"Learning" Homeland Security: How One Executive Education Program Engages State and Local Officials

Abstract

Whether one attempts to define 'homeland security' as a discipline, activity, programmatic approach, or a national security objective, the necessity for learning what it entails is a new endeavor. Particularly challenging is the scope of the task when added to the 'normal' responsibilities borne by senior state and local officials. Not only must they address the tactical and operational components of what we are calling homeland security, but they must master the more complex policy, strategy, and organizational design issues as well. The Department of Homeland Security and the Naval Postgraduate School's Center for Homeland Defense and Security has developed and delivered one method for helping senior state and local officials explore, debate, discuss and sometimes resolve the difficult issues of this new effort we call homeland security. This article describes the need for such a program, the approach utilized and provides an early report of some of the lessons learned thus far.