Transportation and Border Security

Catalog description

This course closely examines the complexities of protecting the borders of the United States and ensuring the safety and security of the U.S. transportation system, including intermodal connections. Fundamentally, the course considers the relationship between security and the need to maintain supply chain flow and how certain strategic approaches can buy down risk. The course also analyzes the changes in security arrangements from pre- to post-9/11 policies, relative to border and transportation security, with a synthesis of the organization of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and national policy processes. In so doing, the course assesses the inadequacies of extant national strategies and implementing plans that address the spectrum of policies involving protection, detection, deterrence, defense, recovery and reconstitution of border and transportation systems. Issues concerning border and transportation security are inextricably linked with global security policies affecting the international supply chain and the cross-border transportation of goods and passengers. Therefore, class discussions and readings will examine the international framework and context of border and transportation security policies.