Strategic Planning Between Federal, State, and Local Governments

Homeland security strategic planning is occurring at all levels of government, and the process is interconnected among the levels of government. In Week 3, you learned how the federal homeland security strategic planning process impacts state homeland security strategic planning processes. You explored, at some depth, the provisions in the National Strategy for Homeland Security that relate to state and local government homeland security activities. In Week 3, you also learned that the DHS process for allocating and awarding grants to state and local governments varies greatly from grant to grant, creating a difficult planning environment for state and local governments.

Primary Task Response: Within the Discussion Board area, write 400–600 words that respond to the following questions with your thoughts, ideas, and comments. This will be the foundation for future discussions by your classmates. Be substantive and clear, and use examples to reinforce your ideas:

• You know that the environment in which current homeland security strategic planning is occurring is dynamic.
  • Do the same dynamic factors at the federal level occur at the state levels of government? Explain.
    • Provide several examples of factors to back up your position.
• You know that DHS grants to states and local governments vary widely in their allocation and award methodologies.
  • Does the DHS grant allocation and grant-making process complicate state strategic planning efforts? Explain in detail.
• Information sharing continues to be a key challenge in homeland security strategic planning, especially between the federal and state governments.
  • Do you believe the department-level and national-level homeland security strategies sufficient address this issue? Explain.
    • Justify your position with examples from the strategies.