CLARIFYING RESILIENCE IN THE CONTEXT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Abstract

The term resilience is frequently used in the context of homeland security. The definition continues to emerge within the evolving homeland security enterprise. The purpose of this thesis is to clarify the concept of resilience in the context of homeland security. Existing homeland security polices of the federal government of the United States were synthesized with resilience-based research obtained from various sciences. The synthesis of research and policy concluded that resilience is a process of adaptability influenced by complexity, interaction, and experience. In the homeland security context, resilience is a continual process of adaptation based upon a variety of man made, natural, and economic adversities. Resilience is a vision of homeland security rather than a policy of the enterprise. The homeland security practitioners understanding of resilience is influenced through the clarification, introduction, and application of the concept. Developing a clear understanding of resilience is accomplished through the development of a resilience narrative for the enterprise, the introduction of the concept into new and existing training programs of the homeland security enterprise, and the application of the concept as an approach of the enterprise. The exploration of the homeland security enterprise at the academic and practitioner level requires a directional heading. The concept of resilience recommended by this thesis establishes a directional heading for the homeland security practitioner.