The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is the agency responsible for keeping Americans safe. It has taken several years for this new agency to get off the ground. Placing 22 diverse government entities, which employs 183,000 workers, under one umbrella took time, in addition to deconflicting ?turf? wars that made integration sluggish.

Last week, DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff (WAR Report) proposed a re-alignment of DHS that is aimed to integrate the department better and to increase ability to prepare, prevent, and respond to terrorist attacks as well as give DHS employees better tools to accomplish their mission (WAR Report).