Evolving Homeland Security

3 Credits · Level: Graduate, Juris Doctor

Threats to the Homeland--foreign and domestic terrorism, cyber-attacks, foreign influence operations, transnational crime, economic threats, and natural disasters--continue to evolve. Sophisticated technologies enable homeland security actors to protect against, prevent, and in some cases respond to these attacks must keep up with that change. This course will examine the US approach to Homeland Security, and where useful, compare it to other countries’ approaches. We will examine current and developing technologies that underpin core security capabilities of intelligence analysis; identity verification; threat interdiction and disruption; screening, search and detection; and forensics and attribution. Special attention will be paid to: 1) technology to detect and warn of WMD attacks, 2) cybersecurity of federal government and critical infrastructure networks, and 3) ensuring a protected and resilient electric grid. Finally, we will examine advances in two core capabilities that led to failures during the 9/11 attacks: information sharing and warning; and operational coordination.