Department of Homeland Security: Progress Report on Implementation of Mission and Management Functions

The Homeland Security Act was enacted in Nov. 2002, creating the Dept. of Homeland Security (DHS) to improve homeland security following the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The act centralized the leadership of many homeland security activities under a single fed. dept. DHS has the dominant role in implementing this national strategy. This hearing discusses the status of DHS¿s actions in fulfilling its respon. to: (1) establish policies to define roles and respon. for national emergency preparedness efforts and prepare for the transition between presidential admin.; and (2) develop operational plans and performance metrics to implement these roles and respon. and coordinate fed. resources for disaster planning and response.

This is a print on demand edition of a hard to find publication. Since 2003, the Dept. of Homeland Security (DHS) has been a designated as high risk because DHS had to transform 22 agencies into one dept., and failure to effectively address its mission and mgmt. risks could have serious consequences for national and economic security. This high-risk area includes: challenges in mgmt. functional areas, including acquisition, IT, financial, and human capital mgmt.; the impact of those challenges on mission implementation; and mgmt. integration. This testimony discusses DHS's progress and actions remaining in: (1) implementing its mgmt. functions; (2) integrating those functions and strengthening performance measurement; and (3) addressing the high-risk designation. Illustrations.