Drawing upon resource material provided and discovered while conducting your own research, answer both of the following topics in a research summary:
1) Fully describe the overall concepts of homeland security* and homeland defense. Construct a response that fully provides the following related to these two broad-based initiatives:
- Primary missions, tasks, responsibilities, operations, etc. for homeland security and defense.
- Highlight those areas that are shared and common interests between the two (joint endeavors between HLS and HLD?)
- Lastly, recommend your won definition for homeland security.
2) Adhering to the overarching theme and approach of the current National Security Strategy (NSS), provide your own recommendations regarding how the top threat you identified in the week three discussion should be addressed moving forward. Offer specifics as to how key elements of your proposal would be approached and implemented in accordance with Ends, Ways, and Means strategy framework.
This second part of the assignment looks at a threat you chose and basically asks you to describe what you think should be included in a framework for a specific national strategy to deal with it (underneath the NSS). In other words, if you were on the National Security Council Staff and asked to write a strategy to counter terrorism (for example), what do you think it should say. Note that the NSS is for overall national security (national defense abroad, homeland security, intelligence actions, economic levers, etc). However, a specific national strategy framework (such as a National Strategy to Counter Terrorism or NSCT) only addresses how to counter the terror threat.
*Note: Be aware of the fact that "homeland security" and resources needed to carry it out are made up of much more than just DHS. This agency is only one part (or cog) of the larger Homeland Security Enterprise that includes representatives from all level of government, the private sector partners and others.