White House and the Office of National Drug Control Policy

As dramatized in the movie Act of Valor, in which U.S. Navy Seals interdicted foreign terrorists attempting to smuggle jihadists from Mexico into the United States, this international border represents an acute vulnerability to national security, the region, and homeland security—making it a local, state, tribal, and federal flashpoint. Many analysts believe that if drug cartels can successfully smuggle illegal contraband via various conveyances across the Southwest border (SWB), and move billions of dollars of bulk cash back to operatives south of the border, then terrorist elements could exploit this same network for nefarious purposes.

This troubling premise matches the challenges of professional policymakers at local, state, and federal levels of the U.S. government, and provides the context for a salient examination of all elements of homeland security and the government.

You will focus on the NSWBCN Strategy for all aspects of the Key Assignment, resulting in the final written analysis that assembles each element of the course.

This assignment will initially involve the creation of a case study involving the threat of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) being smuggled across the U.S. border with Mexico. This case study will serve as the operational scenario informing the balance of the project, and will evolve into a comprehensive analysis comprised of and supported by cumulative weekly assignments during each phase of the course, including a proposal to address the security challenges of this volatile border region.

Against the realistic backdrop of persistent criminal activity, including human smuggling, narcotrafficking, cross-border violence, movement of undocumented migrants, and law enforcement challenges, conduct your research using the NSWBCN Strategy (2011), promulgated by the White House and the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP).