Structure of the Department of Homeland Security
The Department of Homeland Security is a complex system of branches, which, in turn, consists of agencies, administrative units, and other boards. The integration into a single mechanism is a successful way of organizing power and providing the convenience of control. Before the unification into a holistic structure, many boards existed separately, which complicated the process of communication among them. Another positive manifestation of the association of agencies in one Department is the separation of subordination. Individual services are controlled by different representatives, for instance, the Director of Development Programs, the Director of Technology, or the Deputy Minister. However, in such a complex system, some gaps may be found. As an example, different shares of financing can be mentioned, which is manifested in the obvious dominance of some departments over others. For instance, in the context of problems with the control of migration, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement conducts more intense activities than the Technology Division. As a result, despite being included in one Department, these services develop distinctively and unequally.
In order to correct the existing gaps or ineffective policies for organizing the work of individual services, more attention can be paid to internal reporting. In case the responsible representatives of the agencies provide reports on the work done and current tasks timely, this may be an incentive for the government to support individual industries. Also, as an improvement practice, some departments can be combined due to a similar area of ​​activity. For instance, the Research Division and the Innovation Division carry out similar work. If their activities go together, this will expand the funding of individual projects and become a successful example of optimization.