Homeland Defense & Security Issues

Mission

To serve as the U.S. Army War college's primary outreach entity for facilitation, instruction, and research in cooperation with and support of the major stakeholders in homeland defense, homeland security, and civil support. In so doing, HDSI will provide the War College's curriculum and exercises with lessons and insights from the most current and emerging policies, strategies, and other initiatives in the domestic security environment.

Vision

To be the premier conduit for emerging information on homeland defense, homeland security, and civil support to the United States Army War College community. To be recognized as one of the nation's preeminent sources for understanding and developing strategic issues involved in civil-military interaction in the domestic environment.

Homeland Defense & Security Issues Group Directory

Electives

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Request a Guest Speaker

The Homeland Defense & Security Issues Group has several subject matter experts (SMEs) that are available to speak on various topics related to homeland defense, homeland security, defense support of civilian authorities, and terrorism. Submit a formal request

Call for Papers

First published in 2012, In Support of the Common Defense was a publication of United States Army War College student papers on topics relevant to homeland security. Read more

Cognitive Defense: 2024 Homeland Defense Symposium
George M. Schwartz, Editor; Conference papers from the US Army War College, Center or Strategic Leadership, Us Army war College Press; Using disinformation and social media means, cognitive warfare seeks to shape the attitudes and behaviors of a civilian populace by negatively influencing and disrupting their cognitive processes, thus weakening a society’s political will and degrading national resilience. The authors of these papers provide insights and offer solutions for cognitive defense. Copyright: Chapter 1 – ©2025 Mark R. Landahl; Chapter 3 – ©2025 George M. Schwartz
- Published On: 6/26/2025
Collins Center Update March 2025 VOL 25-1
by Professor Kristan J. Wheaton, Professor Bert Tussing, Dr. George Schwartz, Mr. Brian Foster, Patricia Hayes, Mr. Chad Jagmin; Collins Center Update by the US Army War College, Center for Strategic Leadership; The Collins Center Update is a quarterly summary of programs and activities at the Center for Strategic Leader (CSL) at the U.S. Army War College (USAWC). This issue features articles on the Innovation Champions Course by Prof. Kristian Wheaton; The Homeland Defense Symposium by Professor Bert Tussing and Dr. George Schwartz; The National Security Simulation Exercise of Competition, Crisis, and Conflict by Mr. Brian Foster; The Valley Forge Military College National Security Symposium by Dr. George Schwartz; The USAWC Fellows Focus by Ms. Patricia Hayes; and The From Data to Decision in Warfighting Course by Mr. Chad Jagmin.
- Published On: 3/27/2025
Conference Proceedings – 2024 Homeland Defense Symposium: Reestablishing the Sanctuary
Edited by Dr. George M. Schwartz; Conference proceedings from the US Army War College, Center for Strategic Leadership; In February 2024, The US Army War College hosted the first of an annual series of Homeland Defense Symposiums at Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania. The purpose of the symposium was to examine the challenges of Homeland Defense while advancing research and proposing solutions to strategic challenges facing the Army, Joint Force, and governmental agencies. Partnering with leading agencies to examine these issues, the symposium informed the strategic thought being focused on homeland defense issues, both inside and out of the military, with a multi-faceted focus of deterring aggression, defeating an adversary should deterrence fail, and mitigating the impact of the adversary’s actions against our people, our infrastructure, and our institutions. This compendium summarizes the symposium proceedings and makes a major contribution to the existing body of knowledge regarding the mission, concepts, and challenges of homeland defense. The US Army War College will use the results of the symposium to shape continued examination of and offer solutions to this vital topic.
- Published On: 2/19/2025
Power Projection Proceedings from the 2022 Strategic Landpower Symposium
Edited by Dr Gregory Cantwell, Dr William Barry, and Major Justin Magula; Publication from the US Army War College, Center for Strategic Leadership; This volume serves as the culmination of many months of preparation and detailed research for the 2022 Strategic Landpower Symposium at the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. During the symposium, participants examined the challenges of intelligence, sustainment, leadership, homeland defense and homeland security, information operations, irregular warfare, security force assistance, special operation forces, partnership programs, strategic guidance, and future trials. This book collects this important research and hopefully inspires new ideas for scholars to continue researching and thinking about future challenges to create novel concepts to share later.
- Published On: 3/19/2024
Defense Management: Primer for Senior Leaders
Defense Management: Primer for Senior Leaders Dr Thomas P. Galvin Publication by the US Army War College, Department of Command, Leadership, and Management, School of Strategic Landpower, US Army War College Press, Strategic Studies Institute "Defense management resides at the nexus of national security policy, strategy, campaigning, and strategic leadership. It is how our government translates national security policies and strategies into trained and ready forces for combatant commanders—units of personnel and equipment that mobilize, deploy, conduct and sustain operations, redeploy, and demobilize. However, it is far more complicated than managing forces on hand. It involves the development of new ones to address emerging threats, posturing the forces around the globe for ease of employment, and ensuring adequate command, control, and support in garrison and during operations..."
- Published On: 5/16/2018
Investigating the Benefits and Drawbacks of Realigning the National Guard Under the Department of Homeland Security
Investigating the Benefits and Drawbacks of Realigning the National Guard Under the Department of Homeland Security Dr Ryan Burke, Dr Sue McNeil Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College Press "The 2014 Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) designates homeland defense (HD) as one of the three core pillars of the nation’s current and future defense strategy. Defending the homeland from external threats and aggression requires a robust military capability. In this sense, both the federal Armed Forces (active and reserve components), as well as state National Guard forces play important roles in the defense of the nation. Further, HD often overlaps with civil support (CS) and homeland security to form a triad of domestic military operational domains. Where the roles, responsibilities, and limitations of the active and reserve components of the Armed Forces are relatively clear in this triad, the National Guard is a unique military entity capable of serving in either a state-controlled or federally controlled status during domestic operations."
- Published On: 8/1/2016
Do Fewer Resources Mean Less Influence? A Comparative Historical Case Study of Military Influence in a Time of Austerity
Do Fewer Resources Mean Less Influence? A Comparative Historical Case Study of Military Influence in a Time of Austerity Dr Mary Manjikian Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College Press "In the 2014 Quadrennial Defense Review, military planners speak at great length about the importance of rebalancing our armed forces. As a result of the Budget Control Act of 2011, our U.S. Armed Forces have absorbed significant budget cuts, which are projected to continue into 2016. Not surprisingly, a major theme of the Quadrennial Defense Review is the necessity of making tough choices in a period of fiscal austerity."
- Published On: 1/1/2015
Terminal Blackout: Critical Electric Infrastructure Vulnerabilities and Civil-Military Resiliency
Terminal Blackout: Critical Electric Infrastructure Vulnerabilities and Civil-Military Resiliency Ms Cindy E Ayers, Kenneth D Chrosniak Issue Paper by the US Army War College, Center for Strategic Leadership "Threats to the electric grid (cyber, solar, non-nuclear electromagnetic pulse [NNEMP] and high-altitude nuclear electromagnetic pulse [HEMP]), as well as the potential consequences of significant damage to grid components by terrorists and other natural disasters, have increased incrementally since 2001; but details releasable to the public at the unclassified level were rare prior to 2008..."
- Published On: 11/11/2013
In Support of the Common Defense Journal, Volume 2
In Support of the Common Defense Journal, Volume 2 Professor Bert B. Tussing, Dr. Brian Nussbaum, Colonel Thomas Keegan, Colonel Karl Bopp, Ritchie Dion Study by the US Army War College, Center for Strategic Leadership "One of the enduring missions of the Department of Defense, and the United States Army, has been to defend the United States homeland from foreign aggression and those threats that might endanger its sovereignty, its infrastructure, or its citizens. From the American Revolution to “Superstorm Sandy,” the United States Army has played a key role is safeguarding not just American interests around the world, but the American people at home..."
- Published On: 6/6/2013

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