DHS: Progress and priorities, II

the center of national security and emergency preparedness (NS/EP) communications during disasters. The NCC is a 24/7 operation and serves as the central coordination point between the Federal, State and local governments and the telecommunications industry during emergencies. The NCS runs the Telecommunications Service Priority (TSP) System to provide priority provisioning and restoration to telecommunications services during the preparation and recovery phases of an emergency. In addition, the NCS operates and maintains the Shared Resources High Frequency Radio Network during an emergency event. The NCS also runs the Government Emergency Telecommunications Service and the Wireless Priority Service programs that provide federal, state and local leadership, first responders and leaders of critical infrastructure with priority call service in the event of network congestion on hard line and wireless networks.

  • Realizing interoperable communications: DHS, along with the Department of Commerce, has provided nearly $1 billion in Public Safety Interoperable Communications (PSIC) grants to help state and local first responders improve public safety communications and coordination during a natural or man-made disaster. In addition, the Science & Technology Directorate published results of the National Interoperability Baseline Survey - a nationwide survey of first responders and law enforcement that assesses progress in achieving interoperable communications. In addition, the Office of Emergency Communications (OEC) was established to serve as the departmental focal point for emergency communications. OEC completed the first-ever National Emergency Communications Plan this year, which provides a framework for emergency communications users across all levels of government.

    • Strengthening and unifying DHS operations and management

    DHS was created in 2003 to serve as the unifying core for the vast national network of organizations and institutions involved in securing our nation. This was not an easy task. The creation of DHS constitutes the biggest reorganization of U.S. government in American history and the most substantial reorganization of federal government agencies since the National Security Act of 1947, which placed the different military departments under a secretary of defense and created the National Security Council and Central Intelligence Agency. DHS also constitutes the most diverse merger of federal functions and responsibilities, incorporating twenty-two government agencies into a single organization. With 220,000 employees, DHS is now the third largest cabinet department in the United States federal government, after the Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs. DHS has further integrated core management functions and systems throughout headquarters and the components, achieving a more cohesive and unified department.

    Consolidation of network sites: The