Introduction
The re-organization of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) represents one of the most radical and diverse arrangements made in the US government especially because it led to the placement of over twenty-two government agencies under one umbrella.
Whether the reorganization was effective or if the old way of business was better
There are a number of justifications for the reorganization of the DHS and this can be seen by achievements made by this very department. One of the biggest advantages is that now the country can have a more focused approach towards the issue of terrorism. (Perl, 2005) Previously, several federal agencies would deal with smaller challenges under terrorism but they lacked coordinated responses and were marred with duplication of roles. However, this problem was eradicated as a result of the changes instated in this Department. In line with the latter achievement is the fact that the country’s security levels have been improved in terms of dealing with large-scale risk factors such as nuclear weapons. Through improved detection mechanisms and well-planned responses, the country is now better prepared for emergencies such as the nine- eleven incident. Sharing of intelligence has also drastically improved through the creation of the new department of homeland security. This has been possible because analytical and gathering skills have been merged and developed to add a holistic dimension to them. Information and communication infrastructure have undergone drastic improvements after the creation of this new department. One of the major reasons for this has been the application and development of new technologies each time that there is a new way of carrying out these changes. Perhaps one of the most important advantages of the creation of such a department is the fact that incident management has been given the seriousness it deserves. Most of the federal states throughout the country placed under the DHS wing receive training on possible response strategies during emergencies. Aside from the above, logistics have been given to each group in order to facilitate the latter objective. In line with the latter, response capacities have been improved dramatically through the development of detailed attack possibilities. High-risk areas have been given particular attention as these are the locations that are likely to present the greatest challenges in case of large scale disasters. (DHS, 2007)
Although all the latter achievements have been made by the new DHS, one cannot also ignore the problems that arose out of this rearrangement. Firstly, because of the hurried nature with which these changes were made, little consideration was given to the rights of workers who could no longer be unionized. Additionally, human resource concerns have been poorly administered in the department. The DHS has poor pay increment policies or promotional policies thus explaining why their staffs have some of the lowest morale levels in the entire country. (Wolf, 2008) Besides the latter problem, it has also been established that the DHS is one of the most wasteful federal agencies in the government. In late 2008, media reports revealed that about fifteen billion dollars had been lost from this department due to poor financial usage by both staff and administrators there; unnecessary items were frequently purchased.
Conclusion
The US Department of homeland security has definitely gone through some major milestones since its reorganization. Examples here include better incidence management, better information sharing and focused antiterrorism efforts. On the downside, this reorganization has compromised on major staff incentives and has led to financial wastage.
References
DHS (2007). Homeland strategy for National security. Web.
Perl, R. (2005). Challenges and background to the DHS. Chicago: National Academies press
Wolf, N. (2008). America’s end. NY: Chelsea green press