This book is a detailed examination of whether domestic security measures are striking an appropriate balance between homeland security and civil liberties in the post-9/11 era. Professor Paul Wilkinson and the other contributors assess the nature of UK responses to terrorism by key public and private-sector bodies, highlighting how these organizations can prevent, pre-empt, counter and manage terrorist attacks by using a matrix of factors such as types of terrorist networks, tactics and targets. The volume also compares and contrasts the UK's response with cognate states elsewhere in the EU and with the USA. While improved intelligence has helped prevent a major Al Qaeda attack, the authors conclude that there is still a ‘major question mark’ over whether the country is adequately resourced to deal with an emergency situation, particularly in major cities other than London. The book also confirms that while the UK faces a ‘real and serious’ threat of terrorist attack by Al Qaeda, it is better prepared for an attack than other EU member states. Homeland Security in the UK will be essential reading for all students of terrorism studies, security studies and politics, as well as by professional practitioners and well-informed general readers.

This book is a detailed examination of whether domestic security measures are striking an appropriate balance between homeland security and civil liberties in the post-9/11 era. Professor Paul Wilkinson and the other contributors assess the nature of UK responses to terrorism by key public and private-sector bodies, highlighting how these organizations can prevent, pre-empt, counter and manage terrorist attacks by using a matrix of factors such as types of terrorist networks, tactics and targets. The volume also compares and contrasts the UK's response with cognate states elsewhere in the EU and with the USA. While improved intelligence has helped prevent a major Al Qaeda attack, the authors conclude that there is still a ‘major question mark’ over whether the country is adequately resourced to deal with an emergency situation, particularly in major cities other than London. The book also confirms that while the UK faces a ‘real and serious’ threat of terrorist attack by Al Qaeda, it is better prepared for an attack than other EU member states. Homeland Security in the UK will be essential reading for all students of terrorism studies, security studies and politics, as well as by professional practitioners and well-informed general readers.

The national security strategy of the United Kingdom is to use all national capabilities to build Britain's prosperity, extend the country's influence in the world and strengthen security. The National Security Council ensures a strategic and co-ordinated approach across the whole of Government to the risks and opportunities the country faces. Parts 1 and 2 of this document outline the Government's analysis of the strategic global context and give an assessment of the UK's place in the world. They also set out the core objectives of the strategy: (i) ensuring a secure and resilient UK by protecting the country from all major risks that can affect us directly, and (ii) shaping a stable world - actions beyond the UK to reduce specific risks to the country or our direct interests overseas. Part 3 identifies and analyses the key security risks the country is likely to face in the future. The National Security Council has prioritised the risks and the current highest priority are: international terrorism; cyber attack; international military crises; and major accidents or natural hazards. Part 4 describes the ways in which the strategy to prevent and mitigate the specific risks will be achieved. The detailed means to achieve these ends will be set out in the Strategic Defence and Security Review (Cm. 7948, ISBN 9780101794824), due to publish on 19 October 2010.

Introduces the reader to a variety of overseas Homeland Security strategies, policies, and practices in order to present approaches to addressing homeland security challenges and inform students and practitioners This book educates those studying or involved in American Homeland Security on the policies and procedures set by other countries so that they can learn from foreign experiences and determine which overseas approaches may be applicable to improving US Homeland Security policy. The book is broken down into topical categories reflecting some of the major areas within the field of Homeland Security. Each chapter comprises a discussion of strategic policies followed by a set of countries in the context of the subset of Homeland Security addressed in that particular chapter. The book also delves into cybersecurity policy issues, an area that has been growing exponentially but was not touched on in the first edition. The new edition of Comparative Homeland Security: Global Lessons updates foreign laws, strategies, and policies while expanding the depth and range of the discussion to include additional overseas policies. Based on eleven countries procedures and nine homeland security dimensions, it covers: Counterterrorism Strategies, Laws and Institutions; Law Enforcement Institutions and Strategies; Immigration and Counter-Radicalization; The Role of the Military in Security and Support for Civil Authorities; Border Security, Naturalization, and Asylum Policies; Security Facilities, Cyber Networks, and Transportation; Emergency Preparedness, Emergency Response and Management and Crisis Communications; and Public Health Strategies and Institutions. New edition updates foreign strategies and policies and extends the scope of discussion of these topics Expanded approach for a wider range of students and practitioners exploring the homeland security policies of other countries Covers strategies and tactics to combat terrorism from a number of the world's democracies including: Great Britain, Israel, France, Germany, Canada, and Australia Chapters are organized topically rather than by country, thus allowing students and practitioners to easily compare policies and integrate the concepts presented into practice Comparative Homeland Security: Global Lessons, Second Edition is an excellent book for all scholars, students, and practitioners interested or involved in homeland security, emergency management, law enforcement, criminal justice, counter-terrorism, public health, transportation security, border security, and cybersecurity.

In 2003, the President and the U.S. Congress established the Department of Homeland Security. From the beginning, its mission was clear: prevent terrorist attacks, protect against threats to America's safety and security, and prepare the nation to respond effectively to disasters, both natural and man-made. This monumental mission demands a comprehensive strategy. It also requires a crystal-clear explanation of that strategy to Americans and their allies worldwide. In a revealing new book, Homeland Security: Assessing the First Five Years, Michael Chertoff provides that explanation. In a refreshingly candid and engaging manner, America's former homeland security secretary depicts the department's long-term approach, what it has achieved, and what it has yet to do. The strategy begins with the threats America faces, from terrorist groups like al Qaeda to hurricanes like Ike or Gustav. "Once these threats are identified," Chertoff writes, "we can confront them, using every tool at our disposal. We can stop terrorists from entering the country, and discourage people from embracing terrorism by combating its lethal ideology. We can protect our critical assets and reduce our vulnerabilities to natural disasters. We can plan and prepare for emergencies and respond in a way that minimizes the consequences. And we can work closely with our allies abroad to reduce the risk of future disasters." In each of these areas, Chertoff informs the reader what the nation has done and what it still must do to secure its future. How well has this strategy fared in a post-9/11 world? Since that fateful day, there have been no global terror attacks on American soil. Yet in the face of continued dangers, Michael Chertoff warns repeatedly against complacency. He urges America and its leaders to strengthen their resolve, stay the course, and build creatively on past successes.

Drawing on two decades of government efforts to "secure the homeland," experts offer crucial strategic lessons and detailed recommendations for homeland security. For Americans, the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, crystallized the notion of homeland security. But what does it mean to "secure the homeland" in the twenty-first century? What lessons can be drawn from the first two decades of U.S. government efforts to do so? In Beyond 9/11, leading academic experts and former senior government officials address the most salient challenges of homeland security today.

A Practical Introduction to Homeland Security and Emergency Management: From Home to Abroad offers a comprehensive overview of the homeland security field, examining topics such as counter-terrorism, border and infrastructure security, and emergency management. Authors Bruce Newsome and Jack Jarmon take a holistic look at the issues and risks, their solutions, controls, and countermeasures, and their political and policy implications. They also demonstrate through cases and vignettes how various authorities, policymakers and practitioners seek to improve homeland security. The authors evaluate the current practices and policies of homeland security and emergency management and provide readers with the analytical framework and skills necessary to improve these practices and policies.

This text provides students with a practical introduction to the concepts, structure, politics, law, hazards, threats, and practices of homeland security everywhere, focusing on US “homeland security,” Canadian “public safety,” and European “domestic security.” It is a conceptual and practical textbook, not a theoretical work. It is focused on the knowledge and skills that will allow the reader to understand how homeland security is and should be practiced. Globalization, population growth, migration, technology, aging infrastructure, and the simple trend to higher expectations are making homeland security more challenging. Yes, homeland security really is a global problem. The hyperconnectivity of today’s world has reduced the capacity of the United States to act unilaterally or to solve homeland risks from within the borders alone. Newsome and Jarmon explain the relevant concepts, the structural authorities and responsibilities that policymakers struggle with and within which practitioners must work, the processes that practitioners and professionals choose between or are obliged to use, the actual activities, and the end-states and outputs of these activities. Moreover, this book presents the concept of homeland security as an evolving experience rather than an artifact of life since 2001. It is a profession that requires some forming from the ground up as well as the top down.

The Rapid Visual Screening (RVS) handbook can be used by trained personnel to identify, inventory, and screen buildings that are potentially seismically vulnerable. The RVS procedure comprises a method and several forms that help users to quickly identify, inventory, and score buildings according to their risk of collapse if hit by major earthquakes. The RVS handbook describes how to identify the structural type and key weakness characteristics, how to complete the screening forms, and how to manage a successful RVS program.