Homeland Security: Securing a Future

The term homeland security was neither well understood nor commonly accepted in the United States prior to the attacks of September 11. It was widely reported that Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld disliked it. That all changed one Tuesday morning. Although the debate continues over precise definitions, the term itself is now commonly used by leaders in the executive and legislative branches of government and by the American press and public.

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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.

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