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The US Department of Homeland Security: From the Ground Up

In Part 1 of our series, we investigate the context, fears and executive orders that shaped the formation of DHS

Moneymore specifically, the lack of itis also a never-ending source of contention. Governors and mayors plead for more funding, particularly for first responders. The private sector wants financial assistance to secure the nation's infrastructure. State and federal agencies, feeling understaffed and overworked with new homeland security duties, want more money to carry out their missions. But with burgeoning deficits and operations in Iraq making resources even more scarce, DHS is just one more organization fighting for a piece of the federal funding pie.The FutureIt's easy to pick on a new organization that's still trying to find its way, but one can't ignore the progress DHS has made in some areas. Border security, for instance. The US-Visit program, which was unveiled in January in 115 airports and in cruise ship terminals at 14 seaports, requires foreign visitors (some countries are exempted) to have their index fingers digitally scanned and a digital photograph taken as they enter the country. Finger scans will be run against a database of known and suspected terrorists and criminals. Container security is another hot spot where progress has been made: DHS's C-TPAT (Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism) requires member companies to formally audit the security of their supply chains. The Container Security Initiative puts U.S. Customs officials at major international ports to inspect high-risk cargo before it embarks for the United States. Another regulation requires foreign shippers to declare cargo 24 hours before it enters the United States. And most would agree that airline travel is safer now than before 9/11.

But controversy follows many of DHS's moves like a shark trailing the scent of a freshly opened wound. The US-Visit program is a good example. Supporters hail the program as an important step in making our borders safer. Privacy advocates, on the other hand, decry the fact that millions of innocent travelers will now have their finger scans and photos in a database (the U.S. government hasn't said how long it will keep that information). Airlines worry about long lines. People in countries singled out in the program say it's discriminatory, especially because visa waivers are given to citizens from 28 countries.

So DHS lumbers on, under the watchful gaze of employees who wonder how they fit in, a Congress that wants more oversight, foreign nations troubled by some of its initiatives, CSOs who are being asked to beef up the security of the critical infrastructure but worry about the financial burden, and an American public that wants more security but complains about the hassles and worries about privacy. Most people would agree that our country needs a Department of Homeland Security. They're just not sure how it's going to work, and at this point, neither is DHS.