Naval Postgraduate School

Congressional Oversight of Homeland Security: Help or Hinderance? (Defense) Naval Postgraduate School

There are hundreds of different ways that terrorist groups can attack the United States. In addition to such ?traditional? methods as bombings and airplane hijackings, terrorists can attack the food supply or water supply; they could release infectious diseases; or they might attempt financial attacks and cyber-attacks. All these scenarios fall into the realm of homeland security. At the same time, preventing and responding to natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina and man-made disasters like the Deepwater Horizon oil spill also fall under the umbrella of homeland security. Clearly, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has an extremely broad mission. Therefore, it follows that congressional committees ranging from the House Homeland Security Committee to the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry should all have some level of DHS oversight. Does the current congressional oversight structure of the Department of Homeland Security enhance the national security of the United States?