Category: Homeland Security

The final assignment has four parts.
The first part involves picking something you found interesting from weeks one and two that you did not already write about in a forum or the first paper, exploring it beyond the readings, and expanding on it in a paper. This section of your paper must be at least three total pages long.
The second part involves picking one of the critical infrastructures you learned about in weeks three or four and writing about it using the six guidelines below. You cannot write about the critical infrastructure you wrote about in either your first two papers or a forum.
The third part involves picking one of the critical infrastructures you learned about in weeks four or five and writing about it using the six guidelines below. You cannot write about the critical infrastructure you wrote about in the first two papers or a forum.
The final part of your paper involves picking something you found interesting from weeks six, seven, or eight that you did not already write about in a forum, exploring it beyond the readings, and expanding on it in a paper. This section of your paper must be at least three total pages long.
It is up to you to decide what will be the most interesting for you!
You need to use the following outline for each of the two critical infrastructures:
Provide a Hypothetical Threat (cyber, natural disaster, or physical)
Brief background on the Critical Infrastructure as it relates to National Security
Elaborate on the known Risks/Threats/Hazards/Vulnerabilities from the Hypothetical Threat
Explain how damage from the Hypothetical Threat could impact the Dependencies/Interdependencies between critical infrastructure sectors
Existing Resiliency related to the Continuity of Operations
Consider how to Minimize Disruption that improves First Responder Safety.
Technical Requirements
Write at least ten pages, per the guidance above, and include the title page, an abstract, and a reference page (these last three items are not part of the total page count).
Scholarly and credible references should be used. A good rule of thumb is at least two sources per content page.
Type in Times New Roman, 12 point, and double-spaced.
Students will follow the current APA Style (7th Edition) as the sole citation and reference style used in written work submitted as part of coursework.
Points will be deducted for the use of Wikipedia or encyclopedic-type sources. It is highly advised to utilize books, peer-reviewed journals, articles, archived documents, etc.
All submissions will be graded using the assignment rubric.

Instructions
Respond to the following short essay questions using researched material from outside the course. These questions are to be answered individually with supporting references.
1. Please address the following as they pertain to Intellectual Property:
What is Intellectual Property (IP) and how does counterfeit merchandise impact the U.S. economy?
What safety and health concerns are posed by counterfeit products? What was the specific impact at the height of COVID?
How does IP theft, especially from China, pose an existential threat to national security?
2. Discuss the action that needs to be taken to ensure that illegal migrants are treated with inclusion and respect around the world as an element of border security? From a security perspective, what would you specifically recommend the current administration do to ensure this.
3. How have the IMO’s Maritime Cyber Security, the SAFE Port Act, the Small Vessel Security Strategy, and the Marine Transportation Security Act impacted port security? This essay should be presented in the form of a compare and contrast format.
4. Compare the similarities and differences of the external borders of European Union (EU) with that of the U.S./Mexico border & the U.S./Canada border. Which of these (similarities/differences) have had the most positive or negative impact on border security? Has the commission of a new EU Board and Coast Guard Agency been a blue print for the United States?
(LO5.1, LO5.2, LO6.1, LO6.2, LO7.1, LO7.2, LO8.1, & LO8.2)
Please use the template provided.
Technical Requirements:
Your answers should be at a minimum of 8 pages, at least 2 pages per question (the Title and Reference pages do not count towards the minimum limit). Use APA headings for each question, instead of numbering them.
Scholarly and credible references should be used. A good rule of thumb is at least 2 scholarly sources per page of content. However, a minimum of 8 scholarly sources are required.
Type in Times New Roman, 12 point and double space.
Students will follow the APA Style as the sole citation and reference style used in written work submitted as part of coursework.
Use scholarly or other relevant sources.
Points will be deducted for the use of Wikipedia or encyclopedic type sources.
Based on the assigned readings, your responses are to be in your own words with minimal quotes. Instead, paraphrases in proper APA.

The goal of this paper is for you to write your opinion on Border and Coastal Security without using first or second person. In this paper, you get the opportunity to write your point of view on the material reviewed during the week – and the best part is that there is no wrong answer! This paper is your opinion, and as such, it is your job to express your thoughts in a manner that is comprehensible and clear for any and all readers. Feel free to write your thoughts freely, without any constraints.
After you finished the readings you selected for the week, it is time to brainstorm. Some simple brainstorming techniques for writing reflection papers can involve you answering some of the basic questions below:
How did the material on Border and Coastal Security affect you?
Did your learning about the material on Border and Coastal Security change your mind about something? If so, how.
Has the material on Border and Coastal Security left you with any questions? If so, what are they?
Were there any unaddressed critical issues not covered by the material on Border and Coastal Security?
How will the material on Border and Coastal Security impact your future in Homeland Security?
Components of the Reflection Paper
Introduction – specifies what you are reflecting upon.
Body Paragraphs – examine the ideas and experiences you have had in context to your topic. Be sure that each new body paragraph starts with a topic sentence.
Remember that your paper must be at least 2 pages long and no more than 2 1/2 pages so clear and concise writing is critical.
Conclusion – summarize what you have learned from the material. Tell the reader how this knowledge affected your overall understanding of the subject. Describe the feeling and overall lesson that you had from the material that we focused on this week.
Technical Requirements:
Your paper must be at a minimum of 2 and a maximum of 2 1/2 pages. It is important that you do not fall under or exceed the required page length since in the world of Homeland Security your readers, Homeland Security professionals and decision-makers have limited time to spend on a paper and learning to write concisely, and presenting your paper in a manner that matches their reading style is critical.
Type in double-spaced Times New Roman 12-point font. One-inch margins left, right, top, and bottom.
No direct quotations.
You must have at least two unique sources in the paper. Each requires both a citation and a reference.
Follow APA 7 as the sole citation and reference style used in written work submitted as part of coursework.

For this final assignment you will address two distinct topics as a single research paper.
Evaluate the impact of the internet and social media on homegrown extremism in North America. In particular, address the impact that the internet and social media has on recruitment and radicalization of extremists.
Conduct an analysis of current efforts to counter homegrown and domestic violent extremists in North America. Specifically, compare and contrast various initiatives to counter domestic terrorism and de-radicalize extremists. Suggest at least one program or activity that you think could be done (or should be done more) to best counter or prevent radicalization. In making a recommendation you are not limited to the counter extremist activities and programs from the readings, but you are welcome to incorporate your own ideas as well (as long as they are legal and ethical).
This Final assignment addresses the following course objectives:
CO-4: Describe the impact of social media on extremist recruiting and radicalization efforts
CO-5: Compare and contrast initiatives to counter homegrown and domestic violent extremism and de-radicalization efforts.
Technical Requirements
Your paper must be at a minimum of 4-6 pages (the Title and Reference pages do not count towards the minimum limit).
Refer to the midterm assignment instructions for details on the technical and academic requirements as well as links to the various research and writing tools and an example paper for proper APA formatting.

Complete an executive summary on the following topic: The public health department has never participated in any local, full-scale emergency management exercise.
The purpose of an executive summary is not to provide exhaustive research, but to communicate a problem along with a proposed solution. This is an exercise in which you are the emergency manager pitching an idea to a governmental executive.
An executive summary should follow this format:
-problem statement (concise and clear)
-background on the issue (brief)
-options for solutions (based on/supported by research), and
-your recommendation based on the research.
Base your executive summary on factually accurate analysis.
Include at least five different in-text citations in APA format from scholarly sources.
Include a references page in APA format.
You will be graded, in part, on your ability to provide a concise summary that is wholly factual, appeals to reason and offers a sensible solution or recommendation.

nstructions
Continuing Bobsville’s non-structural mitigation efforts, create a Public Service Announcement campaign to educate residents on how to prepare for tornado season.
Address the following elements:
Household Mitigation Activities and Preparedness Supplies FEMA recommends
What you need to do at different phases of a tornado (Watch, Warning)
The need to develop a Plan to Sustain Yourself after a Tornado
Create your message as a slide presentation with speaking notes that could be used to give a 5-7 minute speech. Cite several sources using proper APA style. This slide presentation will be 50% of the grade for the Assignment.
Then, create a trifold brochure (using both sides of the trifold page) to be distributed with the same information. Cite your sources, again using proper APA style. This will be 30% of the grade for the Assignment. (When you open up a “New” file in MS-Word, you will be offered templates, of which at least 1 – “Education Brochure” – is a trifold brochure; I have attached a generic trifold to this assignment below – you can change this generic trifold as you want if you choose to use it).
Finally, create 2 minutes of audio segments that convey the same information (your submittal may be combinations of 30-second segments, 1-minute segments, or one 2-minute spot). This will be 20% of the grade for the Assignment. The audio can be in any format you wish that is playable on a standard computer audio player; there is also a way to embed audio into powerpoint.
As always, for the written portions of the assignment, writing and formatting counts. In the audio portions of the assignment, the clarity and smoothness of delivery will be factored into the final grade.
Obviously you will need to submit multiple files for this Assignment (at least 2 if you record the audio through powerpoint, more if you break the 2 minutes of audio into multiple PSA’s). This will consist of one file containing the slide presentation, one file containing the trifold, and as many files as you need to create for the audio PSA part of the Assignment.

Seven strategies to deal with terrorism as: crushing terrorist groups unliterally, crushing terrorist groups multilaterally, containment, defense, diversion, delegitimizing, and transforming terrorist breeding grounds.
1. Discuss which of the strategies (ABOVE) you think would be the most effective in dealing with the Taliban in Afghanistan.
2. Discuss which of the strategies (ABOVE) you think would be the most ineffective in dealing with the Taliban in Afghanistan.
List the discussion post as #1 and #2.

In this activity, you will attach a draft of your Strategic Plan Report to this discussion forum. You are also required to review and provide feedback to your classmates’ draft.
Your report should include the elements listed in the strategic plan report guide (PDF Below with most of the required information that goes along with this).

you prepared an infographic that displays key events/trends that caused a definition/mission change in DHS. Learning from past events/trends is so important to understand historical threat levels. It also provides good information for possible future events and threats. However, some threats are low probability and high-risk events like COVID-19. It’s hard (not impossible) to figure them out earlier and take the required precautions.
In this activity, you will act as a decisionmaker for DHS and will revisit historical threats/events and respond to the following questions by examining course resources and completing your own research from credible sources.
– Examine the current budget report for the DHS (https://www.dhs.gov/dhs-budget) and think about current mission areas and their sub-responsibilities. Then, prioritize mission areas for budgeting (i.e, 1. Secure Cyberspace and Critical Infrastructure, 2. Champion the DHS Workforce and Strengthen the Department, 3, 4, 5, 6). Justify your reasoning for each mission. (For example, why securing cyberspace and CISA should take the least/most in the budget? For example, you may justify your argument based on recent scientific research in …, threat level, future risk/threat trends according to … report, etc.)
– Do you think current mission areas are good for DHS? If so, your supervisor does not agree with you and wants you to prepare a report to move at least one of the mission areas (for example, Secure Cyberspace and Critical Infrastructure) and its organizations (i.e., CISA) to another executive department. Which mission area/s should be removed, moved to, or changed? Why? What is the best executive department for the mission and related sub-organizations? Why? Justify your arguments.
– We were not ready for counter-terrorism before 9/11, and we were not resilient against disaster until Hurricane Katrina. We had tough lessons from the past. Now, it’s your turn. Examine the new possible future threats and risks and prepare department a priori change rather than a posteriori. Select at least two broad threat/risk areas to include in DHS missions and do your work before being so late. What are the two risks/threats you found very important for the future? Explain your reasoning for selecting these threats/risks by supporting your argument with credible reports/sources. Write your recommendations (at least two) to DHS for these changes.
I attached an infographic that I used earlier in this class and might help you with the above questions.

As McInnis states in our first reading, “The changes that the Goldwater-Nichols legislation made to the Department of Defense, and in particular, the way that DOD conducts military operations, are in many ways central to how the Department conducts military operations today (2016).” In this activity, you will review and identify the fundamental problems that go to reform and figure out how issues are addressed by the Act.
Refer to readings on The Goldwater-Nichols Reorganization Act and review the following two resources again.
(First resource is reforms and considerations)
Chapter 1: Goldwater-Nichols at 30: Defense Reform and Issues for Congress.
Note: Focus on the first two sections – Introduction and The Strategic Context Leading to the Goldwater-Nichols Act (pages 1-14).
(Second resource is the reorganization act)
Ten fundamental problems under Purpose and Provisions (pg. 103).
Then, reply to the following question:
Identify which provisions on the second source address the fundamental problems, gaps, and deficiencies listed in the first source. What uncovered issue(s) are there, if any?