Unfortunately, all involved have been so engaged in promoting homeland security in the short run that a long term strategic vision has yet to take shape. A coherent, integrated national strategy for homeland security would help secure a future for us all.
Effective homeland security for the United States cannot be developed and implemented solely inside its borders. Just as a computer network cannot be adequately protected by a firewall alone, so America cannot be secured from twenty first century threats by positioning military forces along its borders or erecting barriers in its ports. For example, US customs officials would never be able to check the six million containers entering the country by sea each year.
