Creation of the Department of Homeland Security
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was established on November 25, 2002, through the Homeland Security Act, primarily in response to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. This formation marked the largest reorganization of the U.S. federal government since the creation of the Department of Defense in 1947. The DHS was created to unify various agencies, including the Immigration and Naturalization Service and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, under one umbrella to enhance national security and improve coordination in the face of evolving threats. Tom Ridge was appointed as the first secretary, followed by several others, each facing unique challenges, including public scrutiny and operational inefficiencies.
The DHS initially faced criticism for bureaucratic inefficiencies and a lack of effective coordination, which became evident during emergencies such as Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Additionally, concerns arose regarding civil liberties and surveillance practices under the expanded provisions of the Patriot Act. To communicate threat levels to the public, the DHS introduced the Homeland Security Advisory System, which was later replaced by the National Terrorism Advisory System in 2011. The establishment of the DHS aimed to foster a more responsive and cohesive approach to national security, emphasizing the importance of preparedness and cooperation among various governmental and emergency organizations.
Creation of the Department of Homeland Security
Creation of the Department of Homeland Security
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was created on November 25, 2002, with the Homeland Security Act of 2002, to provide better protection to US citizens following the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The federal government was reorganized to better face the enemy through formation of the DHS and the Patriot Act. It was the biggest US government reorganization since the formation of the Department of Defense (DOD) on July 26, 1947. Tom Ridge was named the first secretary of the DHS at the beginning of 2003, but he resigned in 2004, just one year after taking the helm, after the federal administration proposed raising the terrorism threat level just before the presidential election that year. Michael Chertoff succeeded him and was secretary until 2009. Janet Neopolitano followed, from 2009 to 2013, and Jeh Johnson was appointed in 2013. The reorganization of twenty-two cabinet-level departments such as the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), Border Patrol, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and Transportation Security Administration (TSA) into one comprehensive DHS initially resulted in bureaucratic inefficiencies, waste, and fraud. However, greater cooperation among the agencies involved promised to reduce the response time to threats and increase the nation's safety.
The Homeland Security Advisory System was implemented in 2002, showing the likelihood of a terrorist attack with low, guarded, elevated, high, and severe levels indicated by color. The system was discontinued in 2011, replaced by the National Terrorism Advisory System that is not color coded. The Web site Ready.gov was created in order to prepare citizens for attacks at home, and emergency response protocols and organizations were formed in the event of another terrorist attack. Despite all of these preparations, the government response to the country's next large disaster, Hurricane Katrina, in 2005, left much to be desired. The various regional and national aid organizations were unable to efficiently coordinate their efforts, leaving tens of thousands of victims stranded in New Orleans. Not only was the DHS inefficient, but it also came under fire for spying on US citizens without warrant under the expanded provisions of the Patriot Act. The following is a presidential briefing that outlines the purpose of the DHS:
President George W. Bush
June 2002
The Department Of Homeland Security
The president's most important job is to protect and defend the American people. Since September 11, all levels of government have cooperated like never before to strengthen aviation and border security, stockpile more medicines to defend against bioterrorism, improve information sharing among our intelligence agencies, and deploy more resources and personnel to protect our critical infrastructure.
The changing nature of the threats facing America requires a new government structure to protect against invisible enemies that can strike with a wide variety of weapons. Today no one single government agency has homeland security as its primary mission. In fact, responsibilities for homeland security are dispersed among more than one hundred different government organizations. America needs a single, unified homeland security structure that will improve protection against today's threats and be flexible enough to help meet the unknown threats of the future.
The president proposes to create a new DHS, the most significant transformation of the US government in over a half-century by largely transforming and realigning the current confusing patchwork of government activities into a single department whose primary mission is to protect our homeland. The creation of a DHS is one more key step in the president's national strategy for homeland security.
Immediately after last fall's attack, the president took decisive steps to protect America—from hardening cockpits and stockpiling vaccines to tightening our borders. The president used his maximum legal authority to establish the White House Office of Homeland Security and the Homeland Security Council to ensure that our federal response and protection efforts were coordinated and effective. The president also directed Homeland Security Advisor Tom Ridge to study the federal government as a whole to determine if the current structure allows us to meet the threats of today while anticipating the unknown threats of tomorrow. After careful study of the current structure—coupled with the experience gained since September 11 and new information we have learned about our enemies while fighting a war—the president concluded that our nation needs a more unified homeland security structure. In designing the new department, the administration considered a number of homeland security organizational proposals that have emerged from outside studies, commissions, and members of Congress.