A Monumental Challenge: Educating the Nation in Homeland Defense and Security Studies
September 11, 2001 was a pivotal moment in our nation’s history. Many changes in government security and policy were formed in the months and years that followed, and suddenly, the country had a new department and a new academic discipline: homeland security. There was dramatic growth in training surrounding homeland security themes, with widely varied approaches and levels of intensity. What was needed was a central, accredited institution with the resources to deliver high-quality, graduate education to government workers; the Naval Postgraduate School’s Center for Homeland Defense and Security (CHDS) was established to answer this call.
Created by Congress, the U.S. Department of Justice, and the U.S. Department of Defense in 2002 and beginning their first master’s classes a year later, this program would gather professionals from across the public sector: firefighters, police, immigration, federal agents, emergency management, policy executives, and a host of other experts — all rising leaders in their field — to study under some of the most esteemed faculty from around the country. It was established at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, CA, itself home to a rich and storied history of graduate education for those serving our nation.
What was unique about the Center for Homeland Defense and Security Studies was that it went beyond the conventional training many of these professionals had been exposed to, dramatically widening the aperture and considering the evolving discipline of homeland security from entirely new perspectives. These students would not only undertake an intense course of study on intelligence, comparative government, and critical infrastructure, but they would study psychology, history, unconventional threats, multi-disciplinary approaches to homeland security, emerging technology, educational theory, and a host of special topics, often featuring distinguished speakers from a wide range of fields. Throughout all of these studies, students develop analytical and critical thinking skills, increasing their cognitive abilities, and understanding the relationship between analysis and policy.
Presenting an array of important curriculum and programs is only part of the Center’s mission. Other vital aspects include: the Executive Leader’s Program; the Pacific Leader’s Program; the Fusion Center Leader’s Program; and the University and Agency Partnership Initiative. The Center for Homeland Defense and Security is positioned as an essential part of our nation’s defense by providing advanced, accredited education to the country’s top homeland security practitioners.
In considering all the monuments and memorials we have featured in most of our stories, we thought it only fitting to at last recognize the origin of our scholarship: the Naval Postgraduate School’s Center for Homeland Defense and Security. It is an institution that endeavors to make our country stronger, safer, and more resilient.
Monumental USA is dedicated to highlighting local monuments and the human stories that lay at their foundation. The desire is to reinvigorate civic pride and sense of ownership through interesting monuments to events and personalities great and small across the nation, with a special focus on local and perhaps obscure or forgotten memorials.
