Download Free Homeland Security Advisory System Possible Issues For Congressional Oversight Book in PDF and EPUB Free Download. You can read online Homeland Security Advisory System Possible Issues For Congressional Oversight and write the review.

The Homeland Security Advisory System (HSAS), established on March 12, 2002, is a color coded terrorist threat warning system administered by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The system, which federal departments and agencies are required to implement and use, provides recommended protective measures for federal departments and agencies to prevent, prepare for, mitigate against, and respond to terrorist attacks. DHS disseminates HSAS terrorist threat warnings to federal departments, state and local agencies, the public, and private sector entities. This dissemination of warnings is conducted through multiple communication systems and public announcements. While the need for terrorist threat warnings seems to be widely acknowledged, there are numerous issues associated with HSAS and its effects on states, localities, the public, and the private sector. These issues include the following: * vagueness of warnings; * lack of specific protective measures for state and local governments, the public, and the private sector; * dissemination of warnings to states, localities, the public, and the private sector; * coordination of HSAS with other federal warning systems; and, * cost of threat level changes. This report will be updated as congressional or executive actions warrant.
The Homeland Security Advisory System (HSAS), established on March 12, 2002, is a color coded terrorist threat warning system administered by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The system, which federal departments and agencies are required to implement and use, provides recommended protective measures for federal departments and agencies to prevent, prepare for, mitigate against, and respond to terrorist attacks. DHS disseminates HSAS terrorist threat warnings to federal departments, state and local agencies, the public, and private sector entities. This dissemination of warnings is conducted through multiple communication systems and public announcements. While the need for terrorist threat warnings seems to be widely acknowledged, there are numerous issues associated with HSAS and its effects on states, localities, the public, and the private sector. These issues include the following: * vagueness of warnings; * lack of specific protective measures for state and local governments, the public, and the private sector; * dissemination of warnings to states, localities, the public, and the private sector; * coordination of HSAS with other federal warning systems; and, * cost of threat level changes. This report will be updated as congressional or executive actions warrant.
The Homeland Security Advisory System (HSAS), established on March 12, 2002, is a color-coded terrorist threat warning system administered by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The system, which federal departments and agencies are required to implement and use, provides recommended protective measures for federal departments and agencies to prevent, prepare for, mitigate against, and respond to terrorist attacks. DHS disseminates HSAS terrorist threat warnings to federal departments, state and local agencies, the public, and private-sector entities. DHS, however, only provides protective measures for federal departments. This dissemination of warnings is conducted through multiple communication systems and public announcements. HSAS has five threat levels: low, guarded, elevated, high, and severe. From March 2002 to the present, the HSAS threat level has been no lower than elevated, raised to high seven times, and raised to severe once. The first time it was raised to high was on September 10, 2002, due to the fear of terrorist attacks on the anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. The most recent time it was raised to high was on July 7, 2005, due to terrorist bombings of the London mass transit systems. DHS raised the threat level for mass transit systems only. The only time HSAS has been raised to severe (red) was on August 10, 2006, due to a terrorist plan to bomb flights originating in the United Kingdom. DHS raised the threat level for the aviation sector only. In the 109th Congress, the House of Representative's Committee on Government Reform's Subcommittee on National Security, Emerging Threats, and International Relations held a hearing on the HSAS, its threat codes, and public response to it. This hearing focused on the information DHS issued the public the seven times the HSAS threat level was raised from "yellow" to "orange." While the need for terrorist threat warnings seems to be widely acknowledged, there are numerous issues associated with HSAS and its effects on states, localities, the public, and the private sector.
A perceived lack of coordination in the federal government's warning notification process and inconsistent messages regarding threats to the homeland have led to an erosion of confidence in the information conveyed to the Nation. Congress is now considering legislation (H.R. 1817, The Department of Homeland Security Authorization Act for FY2006) to reform the Homeland Security Advisor System to allow for greater confidence in the threat information conveyed to the Nation. Since September 11, 2001, numerous federal government organizations have notified the public of threats to the Nation. At times, warnings have been issued in a government-wide coordinated manner; other times this has not been the case. In each situation that has led to increasing the threat level, a number of organizations have made public pronouncements regarding the nature of the threat prior to, during, or after the raising of the alert-level. The information conveyed to the public often has been inconsistent regarding the threat or the timing of a suspected attack. This lack of coordination and unity in message has led to a dilution in the American public's belief in the pronouncements and a questioning of the utility of the Homeland Security Advisory System (HSAS). The focus of this paper is the federal government's coordination efforts in publicly alerting the Nation of threats to the homeland. The report reviews past warnings and changes in the alert level, organizations that have made public statements regarding threats to the Nation, and examples of how this lack of unity might lead to confusion and misinterpretations of the threat level. Options for Congress are provided regarding delineation of roles and responsibilities and which government entity should be held accountable for warning the Nation of threats to the homeland . This paper may be updated based on future National threat notifications or changes in the notification system. For a discussion and options regarding the Homeland Security Advisory System's (HSAS) level of detail with respect to disseminated warnings, Department of Homeland Security's suggested protective measures, coordination of the HSAS with other current federal warning systems, or the costs associated with threat levels changes see CRS Report RL32023, Homeland Security Advisory System: Possible Issues for Congressional Oversight.