What is “homeland security,” and why should it matter to my company? You may ask yourself these very questions when you stop and think about homeland security. Everyone has a general sense of what “homeland security” means but not everyone understands how it affects their daily lives and occupations.

We all understand that homeland security became a prominent concept immediately following the terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001. And we are all aware of the federal Cabinet-level agency that was created in response. In 2003, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was formed as a combination of 22 separate agencies and 180,000 employees.

DHS is now comprised of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), U.S. Customs and Border
Protection (CBP), U.S. Customs and Immigration Services (USCIS), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Coast Guard, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Secret Service. For FY 2009, DHS has a budget in excess of $50 billion.

But while the composition and mission of DHS are straightforward, it is more complicated to understand why and how that government bureaucracy should matter to you. DHS affects businesses generally through its regulations and in many specific ways on a daily basis. The articles in this issue of Trust The Leaders are designed to demonstrate how pervasive DHS regulations are and how homeland security is very much a corporate concern. And these articles only scratch the surface. There are many other ways that homeland security issues, and various federal and state government agencies seeking to address them, can affect your business. The attorneys at Smith, Gambrell & Russell stand ready to assist you with your homeland security questions and needs.