Office of Homeland Security

The Office of Homeland Security was created as response to the events of September 11, 2000 and was subsequently reformed as the Cabinet level Department of Homeland Security

Website

Office of Homeland Security Web Site: http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/; also see White House web site for information, articles, press announcements, and related links on the Office of Homeland Security: http://www.whitehouse.gov/homeland/.

Act

Office of Homeland Security Act: Homeland Security Act of 2002[1] (Public Law 107-296) plus an Executive Order dated February 28, 2003, by President George Walker Bush to transfer certain agencies and agency components to the Department of Homeland Security, and the delegation of appropriate responsibilities to the Secretary of Homeland Security.

Appointments

• Admiral Steve Abbot to be Deputy Director of the Office of Homeland Security.

• Mark A. Holman to be Deputy Assistant to the President; served as Chief of Staff and Administrative Assistant to Governor Ridge while he was in the U.S. Congress (1983-1991) and in the Governor's Office as Chief of Staff until December 2000. Holman joins the White House from Blank, Rome, Comisky and McCauley in Washington, D.C.

• Becky Halkias to be Deputy Assistant to the President for Legislative Affairs; served as Deputy Chief of Staff for Federal Affairs in Governor Ridge's Washington Office.

• Carl M. Buckholz to be Special Assistant to the President and Executive Secretary for the Office of Homeland Security; previously, Special Assistant to U.S. Senator John Heinz; joins the White House from Blank, Rome, Comisky and McCauley in Philadelphia.

• Barbara Chaffee to be Special Assistant to the President and Public Liaison for the Office of Homeland Security; served Governor Ridge since 1995, most recently as Deputy Secretary at Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development.

• Susan Neely to be Special Assistant to President and Director of Communications for Homeland Security.

Related SourceWatch Resources

• Department of Homeland Security
• Homeland defense
• Homeland Security

Recent Press Releases

Operation Liberty Shield: Statement by Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge (Operation Liberty Shield launched Monday, March 17, 2003).

"The Department of Homeland Security in consultation with the Homeland Security Council, has made the decision to raise the national threat level from an Elevated to High risk of terrorist attack or Level Orange. The Intelligence Community believes that terrorists will attempt multiple attacks against U.S. and Coalition targets worldwide in the event of a U.S - led military campaign against Saddam Hussein. A large volume of reporting across a range of sources, some of which are highly reliable, indicates that Al-Qaida probably would attempt to launch terrorist attacks against U.S. interests claiming they were defending Muslims or the "Iraqi people" rather than Saddam Hussein's regime.

"While the March 1 arrest of senior Al Qaida operative, Khalid Shaykh Muhammad (KSM) has put the Al-Qaida senior leadership on the defensive - and will be debilitating in the long term -- the Intelligence Community believes that KSM's capture will not necessarily affect operations that are ready or nearly ready for execution. There are many recent indications that Al-Qaida's planning includes the use of chemical, biological, and/or radiological materials.

"Intelligence reporting also indicates that while Al-Qaida and those sympathetic to their cause are a principal threat, Iraqi state agents, Iraqi surrogate groups, other regional extremist organizations, and ad hoc groups or disgruntled individuals not connected to existing organizations or state agencies, may use this time period to conduct terrorist attacks against the U.S., or our interests abroad.

"In recent months, there have been reports of suspicious activity in and around military facilities, ports, waterways, general infrastructure (bridges, dams, power generating facilities), and targets that are considered symbolic to U.S. power and influence. The discovery of ricin production in London raises the concern of the Intelligence Community that extremists are planning to follow through on longstanding threats of poison plots against U.S, British and Israeli interests - and possibly other targets in Europe.

"The Department of Homeland Security, in conjunction with numerous departments of the federal government has begun implementing increased protective measures under a comprehensive national plan to protect the Homeland: "Operation Liberty Shield."

"Operation Liberty Shield will increase security at our borders, strengthen transportation sector protections, enhance security at our critical infrastructure, increase public health preparedness and make sure all federal response assets can be deployed quickly.

"Tonight, I have spoken to the nation's Governors and asked them to deploy the National Guard or additional police forces to improve security at critical locations throughout their states. Other state, local and private sector leaders are also being contacted to engage their support to increase the nation's security.

"These heightened security measures will help deter terrorism and increase protection of America and Americans. In the meantime, as on the other occasions when the national threat level has been increased, we encourage members of the public to continue their daily work, family and leisure activities with a heightened awareness."

• See Office of Homeland Security web site for Operation Liberty Shield Fact Sheet and Operation Liberty Shield Press Briefing by Secretary Tom Ridge.[2]

External Links

Office of Homeland Security / Government Links

• Comprehensive Homeland Security Act of 2003.
• Bills Concerning U.S. Homeland Security, Introduced in the 108th Congress.
• Executive Order Establishing Office of Homeland Security and the Homeland Security Council.
• Governor Tom Ridge Sworn-In to Lead Homeland Security.
• Executive Order: Amendment of Executive Orders, and Other Actions, in Connection with the Establishment of the Department of Homeland Security.
• Tom Ridge Sworn as Secretary of Homeland Security.
• "Are You Ready? A Guide to Citizen Preparedness" from the FEMA OR
• Citizen Corps web sites.

Non-Government Informational Web Sites / Articles on Homeland Security

• The Heritage Foundation Homeland Defense Project
• Terrorism Research Center contains numerous governmental and non-governmental links.
• National Homeland Security Knowledgebase contains numerous state and federal government agency and information links and updated Homeland / Terrorism News Center.
• Air War College Gateway to Homeland Security contains numerous governmental and non-governmental links.