Security Measures

Security Measures

Origins of Homeland Security

A month after the September 11 terrorist attacks, President George W. Bush issued an executive order establishing the Office of Homeland Security in the White House. Headed by former Pennsylvania governor Tom Ridge, the Office of Homeland Security was charged with developing and coordinating the implementation of a comprehensive national strategy to secure the United States against further terrorist threats. The office also coordinates efforts by the executive branch to detect, prevent, and recover from terrorist attacks within the United States.

The same executive order established the Homeland Security Council, which was given responsibility for advising and assisting the president in all aspects of homeland security. The council aims to ensure the effective development and implementation of homeland security policies. Meeting at the president's direction, the Homeland Security Council comprises a dozen senior administration officials: the president, vice president, treasury secretary, defense secretary, attorney general, health and human services secretary, transportation secretary, director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, director of central intelligence, and assistant to the president for homeland security.

Expanding Homeland Security

The concept of homeland security became firmly entrenched in U.S. public life when President Bush signed the Homeland Security Act in November 2002. This legislation granted the government new security and surveillance powers, including the right to monitor credit card transactions, telephone calls, academic transcripts, drug prescriptions, driving licenses, airline tickets, parking permits, banking records, e-mails, and Web site visits. The idea behind these new powers was to detect the presence of terrorists or potential terrorists within the borders of the United States.

In March 2002, the U.S. government adopted the Homeland Security Advisory System, based on a color-coded scale, to convey information about the level of terrorist threat to the nation. The system was criticized, however, ...