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Securing Nuclear and Radiological Material in the Homeland
From the thesis abstract: "It is well established among the intelligence community that terrorists view the acquisition of nuclear or radiological materials (NRAM) as a goal in furtherance of their efforts to attack the U.S. within its borders. The use of NRAM in a nuclear weapon of mass destruction (WMD) or a radiological dispersion device (RDD) could potentially kill and injure thousands of American citizens. The economic impact of such a terrorist act on U.S. soil could cause profound economic damage, and would terrify the nation. While international efforts have been underway for many years to better secure military nuclear weapons and materials, this research finds that a comprehensive national security strategy in the U.S. for commercial nuclear materials is needed. While some strides were made in 2005 through measures taken by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to better secure nuclear generating power facilities, there is no similar comprehensive security strategy for NRAM stored or being transported in the U.S. This poses a potentially serious threat to our homeland security. This research reviews the present statutory and regulatory scheme for NRAM, and outlines a dramatic new approach that will better ensure our homeland security."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.). Center for Homeland Defense and Security; Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Eack, Kevin D.
2007-03
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Building Collaborative Capacity for Biosecurity at the Georgia Seaports
From the thesis abstract: "When public health interventions are incorporated into a comprehensive seaport security strategy, they can effectively prevent and reduce morbidity and mortality, resulting from natural or man-made disasters. The challenge is to build collaborative capacities through new and renewed seaport surveillance activities among government agencies and private companies to strengthen the role of public health to detect, intercept, and mitigate the potential effects of the intentional or unintentional introduction of diseases. Currently, effective collaborative processes between public health agencies and other local, state and federal partners in seaport security are weak and primarily the result of informal activities. Although seaport security receives considerable policy attention in other areas of risk management, such as radiological detection, public health investments are relatively neglected. Effective, sustainable approaches to building interagency collaboration could prove to be an indispensable homeland security initiative to prepare for a bioterrorism attack or other infectious disease incidents."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.). Center for Homeland Defense and Security; Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Neu, Annette L.
2007-03
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Terrorism Information Management within the New York City Fire Department: Past, Present and Future
"The New York City Fire Department, like the entire fire service, has been proven to be a primary stakeholder in Homeland Security. The mindset of firefighters is influenced by traditional and expected roles that are not fully considerate of the challenges accompanying the 'new enemy' of terrorism. A fundamental deficiency is herein identified as the manner in which information is managed. The FDNY must adapt so as to recognize information as an entity that must be collected, saved and utilized holistically for greater preventative and response capabilities. It must adopt lessons learned by others in the pursuit of better information management. These needs also exist, to a great extent, within the national fire service. This thesis will use a detailed analysis of existing FDNY information systems, a review of the criticality of information to past events, and the perspectives of FDNY firefighters to identify common denominators of deficiency. It will examine the manner in which others have confronted the issue of information management with an eye toward extracting salient lessons. The operational and psychological ramifications of poor information management will be explored. Finally, concepts that hold promise for the underpinning of practical solutions to the information management problem are presented."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.). Center for Homeland Defense and Security; Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Flynn, John P.
2007-03
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Government Expectations and the Role of Law Enforcement in a Biological Incident
From the thesis abstract: "Currently government and public health are drafting emergency response plans regarding biological events (man-made & natural) that include responsibilities for law enforcement. Yet, police officers are unaccustomed to working with biological agents or responding to biological incidents, and have little if any experience in this area. Therefore, their expectations and concerns are unknown and their willingness to respond is untested. Through the use of focus groups, officers were asked questions about their thoughts and concerns regarding responding to a bioincident. The focus groups consisted of over forty police officers, from more than five different agencies in the National Capitol Region. The results of the research demonstrate that most police officers are willing to respond to a biological incident; however, they expect that their families will be properly cared for by their agency, which presents a problem if there is no vaccine available. Other areas that were explored were the officers' expectations of the public and of their respective agencies in a bio-incident. The research concludes with recommendations regarding ways to prepare the public to have realistic expectations of law enforcement, the need to create a Family Support Unit within each agency, as well as other recommendations."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.). Center for Homeland Defense and Security; Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Demme, Nancy
2007-03
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Model Strategy and Policy for Screening Firefighter Candidates
"Critical to the homeland security mission success of the fire service in the United States is a sound workforce mentally and physically prepared to manage the new challenges they will confront and motivated by the desire to serve their community and country. Reasons for and evidence of the need for a new firefighter candidate screening strategy to support this new mission are addressed in this thesis. Scientific evidence on the validity of certain screening elements is evaluated, smart practices are identified and reviewed, and a new model firefighter candidate screening policy supported and driven by a formal strategic plan is proposed."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.). Center for Homeland Defense and Security; Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Pope, Christopher M.
2006-03
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Terrorism Awareness and Education as a Prevention Strategy for First Responders
"Fire service personnel are ideally suited to contribute to the concerted national effort of homeland security. If they intend to be an effective component of this effort then a revamping of existing preparedness activities must occur. This thesis will analyze the effectiveness of the Los Angeles Fire Departments counterterrorism efforts to date. The central argument is that much more needs to be accomplished in the area of prevention strategies. The way ahead will require an analysis of the impediments to change which continue to obstruct the department's progress toward preventative measures. Barriers discussed herein are leadership, firefighting culture, lack of training and educational opportunities, and ineffective use of community involvement. The citizens of the United States have benefited from awareness and prevention programs in the past. Three models were considered to determine which attributes could be extracted and used to construct the foundation for a terrorism prevention model. Frameworks used in some nationally recognized agendas were studied in order to draw information for the development of a terrorism awareness program for first responders. Relative to each of these issues, a recommended course of action specific to the LAFD will be outlined in considerable detail."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.). Center for Homeland Defense and Security; Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Welch, Alicia L.
2006-03
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In Support of Civil Authority: Is the Role of Military Support for National Security in Jeopardy?
From the thesis abstract: "Dependence upon the National Guard for civil support during major domestic incidents is an integral part of homeland security planning. This dependence is well-founded in a review of the Guard's historic roles in homeland security, but national and world conditions are quite different today from what they were when the Guard first took on this role. These differences may be creating a drain on its capabilities that is untenable on a long-term basis. Continuing use of the National Guard for homeland security--at least at its present level--may seriously endanger homeland defense. From the perspective of civil authorities, continuing dependence upon a questionable resource may prove devastating. This report considers the mutual impact of homeland defense and security roles on the National Guard, and how these conflicting responsibilities may be decreasing its ability to support civil authorities. It provides a view of one very possible future that will present significant problems for emergency planners."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.). Center for Homeland Defense and Security; Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Henderson, Robert R.
2006-03
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Utilizing Biological Models to Determine the Recruitment of the IRA by Modeling the Voting Behavior of Sinn Fein
"Sociological models have been extensively used to predict the behavior of terrorist groups and to understand their use of terrorism. Much remains to be understood, however, concerning the factors that govern the growth or decline of these groups. Sociological models are inadequate for understanding terrorist behavior because these models typically do not account for the behavior of individuals who ignore social mores. This thesis explores the use of biological population models as a means to incorporate predator-prey behavior factors into terrorist models. This thesis also demonstrates that this method is more appropriate for examining the growth and decline of terrorist organizations through the interaction of law enforcement and terrorist recruitment efforts. After analyzing the respective strengths and weaknesses of sociological and biological models, the thesis applies a biological model, the Lotka-Volterra predator-prey model, to a highly suggestive case study, that of the Irish Republican Army. This case study illuminates how a biological model can be utilized to understand the actions of a terrorist organization, and offer predictive value that sociological models lack."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.). Center for Homeland Defense and Security; Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Schaub, Erika Ann
2006-03
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Public Health Specializations and Education Needs to Support Homeland Security
From the thesis abstract: "Understanding and identifying critical public health human capital needs and their appropriate knowledge base for homeland security is necessary to help our Nation to prepare for and respond to acts of terrorism and natural disasters. Understanding what deficiencies exist by specializations and identifying an appropriate knowledge base for these individuals is necessary to meet the future force requirements to support homeland security. Personal interviews were conducted with 24 individuals throughout Tennessee and various components of the federal government. This was done to discern what these professionals believe are the necessary specializations to respond to homeland security mandates and the education these specialists needed to discharge their duties. For this study, public health was defined as: any individuals responsible for safeguarding and enhancing the health of the community in relation to homeland security. This is consistent with Dennis Raphael's definition which defined public health as 'the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting the health of the population through organized efforts of society'. The results of this study may help aid policymakers to attract, train, retrain and retain the appropriate cadre of professionals necessary to support the public health mission relating to homeland security."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.). Center for Homeland Defense and Security; Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Landguth, David C.
2006-03
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Implementing Maritime Domain Awareness
"As an attempt to gain understanding of everything in the global maritime environment that can impact the security of the United States, the Maritime Domain Awareness initiative is one of the most ambitious projects ever undertaken by the U.S. government. Information that falls under the prevue of MDA is tremendously diverse and complex, having application in the regulatory, law enforcement, and military arenas. As such, MDA is a multi-agency effort that encompasses 16 respective departments, agencies, and organizations working toward one common goal of shared information. Given that each of these organizations operates under policies and procedures that are radically different, effective MDA requires the design of a construct that fuses multi-agency information in such a way that it can be effectively shared among all agencies. This thesis argues that current infrastructure in the Coast Guard and Navy can be used to obtain MDA through a formal linking process that fuses multi-agency information on the tactical, regional, and strategic levels for sharing and dissemination to appropriate forces for action."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.). Center for Homeland Defense and Security; Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Watts, R.B.
2006-03
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Deployment of State Traffic Law Enforcement Officers for Homeland Security
"The terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, marked a turning point for agencies at all levels of government to consider their role in Homeland Security. Significant federal studies provided federal agencies with direction on needed changes; for state law enforcement there remains much to study. Deployment of traffic law enforcement officers in many agencies has not changed since 9/11, and remains a substantial resource that could be used for prevention of terrorist attacks. Changing deployment priorities of traffic law enforcement officers is complicated by the impact it could have on traffic safety and the over 40,000 people that are killed on America's highways every year. It becomes more complex with issues such as civil liberties concerns, political acceptability, citizen expectations and regulatory compliance. This thesis evaluates options for the deployment of traffic law enforcement officers to enhance Homeland Security efforts. It examines the value of traffic officers to overall deterrence plans and calls for the increased use of targeted and concentrated traffic patrols rather than random patrols. It recommends a strategy of intelligence based deployments as part of a layered security system that can maximize the total impact to the traffic safety and Homeland Security missions of state law enforcement agencies."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.). Center for Homeland Defense and Security; Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Thomas, Mark D.
2006-03
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Florida Air National Guard: A Model for Successful Recruiting
"Effective recruitment strategies are essential to the maintenance of an all-volunteer military. Shortfalls in recruiting, such as those that have been experienced by the Air National Guard, U.S. Army, Army National Guard, and Army Reserve, threaten the viability of national military strategies that call for the U.S. military to be capable of simultaneously fighting two major wars and dealing with catastrophic man-made or natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina. The Florida Air National Guard has been well ahead of its goals. Through successful recruitment policies, the Florida Air National Guard is, and will continue to be, 'Ready, Relevant, and Reliable.' This research is to identify the best practices that the Florida Air National Guard uses to recruit professional personnel and examine how these practices could be applied to other Air National Guard organizations along with other branches of the service. An empowered Recruiting and Retention Superintendent along with an innovative team approach have been successfully implemented and used by the Florida Air National Guard since June 2000. Many of the recruitment issues that the military faces today can be resolved by adopting the Florida Air National Guard's very successful model of leadership, communication, empowerment, and a team approach. The information presented in this thesis will draw on a variety of sources to show that the effective utilization of the Florida Air National Guard Recruiting and Retention Superintendent has had a dramatic and successful impact on the Florida Air National Guard's recruitment efforts. Based on secondary research, interviews, statistical analysis and an evaluation of present and past practices, this thesis will provide a path for recruiting that is focused, has a streamlined chain of command, along with the entire state recruiters working as a team to meet the needs of the entire state recruiting goals."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.). Center for Homeland Defense and Security; Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Delaney, James F.
2006-03
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Public-Private-Defense Partnering In Critical Infrastructure Protection
"The problem confronting The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Department of Defense (DoD), and America's private sector is how to collectively protect the nation's critical infrastructure. The challenge for the DHS is in motivating partnerships across the public, private, and DoD domains, each with different organizational and cultural objectives governed under a federalist system. The relevance of this problem lies in the vulnerability of America's economic and military foundations to terrorist attacks or a catastrophic natural disaster. Research conducted of the regulated energy and water industries indicates federal standards can be effectively established across the public-private domains. The establishment of federal tax and insurance incentives, limiting corporate liability, and developing industry standards may motivate increased security and circumvent excessive federal mandates. The conduct of partnering is scrutinized via personal interviews to determine if the recommendation to build security partnerships with federal guidance is sufficient to secure critical infrastructure. The implementation of a dual-purpose strategy is recommended to further enhance the efficiency of security partnerships. This thesis suggests the DHS must develop an innovative CIP policy and utilize the National Infrastructure Protection Plan (NIPP) as the vehicle to integrate and synchronize the actions of all security partners."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.). Center for Homeland Defense and Security; Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Jaksec, Gregory M.
2006-03
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Policing The Homeland: Choosing the Intelligent Option
"Shortly after September 11, 2001, our nation's law enforcement community found itself ill prepared to handle the range of responsibilities required in a nation under the threat of terrorism. Police organizations hastily assigned resources to help mitigate areas hit hard by the attack while dispersing investigative capital to prevent future strikes. A stark realization would follow, exposing the demands of coping with counter-terrorism while balancing finite resources aimed at traditional crime fighting. These added challenges underscored the notion that American policing had entered a new era - Homeland Security. This thesis evaluates the options state police organizations have for adopting an appropriate style of policing for Homeland Security. A case study of the New Jersey State Police (NJSP) response to this challenge further examines how such organizations can transform their structures and processes to bolster their intelligence apparatus. The NJSP objective was to confront the challenges of Homeland Security while better equipping the organization to respond to its traditional investigative responsibilities. Using the example of the NJSP, the study provides a realistic set of solutions for other state police organizations to implement when setting their own course in the Homeland Security Era."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.). Center for Homeland Defense and Security; Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Guidetti, Raymond A.
2006-03
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Enterprise Policing for the September 12 Era
"The community policing strategies that were in place in September of 2001 were not effective at meeting the threat of terrorism. American police agencies are at the threshold of a new era in policing, which has not yet been fully identified. This thesis will explore the limitations of community policing. A new model identified as Enterprise Policing is proposed to meet homeland security challenges. Enterprise Policing is a term developed to identify a policing style that embodies community policing as an organizational philosophy rather than a program. It includes interacting or networking in unprecedented ways with other law enforcement and government agencies, as well as community members, for the purpose of informal communication and mutual support. Under this policing style, neighborhood policing teams will resemble regional networks created for mutual assistance, to exchange information and ensure public safety. Enterprise Policing is flexible and resilient. It is focused on prevention and preparedness as well as response and recovery. Unlike community policing, Enterprise Policing involves the use of technology and training for information sharing and the development of actionable intelligence. It is intended to address national and transnational policing issues as well as local concerns that impact community safety."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.). Center for Homeland Defense and Security; Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Dial, David E.
2006-03
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State Tools to Update and Strengthen Statutes for Agriculture Emergencies
"Many existing state statutes for animal health emergencies fail to comprehensively address authorities needed during animal health emergency response. Therefore, it is vitally important that states review and revise their authorities to develop clear and comprehensive powers to respond. This thesis was developed to assist states with the process of revision by providing a model outline of topic areas that should be addressed in state statutes for animal health emergencies. The model outline of topic areas is intended to provide states with a suggested framework for revising their existing state statutes. Because there are significant variations in the organizational structure of state animal health regulatory officials within each state, there is not a statutory model that can be applied universally to all fifty states. That is why this thesis attempts to provide the outline of topic areas that each state needs to address individually, rather than presenting universal language. If states intend to respond quickly and efficiently to animal health emergencies, authorities must be clearly delineated and comprehensively written. It is the author's hope that this thesis will help states update and add to their statutes, ultimately improving their response to animal health emergencies. In addition, revision of the statutes will eliminate inefficiencies that may lead to delayed response effort, and will preserve local, state, and federal government resources and funding."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.). Center for Homeland Defense and Security; Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Garvey, Ann Peters
2006-03
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Enhancing Homeland Security Efforts by Building Strong Relationships between the Muslim Community and Local Law Enforcement
From the thesis abstract: "Following the events of September 11, 2001, law enforcement agencies were struggling to gather the investigative information necessary from the Muslim community to assist in efforts to prevent future attacks. Building a strong relationship between the local police and the Muslim community is essential in defending America against acts of terrorism. Key to this relationship is trust between the groups and bridging the gap of cultural differences. This study sought to determine what factors associated with building relationships with established communities can be applied to the immigrant Muslim community to further public safety and homeland security needs. Specifically, the study examines the best practices used in an outreach effort in the African-American community in the City of Saint Paul and looks at how the application of those practices could produce results in the Muslim community. The research demonstrates that community policing is the cornerstone of community outreach, that individual relationships built by law enforcement representatives form the platform for outreach, and that the complexity of culture in immigrant communities requires law enforcement to go beyond the traditional community policing efforts to attain cultural competency. Finally, the study finds that the true best practice to prevent terrorism is to build trust with the community being served."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.). Center for Homeland Defense and Security; Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Jensen, Dennis L.
2006-03
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Using Surveillance Camera Systems to Monitor Public Domains: Can Abuse Be Prevented?
"After mainland United States suffered a violent attack upon its citizenry, Homeland Security professionals recognized the need to protect a growing number of critical infrastructure locations. Millions of dollars earmarked for emergency management programs were funneled into technologies that enabled public safety to 'do more with less.' Closed circuit television surveillance systems rocketed to the forefront as the must-have technology. Citizens of the United States became subject to video surveillance during their normal daily routines. This thesis examines the management of CCTV systems used by municipal police departments and analyzes the policies created to control the technology and prevent abuse. Using U.S. Census Bureau data, the police departments responsible for protecting the 50 largest cities were contacted and surveyed. The initial step determined what jurisdictions utilized surveillance cameras to monitor public domains. The follow-up steps gathered information about the systems being used; the management decisions regarding where to place the cameras; the training for its operators; supervision standards; the written policies regulating the department's program; analyzing those directives; and finally, presenting step-by-step recommendations for implementing CCTV surveillance systems for Homeland Security use."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.). Center for Homeland Defense and Security; Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Nestel, Thomas J., III
2006-03
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Strengthening and Expanding the Citizen Corps
"The Citizen Corps (CC) is the primary Department of Homeland Security vehicle for achieving civilian preparedness. CC volunteers are included in the National Preparedness System (NPS) through various sponsoring agencies who determine the roles and functions of the volunteers within their organization. However, not defining the CC as an independent support function within the NPS makes it difficult to isolate data for the purpose of creating Target Capabilities Lists, measuring performance, and including volunteers in operations plans. This thesis posits that to achieve adequate civilian preparedness, the CC's roles and functions need to be restructured to align with the certification systems of the professional emergency response disciplines. CC certifications will also bridge gaps in the response continuum. The CC reorganization will modularize and isolate roles and functions for the purpose of strategic planning, measuring performance levels, serving as a predeployment civilian response, typing, credentialing, and pre-registering as an independent resource capability (which will be essential in planning for a pandemic and surge capacity needs). For planning purposes, and to add visual clarity to the CC roles and functions, the CC should be positioned as an independent Emergency Response Function within the National Response Plan."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.). Center for Homeland Defense and Security; Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Biladeau, Pamela G.
2006-03
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National Response System: The Need to Leverage Networks and Knowledge
From the thesis abstract: "Hurricane Katrina highlighted serious deficiencies in America's national approach to emergency management of Incidents of National Significance (IoNS). Although Homeland Security Presidential Directive Five identifies a broad, unified effort to respond to domestic incidents, barriers to the achievement of this goal exist in our culture, policies and processes. When viewing our national response from the perspective of network theory and knowledge management, specific gaps are identified in doctrine, organizational composition and technological capability. An agenda for change to the National Response Plan and National Incident Management System should integrate the strengths of the network design and address the critical role that knowledge plays in shaping response efforts at all levels. A comprehensive strategy to change the culture and approach of our response community includes streamlining organizational roles of the Unified Command and local Emergency Operations Centers, expanding the Unified Command to include the private sector and NGOs as equal partners, implementing a Knowledge Management Annex to the National Response Plan and deploying a mesh network communications system as part of the proactive federal response."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.). Center for Homeland Defense and Security; Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Compagnoni, Barry A.
2006-03
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Federal Role in the Security of Religious Venues In America
From the thesis abstract: "Increasing Islamic extremist terrorist attacks against primarily Christian worship sites in the Middle East and Southeast Asia pose disturbing questions: Could terrorists attack places of worship or a religious icon in America, what security policies are currently in effect, and what would be the impact on the American People? This paper explores the potential consequences of neglecting the security of religious venues in America and how it could have strategic ramifications if ignored. Could a successful and highly visible terrorist attack on an American worship site have such an effect on the American Public that it could drastically alter the war on terror, re-draw battle lines by faith, and launch a modern day Crusades? What role does the federal government currently have in defending America's religious venues against the threat of an Islamic extremist terrorist attack? Are current security efforts adequate, and if not, what policies or new approach should be taken? The author ultimately proposes a federally-led layered security engagement strategy model for religious venues. This model utilizes an incentive-based federal resourcing approach to facilitate achieving optimal security while still preserving America's core social tenet of protecting and ensuring the religious freedoms of its citizenry from religiously-motivated Islamist terrorism."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.). Center for Homeland Defense and Security; Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Crockett, Michael L.
2006-03
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State and Urban Area Homeland Security Strategy v3.0: Evolving Strategic Planning
"This thesis proposes to overhaul the state and urban area homeland security strategy program by improving the strategic planning process, guidance and assistance, and strategy review in collaboration with state and local stakeholders. Federal, state, and local reviewers regard the current state and urban homeland security strategies as generally inadequate and indicative of limited strategic planning processes. Comprehensive, enterprise-wide homeland security strategies are essential in coordinating preparedness efforts and limited resources. A collaborative effort between the federal government and state and local stakeholders would promote a value innovation in strategic planning that will transform state and urban area homeland security strategies."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.). Center for Homeland Defense and Security; Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Chen, Darren
2006-03
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Ringing the Bell; Sounding the Alarm: A Proposal for the Simultaneous Advancement of Security and Privacy
"The need for domestic intelligence and information sharing to detect indications and warnings of terrorist acts and prevent them has raised privacy and civil liberties concerns. The relationship between national security and privacy and civil liberties is often modeled as a scale with security on one end and privacy and civil liberties on the other. Success is said to be achieved when security and privacy are balanced. This model forces these values to be traded in a zero-sum game. A new model that decreases the 'cost' to privacy and increases the 'value' to security is needed. Technological, policy and organizational innovation hold promise in designing new intelligence and information-sharing architectures capable of detecting indications and warnings of terrorism and protecting the privacy and civil liberties of Americans. Using government documents that articulate attributes for a terrorism early warning system and widely accepted privacy principles as design requirements, the thesis examines technologies that could meet the challenges of both security and privacy. Designing and building a system that supports both security and privacy will benefit both. The thesis argues, this system will enable the Nation to fight terrorism while upholding the liberties that form the core values of the American people."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.). Center for Homeland Defense and Security; Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Novak, Kneilan K.
2006-03
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Community Expectation: Matching Government Capabilities to the Expectations of the Public
From the thesis abstract: "Major events potentially affect all types of essential services in both government and private sectors. These are services that residents expect to be delivered, required by other services to function, and are critical to the life safety of residents. If those services collapse, there will be a grave threat to life and limb. Failure to properly ensure continuity of essential governmental and private services in the wake of a natural disaster or terrorist attack could result in societal chaos. A community expects the response and outcome of any event to be the same, failing to realize the interdependencies required for continuation of necessary services. Planning in isolation only protects single aspects. Contributing factors to interdependency effects are stove-pipe planning and ineffective information sharing. A stove-pipe or vertical sector-based system creates an environment of isolation within a community rather than a cohesive interacting system. With the increasing potential for a major event to occur, government, private business and the general public have not identified and shared their expectations of essential services as the precursor to an effective continuity program. Public -- private collaboration allows the expectations to be discussed and addressed as a community rather than an independent discipline issue. As public and private expectations are identified, two relevant issues are required to address the capabilities required to deliver the essential services. They are horizontal planning and resilience. Regional or local governmental structures provide the platform for horizontal planning and cooperation for emergency preparedness that is essential to civil protection. A community based system is the mechanism for improving coordination and communication to and from the government."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.). Center for Homeland Defense and Security; Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Friedland, Jeffrey A.
2007-09
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Detect and Defeat - The Complexities of Accomplishing the HLS Mission with Existing Intelligence Collection Practices
From the thesis abstract: "Since the tragic events of 11 September 2001, it has been argued that accurate and well-vetted intelligence is critical to securing the Homeland; but over five years after the historic day, the realm of creating an "effective" domestic intelligence platform falls short of meeting desired milestones. The distinct threat of radicalism incubating within our smaller communities (townships, rural community) still exists and the lack of intelligence collection efforts at the local level may be fueling this threat. As a result of interviewing small townships and rural communities dispersed across the United States, it was discovered that though law enforcement resources of our smaller populations have been recognized as critical assets in the realms of Homeland Security (HLS), small townships and countryside communities still experience shortfalls in available resources and HLS related training. More times than none, these deficits revolve around domestic intelligence collection, processing, and dissemination. This research project will review the shortfalls plaguing the environment of intelligence collection and sharing. This project will also offer a cost effective strategy to mitigate the identified intelligence discrepancies and propose a solution to improve information sharing between Homeland Security stakeholders."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.). Center for Homeland Defense and Security; Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Robertson, Jeffrey T.
2007-09
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Strategic Changes for the Fire Service in the Post 9/11 Era
"The fire service mission has changed since September 11, 2001, and the threat of terrorism is placing new demands on fire service leaders. Expectations of the community and a duty to maximize safety for fire service employees have created complex problems that will require unique and non-traditional solutions. The challenge for fire service leadership is how to best manage the contemporary threat of terrorism while maintaining its growing list of traditional mission-oriented requirements. This thesis uses formative evaluation and policy analysis to reach its recommendations in four key areas that the fire service must address if it is going to be successful in meeting its post 9/11 mission. First, the fire service must engage in intelligence activities in order to maximize situational awareness, and be effective at planning and budgeting. Second, the community must be partnered with and leveraged in order for security to be maximized. Third, new methods of response must be considered that ensures broad based effectiveness. Fourth, leadership principles must change from the current transactional approach to a more transformational style to meet the rapidly changing environment. Although fire service agencies vary across the nation, the recommendations included herein are intended to be universal."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.). Center for Homeland Defense and Security; Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Weeks, Douglas M.
2007-09
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Effect of Assessment Processes on Measuring Homeland Security Capability
"The National Preparedness Goal directs that preparedness efforts for major events should be developed through a capability-based planning process. The ability to perform a valid and reliable capability assessment is necessary to guide proper allocation of resources in the capability-based planning process. Capability assessment is also necessary to validate and measure the impact of investments. This thesis examines a self assessment methodology that may be used to perform capability assessment. A comparative case study methodology is employed to examine process options. These options might be utilized to determine which process provides the most opportunity for data collection while fostering a collaborative environment that may provide opportunities for sharing knowledge among assessment group members. A review of the case studies suggests that the subject-matter experts employed in the analysis may not have the requisite knowledge to perform the assessment. This suggested finding implies problems with capability-based planning efforts. The thesis makes recommendations for future strategies to perform homeland security capability assessments."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.). Center for Homeland Defense and Security; Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Donnelly, John A., Sr.
2007-09
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What Type of State Homeland Security Strategy Should the State of New Jersey Develop?
"The State of New Jersey does not have a written homeland security strategy. This thesis argued that New Jersey should have a strategy. The author has reviewed the reasons why New Jersey does not have a state strategy. Based on preliminary work, any justifications are no longer supportable. Beyond that, the thesis described the elements that should be in that strategy. A by-product of the thesis was a homeland security strategy template that can be used by other states. As per the methodology, existing state strategies were reviewed and compared against national criteria for an acceptable strategy. New Jersey must create a strategy with a strong foundation, similar to the National Strategy for Homeland Security, which at the same time contains clear and concise goals, objectives, and activities, commonly found in conventional business plans. Based on that review the author recommended that New Jersey create a homeland security strategy similar to the National Capital Region Homeland Security Strategic Plan. Further, New Jersey should construct this strategy using the Government Accountability Office (GAO) report which identified six desirable characteristics that should appear in (national) homeland security strategies as a guide."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.). Center for Homeland Defense and Security; Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Rosell, Richard G.
2007-09
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Impact of Police and Media Relations on a Crisis
"Effective crisis management and communication is crucial during any catastrophic event, otherwise fear, panic, and mass hysteria can prevail. The public relies heavily on the government (police) and the media for information during a crisis. This thesis focuses on a joint police and media response plan and outlines a preparation plan to assist the public during a terrorist attack or similar crisis. Historically, the police and the media have had opposing views regarding sharing and disseminating information to the public. This report studies the inherent mistrust between both organizations and proposes strategies to overcome the suspicion and build a partnership. Proven community policing models within the Philadelphia Police Department are examined as a potential template for a police and media partnership. Survey results and focus group responses from the police, media, and the community are presented. This document examines national and international lessons learned and offers best practices on providing timely and accurate information, educating and informing the public, and improving communication and trust between the police and the media. The proposed police and media training curriculum breaks down the cultural barriers and develops mutual respect for each individual profession."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.). Center for Homeland Defense and Security; Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Castro, C. Daniel
2006-09
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Standardized Training to Improve Readiness of the Medical Reserve Corps: A Department of Health and Human Services Program under the Direction of the Office of the Surgeon General
"The Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) was formed to provide a cadre of trained medical volunteers to support and strengthen the public health infrastructure and improve its' emergency preparedness level. Training policies and standards are left to the discretion of the local MRC coordinator so the program maintains its flexibility to meet community needs. Training varies from unit to unit, and there are no protocols in place to measure or evaluate the effectiveness of that training. According to recent studies and surveys, disaster operations are an unfamiliar role for most MRC volunteers and the public health workforce in general. Evidence also suggests that few medical and public health workers receive this important preparedness training. In 2005, MRC working group members developed a list of core competency recommendations to provide training guidance, but specific educational content to satisfy those competencies were not defined. This thesis offers specific training content guidelines and strategies for achieving competency. The MRC must be able to integrate into the disaster environment while working safely, effectively and efficiently. Standards will set the mark for success, enabling the MRC to respond in a coordinated manner and at a consistently higher level to any public health emergency."
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.). Center for Homeland Defense and Security; Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
Cox, Cynthia A.
2006-09
