Department of Homeland Security (thing)

22 executive agencies. 170,000 bureaucrats. The largest reorganization of the U.S. federal government since 1947. DHS is all this and more.

According to the Homeland Security Act of 2002, "The primary mission of the Department is to prevent terrorist attacks within the United States; reduce the vulnerability of the United States to terrorism; and minimize the damage, and assist in the recovery, from terrorist attacks that do occur within the United States."

On November 25, 2002, the date that George W. Bush signed the bill into law, the Office of Homeland Security was cleared to become a department with a Secretary of Homeland Security sitting on the cabinet (Tom Ridge). The department is split into five directorates:

BORDER AND TRANSPORTATION SECURITY DIRECTORATE
Undersec. Asa Hutchinson

• Bureau of Customs and Border Protection
• Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement
• Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
• Transportation Security Administration
• Federal Law Enforcement Training Center
• Federal Protective Service
• Office for Domestic Preparedness

EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS AND RESPONSE DIRECTORATE
Undersec. Mike Brown

• Federal Emergency Management Agency
• Nuclear Emergency Search Team
• Strategic National Stockpile
• Nuclear Incident Response Team
• National Disaster Medical System
• Metropolitan Medical Response System
• National Domestic Preparedness Office

CHEMICAL, BIOLOGICAL, RADIOLOGICAL, AND NUCLEAR COUNTERMEASURES DIRECTORATE
Undersec. Charles McQueary

• Environmental Measurements Laboratory
• Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
• National Bio-Weapons Defense Analysis Center
• Plum Island Animal Disease Center

INFORMATION ANALYSIS AND INFRASTRUCTURE PROTECTION DIRECTORATE
Undersec. Frank Libutti

• National Infrastructure Protection Center
• National Communications System
• Critical Infrastructure Assurance Office
• Federal Computer Incident Response Center
• Energy Security and Assurance Program

MANAGEMENT DIRECTORATE
Undersec. Janet Hale

Agencies reporting directly to the Secretary:

• United States Coast Guard
• United States Secret Service
• Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services
• Office of State and Local Government Coordination

http://www.dhs.gov