The Roles And Responsibilities Of The Private Sector In The Homeland Security Enterprise Essays Example

Introduction

Homeland security is a concern for every individual and should not be left for the government alone to deal with the issue. September 11, 2001 terrorist attack in America made the federal government develop partnership with private sectors to ensure effective law enforcement practices. Private security partnership was hoped as a critical strategy for preventing terrorist attacks from happening in the future. The private sector owns approximately 85 percent of the country’s infrastructure while the government is mandated to maintenance of homeland security which protects these infrastructures (Morabito and Greenberg, 2005). Therefore, the private sector plays significant roles and responsibilities in the homeland security in order to ensure safety of their properties.

Private sector’s roles and responsibilities in homeland security enterprise

The private sector has been in the forefront in ensuring the maintenance of national security and continues to play significant roles in homeland security. Private sectors produce best security men and women hired by the government to maintain the security of the people of America. Business premises are guarded by security men and women from private firms. For example, the government is always fighting with enemies, and they hire mercenaries trained and produced by private enterprises. Additionally, security experts are now focusing on privatization of security in areas prone to war. The government is tasked to providing the private sector with the necessary support in terms of logistics and equipments in order to ensure maintenance of homeland security. Iraq uses the same strategy, and it has proven to work very effectively. Additionally, the United States of America gave the private sector the mandate to produce arms as Anti-Statism and cold war strategy after the World War 2. The government realized that the private sector is more responsible for arms production compared to the previously adopted onerous industrial policy (Eckert, n.d.).
The private sector’s roles and responsibilities in the homeland security enterprise through establishment of significant investments aimed at strengthening the nation’s response capability to security issues. The government created a new model starting the year 1990 that focused on solving problems of homeland security through partnerships, also called community policing. The private sector was the primary target because it has a big hand in reducing crimes and disorder. Some of the security roles performed by the private sector include coordinating plans regarding transportation, evacuation, and food provision to the public during emergency services. Additionally, they coordinate with law enforcement to gain information related to crime and threats. The above roles create a partnership between the private sector and the government’s law enforcers to create effective homeland security solutions, develop efficient information, data, and intelligence sharing, and offer security training opportunities to citizens (Morabito and Greenberg, 2005).
The government has the responsibility of protecting lives and properties of citizens and promoting a secure lifestyle, but it cannot work alone. The private sector plays key roles during emergencies in ensuring the safety of their employees and properties during any emergency attack. Additionally, the private sector provides emergency response equipments like fire engines, ambulances, and medical care which help in protecting citizens during times of emergency. The private sector owns and operates certain regulated facilities that help in preparation for and preventing incidences from occurring and respond to emergencies should they occur. Additionally, the private sector is responsible for the provision of security response resources such as essential services, specialized response team, and advanced technologies. The following resources are critical to maintaining homeland security (U.S. Department of Homeland Security, 2008). For example, the Triple Canopy is a US-based private security firm involved in risk management and defense contracting. The company plays significant roles in responding to emergencies in Reston, Virginia (Security Degree Hub, 2014).
Finally, the private sector plays roles and responsibilities in homeland security enterprise by working on programs related to homeland security in more than 10000 locations across the United States. Study conducted by Jose L. G. in July 2014 to investigate the privatization of war in US revealed that the approximately 1930 private companies work on programs aimed at strengthening homeland security among other objectives. Most of these firms are intelligence agencies that collect essential information from the public and sought ways of ensuring law and order are maintained at all times. Security agencies involved in the private security program include mercenaries, privateers, and corsairs. The roles and responsibilities of these agencies go beyond protecting their private firms, and they are very respected by the federal government (Gomez del Prado, 2014). Despite many claims from the public that private military agencies are involved in torture and introduce health hazards, they are the best security agencies to ensure security of citizens at all times.

Conclusion

The security of the nation depends on all citizens. The private sector plays major roles and responsibilities in the homeland security enterprise. The above analysis shows that the private sector plays significant roles in the homeland security enterprise. Some of the major roles and responsibilities discussed are responding to emergency services, hiring security guards and soldiers to maintain security in major business premises. Moreover, the private sector engages in war against terror through private military agencies and partnering with the government to strengthen homeland security.

References

Eckert, S. (n.d). Protecting critical infrastructure: The role of the private sector. Retrieved
Gomez del Prado, J. L. (2014). The Privatization of War: Mercenaries, Private Military and
Security Companies (PMSC). Global Research. Retrieved from http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-privatization-of-war-mercenaries-private-military-and-security-companies-pmsc/21826
Morabito, A., and Greenberg, S. (September, 2005). Engaging the private sector to promote
homeland security: Law enforcement-private security partnerships. U.S. Department of Justice: Office of Justice Programs
Security Degree Hub. (January 11, 2014). 30 most powerful private security companies in the
world. Retrieved March 25, 2015 from http://www.securitydegreehub.com/30-most-powerful-private-security-companies-in-the-world/
U.S. Department of Homeland Security. (January 2008). National Response Framework.
Retrieved March 25, 2015 from
http://www.fema.gov/pdf/emergency/nrf/nrf-core.pdf