Securing Our Country: The Department of Homeland Security

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1.) The major laws and regulations that direct the operations of the Department of Homeland Security are as follows; the Homeland Security Act of 2002, Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004, and the Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007.

The Homeland Security Act of 2002 was introduced after the September 11, 2001 attacks and mailing of anthrax. It was signed into law by then President George W. Bush in November 2002. It created both the United States Department of Homeland Security and the cabinet-level position of Secretary of Homeland Security¹. The Act's first responsibility was to prevent terrorist attacks in the United States. The Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 was signed on December 17, 2004. It established both position of Director of National Intelligence (DNI), the National Counter-terrorism Center (NCTC), and the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board. The Act requires the Department of Homeland Security to take over the conducting of pre-flight comparisons of airline passenger information to Federal Government watch lists for international and domestic flights. It created the Secure Flight Program for the Transportation Security Administration². The Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007 implemented some of the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission including mandating 100 percent inspection of all air and sea cargo entering the United States, and a new method of redistributing anti-terrorism funding. It was signed by President Bush on August 3, 2007.The Act also established grants to support high-risk urban areas and state, local, and tribal governments in preventing, preparing for, protecting against, and respondin...

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... 2011, from http://www.whitehouse.gov/cybersecurity/comprehensive-national-cybersecurity-initiative

13 CNN. (2009, January 22). Obama signs order to close Guantanamo Bay facility - CNN. CNN. Retrieved November 27, 2011, from http://articles.cnn.com/2009-01-22/politics/guantanamo.order_1_detention-guantanamo-bay-torture?_s=PM:POLITICS

14 Office of the Press Secretary. (2011, June 22). Defense | The White House. The White House. Retrieved November 27, 2011, from http://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/defense

15 Lee, J. (2009, May 22). Reform for Our Troops. The White House. Retrieved November 27, 2011, from www.whitehouse.gov/blog/Reform-for-Our-Troops

16 Nicholas, P. (2010, June 22). Obama requests $600 million for border security. The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 27, 2011, from http://articles.latimes.com/2010/jun/22/nation/la-na-border-patrol-20100623

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