With a stroke of the pen on November 25th, 2002, President George Bush signed into law the creation of the Department of Homeland Security. This act represented the largest reorganization within the federal government since the Department of Defense was established in 1947. The legislation brought together approximately 170,000 federal workers from 22 separate agencies, all under the leadership of former Governor Tom Ridge who, with US Senate confirmation in early 2003, assumed the title Secretary of Homeland Security.

Organizational Structure of the Department
The new department continues to be a "work in progress," as the overall organizational structure continues to be refined and elements continue to be reorganized to best meet the overall departmental goals and missions as laid out in the National Strategy for Homeland Security promulgated in July 2002. Succinctly stated, the purpose of the strategy is to "mobilize and organize our Nation to secure the US homeland from terrorist attacks."

Within the National Strategy six critical mission areas are identified: Intelligence and Warning, Border and Transportation Security; Domestic Counterterrorism; Protecting Critical Infrastructure and Key Assets; Defending Against Catastrophic Threats; and Emergency Preparedness and Response. There are also four foundation areas listed that are viewed as "cutting across all the mission areas," and that are critical to the success of Homeland Security: Law, Science and Technology, Information Sharing and Systems and International Cooperation. The new Department was, therefore, designed and structured to achieve these goals, and its workforce will continue to reflect these goals.

1. The Office of the Secretary

Overall, the Office of Secretary of Homeland Security includes many of those support functions nominally associated with a cabinet secretary' office, including legislative affairs, public affairs, Inspector General and General Counsel. The Commandant of the US Coast Guard and the Director of the US Secret Service, both of whose agencies were transferred to the new department, will report directly to the Secretary. From the perspective of managing the overall department, many of the staff were seconded from other parts of the federal government. A large number that worked in the Office of Homeland Security within the White House transferred over to the new department upon its being established. As a result career options within the overall management structure of the Department will probably be limited with greater short-term reliance being placed upon already established career civil servants.

Compounding the sheer magnitude of this undertaking is the daunting task of providing security for the entire United States at the same time on a 24 hour, seven days a week, 52 weeks a year schedule. This includes protection of over 95,000 miles of coastline, guarding ports and monitoring and inspecting arrivals of the thousands of containers that daily enter the United States in all the major ports and monitoring the flow of people flowing into and out of the United States on a daily basis. The task has been compared to driving at 60 miles and hour and being expected to change the tire at the same time.

2. The Bureaus

The vast majority of the agencies that have been moved over to the new department have been organized into one of four major directorates with a fifth bureau being deemed 
necessary for overall management of the Department:

1. Border and Transportation Security, headed by Under Secretary Asa Hutchinson
2. Emergency Preparedness and Response, headed by Under Secretary Michael Brown
3. Science and Technology, headed by Under Secretary Dr. Charles E. McQueary
4. Information Analysis and Infrastructure Support, headed by Frank Libutti
5. Management, headed by Under Secretary Janet Hale.

Each directorate comprises a number of "pieces" from other. Federal government departments. For example, the Border and Transportation Directorate includes, among other elements, the U.S. Customs Service, moved over from the Department of Treasury, a part of the Immigration and Naturalization Service moved over from the Department of Justice, the Federal Protective Service, moved over from the General Services Administration (GSA) and the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) moved over from the Department of Agriculture.

3. Management and Personnel

Clearly, the task of pulling together 22 separate agencies, all of which have their own organizational culture and standard operating procedures, and having them work together under the heading of a completely new department, is a bureaucratic task of enormous proportions, unrivaled in the history of the United States. Given the sheer diversity of the occupations within the new department and the overall task assigned to it, it was clear from the very outset that a new personnel system also had to be put into place with the aim of looking towards future recruitment into the department. Personnel systems that had been created for the Federal government in the middle part of the 20th Century were clearly not applicable or flexible enough to handle such a new and diverse tasking.

Immediately upon the establishment of the Department a team representing employees from the Department, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and representatives from the major civil service unions were brought together to work out new personnel systems. These new guidelines, that will continue to be implemented during 2004, are designed to continue to enhance the new Department's ability in the coming years to attract individuals into a career of public service in the face of stiff competition from the private sector.

Career Tracks with the Department

The vast majority of career options currently fall within the newly created Bureaus or within agencies such as the US Coast Guard, the Transportation Security Administration or the US Secret Service that answer directly to the Secretary. A review of the current OPM website (www.usajobs.opm.gov/homeland.asp) for the Department of Homeland Security shows 11 agencies and mission areas currently seeking people under the various DHS Bureaus. Websites of the various agencies and bureaus list the many job and career paths open to college graduates within those organizations. They are well maintained and updated regularly. These specific sites provide a good starting point for African-American collegians looking to find a career path within the Department's various branches.

Review the mission statement of each of the six agencies directly under the Department of Homeland Security. If the mission interests you, log on to the website beneath the mission statement for specific information about careers within the agency.

Missions of the U.S. Coast Guard

Maritime Safety

• Search and Rescue
• Marine Safety
• Recreational Boating Safety
• International Ice Patrol

Maritime Mobility

• Aids to Navigation
• Icebreaking Services
• Vessel Traffic / Waterways Management
• Bridge Administration
• Rules of the Road

Maritime Security

• Drug Interdiction
• Alien Migrant Interdiction
• EEZ & Living Marine Resource
• General Maritime Law Enforcement
• Law / Treaty Enforcement

National Defense

• General Defense Duties
• Homeland Security
• Port and Waterways Security
• Polar Icebreaking

Protection of Natural Resources

• Marine Pollution Education, Prevention, Response & Enforcement
• Foreign Vessel Inspections
• Living Marine Resources Protection
• Marine and Environmental Science

The United States Coast Guard – http://www.uscg.mil/hq/cgpc/cpm/jobs/vacancy.htm

Mission of Customs and Border Protection (CBP)

The priority mission of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is to prevent terrorists and terrorist weapons from entering the United States. This important mission calls for improved security at America's borders and ports of entry as well as for extending our zone of security beyond our physical borders - so that American borders are the last line of defense, not the first.

CBP also is responsible for apprehending individuals attempting to enter the United States illegally, stemming the flow of illegal drugs and other contraband; protecting our agricultural and economic interests from harmful pests and diseases; protecting American businesses from theft of their intellectual property; and regulating and facilitating international trade, collecting import duties, and enforcing U.S. trade laws.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection – http://www.customs.gov/xp/cgov/careeers/

Mission of Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA)

FEMA is an independent federal agency with more than 2,600 full time employees. They work at FEMA headquarters in Washington D.C., at regional and area offices across the country, at the Mount Weather Emergency Operations Center, and at the FEMA training center in Emmitsburg, Maryland. FEMA also has nearly 4,000 standby disaster assistance employees who are available to help out after disasters. Often FEMA works in partnership with other organizations that are part of the nation's emergency management system. These partners include state and local emergency management agencies, 27 federal agencies and American Red Cross.

Federal Emergency Management Administration – http://www.fema.-gov/career/index.jsp

Mission of Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC)

Our mission is to serve as the Federal government's leader for and provider of world-class law enforcement training. We prepare new and experienced law enforcement professionals to fulfill their responsibilities in a safe manner and at the highest level of proficiency. We also ensure that training is provided in the most cost-effective manner by taking advantage of economies of scale available only from a consolidated law enforcement training organization. Federal Law Enforcement Training Center – http://www.fletc.gov

Mission of Transportation Security Administration (TSA)

The Transportation Security Administration protects the Nation's transportation systems to ensure freedom of movement for people and commerce.

Transportation Security Administration – http://www.tsa.gov/public/

Mission of The U.S. Secret Service

The United States Secret Service is mandated by statute and executive order to carry out two significant missions: protection and criminal investigations. The Secret Service protects the President and Vice President, their families, heads of state, and other designated individuals; investigates threats against these protectees; protects the White House, Vice President's Residence, Foreign Missions, and other buildings within Washington, D.C.; and plans and implements security designs for designated National Special Security Events. The Secret Service also investigates violations of laws relating to counterfeiting of obligations and securities of the United States; financial crimes that include, but are not limited to, access device fraud, financial institution fraud, identity theft, computer fraud; and computer-based attacks on our nation's financial, banking, and telecommunications infrastructure.

Jessie Lane of The Uniformed Division Arm of Federal Law Enforcement Answers Questions for THE BLACK COLLEGIAN Magazine.

TBC: Give our readers a profile of the candidate you are trying to recruit.

Lane: We are currently seeking qualified people who have diverse skills and backgrounds and who are interested in pursuing a challenging Federal law enforcement career as a Uniformed Division Officer.

TBC: What should a candidate do to be successful in landing a job with the Secret Service?

Lane: To be considered for the position of a Uniformed Division Officer, applicants must meet the following criteria:

Be a U.S. citizen, possess a high school diploma or an equivalent, be between the ages of 21 and 37 at the time of appointment, qualify for a top secret clearance, pass a written examination, successfully pass a polygraph test, pass a comprehensive medical examination, and have distant vision at least 20/60 binocular uncorrected and 20/20 in each eye corrected. Near vision must be at least 20/20 corrected.

TBC: What are the primary entry-level opportunities available with the Secret Service?

Lane: The U.S. Secret Service Uniformed Division has excellent career opportunities. Officers rotate tours of duty in various branches of the Uniformed Division to obtain a comprehensive knowledge of all facets of the organization. Assignments in specialized units are competitive and help promote the officer's unique interests and expertise.

New appointees to the Uniformed Division receive intensive training at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) in Glynco, Georgia. Each trainee subsequently receives specialized training at the U.S. Secret Service's James J. Rowley Training Center in Beltsville, Maryland. The training lasts approximately 21 weeks.

United States Secret Service – http://www.secretservice.gov/index.shtml

There are also a number of other agencies that are not under the management structure of the Department but that are responsible for readiness and security tasks directly related to the Department. It would take too much space to describe each agency and its mission and employment opportunities. All of these agencies, however, offer well-organized web sites through which information can be obtained on career paths. These include:

• The United States Capitol Police
  http://www.usajobs.opm.gov/E151.asp
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
  http://www.2a.cdc.gov
• The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
  http://www.fbi.gov
• The Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
  http://www.jobserach.usa-jobs.opm.gov/A9FDA.asp
• The National Institutes of Health (NIH)
  http://healthresearch.niaid.nih.gov.omni
• The Bureau of Diplomatic Security (DS)
  http://www.ds.state.gov
• The United States Park Police
  http://www.nps.gov/uspp

The new Department will continue to offer some challenging and exciting career opportunities for college graduates. The sheer vastness of its mission and objectives translates into an immediate need for young graduates with a diverse set of skills and talents from all walks of life. It is also clear that the mission of homeland security will be further enhanced in the coming years as younger graduates enter the employment stream having been exposed to the idea of what homeland security is aiming to achieve.

Alan P. Capps is editor-in-chief/senior analyst for the Journal of Homeland Security: ANSER Institute for Homeland Security, Arlington, VA.