Homeland Security: General Templates and Options for the Future

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Homeland Security (HLS) encompasses the combined efforts of government agencies, non-government organizations, and the private sector to protect a nation-state, either offensively or defensively, against violent attacks. If attempts at protection fail, HLS then focuses on the management of and the response to such attacks. This generic, two-part definition of Homeland Security may be accurate enough, but it should not obscure a contradictory truth – HLS strategies invariably fluctuate by country and by region even though the era of exclusively national defense in Greater Europe is over, as is the era of narrowly designed national defense strategies themselves. Slowly but inevitably, all security strategies in the area, including Homeland Security strategies, will have to become “layered” if they are to account for the growing security roles of multiple actors operating on multiple levels. One user-friendly example of layering is the Pyramid Model of Strategy. This model attempts to be as reality-inclusive as possible by working from the bottom up – i.e., by working through 5 successively specific rungs (or types) of strategy. By adapting to and reflecting the influence of the first four rungs, the top-most national HLS strategy can maximize its potential for success in ways that otherwise might not be possible.