Abstract

The security of the United States homeland has an important international dimension. This oxymoronic statement is what led the author to write this article about homeland security education. While many courses recognize the transnational nature of terrorist threats, there appear to be no courses that focus on the practical as well as conceptual issue of how well do U.S. homeland security policies and programs developed and implemented by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) include international activities that support our security needs at home.

The message of this article is that any such course of study, particularly at the graduate level, should include a course on how the DHS handles its international responsibilities as the large cabinet department established a little over a decade ago to lead U.S. homeland security policies and programs. Suggestions for course topics and student exercises are presented for educators interested in designing curriculum that addresses this issue.

Author

Jerome H. Kahan

Jerome Kahan has been in the national security, arms control, and homeland security fields for over 40 years. He is currently an independent writer and analyst, having recently been a Distinguished Analyst at the Homeland Security Studies and Analysis Institute in Arlington, VA. At the Institute, Mr. Kahan ran projects on national preparedness, a homeland security university, new insights on homeland security, risk reduction for homeland security program planning, and community resilience. Serving with the Department of State for 20 years, Mr. Kahan held positions on the Policy Planning Staff, as Deputy Assistant Secretary with the Political-Military and Intelligence Bureaus, and as Politico-Military Counselor at the American Embassy in Turkey. In addition to his recent position with the Institute, he has also worked for other non-governmental organizations, including Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution, Group Leader with the Center for Naval Analyses, and Policy Advisor with Systems Planning and Analysis. Mr. Kahan has written and/or contributed to a number of books, published articles in a variety of journals, taught at the Air Force Academy, and served for ten years as an Adjunct Professor in the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. Mr. Kahan holds a Masters Degree in Electrical Engineering from Columbia University, with Bachelor’s Degrees from Queens as well as Columbia College.

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Looking Outward: U.S. Homeland Security beyond the Borders

Suggested Citation

Kahan, J. H. (2014). Looking outward: U.S. homeland security beyond the borders. Journal of Homeland Security Education, 3, 1-13, https://jsire.org/looking-outward-u-s-homeland-security-beyond-the-borders