On June 16, 2002, President Bush presented the United State's long-term National Strategy for Homeland Security, focusing on preventing, preempting and responding to a wide variety of future terrorist attacks.  

Establishing operational and budgetary priorities for fiscal years 2003 and beyond, the president's strategy calls for further enhancement of immigration, border control, extradition and secrecy laws; rapid production of vaccines to fight bioterrorism threats; and new measures to protect power plants, water supplies, bridges and other critical infrastructure assets.

Stopping short of proposing a controversial national identification card, the plan calls for development nationwide standards for state drivers licenses to employ high-tech methods to help positively identify individuals.

The plan also calls for the assignment of "red teams" made up of federal agents specially trained to play the role of terrorists trying to develop new ways to attack the United States.

While most of the money required to implement the new security measures will come from future federal budgets, the plan calls for state and local governments, as well as the private sector to bear a significant share of the cost. "This comprehensive plan lays out clear lines of authority and clear responsibilities -- responsibilities for federal employees and for governors and mayors and community and business leaders and the American citizens. With a better picture of those responsibilities, all of us can direct money and manpower to meet them," said President Bush.

The strategic objectives of the security plan, in order of priority, are to:

• Prevent terrorist attacks within the United States; 
• Reduce America's vulnerability to terrorism; and 
• Minimize the damage and recover from attacks that do occur.

Other elements the security plan include:

• Increasing the reach and flexibility of the United States' international extradition treaties;
• Fiscal year 2004 funding for rapid development of new vaccines and ways in which the FBI can prevent the use of biological and nuclear weapons of terrorism;
• Review and expand the domestic security roll of the National Guard; and
• Encourage the availability of terrorism insurance at the state level.

Links to more information about the new plan and homeland security:

• National Strategy for Homeland Security
  Individual files are in .pdf format. To view or print them, you will need the free Adobe Acrobat (R) .pdf file reader.
  
  
• Executive Summary - National Strategy for Homeland Security (html)
  
  
• Summary of Homeland Security Budget Priorities and Impacts
  Supporting First Responders
  Defending Against Bioterrorism
  Securing America's Borders
  Using 21st Century Technology to Secure the Homeland of the future
  
  
• Citizen's Corp
  What private citizens and local officials can do to fight terrorism.
  
  
• State Homeland Security Coordinators and Contacts

Bush presses Congress to act quickly
President Bush has called on Congress to complete its work on a bill creating his proposed cabinet-level Department of Homeland Security before Sept. 11, 2002, the anniversary of the terrorist attacks against the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. 

Reacting to the president's aggressive timetable, Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert (R-Illinois, 14th), stated, "We'd like have it done by September 11, however we're not going to let haste get in the way of getting a good piece of legislation."