In Depth

Deconstructing DHS

Terrorism is one kind of plague; some say bureaucracy is another. Can the Department of Homeland Security manage to overcome both?

By Scott Berinato

Except for the minority of companies that own a piece of the critical infrastructure, the business of homeland security might seem remote to most of you. We will argue the opposite: In a way, we all stand somewhere in the path of terrorist threats. Goods you buy arrive here in containers, on ships that steer into American ports; your employees travel by air, to places that are targets for terrorism; partners and partners' partners own elements of the critical infrastructure, take on new costs to protect it and, in the end, pass some of those costs on to you. In the interconnected world of modern business, there is scarcely a company that won't be touched by homeland security in some way.

So read on. We encourage your feedback along the way and hope you find "Deconstructing DHS" a worthwhile investment, starting with Datz's explanation of the founding of DHS, the choreography necessary to direct 23 federal agencies, 180,000 employees, 88 congressional committees and $37 billion scattered around Washington and beyond onto a single stage, all with the same script.

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