4
To what degree should the senior officials in DHS have the capacity to “get the right
people in the right place at the right time with the right pay” (Ballard 2002, 2).
Issues and Strategies of Homeland Security
The creation of the Department of Homeland Security reflects the confluence of two
strains of thought: the key issues and strategies of homeland security and the values of strategic
management, especially strategic human resources management (Advisory Panel [Gilmore]
1999, 2000, 2001, 2002; Campbell Public Affairs Institute 2002; Council on Foreign Relations
2002; Heritage Foundation Homeland Security Task Force [Heritage] 2002; Markle Foundation
2002; National Commission on Terrorism [Bremer] 2000; National Defense Panel [NDP] 1997;
O’Hanlon, Orszag, Daalder, et al. [Brookings] 2002; U.S. Commission on National Security/21
st
Century [Hart-Rudman] 1999, 2000, 2001; USGAO 2002e, 2003c).
A Comprehensive National Strategy
In general, current theory suggests four key components in an effective homeland
security policy: the development of a national strategy, the use of risk assessment, the creation of
a central leadership, and the development of networking and coordination. The most critical
element of a homeland security policy is the development of a comprehensive national strategy
for homeland defense. As late as December 2000, the Gilmore Commission noted, “The United
States has no coherent, functional national strategy for combating terrorism.” (p. 3).
1
A coherent
strategy would be national in scope, combining the efforts of the public, private, and nonprofit
sectors. The strategy would require adequate resources and would focus on measurable
outcomes. It would cover the full range of homeland security activities. The system would be
built on the current intergovernmental system of comprehensive emergency management. The
1
The Bush Administration published the first comprehensive national strategy for homeland security in July 2002.
The detailed discussion of the strategy appears in the discussion of the implementation of the Department of
Homeland Security.
Convention