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About the Homeland Security Program

Research in the Homeland Security Program supports numerous governmental agencies at the federal, state and local levels and entities in the private sector.  That support includes work for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Department of Justice, and other agencies charged with preventing and mitigating the effects of terrorist activity within U.S. borders, as well as improving preparedness, response, and recovery from natural disasters.  Projects in this program include national preparedness, critical infrastructure protection, cybersecurity, emergency management, terrorism risk management, security cost-benefit analyses, border security, enhanced capabilities for responders, domestic threat assessments, domestic intelligence, and manpower and training.

Assessment Framework Can Help Security Planners Decide Which Hypothetical Threats To Worry About

Chess game

Concerns about the panpoply of possible terrorist attacks are central to the design of security efforts to protect both individual targets and the nation overall. Two questions can be posed to assess the novelty and ease of execution of emerging threats, allowing security planners to both learn from new threats and prioritize.

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Is It Time to Rethink U.S. Entry and Exit Processes?

passport

Meeting mandated standards for managing individual travelers' entry and exit at U.S. borders has been a longstanding difficulty for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the U.S. border protection apparatus. This paper examines related policies and procedures critical to their success.

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Balancing Prevention and Mitigation Approaches to an Uncertain Terrorist Threat

Dept. Homeland Security Sec. Chertoff at a 2008 press conference with TSA Admin. Hawley

While traditional terrorism-prevention measures seek to prevent all damage by stopping attacks completely, the author recommends also adopting measures that seek to prevent only some of the damage from attacks, but that do so predictably across the many different ways in which they might occur, drawing examples from aviation security policy.

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The Problem of Measuring Emergency Preparedness: How Reliable Should Our Response Systems Be?

Search and Rescue workers at the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing: FEMA News Photo

Decisionmakers today largely assess emergency preparedness and homeland security "in the rear view mirror," looking at performance in actual events and responding to perceived failures. While real-world experience is important, better ways to assess preparedness prospectively will lead to better choices as to how and where to strengthen it.

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Social Science Approach to Counterterrorism Addresses Why Terrorism Arises and Declines

illustration of building made from puzzle pieces

This report from an interdisciplinary project to survey and integrate the scholarly social-science literature relevant to counterterrorism answers questions related to why some individuals become terrorists, how terrorists generate public support, how terrorist organizations make decisions, and why individuals disengage.

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U.S.-Mexico Strategic Partnership Needed to Help Mexico Improve Its Security Institutions

Mexican security officers, from cover of MG876

The United States should forge a strategic partnership with Mexico that emphasizes reform and long-term institution building as a way to battle the ongoing drug war and other security challenges that face Mexico.

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Mumbai Terrorist Attacks Show Rise of Strategic Terrorist Culture

Image Courtesy of Flickr

The Mumbai terrorist attacks in India suggest the possibility of an escalating terrorist campaign in South Asia and the rise of a strategic terrorist culture. This report identifies the operational and tactical features of the attack, evaluates the response of Indian security forces, and analyzes the implications for the region and the U.S.

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Federal Program Has Improved Health Agencies' Preparedness for Large-Scale Bioterror or Disease Outbreaks

Ambulance Emergency

A federal program designed to help metropolitan public health agencies prepare to deliver essential medicines to the public after a large-scale bioterror attack or natural disease outbreak has succeeded in improving the level of readiness.

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