Department of Homeland Security

From GAWDAwiki

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is a U.S. government department that is responsible for securing the nation against domestic attacks and natural disasters.

The United States Department Of Homeland Security

Among other things, the department is in charge of monitoring and regulating immigration and border control, disaster preparedness and relief, aviation security and security of infrastructure critical to the U.S. (including chemical facilities).

History

The Department of Homeland Security was created under the Homeland Security Act of 2002, signed by George W. Bush after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

Department Components

The Directorate for National Protection and Programs works to advance the department's risk-reduction mission, including physical and virtual threats.

The Directorate for Science and Technology is the primary research and development arm of the department.

The Directorate for Management is responsible for department budgets and appropriations, expenditure of funds, accounting and finance, procurement, human resources, information technology systems, facilities and equipment and the identification and tracking of performance measurements.

The Federal Law Enforcement Training Center provides career-long training to law enforcement professionals.

The Domestic Nuclear Detection Office works to enhance the nuclear detection efforts of federal, state, territorial, tribal and local governments, and the private sector.

The Transportation Security Administration protects the nation's transportation systems.

United States Customs and Border Protection is responsible for protecting the nation’s borders in order to prevent terrorists and terrorist weapons from entering the United States.

United States Citizenship and Immigration Services is responsible for the administration of immigration and naturalization adjudication functions.

United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement is responsible for identifying and shutting down vulnerabilities in the nation’s border, economic, transportation and infrastructure security.

The United States Coast Guard protects the public, the environment and U.S. economic interests in any maritime region.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) prepares the nation for hazards, manages Federal response and recovery efforts following any national incident and administers the National Flood Insurance Program.