Office of Homeland Security Situational Awareness

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U.S. Office of Homeland Security Situational Awareness
DHS Office of Homeland Security Situational Awareness Logo.png
OSA Logo
Agency overview
Preceding agency
  • DHS Office of Operations Coordination
Jurisdiction United States of America
Secretary responsible
Deputy Secretary responsible
Agency executives
  • Christopher J. Tomney, Director
  • Frank DiFalco, Deputy Director
Parent department U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Website https://www.dhs.gov/office-homeland-security-situational-awareness

The Office of Situational Awareness (OSA), formerly Office of Operations Coordination, is a component of the headquarters of the United States Department of Homeland Security. OSA is responsible for ensuring timely and robust information sharing within and external to the Department.

Contents

Primarily through the National Operations Center, the Office is a key touchpoint for coordinating operational issues with federal, state, tribal, local governments Homeland Security Advisors, law enforcement partners, and private sector critical infrastructure operators, and international partners. In accordance with Homeland Security Presidential Directive 8 (Annex I), OSA is facilitating a Federal interagency planning effort to address various national contingencies. The Office is headed by RADM (Ret.) Christopher Tomney.

Purpose

Originally the Office of Operations Coordination, the Office of Homeland Security Situational Awareness was established in 2005 with the stated purpose of increasing the Department of Homeland Security's ability to prepare for, prevent, and respond to terrorist attacks and other emergencies and improve coordination and efficiency of operations. [1]

Today, the Office of Homeland Security Situational Awareness has the stated mission of providing situational awareness, a common operating picture, and decision support for the Homeland Security Enterprise on threats, hazards, and events impacting the homeland. Its responsibilities include: [2]

Operations

Information is shared and fused on a daily basis by the two halves of the Office, the "Intelligence Side" and the "Law Enforcement Side". The two halves function in tandem. The Intelligence watch floor gathers intelligence and decides how it contributes to the current threats in a given area. The Law Enforcement Side tracks law enforcement activities across the country that may have a terrorist nexus. This information from the two halves accurately depicts the nation's threat environment at any moment.

Through the National Operations Center, the Office provides real-time situational awareness and monitoring of the homeland, coordinates incidents and response activities, and, in conjunction with the Office of Intelligence and Analysis, issues advisories and bulletins concerning threats to homeland security, as well as specific protective measures. The NOC coordinates information sharing to help deter, detect, and prevent terrorist acts and to manage domestic incidents. Information on domestic incident management is shared with Emergency Operations Centers at all levels through the Homeland Security Information Network (HSIN). [2]

Organizational Structure

OSA Organizational Chart | June 29, 2021 DHS Office of Homeland Security Situational Awareness (OSA) Organizational Chart.png
OSA Organizational Chart | June 29, 2021

Integration Division

The OSA Integration Division contains the Enhanced Awareness Section, the Engagement & Information Exchange Section, and the Resilience Section. [2]

Mission Support Division

The OSA Mission Support Division contains the Budget & Acquisitions Section, the Technology & Logistics Section, and the Workforce Support Section. [2]

National Operations Center

The DHS National Operations Center (NOC) operates at all times and serves as the primary, national-level hub for situational awareness, a common operating picture, information fusion, information sharing, and executive communications. [3] The NOC is responsible for:

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References

  1. "GAO-07-89, Homeland Security: Opportunities Exist to Enhance Collaboration at 24/7 Operations Centers Staffed by Multiple DHS Agencies". www.gao.gov. Retrieved 2024-12-05.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Office of Homeland Security Situational Awareness | Homeland Security". www.dhs.gov. Retrieved 2024-12-05.
  3. "6 USC 321d: National Operations Center". uscode.house.gov. Retrieved 2024-12-05.