17 Jul Research paper
Table of Contents Introduction 2 National Communications System 2 History 3 Roles and Responsibilities 4 CONCLUSION 7 Works Cited 9
Introduction
The Homeland Security Act was created in 2002 to try and improve coordination among the security related bureaucracies after September 11th. the Department of Homeland Security’s primary mission is to prevent terrorist attacks reduce the vulnerability of the United States to terrorism and monitor connections between illegal drug trafficking and terrorism” among many other points of interest. Homeland security is divided in to 17 titles and also it bought 22 federal agencies which deals with different departments that are related to security of united states. This paper explains one of the federal agency “National Communications System” that is under Homeland Security and the roles and responsibilities of agency in emergency. (Homeland Security Act of 2002)
National Communications System
The rapid technological development of telecommunications and our reliance on its infrastructure to meet our daily needs have resulted in both organizational and technological system changes over the past years. The NCS is responsible for ensuring that national security and emergency preparedness communications function successfully, including interconnectivity and survivability during times of congestion or when the networks have been damaged or destroyed.
The National Communications System (NCS) is a federal government command and control emergency communications system that requires a complete, comprehensive review and emerging technological overhaul. The NCS was established to unify control of federal, state and commercial communication systems to better serve the Office of the President, the National Security Council, the Department of Defense and other federal, state and local governmental agencies during times of peace, emergencies or periods of operational concerns. Over the past three years, the NCS critical infrastructure has failed to provide uninterrupted communications support at all levels of the government during critical times of need. The terrorist events of September 11, 2001, and the northeastern states power grid failure in August 2003 are recent national events that reaffirm the requirement to leverage emerging technologies to streamline and integrate our nation’s communications system at all levels of government as well as to improve our critical civilian telecommunications infrastructure ((U.S.), National Communications System, 1963-1998 : 35[th] anniversary, 2011).
History
The world events during the Reagan Administration inspired major improvements in national security and emergency telecommunications. The pace of technological change provided a growth opportunity for system improvements and new opportunities for diversity and deregulation. Due to the growing number of commercial telecommunication companies and the break-up of the Bell Telephone Company, Congress, the courts and the regulatory agencies began instituting new telecommunication requirements. To ensure compliance as well as availability of emerging technology and its support to the NCS, President Ronald Reagan in 1982 created the National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee (NSTAC) with Executive Order 12383 ((U.S.), National Communications System : thirty years of progress, 2010).
The NSTAC was established as the executive agent to oversee the NCS and to provide industry-based analyses and recommendations to the President and the executive branch regarding policy and enhancements to national security and emergency preparedness telecommunications. The NSTAC provides analyses and recommendations on policy and technical issues related to telecommunications, information systems, information assurance, information protection, and national security and emergency preparedness concerns. NSTAC is comprised of up to 30 Presidential appointed telecommunication and industry leaders. The NSC was directed to have the capability to support national security and emergency preparedness communications for the Federal Government under all circumstances, including crisis or emergency, attacks, recovery and reconstruction ((U.S.), National Communications System : thirty years of progress, 2010).
Roles and Responsibilities
The NCS became part of the Information Analysis and Infrastructure Protection Directorate of the Department of Homeland Security in March 2003.12 The NCS currently provides national security and emergency preparedness priority telecommunications service to Federal, State, and local governments, industry and other authorized national security and emergency preparedness organizations. The NCS Critical Infrastructure Protection Division provides the following priority telecommunications services ((U.S.), National Communications System, 1963-1998 : 35[th] anniversary, 2011).
Government Emergency Telecommunications Service (GETS) is a government managed program that utilizes the commercial communication infrastructure to provide emergency phone service to federal, state and local governments, as well as industry, and non-governmental organization personnel in performing national security and emergency preparedness missions. It provides users with emergency access and priority call processing in the public switch telephone network. It is an emergency telecommunication capability to be used during periods of natural or manmade emergency or crisis that causes congestion on the public switch telephone network. GETS telephone service is designed to be used when national security and emergency preparedness personnel are unable to complete emergency calls through normal telecommunication means ((U.S.), National Communications System : thirty years of progress, 2010).
Wireless Priority Service (WPS) is a White House directed service in response to the events of September 11, 2001, to be used by key leaders during emergency situations. The WPS provides an end-to-end nationwide wireless priority communications capability to key national security and emergency preparedness personnel during natural or man-made disasters or emergencies that cause congestion or network outages in the public switch telephone network. The WPS is complementary to, and is expected to be used in conjunction with the GETS to ensure a high probability of call completion in both the wire line and wireless portions of the public switch telephone network ((U.S.), National Communications System, 1963-1998 : 35[th] anniversary, 2011).
Telecommunication Service Priority (TSP) system is the regulatory, administrative, and operational system authorizing and providing for priority provisioning and restoration of critical national security and emergency preparedness telecommunications circuits. Critical circuits are defined as those that are critical to maintaining a state of readiness for, responding to, or managing telecommunications during an event or crisis that could cause harm to the population, damage to property, or threaten the security of the United States. As a result of natural or manmade disasters, telecommunications service vendors may become overwhelmed with request for new telecommunications services and requirements to restore existing telecommunications services ((U.S.), National Communications System, 1963-1998 : 35[th] anniversary, 2011).
Emergency Notification Service (ENS) Pilot is designed to provide alternative emergency notification and information to critical national security and emergency preparedness decision makers and other Federal, State and local governmental officials, including public health and safety personnel, and emergency command centers using multiple communication channels. Emergency notification is distinguished from emergency alerting in that notification targets specific individuals or groups of individuals and may require confirmation for specific communications. ((U.S.), National Communications System, 1963-1998 : 35[th] anniversary, 2011)
SHAred RESource (SHARES) High Frequency (HF) Radio Program provides a single, interagency emergency message handling system by bringing together existing HF radio resources of federal, state and industry organizations when normal communications are destroyed or unavailable for the transmission of national security and emergency preparedness information. SHARES is one of the first national emergency systems managed by the NCS. It provides both data and voice, however it uses dated technology and network architectures ((U.S.), National Communications System : thirty years of progress, 2010).
CONCLUSION
In times of crisis, the national leadership depends on assured national security and emergency preparedness telecommunication services, but the unprecedented scope and pace of changes unfolding in the telecommunications sector of the nation’s critical information infrastructure places such assured services at risk. The transformation of voice communication over traditional circuit switched networks to packet switched networks using Internet Protocol(IP) has begun. This shift in network structure will impact our current national security and emergency preparedness telecommunication services. National security and emergency preparedness telecommunication services such as the Government Emergency
Telecommunication Service and the Telecommunication Service Priority program were all developed to work on the public switch telephone network architecture. The Federal Emergency Management Agency, as well as state and local governments emergency management agencies’ response activities depend heavily on the public switch telephone network (PAPPAS, USAWC CLASS OF 2010).
The current challenge facing the National Communication System and our national security and emergency preparedness community is the assurance of continued priority support by the commercial infrastructure during the convergence and transformation into the next generation package switch network IP architecture In times of crisis, the national leadership depends on assured national security and emergency preparedness telecommunication services, but the unprecedented scope and pace of changes unfolding in the telecommunications sector of the nation’s critical information infrastructure places such assured services at risk. National security and emergency preparedness telecommunication services such as the Government Emergency Telecommunication Service and the Telecommunication Service Priority program were all developed to work on the public switch telephone network architecture. The Federal Emergency Management Agency, as well as state and local governments emergency management agencies’ response activities depend heavily on the public switch telephone network. The current challenge facing the National Communication System and our national security and emergency preparedness community is the assurance of continued priority support by the commercial infrastructure during the convergence and transformation into the next generation package switch network IP architecture. (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services – 200 Independence Avenue)
Works Cited (U.S.), N. C. (2010). National Communications System : thirty years of progress. Arlington, VA: National government publication. (U.S.), N. C. (2011). National Communications System, 1963-1998 : 35[th] anniversary. Arlington, Va.: HathiTrust Digital Library. Homeland Security Act of 2002. (n.d.). Retrieved from www.dhs.gov: https://www.dhs.gov/homeland-security-act-2002 PAPPAS, L. C. (USAWC CLASS OF 2010). DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY AND INFORMATION SHARING. PA: U.S. Army War College, Carlisle Barracks. U.S. Department of Health & Human Services – 200 Independence Avenue, S. -W. (n.d.). National Communications System. Retrieved from www.hhs.gov : https://www.hhs.gov/ocio/ea/National%20Communication%20System/ Works., U. S. National communications system for emergency response personnel : report (to accompany S. 1631) (including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office). United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Environment and Public Works.
Our website has a team of professional writers who can help you write any of your homework. They will write your papers from scratch. We also have a team of editors just to make sure all papers are of HIGH QUALITY & PLAGIARISM FREE. To make an Order you only need to click Ask A Question and we will direct you to our Order Page at WriteDemy. Then fill Our Order Form with all your assignment instructions. Select your deadline and pay for your paper. You will get it few hours before your set deadline.
Fill in all the assignment paper details that are required in the order form with the standard information being the page count, deadline, academic level and type of paper. It is advisable to have this information at hand so that you can quickly fill in the necessary information needed in the form for the essay writer to be immediately assigned to your writing project. Make payment for the custom essay order to enable us to assign a suitable writer to your order. Payments are made through Paypal on a secured billing page. Finally, sit back and relax.
About Writedemy
We are a professional paper writing website. If you have searched a question and bumped into our website just know you are in the right place to get help in your coursework. We offer HIGH QUALITY & PLAGIARISM FREE Papers.
How It Works
To make an Order you only need to click on “Order Now” and we will direct you to our Order Page. Fill Our Order Form with all your assignment instructions. Select your deadline and pay for your paper. You will get it few hours before your set deadline.
Are there Discounts?
All new clients are eligible for 20% off in their first Order. Our payment method is safe and secure.