Assignment task: Introduction to Homeland Security
Q1. What is the principal role of emergency management in homeland security? Identify the other major players and their roles in homeland security.
Q2. Identify the three directorates of the DHS and discuss their respective missions.
Q3. Discuss the homeland security role of federal agencies other than DHS.
Q4. Make the case for retaining an all-hazards approach to emergency management that includes terrorism and its associated hazards as one of many hazards. Discuss the pros and cons of such an approach as it relates to all four phases of emergency management: mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery.
Q5. If you had been in charge of establishing the DHS, would you have included FEMA in DHS or would you have retained it as an independent executive branch agency reporting directly to the president? Discuss the possible ramifications of moving FEMA into DHS in terms of FEMA's missions, programs, and reporting structure. The director of FEMA no longer reports directly to the president; will this be a problem in the future natural and terrorist- related disasters? What will the impact of FEMA's inclusions in DHS be on the nation's emergency management system?