# Wasn't this the Dept. of Homeland Security's job?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wasnt-this-the-dept-of-homeland-securitys-job/326324>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [October 15, 2005, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wasnt-this-the-dept-of-homeland-securitys-job/326324 "2005-10-15T03:51:46Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![NinjaChick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@NinjaChick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinjaChick)\
**Post date:** [October 15, 2005, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wasnt-this-the-dept-of-homeland-securitys-job/326324/1 "2005-10-15T03:51:46Z")

</div>

A new intelligence agency is being set up to oversee spying and (from my reading of [BBC](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4340318.stm) and [FOX](http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,172139,00.html) articles) basically be the coordinating body for all human (non-satellite/etc) spies.

Wasn’t this the general principle behind setting up the Department of Homeland Security? To have a general umbrella organization coordinating this stuff?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![flurb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/51bf81/32.png) [@flurb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flurb)\
**Post date:** [October 15, 2005, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wasnt-this-the-dept-of-homeland-securitys-job/326324/2 "2005-10-15T15:16:42Z")

</div>

> [@NinjaChick](#):
>
> A new intelligence agency is being set up to oversee spying and (from my reading of [BBC](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4340318.stm) and [FOX](http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,172139,00.html) articles) basically be the coordinating body for all human (non-satellite/etc) spies.
> 
> Wasn’t this the general principle behind setting up the Department of Homeland Security? To have a general umbrella organization coordinating this stuff?

No.

The Department of Homeland Security was meant to consolidate and coordinate the domestic terrorism prevention and response agencies (e.g. the Border Patrol, Coast Guard, FEMA, etc). Overseas intelligence collection is the responsibility of the [Intelligence Community](http://www.intelligence.gov/1-members.shtml), which was reorganized last year with the creation of the Director of National Intelligence to oversee the 15 or so composite agencies (CIA, NSA, NRO, DIA, the service intelligence agencies and a host of others).