Читать книгу U.S. Citizenship For Dummies - Jennifer Gagliardi - Страница 42

Effective January 24, 2003, the new Homeland Security Act represents the most significant and extensive transformation of the U.S. government in over 50 years. In the aftermath of the terrorist attacks against the United States on September 11, 2001, President George W. Bush decided 22 domestic agencies could better serve and protect the country if they were coordinated into one department. The new department reorganized a patchwork of government agencies under the authority of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

The DHS encompasses a wide range of duties and responsibilities. Although you may only interact with one or two parts of the DHS, all the department’s activities are ultimately aimed at accomplishing six primary missions:

 Counter terrorism and security threats

 Secure U.S. borders and manage safe, orderly, and humane immigration processes

 Secure cyberspace and critical infrastructure

 Preserve and uphold the nation’s prosperity and economic security

 Strengthen disaster preparedness and resilience

 Champion the DHS workforce

One of the potential major advantages of the DHS is that it gives state and local officials one main contact instead of many when it comes to homeland-security needs. In theory, this will streamline the processes of efficiently obtaining necessary supplies and equipment, and training emergency personnel like police and firefighters, as well as medical personnel, to manage security emergencies. The DHS also manages federal grant programs, protects the U.S. borders, and more.