ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the principal reason for creating an Office of Homeland Security (OHS) and a Council on Homeland Security initially and the department later on, with the ultimate goal of strengthening the federal government's capability to combat terrorism. The most significant organizational developments in homeland security have been the creation of the Office of Homeland Security, along with a companion council in 2001 and the Department of Homeland Security in the next year, making it the fifteenth cabinet department. The statutory version reduces the council's immediate membership from its earlier incarnation but allows for the president to designate other individuals. The specific outcome was not a foregone conclusion. In fact, a large number of varied options for change were available for homeland security. The organizational transformations, a new department and interagency coordinative devices reflect more than the new policy priorities in response to a crisis.
