After fear of terrorism increased in the United States following the September 11 al-Qaeda attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, the government American saw the need for a centralized department. which brings together all the other agencies in matters of internal security. The U.S. government created this umbrella agency with the passage of the Homeland Security Act by Congress in November 2002. The Department of Homeland Security officially emerged as a stand-alone Cabinet-level department to better coordinate and unify national efforts on internal security. (Homeland Security) With the creation of the new Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the government had a clear focus for intelligence gathering and collection, control of policies that affect national security, and a fail-safe mission. The Department of Homeland Security began gobbling up other agencies and created many more, a total of 22 agencies now reporting to DHS. DHS controls all areas related to national security, including coastal and border protection, domestic terrorism, international terrorism, protection of the American people, protection of key infrastructure, protection of key resources, and response to natural disasters. The Department of Homeland Security, as a coordinating department, has hosted numerous organizations to carry out their primary national security tasks. To carry out its mission of border protection and movement from international waters, DHS was assigned the U.S. Coast Guard. “The Coast Guard has many responsibilities, including protecting coastal and inland waterways, protecting the environment, interdicting contraband, and enforcing maritime laws. » (White, 2014) Since the Coast Guard... is in the middle of paper... and will continually deflect any action targeting Americans on international soil and within our borders. Works Cited Federal Bureau of Investigation. (nd). Famous and criminal cases. Retrieved 01/05/2014 from FBI: Federal Bureau of Investigation: http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/history/famous-cases/oklahoma-city-bombingHomeland Security. (nd). Creation of the Department of Homeland Security. Retrieved April 30, 2014, from the official website of the Department of Homeland Security: http://www.dhs.gov/creation-department-homeland-securityKappeler, LK (2012). Homeland security. New Jersey: Prentice Hall. US Department of State. (nd). Office of Counterterrorism. Retrieved May 1, 2014, from U.S. Department of State: Diplomacy in Action: http://www.state.gov/j/ct/White, JR (2014). Terrorism and internal security. Belmont: Wadsworth.