The National Strategy for Homeland Security (NSHS) and Quadrennial Homeland Security Review (QHSR) 

In addition to the National Security Strategy (NSS), the president, through the Secretary of Homeland Security and the Homeland Security Council, publishes the National Strategy for Homeland Security (NSHS). The first NSHS was published in July 2002, ten months after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. The most recent version of the NSHS was published in October 2007. The purpose of the NSHS is to mobilize and organize our nation to secure the Unites States homeland from terrorist attacks. The 2002 NSHS states that this is an exceedingly complex mission that requires coordinated and focused effort from our entire society – the federal government, state and local governments, the private sector, and the American people.

The NSS aims to guarantee the sovereignty and independence of the United States, with our fundamental values and institutions intact. It provides a framework for creating and seizing opportunities that strengthens U.S. national security and prosperity. The NSHS complements the NSS by addressing a very specific and uniquely challenging threat – terrorism in the United States – and by providing a comprehensive framework for organizing the efforts of federal, state, tribal, and local governments, as well as private organizations whose primary functions are often unrelated to national security (NSHS, 2002).

The 2002 NSHS states that the link between national security and homeland security is subtle, but very important. For more than 60 years, the United States has sought to protect its own sovereignty and independence through a strategy of global presence and engagement. In so doing, America has helped many other countries and peoples advance along the path of democracy, open markets, individual liberty, and peace with their neighbors. Yet, there are those who oppose America’s role in the world, and who are willing to use violence against the United States and its allies. The overwhelming power of the United States leaves these enemies with few conventional options for inflicting harm on the United States or our interests. One such option is to take advantage of our freedom and openness by secretly inserting terrorists into our country to attack our homeland. Homeland security seeks to deny this avenue of attack and thus to provide a secure foundation for America’s ongoing global engagement. Therefore, we can see that the NSHS is a subordinate strategy document to that of the NSS, but together they are mutually supporting and provide guidance to the executive branch departments and agencies (NSHS, 2002).

The 2007 NSHS has a slightly different focus than that of the 2002 NSHS in that it states that the “lives and livelihoods of the American people also remain at risk from natural catastrophes, including naturally occurring infectious diseases and hazards such as hurricanes and earthquakes, and man-made accidents." The NSHS recognizes that while we must continue to focus on the persistent and evolving terrorist threat, we also must address the full range of potential catastrophic events, including man-made and natural disasters, due to their implications for homeland security.

The purpose of the NSHS is to guide, organize, and unify our nation’s homeland security efforts. It provides a common framework by which our entire nation should focus its efforts on the following four goals:

• Prevent and disrupt terrorist attacks;
• Protect the American people, our critical infrastructure, and key resources;
• Respond to and recover from incidents that do occur; and
• Continue to strengthen the foundation to ensure our long-term success.

While the first three goals help to organize our national efforts, the last goal entails creating and transforming our homeland security principles, systems, structures, and institutions. This includes applying a comprehensive approach to risk management, building a culture of preparedness, developing a comprehensive Homeland Security Management System, improving incident management, better utilizing science and technology, and leveraging all instruments of national power and influence.

Homeland security requires a truly national effort, with shared goals and responsibilities for protecting and defending the homeland. The NSHS leverages the unique strengths and capabilities of all levels of government, the private and non-profit sectors, communities, and individual citizens (NSHS, 2007, p. 1).

The Department of Homeland Security defines homeland security as: The concerted national effort to prevent terrorist attacks within the United States, reduce America’s vulnerability to terrorism, and minimize the damage and recover from attacks that do occur. As such, the Department of Homeland Security is the lead federal agency for homeland security activities (NSHS, 2007, p. 3).

The 2007 NSHS was updated in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and it takes into account the realization that an all hazards approach to homeland security does not detract from the goal of preventing terrorism, but instead enhances national first response, mitigation, preparedness, protection, and prevention capabilities. The new strategy was crafted with the understanding that all disasters occur initially at the local level. However, the new focus emphasizes that homeland security must be a shared responsibility built on partnerships between federal, state, tribal, and local government agencies, as well as with private and non-profit organizations and individual citizens. The 2007 NSHS highlights these points by indicating that: “Our understanding of homeland security continued to evolve after September 11, 2001 adapting to new realities and threats. As we waged the War on Terror both at home and abroad, our Nation endured Hurricane Katrina, the most destructive natural disaster in U.S. history. The human suffering and staggering physical destruction caused by Katrina were a reminder that threats come not only from terrorism, but also from nature. Indeed, certain non-terrorist events that reach catastrophic levels can have significant implications for homeland security (NSHS, 2007, p. 3).

After reading the NSHS, consider if the document is too narrowly focused on the terrorist threat to the United States or if it gives adequate consideration to all potential hazards as implied in the first paragraph of the document which states: “The lives and livelihoods of the American people also remain at risk from natural catastrophes, including naturally occurring infectious diseases and hazards such as hurricanes and earthquakes, and man-made accidents (p. 1).

Homeland security is evolving and that the first Quadrennial Homeland Security Review (2010) and previous work established the Homeland Security Enterprise (HSE) as an, “Enterprise with a shared responsibility of federal, state, local, tribal, territorial, nongovernmental, and private-sector partners—as well as individuals, families, and communities. Diverse and widely distributed, spanning the country and including international partners, the homeland security enterprise jointly builds capabilities and carries out homeland security functions”.

These functions are built around the following current homeland security core missions, now articulated in the 2014 Quadrennial Homeland Security Review (QHSR):

• Prevent terrorism and enhance security;
• Secure and manage our borders;
• Enforce and administer our immigration laws;
• Safeguard and secure cyberspace; and
• Strengthen national preparedness and resilience.

These functions were first delineated in the 2010 QHSR, have been modified only slightly in the current iteration of the QHSR, but focus clearly on increasing resilience and preparedness, following Presidential Decision Directive (PPD) 8 – National Preparedness (2011), and PPD 21 – Critical Infrastructure and Resilience (2013).

Ask yourself how the documents mentioned on this page define homeland security. What are the strategic concepts that the strategy outlines to prevent and disrupt terrorist activities? How does the strategy suggest that we protect the American people, critical infrastructure, and key resources? How does the strategy suggest that we develop a “culture of preparedness”?