Homeland Security Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Homeland Security - Research Paper Example The American state found out later that day about nineteen Islamic terrorists, members of Al-Qaeda who had entered into the state and were involved in the strategic planning and execution of their plan which brought about death and sorrow to thousands of people and their relatives (Ball 2005). The aftermath of the attack included immediate search-and-rescue operation and prolonged analysis and investigation of the incident by the federal government. Although the reasons and causative factors of the incident could not be highlighted at the moment, but the need of drastic changes and improvements in the security of the nation was required to prevent any other such terrifying circumstances. Hence, the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was the outcome of an immediate aftermath efforts taken by the federal government. Immediate measures were taken by the federal government after the Al-Qaeda attacks. President Bush stated in his letter to the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representative, â€Å"Yesterday evil and despicable acts of terror were perpetrated against our fellow citizens. Our way of life, indeed our very freedom came under attack. Our first priority is to respond swiftly and surely†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Congress must act† (Ball 2005). ... Two decisive actions were taken by the president in less than two months to defend the nation in this â€Å"war of terror†. The foremost step taken was to present in front of the Congress an anti-terrorist act, USA Patriot Act 2001, which was signed by President Bush six weeks later. The act was passed to strengthen the powers and activities of the national agencies of the country such as FBI or the CIA (Ball 2005). On September 20, 2001, just nine days after the attack, the establishment of the Office of Homeland Security was announced by the President Bush. The Office would be established within the White House by executive order and Pennsylvania Governor, Tom Ridge would be the Director of the office. Moreover, Homeland Security Council was also created for the security of United States against terrorist attacks or threats and help in the co-ordination and development of the strategic plans. The legislation for the establishment of the Department of Homeland Security was fi rst introduced by the Texas Representative Richard K. Armey in the U.S. House of Representatives on June 24, 2003. After the political differences and issues against the bills were settled, the Homeland Security Act of 2002 was passed and signed into law by the President Bush on 25 November, 2002 (Bullock et al 2012; U.S. Department of Homeland Security n.d.). These decisions taken by the federal government represented the immediate requirements of a strategic organization which was well-equipped and coordinated to defend the country in the seemingly endless war of terror. The mission statement of the DHS includes the safety, security and resilience of the state against terrorism and other