On October 9, 2007, the President issued an updated National Strategy
for Homeland Security, which will serve to guide, organize, and unify
our Nation's homeland security efforts.  

This Strategy is a national strategy, not a Federal strategy, and
articulates our approach to secure the Homeland over the next several
years.  It builds on the first National Strategy for Homeland
Security, issued in July 2002, and complements both the National
Security Strategy issued in March 2006 and the National Strategy for
Combating Terrorism issued in September 2006.  

It reflects our increased understanding of the threats confronting the
United States, incorporates lessons learned from exercises and
real-world catastrophes, and articulates how we should ensure our
long-term success by strengthening the homeland security foundation we
have built.  

This includes calling on Congress to make the Foreign Intelligence
Surveillance Act (FISA) reforms in the Protect America Act of 2007
permanent.

• Since September 11th, 2001, our
  concept of securing the homeland has evolved, adapting to new realities
  and threats.  The Strategy issued today incorporates this
  increased understanding by:
• Acknowledging that while we must continue to focus on the
  persistent and evolving terrorist threat, we also must recognize that
  certain non-terrorist events that reach catastrophic levels can have
  significant implications for homeland security. 


• Emphasizing that as we secure the Homeland we cannot simply
  rely on defensive approaches and well-planned response and recovery
  measures.  We recognize that our efforts also must involve offense
  at home and abroad.  

The Strategy provides a common framework through which our entire
Nation – Federal, State, local, and Tribal governments, the private and
non-profit sectors, communities, and individual citizens – should focus
its homeland security efforts on the following four goals:

1.       Prevent
and disrupt terrorist attacks.  To prevent and disrupt
terrorist attacks in the United States, we are working to deny
terrorists and terrorist-related weapons and materials entry into our
country and across all international borders, disrupt terrorists'
ability to operate within our borders, and prevent the emergence of
violent Islamic radicalization in order to deny terrorists future
recruits and to defeat homegrown extremism.

2.       Protect
the American people, our critical infrastructure, and key resources. 
To protect the lives and livelihoods of the American people, we must
undertake measures to deter the threat of terrorism, mitigate the
Nation's vulnerability to acts of terror and the full range of man-made
and natural catastrophes, and minimize the consequences of an attack or
disaster should it occur.

3.       Respond
to and recover from incidents that do occur.  To save
lives, mitigate suffering, and protect property in future catastrophes,
we must strengthen the foundation of an effective, coordinated
response.  This includes clarifying roles and responsibilities
across all levels of government and the private and non-profit
sectors.  We must also focus on ensuring we have the operational
capabilities and flexibility necessary to facilitate both short-term
recovery and an effective transition to long-term rebuilding and
revitalization efforts.

4.       Continue
to strengthen the foundation to ensure our long-term success. 
To fulfill these responsibilities over the long term, we will continue
to strengthen the principles, systems, structures, and institutions
that cut across the homeland security enterprise and support our
activities to secure the Homeland.  Ultimately, this will help
ensure the success of our Strategy to secure the Nation.  This
includes:

• Applying a comprehensive
  approach to risk management.  We must apply a risk-based
  framework across all homeland security efforts in order to identify and
  assess potential hazards (including their downstream effects),
  determine what levels of relative risk are acceptable, and prioritize
  and allocate resources among all homeland security partners, both
  public and private, to prevent, protect against, and respond to and
  recover from all manner of incidents.
• Building a Culture of
  Preparedness.  Our entire Nation shares common
  responsibilities in homeland security.  In order to help prepare
  the Nation to carry out these responsibilities, we will continue to
  foster a Culture of Preparedness that permeates all levels of society –
  from individual citizens, businesses, and non-profit organizations to
  Federal, State, local, and Tribal government officials and
  authorities. 
• Developing a comprehensive
  Homeland Security Management System.  In order to continue
  strengthening the foundations of a prepared Nation, we will establish
  and institutionalize a comprehensive Homeland Security Management
  System that incorporates all stakeholders.  This system involves a
  continuous, mutually reinforcing cycle of activity across four phases –
  guidance; planning; execution; and assessment and evaluation. 
• Relevant departments and agencies of the Federal government
  must take the lead in implementing this system, and State, local, and
  Tribal governments are highly encouraged to ultimately adopt fully
  compatible and complementary processes and practices as part of a
  full-scale national effort.


• In order to ensure the success of this system, our Nation
  must further develop a community of homeland security professionals by
  establishing multidisciplinary education opportunities.  In
  addition to covering homeland and relevant national security issues,
  this education should include an understanding and appreciation of
  appropriate regions, religions, cultures, legal systems, and
  languages.  We also must continue to develop interagency and
  intergovernmental assignments and fellowship opportunities, tying them
  to promotions and professional advancement

• Improving incident management. 
  We must develop a comprehensive approach to incident management that
  will help Federal, State, local, and Tribal authorities manage
  incidents across our goals of prevention, protection, and response and
  recovery.  Our approach will build upon the existing National
  Incident Management System (NIMS) and help decision-making during
  crisis and periods of heightened concern.


• Better utilizing science and
  technology.  The United States derives much of its strength
  from its advantage in science and technology, and we must continue to
  use this advantage and encourage innovative research and development to
  assist in protecting and defending against the range of natural and
  man-made threats confronting the Homeland.  


• Using all instruments of
  national power and influence.  The United States is using
  its instruments of national power and influence – diplomatic,
  information, military, economic, financial, intelligence, and law
  enforcement – to prevent terrorism, protect the lives and livelihoods
  of the American people, and respond to and recover from
  incidents.  We must build on these efforts, by continuing to
  enhance our processes for sharing all relevant and appropriate
  information throughout all levels of government and with our partners,
  and by prioritizing the continued transformation of our law enforcement
  and military.

The U.S. Congress should take bold steps to fulfill its
responsibilities in the national effort to secure the Homeland and
protect the American people.

• Congress should help ensure that we have the necessary tools to
  address changing technologies and homeland security threats while
  protecting privacy and civil liberties.  We must make additional
  reforms to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act and ensure that
  the statute is permanently amended so that our intelligence
  professionals continue to have the legal tools they need to gather
  information about the intentions of our enemies while protecting the
  civil liberties of Americans. 
  
  


• Both houses of the Congress should take action to further
  streamline
  the organization and structure of those committees that authorize and
  appropriate homeland security-related funds and otherwise oversee
  homeland security missions.


• The Congress should fully embrace a risk-based funding approach
  so that we best prioritize our limited resources to meet the most
  critical homeland security goals and objectives first.

Progress
Made Securing The Homeland

Since September 11, we have made extraordinary progress in securing our
Homeland and fighting the War on Terror.  We have:

• Disrupted multiple potentially
  deadly plots against the United States.  We have greatly
  increased worldwide counterterrorism efforts since 9/11, which has
  constrained the ability of al-Qaeda to attack the Homeland and led
  terrorist groups to find that the United States is a harder target to
  strike.


• Strengthened our ability to
  protect the American people by creating the Department of Homeland
  Security.  We have also enhanced our homeland security and
  counterterrorism architecture through the creation of the Office of the
  Director of National Intelligence, the Homeland Security Council, the
  National Counterterrorism Center, and U.S. Northern Command, a
  Department of Defense combatant command focused on homeland defense and
  civil support.  


• Made our borders more secure. 
  We are implementing an effective system of layered defense by
  strengthening the screening of people and goods overseas and by
  tracking and disrupting the international travel of terrorists.


• Instituted an active,
  multi-layered approach to that integrates the capabilities of Tribal,
  local, State and Federal governments, as well as those of the private
  and non-profit sectors.  In addition, Federal grant funding
  and technical assistance has also enhanced State, local and Tribal
  homeland security training and equipment, emergency management
  capabilities, and the interoperability of communications.


• Worked with Congress to create,
  implement, and renew key legal reforms.  The USA PATRIOT
  Act, the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004, and
  the Protect America Act of 2007 promote security and help to implement
  9/11 Commission and WMD Commission recommendations, while protecting
  our fundamental liberties.

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