Department Of Homeland Security Core Missions

Fiscal Years 2014-2018 Strategic Plan

 

 

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MESSAGE FROM THE

SECRETARY

Homeland Security

I am pleased to submit the U.S. Department of Homeland

Security (OHS) Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years (FY) 2014-2018,

fulfilling the GPRA Modernization Act of 2010 (P. L. 111-352)

and the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) Circular A-

11, Part 6 (2013) requirement for all Federal departments and

agencies to publish an Agency Strategic Plan.

Much like the 2014 Quadrennial Homeland Security Review, the

FY14-18 Strategic Plan provides an analytic foundation for the

Department’s Unity of Effort Initiative. The OHS Unity of Effort

Initiative builds important linkages between the Department’s

planning, programming, budgeting, and execution processes,

ensuring that the Department invests and operates in a cohesive, unified fashion, and makes

decisions that are transparent and collaborative to drive strategic guidance to results. The FY14-18

Strategic Plan represents an important step in our process toward achieving unity of effort by

articulating the strategies we employ to achieve each goal and long-term performance measures

that we use to evaluate our progress.

As part of the development of this Strategic Plan, the Department also undertook an

unprecedented effort to identify the Department’s highest priorities across mission areas. While we

will continue to execute against all of the mission goals and objectives laid out in the 2014

Quadrennial Homeland Security Review and the 2014-2018 Strategic Plan, these areas represent

our top priorities in terms of investment, strategic and operational planning, and stakeholder

engagement. By prioritizing efforts in this way, we will be more closely aligned in our efforts,

stronger partners to our stakeholders, and better stewards of our limited resources.

While the 2014 QHSR focused on our shared responsibilities with partners across the federal,

state, local, tribal, and territorial governments, the private sector, and other nongovernmental

organizations, the FY14-18 Strategic Plan focuses on how we accomplish our mission as a

Department. This report reflects the important work of all homeland security employees, who

tirelessly fulfill the missions of homeland security: prevent terrorism and enhance security, secure

and manage our borders, enforce and administer our immigration laws, safeguard and secure

cyberspace, and strengthen national preparedness and resilience. I am continually grateful for

their service.

Sincerely,

 

 

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OVERVIEW

Credit: U.S. Department of Homeland Security

OVERVIEW

The United States is poised at the outset of a new era in homeland security that reflects

long-term changes in the security environment and key advances in homeland security

capabilities. The 2014 Quadrennial Homeland Security Review describes the challenges

and opportunities of this new era and how the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and

our homeland security partners must strategically posture ourselves to address those

challenges. The 2014 Quadrennial Homeland Security Review also takes an important

foundational step toward a Secretary-level priority: strengthening Departmental “Unity of

Effort.” The DHS Unity of Effort Initiative builds important linkages between the

Department’s planning, programming, budgeting, and execution processes, ensuring that

the Department invests and operates in a cohesive, unified fashion, and makes decisions

that are transparent and collaborative to drive the Secretary’s strategic guidance to results.

The DHS FY14-18 Strategic Plan focuses on how we will implement the goals laid out in the

2014 Quadrennial Homeland Security Review. It describes the missions and goals of

homeland security, the strategies we use to achieve those goals, and the ways in which we

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OVERVIEW

measure our success. It also sets several key, priority efforts under each mission and

describes how those priorities will be achieved through the DHS Unity of Effort Initiative.

The Homeland Security vision is a homeland that is safe, secure, and resilient against

terrorism and other hazards, where American interests, aspirations, and way of life can

thrive. This requires the dedication of more than 240,000 employees in jobs that range

from aviation and border security to emergency response, from cybersecurity analysis to

chemical facility inspections. Our duties are wide-ranging, but our goal is clear — keeping

America safe. The 2014 Quadrennial Homeland Security Review reaffirmed the five-

mission structure of DHS:

 Prevent Terrorism and Enhance Security

 Secure and Manage our Borders

 Enforce and Administer Our Immigration Laws

 Safeguard and Secure Cyberspace; and

 Strengthen National Preparedness and Resilience

Accomplishing these missions requires unity of effort – across every area of DHS activity

and among the numerous homeland security partners and stakeholders.

UNITY OF EFFORT

The Department has many strengths, including the professionalism, skill, and dedication of

its people and the rich history and tradition of its Components, which have led to many

successes over the Department’s relatively short life. The Unity of Effort Initiative

capitalizes on these strengths while identifying ways to enhance the cohesion of the

Department as a whole. The Department will accomplish this not by centralizing the

decision making authority and processes within an opaque DHS Headquarters, but rather

by transparently incorporating DHS Components into unified decision making processes

and the analytic efforts that inform decision making.

We will focus initially on four main lines of effort to improve our planning, programming,

budgeting and execution processes: 1) inclusive senior leader discussion and decision

making forums that provide an environment of trust and transparency; 2) strengthened

management processes for investment, including requirements, budget, and acquisition

processes that look at cross-cutting issues across the Department; 3) focused,

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OVERVIEW

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collaborative

Departmental

strategy, planning,

and analytic capability

that support more

effective DHS-wide

decision making and

operations; and 4)

enhanced coordinated

operations to harness

the significant

resources of the

Department more

effectively.

If executed properly,

the Unity of Effort Initiative will provide the Department with better understanding of the

broad and complex DHS mission space and support the effective execution of our

missions.

Figure 1: Strengthening Departmental Unity of Effort diagram

STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT

The FY14–18 DHS Strategic Plan builds upon the stakeholder engagement and outreach

process conducted for the 2014 Quadrennial Homeland Security Review and incorporates

the more specific consultation requirements set forth in the GPRA Modernization Act of

2010. Throughout the Quadrennial Homeland Security Review process, DHS conducted

extensive engagement with federal executive branch partners and Congress; state, local,

tribal and territorial partners; the private sector; academics, and others. In addition to

those engagements, development of the FY14-18 Strategic Plan has been closely

coordinated with the Office of Management and Budget.

CROSS-AGENCY PRIORITY GOALS

Cross-Agency Priority goals address the longstanding challenge of tackling horizontal

problems across vertical organizational silos. To establish these goals, the Office of

Management and Budget solicited nominations from Federal agencies and several

congressional committees. Per the GPRA Modernization Act of 2010 requirement to

address Cross-Agency Priority Goals in the agency strategic plan, the annual performance

plan, and the annual performance report, please refer to http://www.performance.gov for

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OVERVIEW

the Department of Homeland Security’s contributions to those goals and progress, where

applicable. The Department currently contributes to the following mission-related Cross-

Agency Priority Goals:

 Cybersecurity (related to DHS Objective 4.2: Secure the Federal Civilian Government

Information Technology Enterprise).

 Climate Change (Federal Actions) (related to DHS Objective 5.1: Enhance National

Preparedness; DHS Objective 5.2: Mitigate Hazards and Vulnerabilities; and DHS

Objective 5.3: Ensure Effective Emergency Response).

 Insider Threat and Security Clearance (related to DHS Objective 1.1: Prevent Terrorist

Attacks; DHS Objective 1.3: Reduce Risk to the Nation’s Critical Infrastructure, Key

Leadership, and Events; and Maturing and Strengthening Homeland Security).

 Job-Creating Investment (related to Maturing and Strengthening Homeland Security).

 Infrastructure Permitting Modernization (related to Maturing and Strengthening

Homeland Security).

 Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Education (related to Maturing and

Strengthening Homeland Security).

The DHS FY14-18 Strategic Plan is a Departmental management tool for strategic

achievement of the responsibilities set forth in those documents. The Plan satisfies the

requirements of the GPRA Modernization Act of 2010 (P. L. 111-352) and the Office of

Management and Budget’s Circular A-11 requirement to publish an Agency Strategic Plan.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Department strategic capstone products are located at our public website at

http://www.dhs.gov/qhsr. For more information, contact

Department of Homeland Security

Office of Policy

Office of Strategy, Planning, Analysis, and Risk

Washington, D.C. 20528

Information may also be requested by sending an email to STRATEGY@dhs.gov.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Message from the Secretary……………………….……………….………………………….3

Overview………………………………………………………………….…………………..5

Analytic Agenda………………….……………………………………………….………….11

Department Missions and Goals……………………………………………….…….…….…13

1. Mission 1….………………………………………………………………….…….……14

2. Mission 2.…………………………….…………………….…………….….……….….20

3. Mission 3………………………………………..….………….…….…….….…………25

4. Mission 4 ..…………………….…….…………………………………………………..29

5. Mission 5………..…………….…………….…….……………………………………..35

6. Maturing and Strengthening Homeland Security………..…..……………………………40

Appendix A: Mission Programs by Goal. …………….……………………….….….……….48

Appendix B: Strengthening Departmental Unity of Effort Initiative………………………….56

Appendix C: Agency Priority Goals…………………………………………………………..60

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ANALY TIC AGENDA

ANALYTIC AGENDA

The Department of Homeland Security, like any large government agency or private

corporation, must be able to harness vast amounts of data to inform strategy and future

planning. As the latter sections of this plan describe, there are a number of key areas

where DHS must improve its ability to collect new data, analyze existing data, and present

data in a compelling way to our partners and the public. The Department’s four-year

Analytic Agenda provides the foundation for tackling this “Big Data” challenge and

supporting analytically-informed decision-making across DHS missions.

Over the past several years, the Department has made great strides to improve its

analytical understanding of the diverse DHS mission space. For example, DHS developed

and fostered a risk community of interest, convening risk management experts from across

the Department to share risk data and best practices for risk assessment. To further

support the Secretary’s Unity of Effort Initiative, the Department will deepen its analytic

capability across its mission areas. In particular, DHS will continue to acquire, develop, and

implement the basic tools required for data-driven management of its missions, such as

the ability to consistently assess strategic/external risk; measure outcomes; forecast such

outcomes under different resource allocations, policies, and economic conditions; and use

these forecasts to inform strategic planning, programming, acquisition, and operational

decisions.

To begin building this capability, DHS Headquarters will, in close coordination with

departmental and enterprise partners, formalize a line of effort similar in purpose to the

Department of Defense’s “Analytic Agenda” initiative. The objective of this multi-year effort

will be to build and institutionalize the necessary data, models, and underlying business

processes to provide a unified baseline for aiding decision-making across the Department.

Topics for these analytic baselines will be determined by leadership, based on missions or

goals that would benefit from a more rigorous analytical approach. Key inputs informing

the topic selection are the Quadrennial Homeland Security Review, this DHS Strategic Plan,

ongoing analysis of changes in the strategic environment, annual resource and operational

planning guidance, and other DHS policy imperatives.

For any particular mission area, an analytic agenda may include comprehensive empirical

modeling; estimation of the impacts of social, technological, economic, environmental, or

political variables; incorporation of these empirical results into a model with the capability

to simulate future outcomes; sustained development of outcome measurement; and

development of dashboards and tools for support to strategic-level decision-making. Such

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ANALY TIC AGENDA

an effort would enable the creation of a full set of performance measures for a given study

topic; support analytically informed strategy development, resource allocation, investment,

and operational decision making for that topic; facilitate systematic program evaluation;

and optimally deliver indicator and warning capabilities to allow the Department to assume

an anticipatory posture. Maintaining a standing set of empirical models would allow the

Department to quickly analyze the causes, likely duration, and the predicted effectiveness

of alternative policy options in response to new trends. DHS would use this data to develop

effective strategies and communicate authoritatively with its public and private

stakeholders.

The Analytic Agenda initiative will be co-led by the Office of Policy and the Office of the Chief

Financial Officer, with each study leveraging the expertise of DHS Components. These

offices will be responsible for setting the strategic direction, creating planning scenarios,

identifying methodologies, conducting individual studies, providing data, warehousing that

data and accompanying analytic results, and integrating the effort with the various DHS

decision systems.

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Credit: U.S. Coast Guard

DEPARTMENT MISSIONS AND GOALS

DEPARTMENT MISSIONS AND GOALS

The first QHSR report developed an enduring mission framework for homeland security;

that framework was reflected in the Fiscal Years 2012‒2016 DHS Strategic Plan. As a

preparatory activity for the second Quadrennial Homeland Security Review, the Department

initiated an internal Roles and Missions Review to review and validate the Quadrennial

Homeland Security Review 2010 mission framework. The Department updated the

framework to reflect changes in policy, strategy, and the strategic environment. Activities

previously categorized as “Providing Essential Support to National and Economic Security”

were incorporated into the five homeland security missions and into the cross-cutting

summary of activities documented in the Mature and Strengthen the Department section of

the Strategic Plan. While the Quadrennial Homeland Security Review reflects an

overarching strategic approach for homeland security, the DHS Strategic Plan reflects the

strategies, including activities, programs, and operations, of the Department for executing

our missions in the FY 2014‒2018 timeframe.

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Credit:: Transportation Security Administration

DEPARTMENT MISSIONS AND GOALS

MISSION 1: PREVENT TERRORISM AND ENHANCE SECURITY

Preventing terrorism is the cornerstone of homeland security. Within this mission we focus

on the goals of preventing terrorist attacks; preventing and protecting against the

unauthorized acquisition or use of chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear materials

and capabilities; and reducing risk to the Nation’s most critical infrastructure, key leaders,

and events.

The 2014 Quadrennial Homeland Security Review described a more integrated, networked

approach to counterterrorism and community engagement efforts. To improve overall

Departmental unity of effort, we will work with our partners to identify, investigate, and

interdict threats as early as possible; expand risk-based security; focus on countering

violent extremism and preventing complex mass casualty attacks; reduce vulnerabilities by

denying resources and targets; and uncover patterns and faint signals through enhanced

data integration and analysis. DHS shares the responsibility to prevent terrorist attacks

with several federal departments and agencies, including the Departments of State,

Justice, and Defense, and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, as well as with

state, local, tribal, territorial, and private sector partners. DHS further collaborates with

foreign partners on security issues of concern.

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DEPARTMENT MISSIONS AND GOALS

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MISSION PRIORITIES

The following Mission Priorities represent the highest priority efforts for the Department of

Homeland Security within Mission 1. While the Department will continue to work on all of

the mission goals and objectives laid out in the 2014 Quadrennial Homeland Security Re-

view and the 2014-2018 Strategic Plan, these are the top areas of focus in terms of in-

vestment, strategic and operational planning, and stakeholder engagement, and will be

addressed through actions undertaken in one or more of the following DHS foundational

activities: Joint Requirements Council, joint operational plans and operations, enhanced

budget and investment processes, and focused strategic and analytic efforts.

 Prevent terrorist travel into the United States by enhancing information sharing, inter-

national cooperation, and risk-based targeting, including by focusing on foreign fight-

ers.

 Strengthen aviation security by implementing risk-based mitigation strategies.

 Prevent the hostile use of nuclear materials against the homeland by deterring or pre-

venting adversaries from smuggling nuclear weapons and materials, and enhancing

the ability to detect nuclear weapons and materials out of regulatory control.

 Protect key leaders, facilities, and National Special Security Events by deterring, mini-

mizing, and responding to identified vulnerabilities and threats against the President,

Vice President, other protected individuals, the White House Complex, and other sites.

GOAL 1.1: PREVENT TERRORIST ATTACKS

The Department remains vigilant to new and evolving threats in order to protect the Nation

from a terrorist attack. Although the U.S. Government’s counterterrorism efforts have

degraded the ability of al-Qa’ida’s senior leadership in Afghanistan and Pakistan to

centrally plan and execute sophisticated external attacks, since 2009 we have seen the

rise of al-Qa’ida affiliates, such as al-Qa’ida in the Arabian Peninsula and the al-Nusrah

Front in Syria. These groups have made attempts to export terrorism to our Nation.

Additionally, we face the threat of domestic-based “lone offenders” and those who are

inspired by violent extremist ideologies to radicalize and commit acts of terrorism against

Americans and the Nation. These threats come in multiple forms and, because of the

nature of independent actors, may be hardest to detect.

We will pursue the following strategies to prevent terrorist attacks:

Analyze, fuse, and disseminate terrorism information by sharing information with, and

utilizing threat analysis alongside, stakeholders across the homeland security enterprise.

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DEPARTMENT MISSIONS AND GOALS

We remain committed to integrating critical data sources, such as those for biometric data,

by consolidating or federating screening and vetting operations. We will also continually

increase and integrate domain awareness capabilities, as well as improve our ability to fully

utilize vast amounts of intelligence and other information—the so-called “big data”

challenge—while rigorously protecting privacy and civil rights and civil liberties.

Deter and disrupt operations by leveraging the intelligence, information sharing,

technological, operational, and policy-making elements within DHS to facilitate a cohesive

and coordinated operational response. We will also develop intelligence sources and

leverage research and analysis to identify and illustrate the tactics, behaviors, and

indicators potentially associated with violent extremism as well as factors that may

influence violent extremism, and jointly develop with federal, state, local, tribal, and

territorial partners training for frontline law enforcement officers on behaviors that may be

telling regarding violent extremist activity.

Strengthen transportation security by using a multi-layered risk-based approach to detect

malicious actors and dangerous items at various entry and exit points in the travel and

trade system. We will also improve coordination with foreign governments and

stakeholders to expand pre-departure screening and enhance transportation security

operations among willing partners to mitigate risks from overseas.

Counter violent extremism by: 1) supporting community-based problem solving and

integration efforts, as well as local law enforcement programs; and 2) working with our

partners to share information with frontline law enforcement partners, communities,

families, and the private sector about how violent extremists are using the Internet and

how to protect themselves and their communities.

GOAL 1.2: PREVENT AND PROTECT AGAINST THE UNAUTHORIZED ACQUISITION OR USE OF

CHEMICAL, BIOLOGICAL, RADIOLOGICAL, AND NUCLEAR MATERIALS AND CAPABILITIES

Chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear threats are enduring areas of concern. The

consequences of these attacks are potentially high even though the likelihood of their

occurrence is relatively low. Small scale chemical attacks are expected to remain more

likely because the relative lack of specialized skills and knowledge required to conduct

such attacks. However, nuclear terrorism and bioterrorism pose the most strategically

significant risk because of their potential consequences. Although the difficulty of stealing

a nuclear weapon or fabricating one from stolen or diverted weapons materials reduces the

likelihood of this type of attack, the extremely high consequences of an improvised nuclear

device attack make it an ongoing top homeland security risk.

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DEPARTMENT MISSIONS AND GOALS

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We will pursue the following strategies to prevent and protect against the unauthorized

acquisition or use of chemical biological, radiological, and nuclear materials and

capabilities:

Anticipate chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear emerging threats by identifying

and understanding potentially dangerous actors, technologies, and materials, and

prioritizing research and development activities including: 1) analyses of alternative

technology options; 2) assessments of complex issues such as the relative risk of different

chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear threats; 3) experimentation and operational

test and evaluation of technologies proposed for acquisition; 4) detailed technical

characterization of potential biological threat organisms; 5) the creation of consensus

standards that enable cost-effective progress across many fields; and 6) the determination

of nuclear material characteristics through nuclear forensics techniques.

Identify and interdict unlawful acquisition and movement of chemical, biological,

radiological, and nuclear precursors and materials by leveraging investigative and

enforcement assets towards domestic and international movement of these materials and

by engaging in information sharing with all stakeholders to monitor and control this

technology.

Detect, locate, and prevent the hostile use of chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear

materials and weapons by 1) combining authorities and assets with other departments and

agencies; 2) building the U.S. Government’s global nuclear detection capability through the

Global Nuclear Detection Architecture, a framework for detecting (through technical and

non-technical means), analyzing, and reporting on nuclear and other radioactive materials

that are out of regulatory control; 3) advancing nuclear forensics capabilities in order to

close down nuclear smuggling networks, promote global nuclear security, and deter would-

be nation state terrorist facilitators from transferring nuclear materials to terrorists; 4)

providing unimpeachable forensic data for use by law enforcement authorities in the

investigation and prosecution of crimes involving biological agents; 5) regulating high-risk

chemical facilities to ensure that they take proper steps to mitigate risks; and 6) preventing

the occurrence of significant biological incidents, where possible, but, when unable to

prevent, stopping them from overwhelming the capacity of our state, local, tribal, and

territorial partners to manage and respond. To this last point, DHS will deploy technologies

that enable early detection of biological agents prior to the onset of symptoms, pursue

more rapid responder capabilities, and increase the capacity and effectiveness of local

public health, medical, and emergency services.

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DEPARTMENT MISSIONS AND GOALS

GOAL 1.3: REDUCE RISK TO THE NATION’S CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE, KEY LEADERSHIP,

AND EVENTS

DHS has national leadership responsibility for enhancing security to the Nation’s critical

infrastructure and protecting key leaders, facilities, and National Special Security Events.

DHS reduces risk across a wide portfolio of activities, including the agriculture and food

sector, the travel and trade system, and the financial services sector. These systems are

vulnerable to criminal exploitation and both physical and cyber-attacks. DHS also

maintains constant guard over key leaders and during high-profile events, reducing the

possibility that these events could be exploited by criminal or terrorist actors.

We will pursue the following strategies to reduce risk to the nation’s critical infrastructure,

key leadership, and events

Enhance security for the Nation’s critical infrastructure from terrorism and criminal activity

by 1) identifying critical

infrastructure and related

vulnerabilities; 2) developing

and deploying a scalable

assessment methodology

depending on the level of threat

and the nature of the target; 3)

inserting and/or developing

appropriate technologies; 4)

tracking protective measures of

our partners across the

homeland security enterprise;

and 5) conducting investigations

that maximize disruption of

criminal enterprises that pose

the greatest risk to the United

States. We will also enhance

the Nation’s ability to counter improvise explosive devices (IEDs) by coordinating whole

community efforts to prevent, protect against, respond to, and mitigate terrorist and

criminal use of explosives.

Protect key leaders, facilities, and National Special Security Events by 1) working with

partners across the homeland security enterprise to coordinate intelligence, information

sharing, security, and response resources; 2) protecting the President, the Vice President,

Credit: U.S. Secret Service

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DEPARTMENT MISSIONS AND GOALS

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visiting heads of state, major Presidential candidates, and other designated protectees; 3)

protecting federal facilities, employees, and visitors; and 4) assessing risk and coordinating

support to partners during major special events across the Nation through the Special

Events Assessment Rating.

HIGHLIGHTED PERFORMANCE MEASURES

The table below presents a subset of the DHS performance measures associated with

gauging results for Mission 1. For more information on these measures, along with a more

extensive list of measures associated with this mission, please see the FY 2013‒2015

Annual Performance Report at http://www.dhs.gov/xabout/budget/editorial_0430.shtm.

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Mission 1: Prevent Terrorism and Enhance Security

Highlighted Performance Measures

Goal

Alignment

Planned Targets

FY 2014 FY 2015 FY 2018

Percent of intelligence reports rated “satisfactory” or higher in customer feedback that enable customers to understand the threat (AO)

1.1 93% 94% 94%

Percent of foreign airports that serve as last points of departure and air carriers involved in international operations to the United States advised of necessary actions to mitigate identified vulnerabilities in order to ensure compliance with critical security measures (TSA)

1.1 100% 100% 100%

Percent of international air enplanements vetted against the terrorist watch list through Secure Flight (TSA)

1.1 100% 100% 100%

Percent of inbound air cargo screened on international passenger flights originating from outside the United States and Territories (TSA)

1.1 100% 100% 100%

Percent of cargo conveyances that pass through radiation portal monitors upon entering the nation via land border and international rail ports of entry (DNDO)

1.2 FOUO FOUO FOUO

Percent of performance standards implemented by the highest risk chemical facilities and verified by DHS (NPPD)

1.2 97% 95% 95%

Percent of total U.S. Secret Service protection activities that are incident-free for protection of national leaders, foreign dignitaries, designated protectees and others during travel or at protected facilities (USSS)

1.3 100% 100% 100%

Financial crimes loss prevented through a criminal

investigation (in billions) (USSS) 1.3 $1.90 $2.70 $3.0

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Credit: U.S. Customs and Border Protection

DEPARTMENT MISSIONS AND GOALS

MISSION 2: SECURE AND MANAGE OUR BORDERS

Secure, well-managed borders must not only protect the United States against threats from

abroad, they must also safeguard and expedite the flow of lawful trade and travel. Achiev-

ing this end requires that we focus on three interrelated goals: 1) secure U.S. air, land, and

sea borders and approaches; 2) safeguard and expedite lawful trade and travel; and 3) dis-

rupt and dismantle transnational criminal organizations and other illicit actors.

The 2014 Quadrennial Homeland Security Review defined a risk segmentation approach to

managing the flows of people and goods: minimize disruption to and facilitate safe and se-

cure inbound and outbound legal flows of people and goods; prioritize efforts to counter

illicit finance and further increase transnational criminal organization perception of risk

through targeted interdiction and other activities, while continuing to increase efficiencies

in operations; and counter terrorist travel into the United States, terrorism against interna-

tional travel and trade systems, and the export of sensitive goods and technology.

Building on that work, the U.S. Southern Border and Approaches Campaign Planning Effort

(2014), one of the first management imperatives from the Unity of Effort Initiative, articu-

lates four mutually-supporting key areas of effort for securing the southern border and ap-

proaches: 1) segment and expedite flows of people and goods at ports of entry; 2) strength-

en the security and resilience of the global supply chain and the international travel sys-

tem; 3) combat transnational organized crime and terrorism; and 4) prevent illegal flows of

people and goods between ports of entry.

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MISSION PRIORITIES

The following Mission Priorities represent the highest priority efforts for the Department of

Homeland Security within Mission 2. While the Department will continue to work on all of

the mission goals and objectives laid out in the 2014 Quadrennial Homeland Security Re-

view and the 2014-2018 Strategic Plan, these are the top areas of focus in terms of in-

vestment, strategic and operational planning, and stakeholder engagement, and will be

addressed through actions undertaken in one or more of the following DHS foundational

activities: Joint Requirements Council, joint operational plans and operations, enhanced

budget and investment processes, and focused strategic and analytic efforts.

 Secure the U.S. Southern Border and approaches by implementing a strategic frame-

work.

 Combat transnational organized crime by countering illicit finance and further integrat-

ing elements of the layered defense.

GOAL 2.1: SECURE U.S. AIR, LAND, AND SEA BORDER AND APPROACHES

Flows of people and goods around the world have expanded dramatically in recent years.

DHS employs a range of strategies to improve upon border security, as well as to exclude

terrorist threats, drug traffickers, and other threats to national security, economic security,

and public safety. DHS and our partners ensure transit via legal pathways; identify and re-

move people and goods attempting to travel illegally; and ensure the safety and integrity of

these flows of people and goods by safeguarding the conveyances, nodes, and pathways

that make up the travel and trade system. DHS relies on a combination of people, technol-

ogy, assets (e.g., surface and aviation platforms), and infrastructure (e.g., roads, fences)

across DHS operating components to enable situational awareness and secure the border.

Given the inherently transnational nature of securing our borders, DHS also continues to

build international partnerships to enhance our ability to identify threats or hazards before

they emerge in the United States.

We will pursue the following strategies to secure U.S. air, land, and sea border and ap-

proaches:

Prevent illegal import and entry by employing a layered, risk-based approach to screen,

identify, and intercept threats at points of departure and at U.S. ports of entry. Using a vari-

ety of intelligence, automated tools, and information collected in advance of arrival for pas-

sengers and cargo at air, land, and seaports, DHS screens, identifies, and intercepts

threats at points of departure before they reach our borders. In the approaches to the Unit-

ed States, DHS maintains domain awareness efforts to establish and maintain a common

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operating picture of people, vehicles, aircraft, and marine vessels approaching our borders,

as well as interdiction capabilities to achieve a law enforcement resolution.

Prevent illegal export and exit through a risk-based strategy to inspect people, cargo, and

conveyances departing the United States through all airports, seaports, land border cross-

ings, and international mail/courier facilities. Using this information, law enforcement or-

ganizations such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement will investigate illegal exports

and exit.

GOAL 2.2: SAFEGUARD AND EXPEDITE LAWFUL TRADE AND TRAVEL

The vast majority of people and goods entering and exiting the United States represent law-

ful trade and travel. Lawful trade and travel provides enormous economic benefits to our

society, evident by a substantial increase in the number of tourist and business travelers

and in the value of U.S. exports and imports between 2005 and 2012, and underscored by

projections for continued growth at an average of six percent annually through 2030. DHS

and our partners work to secure and expedite these flows of people and goods, as they are

a main driver of U.S. economic prosperity.

We will pursue the following strategies to safeguard and expedite lawful trade and travel:

Safeguard key nodes, conveyances, and pathways by establishing and enforcing security

standards and plans that maintain or restore infrastructure capabilities to be resilient from

attacks and natural disasters; this includes facilities at ports of entry, modes of transporta-

tion, and pathways.

Manage the risk of people and goods in transit by employing a risk-segmentation approach

that identifies low-risk and high-risk people and goods moving within legal channels as far

from the homeland as possible, and then expediting low-risk, lawful movement to and

through the United States.

Maximize compliance with U.S. trade laws and promote U.S. economic security and com-

petitiveness by: 1) working with international partners, such as the International Maritime

Organization, the International Civil Aviation Organization, and INTERPOL, to create global

standards for security and resilience of the global trade and travel system and 2) conduct-

ing cargo recognition programs to reduce redundancies for industry while maintaining a

commensurate level of security.

GOAL 2.3: DISRUPT AND DISMANTLE TRANSNATIONAL CRIMINAL ORGANIZATIONS AND

OTHER ILLICIT ACTORS

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Transnational criminal organizations are increasing in strength and capability. They rely on

revenues generated through the sale of illegal drugs and counterfeit goods, human traffick-

ing and smuggling, and other criminal activities. They are also gaining strength by taking

advantage of the same innovations in management and supply chain structures that are

propelling multinational corporations.

We will pursue the following strategies to disrupt and dismantle transnational criminal or-

ganizations and other illicit actors:

Identify, investigate, disrupt, and dismantle TCOs by: 1) targeting illicit financing activities

that transnational criminal organizations depend on, such as money laundering, and in-

creasing outbound inspection to deter practices such as cash smuggling; and 2) creating a

deterrent effect from injecting the greatest amount of uncertainty and concern into criminal

decision making by swiftly shifting assets, presence, technology, and tools, further targeting

and focusing interdiction activities, and emphasizing strategic communications that project

the effectiveness of homeland security capabilities.

Disrupt illicit actors, activities, and pathways by using intelligence to target and interdict

illicit people and goods through a rapid response workforce as well as surveillance and en-

forcement assets to detect, identify, monitor, track, and interdict targets of interest, and

board vessels.

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Credit: Immigration and Customs Enforcement

 

 

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DEPARTMENT MISSIONS AND GOALS

HIGHLIGHTED PERFORMANCE MEASURES

The table below presents a subset of the DHS performance measures associated with

gauging results for Mission 2. For more information on these measures, along with a more

extensive list of measures associated with this mission, please see the FY 2013‒2015 An-

nual Performance Report at http://www.dhs.gov/xabout/budget/editorial_0430.shtm.

Mission 2: Secure and Manage Our Borders

Highlighted Performance Measures

Goal

Alignment

Planned Targets

FY 2014 FY 2015 FY 2018

Rate of interdiction effectiveness along the

Southwest Border between ports of entry (CBP) 2.1 77% 80% 89%

Percent of people apprehended multiple times along the Southwest border (CBP)

2.1 ≤ 17% ≤ 17% ≤ 17%

Number of smuggled outbound weapons seized

at the ports of entry (CBP) 2.1 400 400 400

Percent of detected conventional aircraft incursions resolved along all borders of the United States (CBP)

2.1 100% 100% 100%

Percent of inbound cargo identified by CBP as potentially high-risk that is assessed or scanned prior to departure or at arrival at a U.S. port of entry (CBP)

2.2 100% 100% 100%

Percent of imports compliant with U.S. trade laws (CBP)

2.2 97.5% 97.5% 97.5%

Percent of import revenue successfully collected (CBP)

2.2 100% 100% 100%

Fishing regulation compliance rate (USCG) 2.2 96.5% 96.5% 97.5%

Number of detected incursions of foreign fishing vessels violating U.S. waters (USCG)

2.2 < 148 < 155 < 176

Percent of transnational gang investigations resulting in the disruption or dismantlement of high-threat transnational criminal gangs (ICE)

2.3 62% 62% 62%

Percent of transnational child exploitation or

sex trafficking investigations resulting in the

disruption or dismantlement of high-threat child

exploitation or sex trafficking organizations or

individuals (ICE)

2.3 25% 25% 25%

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Credit: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services

MISSION 3: ENFORCE AND ADMINISTER OUR IMMIGRATION LAWS

Immigration is essential to our identity as a nation of immigrants. Most American families

have an immigration story, some recent, some more distant. Many immigrants have taken

on great risks to work and contribute to America’s prosperity or were provided refuge after

facing persecution abroad. Americans are extremely proud of this tradition. Smart and

effective enforcement and administration of our immigration laws remains a core home-

land security mission.

The following priorities from the 2014 Quadrennial Homeland Security Review inform the

strategic approach in this mission area: 1) Building a stronger, smarter border enforce-

ment system; 2) Achieving smart and effective interior enforcement; 3) Creating a 21st-

Century legal immigration system; 4) Facilitating reunions for long-separated families; 5)

Creating an earned path to citizenship; and 6) Enhancing management and organization

to develop a responsive immigration system.

GOAL 3.1: STRENGTHEN AND EFFECTIVELY ADMINISTER THE IMMIGRATION SYSTEM

At the center of any good immigration system must be a structure able to rapidly respond

to regulatory changes and the flow of demand around the world while at the same time

safeguarding security. We are constantly seeking ways to better administer benefits and

use technology to make information more accessible and secure.

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DEPARTMENT MISSIONS AND GOALS

MISSION PRIORITIES

The following Mission Priorities represent the highest priority efforts for the Department of

Homeland Security within Mission 3. While the Department will continue to work on all of

the mission goals and objectives laid out in the 2014 Quadrennial Homeland Security Re-

view and the 2014-2018 Strategic Plan, these are the top areas of focus in terms of in-

vestment, strategic and operational planning, and stakeholder engagement, and will be

addressed through actions undertaken in one or more of the following DHS foundational

activities: Joint Requirements Council, joint operational plans and operations, enhanced

budget and investment processes, and focused strategic and analytic efforts.

 Strengthen the immigration benefits system by transforming procedures for the adjudi-

cation of applications, strengthening anti-fraud measures, and expanding best practic-

es and supporting capabilities.

 Strengthen and focus DHS interior enforcement activities by providing clear guidelines

with respect to the arrest, detention, and removal of priority individuals, namely nation-

al security, public safety, and border security threats.

We will pursue the following strategies to strengthen and effectively administer the immi-

gration system:

Promote lawful immigration by uniting families, providing refuge, fostering economic oppor-

tunity, and promoting citizenship. We will also work to better assist high-skilled immi-

grants, streamline the processing of immigrant visas to encourage businesses to grow in

the United States, and develop innovative programs to enable immigrants to reach their

potential in the United States.

Effectively administer the immigration services system by: 1) providing effective customer-

oriented immigration benefit and information services at home and abroad; 2) making all

information needed to make immigration decisions available to appropriate agencies elec-

tronically and in real-time, including active individual case files and biometric information;

and 3) ensuring that only eligible applicants receive immigration benefits through expand-

ed use of biometrics, a strengthening of screening processes, improvements to fraud de-

tection, increases in legal staffing to ensure due process, and enhancements of interagen-

cy information sharing.

Promote the integration of lawful immigrants in American society by enhancing educational

resources and promoting opportunities to increase understanding of U.S. civic principles

and the rights, responsibilities, and importance of citizenship, and supporting comprehen-

sive immigration reform that provides an earned pathway to citizenship.

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Credit: U.S. Customs and Border Protection

GOAL 3.2: PREVENT UNLAWFUL IMMIGRATION

The increased movement of people and goods across our borders provides many opportu-

nities but also provides more places for illegal goods, unauthorized migrants, and threats to

hide. Unauthorized migration is influenced by many factors, including weak rule of law and

violence in sending countries. In addition, violent extremists and criminals can hide within

this larger flow of migrants who intend no harm.

We will pursue the following strategies to prevent unlawful immigration:

Prevent unlawful entry, strengthen enforcement, and reduce drivers of unlawful immigra-

tion by: 1) increasing situational awareness of our borders; 2) ensuring that only those

abroad who are eligible receive travel documents to the United States; and 3) identifying

and removing criminal aliens, individuals who pose a threat to public safety, health, or na-

tional security, repeat immigration law violators, and other individuals prioritized for remov-

al. We also reduce the demand for illegal immigrants by conducting inspections, audits,

and investigations of employers who hire illegal immigrants and administering tools such

as E-Verify to facilitate employers’ ability to hire eligible workers in compliance with immi-

gration laws.

Arrest, detain, and remove criminals, fugitives, and other dangerous foreign nationals by

leveraging federal information sharing and state, local, and federal criminal justice systems

to take enforcement action based on priorities with regard to criminal aliens, and working

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DEPARTMENT MISSIONS AND GOALS

with the Department of Justice to ensure more timely hearing of immigration cases and ap-

peals.

HIGHLIGHTED PERFORMANCE MEASURES

The table below presents a subset of the DHS performance measures associated with

gauging results for Mission 3. For more information on these measures, along with a more

extensive list of measures associated with this mission, please see the FY 2013‒2015 An-

nual Performance Report at http://www.dhs.gov/xabout/budget/editorial_0430.shtm.

Mission 3: Enforce and Administer Our Immigration Laws

Highlighted Performance Measures

Goal

Alignment

Planned Targets

FY 2014 FY 2015 FY 2018

Average of processing cycle time (in months) for

adjustment of status to permanent resident

applications (I-485) (USCIS)

3.1 ≤ 4.0 ≤ 4.0 ≤ 4.0

Average of processing cycle times (in months) for

naturalization applications (N-400) (USCIS) 3.1 ≤ 5.0 ≤ 5.0 ≤ 5.0

Overall customer service rating of the immigration

process (USCIS) 3.1 85% 85% 85%

Number of convicted criminal aliens removed per

fiscal year (ICE) 3.2 198,000 198,000 198,000

Average length of stay (in days) in detention of all

convicted criminal aliens prior to removal from the

United States (ICE)

3.2 ≤ 34.5 ≤ 34.5 ≤ 32.5

Percent of detention facilities found in compliance

with the national detention standards by receiving

an acceptable inspection rating (ICE)

3.2 100% 100% 100%

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Credit: U.S. Department of Homeland Security

MISSION 4: SAFEGUARD AND SECURE CYBERSPACE

Each and every day, the United States faces a myriad of threats in cyberspace, from the

theft of trade secrets, payment card data, and other sensitive information through cyber

intrusions to denial-of-service attacks against Internet websites and attempted intrusions

of U.S. critical infrastructure. DHS works closely with government and private sector part-

ners to strengthen cybersecurity capabilities, investigate cybercrime, and share actionable

information to ensure a secure and resilient cyberspace that protects privacy and civil

rights and civil liberties by design, supports innovation and economic growth, and supports

public health and safety.

The 2014 Quadrennial Homeland Security Review outlines four strategic priorities to safe-

guard and secure cyberspace: 1) Strengthen the security and resilience of critical Infra-

structure against cyber attacks and other hazards; 2) Secure the federal civilian govern-

ment information technology enterprise; 3) Advance cyber law enforcement, incident re-

sponse, and reporting capabilities; and 4) Strengthen the cyber ecosystem.

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MISSION PRIORITIES

The following Mission Priorities represent the highest priority efforts for the Department of

Homeland Security within Mission 4. While the Department will continue to work on all of

the mission goals and objectives laid out in the 2014 Quadrennial Homeland Security Re-

view and the 2014-2018 Strategic Plan, these are the top areas of focus in terms of in-

vestment, strategic and operational planning, and stakeholder engagement, and will be

addressed through actions undertaken in one or more of the following DHS foundational

activities: Joint Requirements Council, joint operational plans and operations, enhanced

budget and investment processes, and focused strategic and analytic efforts.

 Reduce national cyber risk through the Cybersecurity Framework, threat awareness,

public awareness campaigns, and best practices, all of which increase the baseline ca-

pabilities of critical infrastructure.

 Enhance critical infrastructure security and resilience, with respect to physical and

cyber risks, by reducing vulnerabilities, sharing information on threat, consequences

and mitigations, detecting malicious activity, promoting resilient critical infrastructure

design, and partnering with critical infrastructure owners and operators.

GOAL 4.1: STRENGTHEN THE SECURITY AND RESILIENCE OF CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE

AGAINST CYBER ATTACKS AND OTHER HAZARDS

The concept of critical infrastructure as discrete, physical assets has become outdated as

everything becomes linked to cyberspace. This “cyber-physical convergence” has changed

the risks to critical infrastructure in sectors ranging from energy and transportation to agri-

culture and healthcare. DHS coordinates with its private sector partners as well as with

state, local, tribal, and territorial governments to share information and intelligence regard-

ing cyber threats and vulnerabilities, foster development of trustworthy products and ser-

vices, and encourage the adoption of best-in-class cybersecurity practices.

We will pursue the following strategies to strengthen the security and resilience of critical

infrastructure against cyber attacks and other hazards:

Enhance the exchange of information and intelligence on risks to critical infrastructure

and develop real-time situational awareness capabilities that ensure machine and human

interpretation and visualization by increasing the volume, timeliness and quality of cyber

threat reporting shared with the private sector and state, local, tribal, and territorial part-

ners, and enabling the National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center (to

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receive information at “machine speed” by enabling networks to be more self-healing, us-

ing mathematics and analytics to mimic restorative processes that occur biologically.

Partner with critical infrastructure owners and operators to ensure the delivery of essential

services and functions by building effective partnerships to set a national focus and deter-

mine collective actions, providing assistance to local and regional partners, and leveraging

incentives to advance security and resilience, as described in the National Infrastructure

Protection Plan: Partnering for Security and Resilience.

Identify and understand interdependencies and cascading impacts among critical systems

by leveraging regional risk assessment programs, organization-specific assessment, asset-

and network-specific assessment, and cross-sector risk assessments.

Collaborate with agencies and the private sector to identify and develop effective cyberse-

curity policies and best practices through voluntary collaboration with private sector own-

ers and operators (including their partner associations, vendors, and others) and govern-

ment entity counterparts.

Reduce vulnerabilities and promote resilient critical infrastructure design by identifying

and promoting opportunities that build security and resilience into critical infrastructure as

it is being developed and updated, rather than focusing solely on mitigating vulnerabilities

present within existing critical infrastructure.

GOAL 4.2: SECURE THE FEDERAL CIVILIAN GOVERNMENT INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

ENTERPRISE

The Federal Government provides essential services and information on which many Amer-

icans rely. Not only must the government protect its own networks, it must serve as a role

model to others in implementing security services. DHS itself plays a leading role in secur-

ing federal civilian networks, allowing the Federal Government to do its business securely.

DHS partners with agencies to deploy products such as the EINSTEIN set of capabilities

that provide perimeter network-based intrusion detection and prevention.

We will pursue the following strategies to secure the federal civilian government infor-

mation technology enterprise:

Coordinate government purchasing of cyber technology to enhance cost-effectiveness by

using strategically sourced tools and services such as the Continuous Diagnostics and Miti-

gation program.

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DEPARTMENT MISSIONS AND GOALS

Equip civilian government networks with innovative cybersecurity tools, information, and

protections by supporting research and development and making the innovations from re-

search and development available not only to the Federal Government but widely available

across the public and private spheres.

Ensure government-wide policy and standards are consistently and effectively implement-

ed and measured by promoting the adoption of enterprise-wide policy and best practices

and working with interagency partners to develop government-wide requirements that can

bring the full strength of the market to bear on existing and emergent vulnerabilities.

GOAL 4.3: ADVANCE CYBER LAW ENFORCEMENT, INCIDENT RESPONSE, AND REPORTING

CAPABILITIES

Online criminal activity threatens the Internet’s safe and secure use. Law enforcement per-

forms an essential role in achieving our Nation’s cybersecurity objectives by detecting, in-

vestigating, and preventing a wide range of cybercrimes, from theft and fraud to child ex-

ploitation, and apprehending and prosecuting those responsible. In addition to criminal

prosecution, there is a need to rapidly detect and respond to incidents, including through

the development of quarantine and mitigation strategies, as well as to quickly share inci-

dent information so that others may protect themselves. Safeguarding and securing cyber-

space requires close coordination among federal law enforcement entities, network securi-

ty experts, state, local, tribal, and territorial officials, and private sector stakeholders.

We will pursue the following strategies to advance cyber law enforcement, incident re-

sponse, and reporting capabilities:

Respond to and assist in the recovery from cyber incidents by managing incident response

activities through the National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center and

fostering enhanced collaboration between law enforcement and network security officials

to pre-plan responses to cyber incidents.

Deter, disrupt, and investigate cybercrime by 1) increasing the quantity and impact of cy-

bercrime investigations; 2) partnering with other agencies to conduct high-profile criminal

investigations, prioritize the recruitment and training of technical experts, and develop

standardized methods; and 3) strengthening law enforcement agencies’ ability to detect,

investigate, and arrest those that make illicit use of cyberspace.

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GOAL 4.4: STRENGTHEN THE CYBER ECOSYSTEM

Our entire society, from government and law enforcement to the private sector and mem-

bers of the public, must work collaboratively to improve our network defense. Ensuring a

healthy cyber ecosystem will require collaborative communities, innovative and agile securi-

ty solutions, standardized and consistent processes to share information and best practic-

es, sound policies and plans, meaningful protection of privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties,

and development of a skilled workforce to ensure those policies and plans are implement-

ed as intended.

We will pursue the following strategies to strengthen the cyber ecosystem:

Drive innovative and cost effective security products, services, and solutions throughout

the cyber ecosystem by working with domestic and international partners across the public

and private spheres, and across the science and policy communities to identify promising

technology, policy and standards that enable robust, trust-based, automated sharing of cy-

bersecurity information and collective action to limit the spread of incidents and minimize

consequences.

Conduct and transition research and development, enabling trustworthy cyber infrastruc-

ture by supporting initiatives to develop promising new security technologies and tech-

niques including: 1) security automation techniques to facilitate real-time incident re-

sponse; 2) interoperability to support security cooperation across sectors; and 3) privacy

enhancing authentication to enable better system protection.

Develop skilled cybersecurity professionals by promoting cybersecurity knowledge and in-

novation, developing Department-wide human capital strategies, policies, and programs

intended to enhance the DHS cyber workforce, and working with public and private sector

partners to increase the pipeline of highly qualified homeland security professionals

through academic and federal training programs.

Enhance public awareness and promote cybersecurity best practices by promoting Nation-

al Cybersecurity Awareness Month and the Stop. Think. Connect.™ Campaign, which raise

awareness through collaborative outreach efforts and distributing materials, resources, and

tips to promote cybersecurity.

Advance international engagement to promote capacity building, international standards,

and cooperation by working to establish and deepen relationships with foreign computer

incident response teams both bilaterally and through participation in operationally-focused

multilateral fora, such as the Forum for Incident Response and Security Teams.

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HIGHLIGHTED PERFORMANCE MEASURES

The table below presents a subset of the DHS performance measures associated with

gauging results for Mission 4. For more information on these measures, along with a more

extensive list of measures associated with this mission, please see the FY 2013–2015 An-

nual Performance Report at http://www.dhs.gov/xabout/budget/editorial_0430.shtm.

Mission 4: Safeguard and Secure Cyberspace

Highlighted Performance Measures

Goal

Alignment

Planned Targets

FY 2014 FY 2015 FY 2018

Percent of intelligence reports rated “satisfactory”

or higher in customer feedback that enable

customers to manage risks to cyberspace (AO)

4.1 94% 95% 95%

Percent of organizations that have implemented at

least one cybersecurity enhancement after

receiving a cybersecurity vulnerability assessment

or survey (NPPD)

4.1 55% 60% 75%

Percent of traffic monitored for cyber intrusions at

civilian Federal Executive Branch agencies (NPPD) 4.2 85.0% 87.0% 93.0%

Percent of incidents detected by the U.S.

Computer Emergency Readiness Team for which

targeted agencies are notified within 30 minutes

(NPPD)

4.3 90.0% 92.0% 98.0%

Amount of dollar loss prevented by Secret Service

cyber investigations (in millions) (USSS) 4.3 $900 $915 $975

Number of law enforcement individuals trained in

cybercrime and cyber forensics both domestically

and overseas (USSS)

4.3 1,000 1,000 1,000

Percent of planned cyber security products and

services transitioned to government, commercial,

and open sources (S&T)

4.4 65% 80% 80%

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Credit: Federal Emergency Management Agency

MISSION 5: STRENGTHEN NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS AND RESILIENCE

Despite ongoing vigilance and efforts to protect the United States and its citizens, major

accidents, disruptions, and natural disasters, as well as deliberate attacks, will occur. The

challenge is to build the capacity of American society to be resilient in the face of disrup-

tions, disasters, and other crises. Our goals in this mission require us to: 1) enhance na-

tional preparedness; 2) mitigate hazards and vulnerabilities; 3) ensure effective emergency

response; and 4) enable rapid recovery.

The 2014 Quadrennial Homeland Security Review reaffirms the Whole Community ap-

proach to national preparedness and resilience, which calls for the investment of everyone

– not just the government – in preparedness efforts. Whole Community is a means by

which emergency managers, organizational and community leaders, government officials,

private and nonprofit sectors, faith-based and disability organizations, and the general pub-

lic can collectively understand and assess the needs of their respective communities as

well as determine the best ways to organize and strengthen their assets, capacities, and

interests.

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DEPARTMENT MISSIONS AND GOALS

MISSION PRIORITIES

The following Mission Priorities represent the highest priority efforts for the Department of

Homeland Security within Mission 5. While the Department will continue to work on all of

the mission goals and objectives laid out in the 2014 Quadrennial Homeland Security Re-

view and the 2014-2018 Strategic Plan, these are the top areas of focus in terms of in-

vestment, strategic and operational planning, and stakeholder engagement, and will be

addressed through actions undertaken in one or more of the following DHS foundational

activities: Joint Requirements Council, joint operational plans and operations, enhanced

budget and investment processes, and focused strategic and analytic efforts.

 Prepare the Nation for those threats and hazards that pose the greatest risk to the se-

curity of the Nation by building and sustaining capabilities in order to achieve the Na-

tional Preparedness Goal.

 Ensure effective, unified incident response operations.

GOAL 5.1: ENHANCE NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS

National preparedness underpins all efforts to safeguard and secure the Nation against

those threats and hazards that pose the greatest risk. Presidential Policy Directive 8 calls

for a National Preparedness Goal, which is “[a] secure and resilient Nation with the capabil-

ities required across the Whole Community to prevent, protect against, mitigate, respond

to, and recover from the threats and hazards that pose the greatest risk.”

We will pursue the following strategies to enhance national preparedness:

Empower individuals and communities to strengthen and sustain their own preparedness

by engaging public and community organizations through programs such as America’s

Preparathon! to build a collective understanding of their risks, the resources available to

assist their preparations, and their roles and responsibilities in the event of a disaster.

Build and sustain core capabilities nationally to prevent, protect against, mitigate, respond

to, and recover from all hazards by conducting such activities as: 1) fostering capability de-

velopment by providing tools and technical assistance; 2) providing planning and reach-

back expertise; 3) using grant programs such as the State Homeland Security Grant Pro-

gram and the Urban Area Security Initiative (which collectively provide funds to state, local,

tribal, territorial, and regional government and port, transit, and nonprofit entities); and 4)

promoting the use of the National Planning Frameworks. These activities support the De-

partment’s intent to build and sustain a national integrated network of capabilities across

all levels of government and to promote the involvement of the Whole Community in the

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Nation’s preparedness efforts.

Assist federal entities in the establishment of effective continuity programs that are regu-

larly updated, exercised, and improved by administering the National Exercise Program,

the cornerstone of a collective effort to test, improve, and assess national preparedness.

GOAL 5.2: MITIGATE HAZARDS AND VULNERABILITIES

DHS is uniquely positioned not only to support communities during a disaster, but also to

enable partners to take steps that will decrease risk and mitigate future hazards before a

disaster strikes. While risk cannot be totally eliminated, DHS can influence and support

more positive outcomes in reducing risks. National risk management emphasizes focusing

on those actions and interventions that reduce the greatest amount of strategic risk to the

Nation.

We will pursue the following strategies to mitigate hazards and vulnerabilities:

Promote public and private sector awareness and understanding of community-specific

risks by providing credible and actionable data and tools to support risk-informed decision

making and incentivizing and facilitating investments to manage current and future risk.

Reduce vulnerability through standards, regulation, resilient design, effective mitigation,

and disaster risk reduction measures by encouraging appropriate land use and adoption

of building codes, while also applying engineering and planning practices in conjunction

with advanced technology tools.

Prevent maritime incidents by establishing, and ensuring compliance with standards and

regulations by licensing U.S. mariners, conducting and sharing findings of casualty investi-

gations, and providing grants and support for government and nongovernment boating

safety efforts.

GOAL 5.3: ENSURE EFFECTIVE EMERGENCY RESPONSE

DHS, primarily through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) on land and

the U.S. Coast Guard at sea, acts as the federal coordinator during disaster response, sup-

porting state, local, tribal, territorial, and regional governments while working closely with

nongovernmental organizations and the private sector to help leverage the resources they

can bring to bear.

We will pursue the following strategies to ensure effective emergency response:

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DEPARTMENT MISSIONS AND GOALS

Provide timely and accurate information to individuals and communities to support public

safety and inform appropriate actions by the public before, during, and after emergencies.

Conduct effective, unified incident response operations by following the National Response

Framework, Second Edition; maximizing interagency coordination, information sharing, and

preparation; and implementing initiatives to ensure a stable, flexible, and fully qualified dis-

aster workforce.

Provide timely and appropriate disaster assistance through “survivor-centric” programs

that support, streamline, and simplify the delivery of services for individuals and communi-

ties. DHS will strengthen capabilities and operationalize resource-sharing opportunities to

achieve the greatest potential to change outcomes on the ground in catastrophic disasters.

Ensure effective emergency communications through the provision of technical communi-

cations capabilities enabling security, situational awareness, and operational decision

making to manage emergencies under all circumstances.

GOAL 5.4: ENABLE RAPID RECOVERY

DHS plays a key role in facilitating recovery following a disaster by supplementing commu-

nities’ recovery core capabilities; promoting infrastructure resilience guidelines and use of

standards; and encouraging the development of continuity plans for communities, govern-

ment entities, and private-sector organizations. The devastating effects of recent disasters

have highlighted the need to reform our national approach to long-term recovery. Commu-

nities devastated by a disaster, particularly large-scale events such as Hurricane Sandy,

face complex and difficult challenges including restoring economic viability, rebuilding in-

frastructure and public services, and establishing resilience against future hazards.

We will pursue the following strategies to enable rapid recovery:

Ensure continuity and restoration of essential services and functions by: 1) supplementing

communities’ recovery core capabilities; 2) encouraging the development of continuity

plans for communities, government entities, and private-sector organizations; and 3) work-

ing to ensure continuity and rapid restoration of essential services.

Support and enable communities to rebuild stronger, smarter, and safer by following the

National Disaster Recovery Framework and implementing programs that: 1) fund author-

ized federal disaster support activities; 2) support eligible reconstruction projects and dis-

aster survivors; 3) provide subject matter experts to assist in planning and coordinating re-

building efforts; and 4) focus on how best to restore, redevelop, and revitalize the health,

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social, economic, natural, and environmental fabric of the community and build a more

resilient nation.

HIGHLIGHTED PERFORMANCE MEASURES

The table below presents a subset of the DHS performance measures associated with

gauging results for Mission 5. For more information on these measures, along with a

more extensive list of measures associated with this mission, please see the FY 2013–

2015 Annual Performance Report at http://www.dhs.gov/xabout/budget/

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Mission 5: Strengthen National Preparedness and Resilience

Highlighted Performance Measures

Goal

Alignment

Planned Targets

FY 2014 FY 2015 FY 2018

Percent of households that participated in a

preparedness exercise or drill at their workplace,

school, home, or other community location in the

past year (FEMA)

5.1 42% 44% 50%

Percent of communities in high earthquake, flood,

and wind-prone areas adopting disaster-resistant

building codes (FEMA)

5.2 57% 61% 64%

Reduction in the potential cost of natural disasters to

communities and their citizens (in billions) (FEMA) 5.2 $2.60 $2.60 $2.60

Percent of incident management and support actions

necessary to stabilize an incident within 72 hours or

by the agreed upon time (FEMA)

5.3 100% 100% 100%

Percent of orders for required life-sustaining

commodities (meals, water, tarps, plastic sheeting,

cots, blankets and generators) and key operational

resources delivered by the agreed upon date (FEMA)

5.3 95% 95% 95%

Percent of people in imminent danger saved in the

maritime environment (USCG) 5.3 100% 100% 100%

Percent of calls made by National Security/Emergency

Preparedness users during emergency situations that

DHS ensured were connected (NPPD)

5.3 100% 97% 98.5%

Percent of recovery services through Individual

Assistance delivered to disaster survivors gauging the

quality of program services, supporting infrastructure,

and customer satisfaction following a disaster (FEMA)

5.4 92.0% 93.0% 96.0%

Percent of recovery services through Public Assistance

delivered to communities gauging the quality of

program services, supporting infrastructure, and

customer satisfaction following a disaster (FEMA)

5.4 93.0% 93.0% 93.0%

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Credit: U.S. Coast Guard

DEPARTMENT MISSIONS AND GOALS

MATURE AND STRENGTHEN HOMELAND SECURITY

The Nation’s experiences in the years since September 11, 2001 highlight the importance

of joining efforts across all levels of society and government into a common homeland se-

curity. In considering the evolution of the Department and the ever-changing environment

in which it operates, we have identified several key, cross-cutting functional areas of focus

for action within the Department that must be accomplished in order for it to successfully

execute its core missions. These functions, and the critical activities associated with them,

serve as the supporting foundation that underpins all homeland security missions.

These goals also support the Unity of Effort Initiative, which builds important linkages be-

tween the Department’s planning, programming, budgeting, and execution processes, en-

suring that the Department invests and operates in a cohesive, unified fashion, and makes

decisions that are transparent and collaborative to drive the Secretary’s strategic guidance

to results.

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MISSION PRIORITIES

The following Mission Priorities represent the highest priority efforts for the Department of

Homeland Security within Maturing and Strengthening Homeland Security. While the De-

partment will continue to work on all of the mission goals and objectives laid out in the

2014 Quadrennial Homeland Security Review and the 2014-2018 Strategic Plan, these

are the top areas of focus in terms of investment, strategic and operational planning, and

stakeholder engagement, and will be addressed through actions undertaken in one or

more of the following DHS foundational activities: Joint Requirements Council, joint opera-

tional plans and operations, enhanced budget and investment processes, and focused

strategic and analytic efforts.

 Enhance ability to analyze, fuse, and disseminate information and analysis by improv-

ing integration of intelligence and operational activities — including screening and vet-

ting practices and databases — investing in common enterprise solutions and services,

and evolving toward real-time situational awareness, while protecting civil rights and

civil liberties.

 Enhance Unity of Effort by strengthening forums for leadership decision-making, de-

partmental management processes for investments, headquarters strategy, planning,

and analytic capability, and coordinated operational planning.

 Enhance employee morale by recruiting, hiring, retain and developing a highly qualified,

diverse, effective, mission-focused, and resilient workforce, and through providing ex-

panded opportunities for professional growth and development.

GOAL 1: INTEGRATE INTELLIGENCE, INFORMATION SHARING, AND OPERATIONS

Rapidly evolving threats and hazards demand that DHS and our partners continually en-

hance situational awareness. As noted earlier, DHS is committed to integrating critical

data sources while maintaining and safeguarding a culture that preserves privacy and

civil rights and civil liberties.

We will pursue the following strategies to integrate intelligence, information sharing, and

operations:

Enhance unity of regional operations coordination and planning by partnering with and

supporting the national network of fusion centers in the form of deployed personnel,

training, technical assistance, exercise support, security clearances, connectivity to feder-

al systems, technology, and grant funding. DHS will also work to enhance intelligence en-

terprise support to Component and state, local, tribal, territorial and private sector home-

land security missions by developing an integrated set of DHS intelligence enterprise pri-

orities specific to collection and analysis and enhancing coordination among DHS head-

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DEPARTMENT MISSIONS AND GOALS

quarters, Component headquarters, and field elements.

Share homeland security information and analysis, threats, and risks by providing robust

communications, coordination, information sharing, situational awareness capabilities, De-

partment-level planning, and Department-level planning to homeland security partners.

Integrate counterintelligence, consistent with component and Departmental authorities,

into all aspects of Department operations by utilizing the counterintelligence program man-

agement, counterintelligence analysis, and counterintelligence support and inquiries func-

tions to safeguard homeland security-related national security information and other sensi-

tive information.

Establish a common security mindset with domestic and international partners, through

initiatives such as the DHS Common Operating Picture and the Homeland Security Infor-

mation Network, which enable unity of effort with all homeland security partners, and

through efforts to facilitate and integrate DHS’s ability to share information with key foreign

partners. Note that only trusted and vetted international partners receive access to proper-

ly screened sensitive information.