that the lack of a clear-cut definition may lead to congressional oversight or hodgepodge policy-making.
Nonetheless, this does not take away any parcel of importance from the organization and operation of homeland security as a whole. There are five missions of homeland security:
1 Preventing Terrorism and Enhancing Security;
2 Securing and Managing Our Borders;
3 Enforcing and Monitoring Our Immigration Laws;
4 Safeguarding and Securing Cyberspace;
5 Ensuring Resilience to Disasters (QHSRR, 2013).
For this paper's purposes, the focus will be given to the aspects of the fifth mission, disaster resilience, any recent hazards to which it was applied, and any possible improvement areas.
Mission 5: Ensuring Resilience to Disasters
"Resilience," citing the DHS, has four main aspects: (1) hazard mitigation; (2) enhanced preparedness; (3) effective emergency response; and (4) rapid recovery. Thus, as it may be gleaned from the term's coverage, resilience involves pre-disaster as well as post-disaster measures. Focus on rapid response and recovery must further be supplemented by effective mitigation and preparedness. The DHS insists that disaster resilience and risk reduction must be achieved not by the traditional "top-down" setting, but to a system that engages all stakeholders, from national to local (QHSRR, 2013).
Specific hazards and risks
An exa...