Assignment:
Your exam is as follows. There are two multi-part questions relating to each of the five weekly sessions in terms of the main topics, assigned readings and discussion forum questions we have covered thus far in each sequential week. You will see that these questions often reflect a synthesis or expansion of the discussion forum topics. Select and respond to five of the following ten questions, one from each week or session:
Agriculture and Food
1.) Protecting the American food supply from terrorist attacks or natural contamination is a difficult task. The FDA and USDA have the primary responsibilities. These two organizations have made significant changes since 9/11 to protect the food chain, but we still have experienced major incidents such as: spinach contamination, restricted additives in pet food, massive recalls of possibly contaminated meat, problems with tomatoes, the peanut products incident, the raw cookie dough recall, salmonella-tainted eggs, bacterial contamination in fruit, and the list continues.
If you were a senior advisor in the Trump Administration, what would you recommend to the president for making these two government agencies more effective and proactive (rather than reactive) in protecting our food system? Should those functions or units be merged under DHS? Provide some research or evidence that supports your opinion.
2.) What do you think are the most significant threats or vulnerabilities affecting the Food and Agriculture (FA) sector? What strategies or specific measures would you recommend for mitigating, preventing, or protecting against these threats and vulnerabilities, and for responding to any incidents that do occur? What are the major obstacles or challenges that you would anticipate for implementing your recommendations, and how could those be overcome?
Information Technology (IT) & Cybersecurity.
3.) Do you believe that the vision, guiding principles and strategic concept outlined in the Blueprint for a Secure Cyber Future published by DHS in 2010, or the 2013 Executive Order from the Obama White House, Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity, or the Presidential Executive Order #13800 on Strengthening the Cybersecurity of Federal Networks and Critical Infrastructure from the Trump administration in 2017, are comprehensive and on target, or are there key elements missing?
Do you believe that the guiding principles are realistic and achievable? Why or why not? How do these mesh with the Comprehensive National Cybersecurity Initiative (CNCI), which emphasized the need for transparency and information sharing to improve public understanding of federal efforts to enhance cybersecurity? Is transparency really appropriate and in our best interests, or does it risk revealing too much to our enemies or malicious hackers? Support your case with specific examples or evidence from authoritative sources.
4.) What is your assessment of the "cybersecurity triad" and incremental approach to cybersecurity proposed by Harknett and Stever? Is it realistic and practical to engage citizens as the third leg of this triad? Do previous or historical government measures in response to the nuclear technology revolution have any enduring relevance or offer any lessons for the modern cybersecurity mission, or was that too long ago or too different in nature or scope to have any value today? Support your arguments with specific examples or evidence.
Emergency Responders
5.) Ever since the Oklahoma City Bombing of 1995 and the attacks of 9/11/01, congressional hearings, official government reports and think-tank studies have all agreed that a lack of interoperable public safety communications remains a chronic problem that hampers the effective coordination of emergency first responder agencies in major incidents. Considering all the advances in IT/communications technology, and the unifying motive of protecting our nation from terrorist attacks, why do you think this problem has thus far defied resolution? Provide three specific recommendations that you believe may help remedy this situation, and support your recommendations with examples, evidence or logical argument.
6.) What is your overall assessment of Presidential Policy Directive #8, the National Preparedness Goal-Second Edition, and National Preparedness System? What are their best elements, and what, if anything, appears to be missing or weak? Do they complement, reinforce and supplement other key guidance documents you were introduced to in this course, such as the National Incident Management System (NIMS)-Third Edition, and 2016 editions of the National Planning Frameworks, or are they in conflict or redundant?
Considering that these documents were all developed and published by the White House or DHS/FEMA, how do they affect state/local emergency responders, and what are the proper roles and responsibilities of state/local emergency responders in this national system? Drawing from lessons learned from recent major disasters such as Hurricane/Superstorm Sandy, the Oklahoma tornadoes, Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria, or others, what do you think must be done to further enhance preparedness and response for hurricanes or other catastrophic disasters here in the United States? Support your answer with specific evidence or examples from authoritative sources.
Technology & Homeland Security
7.) Our nation continually engages in research and development for new or better technologies to enhance mitigation, protection, prevention, preparedness and response for terrorist attacks or natural disasters in general, and to protect our CI/KR sectors in particular. The DHS Science and Technology Directorate Review 2014 describes the capabilities, accomplishments, priorities, ongoing projects, and way forward for DHS in this regard.
Given the discussions in this course about leveraging technology research and development, and considering the fact that DHS can't fund everything in the face of increasing pressure to cut federal spending, what would be the top four urgent priorities related to technologies for agriculture & food, water, the IT sector, or emergency responders that you would recommend should be pursued and funded? Provide specifics and the rationale for your choices.
8.) Which of the various homeland security technology applications or "gadgets and gizmos" discussed in any of the assigned readings for Week 10 seem to hold the greatest promise for providing practical solutions for serious homeland security problems or challenges? Explain and support your choices. Considering your choices in the context of Jackson's article on coevolution of offense and defense in applying homeland security technologies, what must we do to prevent terrorists from circumventing or disrupting those technologies? Can we realistically stay "one step ahead" of terrorists with proactive technology applications and security measures, or are we doomed to remain forever reactive and wait to address each new technology threat or limitation as it emerges or becomes apparent?
Group Projects and Overall Course Review
9.) In what ways, or to what extent-if at all-do you feel the United States is safer, or better prepared, in terms of homeland security than it was before 9/11/01? Provide specific examples or evidence to support your views. What major gaps, deficiencies or weaknesses remain, and what do you feel can and should be done to address them?
Identify and defend three specific key recommendations you would make as an advisor to President Trump to improve homeland security while preserving traditional American values or protections regarding civil liberties and privacy during his administration.
10.) Describe what you believe will be the three most important or serious emerging issues, trends or future threats and challenges facing the United States in the next five-ten years in the area of homeland security. How would you hope, or anticipate, that the current administration will address homeland security? Explain and support your picks or predictions with examples, evidence, and/or logical arguments. Finally, in what ways, if at all, has your thinking, understanding or assessment of homeland security in general, or critical infrastructure protection in particular, changed since you began this course?