Introduction
The department of homeland security was created by President George W. Bush after the terrorist attacks of September 11th 2001 in the United States (Baker, 2008). The main purpose of the office was to protect and safeguard the United States together with its citizens from terrorist attacks in present and future times. The department would therefore safeguard, protect and respond to any future terrorist attacks which may occur in the country. After the September 11th attacks, the people of the United States questioned the ability of their government to protect them against terrorist attacks. Creation of the Department of homeland security was a solution to their problems since its main mandate was to ensure the safety of the country against any future terrorist attacks.
The department of homeland security has several mandates. These mandates may either be formal or informal in nature. They have a strong implication to the strategic planning and success of the organisation. This is because they act as guidelines that have to be followed by the organisation to ensure that it achieves its goals and objectives in the short run and in the long run.
As per the recommendations of the 9/11 commission, it is the mandate of the department of homeland security to establish a method which will physically screen 50% of the cargo contained in all passenger airplanes in the united states by February 2009 and 100% of the same by August 2010 (GAO, 2008). This move ensured that all the flights will be safe from any terrorist attacks by the year 2010. This mandate was one among the many obligations and duties which the department owes to the citizen of the United States to ensure that they are free and safe from any terrorist attacks.
Due to the conduct of its activities and operations, the Department of Homeland Security has an informal mandate of ensuring that the United States has a reputation of not condoning terrorism of any kind. Although there is no written document to give the department a direct authority to this mandate, through its operations and conduct, this mandate falls under the arms of the department. It works hard to minimise internal and external terrorism; making the country to be safer than before. Through its mandates, the department of homeland security guarantees safety and protection to its citizens (Alperene, 2011).
The Mission Statement of the Department of Homeland Security
As stated earlier, the department of homeland security was established a few days after the September 11th terrorist attacks in the United States. It was established to prevent the occurrence of similar events in future. To achieve this goal, the department of homeland security has a vital mission statement; to secure the nation from any threats we face (DHS, 2011). To achieve this mission, the department has a workforce of more than 230,000 employees. They work in different departments to ensure that the nation is secure from all angles. These employees range from airport security personnel to border security, cyber analysts to chemical analysts and a standby emergency response unit that is ready to act at 24 hours a day (DHS, 2011).
To ensure whether the mission statement of the department of homeland security is clearly stated and portrays the goals and objectives which it wants to achieve, three socratic questions were used: is the mission statement unique, does it portray the organisation philosophy and is there a target group (Squidoo.com, 2011)? The mission statement of the department of homeland security had all these qualities.
The mission statement of homeland security is very unique. As it clearly states, it aims at securing the nation from any threats that it might be facing. There is no other department in the United States which has the authority of ensuring the security of the citizens of the country against terrorism. This mission statement therefore makes the department to be unique since it can be differentiated from other departments like the FBI or CIA. Having a unique mission statement gives an organisation direct goals and objectives and methods which it can employ to ensure that it achieves them.
From the mission statement, the organisation philosophy of the department of homeland security is can be clearly seen. On the segment “to secure…” it is clear that the philosophy of the department is to ensure security of everyone who falls under its jurisdiction without discrimination (McLaughlin, 2007). It works to ensure that peace and security is maintained in the country. Anyone who caught breaching this philosophy will face the consequences that follow.
Finally, the mission statement has a target group which is the people of the United States (Heath, 2005). The mission statement clearly says, “To secure the nation…” The nation here is used to refer to the citizen of the United States. The sole purpose of the department of homeland security therefore is to protect its citizen and their interests from any threats which may arise. This guarantees their safety.
To improve on its mission statement, the department of homeland security should have an element of sustainability. This will ensure its survival in the long run therefore people can have hope and faith that the department would continue to offer their support against terrorism and other threats. This will ensure that peace and security is maintained in the country even in perpetuity.
References
Alperene, M. (2011). Foundations of Homeland Security: Law and Policy. New York. John Wiley and Sons
Baker, J. (2008). New Hampshire, Our Home. New Hampshire: Gibbs Smith
DHS. (2011). About Us. The Department of Homeland Security. Web.
GAO. (2008). Aviation Security: Preliminary Observation on TSAs Progress Challenges in Meeting the Statutory for Screening Air Cargo Passenger Aircraft. Homeland Security Group. Web.
Heath, R.L. (2005). Encyclopedia of public relations. New York. Sage
Mclaughlin, J. (2007). Comics as Philosophy. Mississippi: University of Mississippi
Squidoo.com (2011). Socratic Order of Sandboxes. Squidoo.com. Web.