DHS Component Global Engagement and National Security
Assignment1 WK1 White Paper Assignment: DHS Component Global Engagement and National Security Recommendations
Global engagement by the Secret Service, Customs and Border Protection, and the United States Coast Guard strengthens homeland security through expanded international partnerships that disrupt transnational threats before they reach American soil.
Instructions
Background
For the Week 1 assignment you will assume the role of the Secretary of Homeland Security (SEC DHS). You and your staff will create a 3-5 Page formal White Paper for the President, Vice President, Secretary of State and at the National Security Council that provides your recommendations for global engagement by three DHS components – the Secret Service, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the United States Coast Guard (USCG). In this document, you propose areas that these three agencies could engage in and the benefit to the department and the country. Think creatively. This exercise mirrors real-world strategic planning conducted by DHS leadership, where component-level international engagement directly supports the broader homeland security mission.
Instructions
Stanford Law School has a wonderful definition of what a White Paper is: “A white paper is an authoritative report or guide that often addresses issues and how to solve them. The term originated when government papers were coded by color to indicate distribution, with white designated for public access. Thus, white papers are used in politics and business, as well as in technical fields, to educate readers and help people make decisions. In commercial use, the term “white paper” has also come to refer to documents used as a marketing or sales tool” (https://law.stanford.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Definitions-of-White-Papers-Briefing-Books-Memos-2.pdf). This definition underscores why the White Paper format remains the preferred vehicle for communicating actionable policy recommendations to senior decision-makers across the national security enterprise.
The format for your DHS White Paper is as follows:
- Issue
- Discussion
- Recommendations
The issue portion is easy. This White Paper will focus on recommendations for greater DHS component global engagement.
The Discussion is just that. Why is global engagement important for DHS? What are the benefits and potential benefits? The Discussion section should synthesize evidence from peer-reviewed sources and government reports to build a persuasive case for expanded international operations.
The Recommendation section is just that…. your specific recommendations for things each of the three agencies should do. I like the approach that offers:
- Agency (Secret Service, CBP or USCG)
- Recommendation
- Benefit
Development of a professionally authored White Paper is a skill set that can translate to your professional life. Mastering this format prepares you for policy analysis roles across federal agencies, think tanks, and private sector security firms where concise, evidence-based recommendations drive organizational strategy.
Format
- Double-spaced
- 12pt New Times Roman
- Written in APA Style
Length
This assignment must be 3-5 pages (excluding the title and reference page).
References
Include 5 peer-reviewed scholarly resources. Prioritize sources published between 2018 and 2026 from reputable journals, government databases, and academic presses. Sources such as Homeland Security Affairs, the Journal of the Indian Ocean Region, and government accountability reports provide rigorous evidence for your analysis.
Sample Answer Excerpt
Why Global Engagement Matters
Global engagement allows DHS components to operate beyond U.S. borders, disrupting threats at their source rather than waiting for them to arrive at ports of entry or coastal waters. The inherently transnational nature of homeland security missions necessitates a strong international affairs enterprise that provides compatible visions of homeland security globally and maximizes mission effectiveness[reference:0]. The Secret Service, for instance, trains law enforcement partners in over 60 countries on blockchain tracing to combat cryptocurrency fraud, extending its protective and investigative reach far beyond Washington[reference:1]. CBP’s Container Security Initiative partners with foreign ports to pre-screen cargo before it reaches American shores, effectively pushing the border outward to intercept threats earlier in the supply chain[reference:2]. The Coast Guard’s 134-day Western Pacific patrols, conducted alongside Japan, Korea, and the Philippines, build interoperability that directly supports Indo-Pacific stability and, by extension, U.S. homeland security[reference:3]. These examples demonstrate that global engagement is not a peripheral activity but a core operational imperative for DHS components.
- Transnational criminal organizations operate across borders; DHS components must match that operational reach.
- International training and capacity building create force multipliers that reduce the burden on U.S. resources.
- Forward-deployed engagement enables intelligence sharing and early warning of emerging threats.
- Partner nation interoperability strengthens collective response to shared security challenges.
Operational Benefits and Strategic Returns
The benefits of global engagement extend beyond immediate threat disruption to include strengthened diplomatic relationships, enhanced intelligence sharing, and more efficient use of limited resources. DHS’s Global Innovation, Research and Development Strategy explicitly states that international coordination enables the United States to compete economically, defend national security interests, and maintain resiliency to meet challenges that transcend national boundaries[reference:4]. The Coast Guard Journal of Safety and Security at Sea notes that foreign partners increasingly turn to the U.S. Coast Guard for assistance with bolstering their capabilities to police their waters and support cooperative operations[reference:5]. This demand signals that U.S. expertise is a valued commodity in the global security marketplace. CBP’s Mutual Recognition Arrangements with 19 partner nations streamline trade while maintaining security standards, demonstrating that economic and security interests can advance simultaneously[reference:6]. The Secret Service’s cyber training programs in Tallinn and other regional hubs illustrate how targeted investments in partner capacity yield disproportionate returns in global cybercrime disruption[reference:7].
Conclusion
Recommendations for expanded global engagement by DHS components rest on a simple premise: threats do not respect borders, and neither should the strategies designed to counter them. The evidence from peer-reviewed research, government strategy documents, and operational reporting consistently supports deeper international partnerships across the Secret Service, CBP, and the Coast Guard. Each component brings distinct capabilities to the global security environment, and each stands to gain from structured, sustained engagement with partner nations. The White Paper format demands concise, evidence-based recommendations that senior policymakers can act upon. Students approaching this assignment should ground their arguments in verifiable sources, organize recommendations by agency, and articulate clear benefits that connect component-level activities to the department’s overarching homeland security mission.
Next Assignment
Week 2: Discussion Post – Evaluating DHS International Engagement Outcomes
Analyze the effectiveness of one DHS component’s existing international engagement program using publicly available government reports and peer-reviewed sources. Identify measurable outcomes, assess challenges in program implementation, and propose two evidence-based improvements. Your initial post should be 400-500 words and include at least two peer-reviewed citations in APA format. Respond to at least two classmates by evaluating the feasibility of their proposed improvements.
References
Batalov, O. (2021). US customs diplomacy. Karazin University Journal of International Relations, 12(3), 45-62. https://periodicals.karazin.ua
Edwards, S., & Bradford, J. (2024). Quad coast guards in the Indo-Pacific: Informal networked regional governance through practice transfer. Journal of the Indian Ocean Region, 20(3), 278-297. https://www.tandfonline.com
Roller, R. J. (2023). National security competition or cooperation: Preparing for 21st century threats. Homeland Security Affairs, 19(1), 1-24. https://openurl.ebsco.com
U.S. Coast Guard. (2024). The Coast Guard Journal of Safety & Security at Sea. Proceedings of the Marine Safety & Security Council, 81(2), 1-88. https://www.dco.uscg.mil
U.S. Department of Homeland Security. (2025). Global innovation, research and development strategy. https://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/2025-04/25_0425_st_global_innovation_research_and_development_strategy.pdf
DHS Component Global Engagement: Recommendations to Prevent Transnational Threats
To: The President of the United States; the Vice President; the Secretary of State; and the National Security Council
From: Secretary of Homeland Security
Subject: Strategic global engagement for the Secret Service, CBP, and the U.S. Coast Guard
Issue
Transnational threats reach the United States through financial networks, international supply chains, and maritime routes. The Secret Service, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) can reduce those risks when they work with foreign partners before threats reach U.S. territory. Research on homeland security finds that global events affect domestic security and that effective responses require international cooperation (Givens et al., 2018).
Journal of Strategic Security DHS should expand and coordinate these agencies’ international engagement, while preserving State Department leadership in foreign policy. A focused approach can improve early threat detection, partner capability, and the security of legitimate trade. DHS should also measure whether these activities produce operational results.
Discussion
Why global engagement matters
Global engagement extends prevention beyond U.S. borders, where law enforcement partners, foreign ports, and maritime agencies may first encounter a threat. Criminal networks can move funds, goods, and people across jurisdictions faster than any single government can investigate them. Givens et al. (2018) describe U.S. homeland security as inherently transnational, since threats often originate or develop outside the country. For CBP, cooperation with foreign customs authorities supports risk screening before cargo reaches U.S. ports. Pourakbar and Zuidwijk (2018) show that customs agencies can target inspections more effectively when they use risk information and coordinate with private firms, while avoiding unnecessary delays for lower-risk shipments.
European Journal of Operational Research Such cooperation can protect both national security and the predictable movement of lawful commerce.
Partner relationships can also strengthen maritime security without turning routine law-enforcement work into military competition. Coast guard training and operational exchanges can help agencies share procedures for boarding, information exchange, and response at sea. Bueger et al. (2020) describe maritime capacity-building as a field where training and institutional development can improve partner capabilities, although programs need to account for local needs and limits.
Third World Quarterly Bekkevold (2019) similarly identifies local ownership and coordination across agencies as conditions that influence the value of coast guard cooperation.
Asia-Pacific Journal of Ocean Law and Policy These findings support USCG programs that build practical cooperation around shared maritime problems, including illicit trafficking, illegal fishing, and search and rescue. They also caution against assuming that a partner’s participation automatically signals agreement on wider U.S. policy.
International activity requires clear goals, sustained resources, and evidence of results. The Government Accountability Office (GAO, 2023) reported that U.S. agencies, including DHS, provide foreign cybercrime training and share threat information, while facing challenges such as limited funding, staff retention, and inconsistent definitions of cybercrime.
U.S. Government Accountability Office In a separate review, GAO (2025) found that CBP and the Coast Guard work together to screen vessels and cargo across the supply chain, but DHS had not established measurable goals to assess the overall effectiveness of its maritime security approach.
U.S. Government Accountability Office Those gaps matter because training counts and meetings do not show whether partners can act on shared information or whether agencies disrupt threats. DHS should therefore set common outcome measures and review them with the Department of State. That process can identify useful programs, address duplication, and direct resources toward activities with demonstrated value.
Recommendations
U.S. Secret Service
Recommendation: The Secret Service should expand regional cyber-fraud training and case-coordination programs with foreign law enforcement partners, working through the Department of State and established international training channels. Training should address digital evidence preservation, cryptocurrency tracing, and procedures for requesting time-sensitive investigative assistance. The agency should pair instruction with follow-up case exercises so participants apply the methods to realistic investigations. GAO (2023) confirms that the Secret Service already provides cybercrime training to foreign partners, while noting wider federal challenges in evaluating capacity-building results.
U.S. Government Accountability Office The Secret Service should track joint investigations, partner response times, evidence requests completed, and partner agencies’ continued use of trained procedures. These measures would show whether international engagement improves investigations of cyber-enabled financial crime, rather than simply counting course attendance.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection
Recommendation: CBP should strengthen collaboration with partner customs agencies at foreign ports that handle U.S.-bound cargo. It should establish recurring joint exercises on risk referrals, cargo-data quality, and procedures for resolving alerts before a vessel departs. Partner agencies and participating carriers should receive clear protocols for sharing relevant information while protecting sensitive commercial and personal data. Research on customs supply chains supports risk-based inspections that distinguish higher-risk shipments without imposing needless delays on lawful trade (Pourakbar & Zuidwijk, 2018).
European Journal of Operational Research CBP should measure actionable referrals, examination results, false alerts, and clearance times. Those indicators would help CBP assess security gains alongside effects on cargo movement, addressing the measurement gap identified in GAO’s maritime security review (GAO, 2025).
U.S. Government Accountability Office
U.S. Coast Guard
Recommendation: The USCG should establish a recurring regional maritime cooperation program with partner coast guards, beginning in the Indo-Pacific and Caribbean. Each program should combine partner-led planning, maritime law-enforcement exercises, and procedures for sharing reports about suspicious vessels and safety incidents. Training should focus on practical missions, including search and rescue, illegal fishing enforcement, and responses to trafficking at sea. Edwards and Bradford (2025) describe how joint training, operations, and exchanges among Quad coast guards support informal regional cooperation and the transfer of operational practices.
Journal of the Indian Ocean Region The USCG should measure joint patrols, information exchanges that prompt action, response times, and partner readiness during exercises. Local ownership and clear limits on sensitive information would help sustain cooperation while reducing diplomatic friction (Bekkevold, 2019).
Implementation and oversight
DHS should direct the three components to submit annual engagement plans to the Office of Strategy, Policy, and Plans, with the Department of State involved in country selection and diplomatic coordination. Each plan should identify a specific threat, partner capability gap, activity, and measure of success. DHS should review results annually and adjust or end activities that lack a clear operational benefit. This oversight would help components coordinate without blurring the State Department’s foreign-policy role. It would also connect international engagement to measurable homeland security outcomes.
Conclusion
DHS can strengthen homeland security when its components address transnational threats at the points where they emerge, move, or can be disrupted. The Secret Service can improve cross-border cyber investigations, CBP can strengthen early cargo screening, and the Coast Guard can build practical maritime cooperation. These efforts require partner-led planning, sustained coordination with the Department of State, and measures that assess operational results. A shared annual review would help DHS direct resources toward programs that improve security while supporting lawful trade and constructive international relationships.
References
Bekkevold, J. I. (2019). Coast guard cooperation in the South China Sea: A confidence-building measure? Asia-Pacific Journal of Ocean Law and Policy, 4(1), 28–52. https://doi.org/10.1163/24519391-00401002
Bueger, C., Edmunds, T., & McCabe, R. (2020). Into the sea: Capacity-building innovations and the maritime security challenge. Third World Quarterly, 41(2), 228–246. https://doi.org/10.1080/01436597.2019.1660632
Edwards, S., & Bradford, J. (2025). Quad coast guards in the Indo-Pacific: Informal networked regional governance through practice transfer. Journal of the Indian Ocean Region, 20(3), 280–300. https://doi.org/10.1080/19480881.2025.2585236
Givens, A. D., Busch, N. E., & Bersin, A. D. (2018). Going global: The international dimensions of U.S. homeland security policy. Journal of Strategic Security, 11(3), 1–34. https://doi.org/10.5038/1944-0472.11.3.1689
Pourakbar, M., & Zuidwijk, R. A. (2018). The role of customs in securing containerized global supply chains. European Journal of Operational Research, 271(1), 331–340. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejor.2018.05.012
U.S. Government Accountability Office. (2023). Global cybercrime: Federal agency efforts to address international partners’ capacity to combat crime (GAO-23-104768). https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-23-104768
U.S. Government Accountability Office. (2025). Maritime cargo security: Additional efforts needed to assess the effectiveness of DHS’s approach (GAO-25-106953). https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-25-106953
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