The Homeland Security Operational Analysis Center (HSOAC) conducts research and analysis for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
This page lists work published by HSOAC. The RAND Homeland Security Research Division (HSRD), which houses the center, publishes on similar topics. For a full list, see the HSRD Publications page.
This Perspective presents some proposed solutions, and potential data sources to evaluate policy solutions, to problems related to mis- and disinformation, election security, extremism, and immigration reform. The authors have synthesized workshop conversations and added citations from relevant research literature to provide scholarly context for the various policy facets they explored.
During a November 2022 webinar, Mark Ghilarducci, the Director of California Governor's Office of Emergency Services, reflected on his more than 30 years of experience in public safety and emergency management at the local, state, and federal levels. Director Ghilarducci discussed how California faced challenges from climate change, COVID-19, and other threats; lessons from these experiences; and his view of the future of emergency management.
Researchers identified approaches the U.S. Coast Guard could take to improve crew satisfaction with precommissioning assignments on offshore patrol cutters and overall fleet readiness. They evaluated the options using five criteria: crew satisfaction, crew preparation and knowledge retention, timeliness, feasibility, and cost.
This report summarizes the findings of Evergreen V, the most recent iteration of an ongoing scenario-based strategic foresight initiative that aims to help the U.S. Coast Guard identify issues, areas of opportunity, and potential challenges that it will likely face in the coming decades, so that senior leadership can better bridge the gap between near- and long-term planning and prepare the service to meet future demands.
This brief summarizes the findings of U.S. Coast Guard Project Evergreen V, part of a long-term strategic planning effort to identify emerging challenges and future trends that might alter demand for missions and the ability to perform them.
The U.S. Coast Guard is determining how many facilities handle certain dangerous cargoes and whether, according to a risk analysis, requiring those facilities to biometrically verify the Transportation Worker Identification Credential of every person accessing a secure area of such a facility would be cost-effective. This report answers those questions.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has relied on scientific and technical advice to respond to various threats and hazards. To enhance DHS's ability to leverage science and technology communities to support the use of science, technology, innovation, and analytical capabilities during crisis response, RAND researchers offer a conceptual framework and five imperatives for consideration when providing technical support during a crisis.
To help the U.S. Department of Homeland Security plan and assess joint activities, researchers created a framework consisting of a decision aid incorporating factors to consider when forming joint programs and collaborations, a taxonomy of jointness types, a tool for selecting program types, and recommendations for structuring joint programs for success.
This report describes threat reporting models available to U.S. kindergarten through 12th-grade schools and how school leaders can support individual decisions to report threats effectively. Through literature review and stakeholder interviews, the authors identified ways to encourage reporting and the relevant challenges schools face.
This report presents results of a follow-up survey of Federal Emergency Management Agency employees on workplace harassment and discrimination, employee reporting experiences, and workplace climate. About one in five employees experienced at least one gender-based/sexual or race/ethnicity–based civil rights violation in the year preceding the survey, a substantial decline from 2019 levels.
In this recording of a July 2022 virtual event, experts discuss the findings from the Commission on Combating Synthetic Opioid Trafficking Final Report, and recommendations to reduce lives lost to illicit synthetic opioids. The Commission was established under Section 7221 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020 and was charged with examining aspects of the synthetic opioid threat to the United States.
Researchers assessed quantum computing vulnerabilities in the 55 national critical functions (NCFs) identified by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The researchers evaluated the significant issues affecting each NCF; rated it for urgency, scope, cost per organization, and other mitigating or exacerbating factors; then combined the ratings to rate each NCF's priority for assistance. This report documents their findings.
Diversity of U.S. election systems means that developing a national picture of cybersecurity risk is challenging; each state and jurisdiction needs to evaluate and prioritize risk in the systems it oversees. Researchers from the Homeland Security Operational Analysis Center have developed a methodology for understanding and prioritizing cybersecurity risk in election infrastructure to assist state and local election officials.
The article examines technologies currently in use and emerging technologies with potential for use in the primary screening of carry-on baggage, checked baggage and air cargo.
Researchers have identified the software and businesses that provide critical information technology products and services and developed a framework to continue this analysis as technology evolves. Assessing software risk, business risk, and interdependencies among businesses, the authors recognize that highest revenue does not necessarily equal greatest risk.
This report is intended to inform National Critical Function stakeholders about developing actionable contingency plans. It describes contingency planning for a significant cyber incident, focusing on the importance of planning, the process of developing a plan, and options for operationalizing a plan. It summarizes the major concepts that are explored in detail in a separate how-to guide.
In research for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, analysts sought ways to streamline, simplify, and strengthen the U.S. emergency management system, assessing how overlap, duplication, and fragmentation could affect implementation and outcomes. They propose options — some broad and transformative and others on a smaller scale — and discuss trade-offs of each.
A future price forecast can help the Federal Emergency Management Agency and communities seeking its Public Assistance estimate construction costs. Researchers created a framework, relying on expected per capita damage and rates of in-migration to the area, for determining when such a forecast could be useful.
Large-scale disaster recovery projects in isolated areas likely require unique future price forecasting. This brief describes an occupational analysis and model to estimate the effects of recovery on the price of labor, materials, and equipment.
The scale of Puerto Rico's recovery efforts after Hurricane María means that these efforts are likely to fundamentally change Puerto Rico's economy in terms of labor, materials, and equipment. Researchers aimed to develop estimates of future construction costs and build factors that cost estimators can apply to current costs to reflect the future cost of construction. This report documents their approach, data, findings, and recommendations.
Climate change is contributing to more frequent and more severe disasters. In this video, three climate researchers discuss climate change and risks for disasters in the United States. They focus on several regions: the Arctic, the Caribbean, the Northeast, and the Gulf states. They examine how climate effects and hazards are affecting communities in the region, ongoing adaptation activities, and remaining needs and opportunities.
The number of automated sensors and devices connected to wireless networks will continue to grow as fifth-generation (5G) wireless networks come online. In this report, researchers discuss how the United States should seek to balance the potential gains of the 5G era with the potential loss of privacy and of control of personal data.
The United States has a long history of preparing for and responding to large-scale incidents affecting public safety and homeland security. However, it does not have comparable experience in responding to cyber incidents. This report examines U.S. processes for non-cyber emergency management and whether U.S. officials can learn from these events to help public and private sector stakeholders improve preparations for response to cyber attacks.
This report describes fifth-generation (5G) network security, the 5G supply chain, competition in 5G equipment and mobile device markets, where the United States has security advantages over China, and how to preserve those advantages in the 5G competition between the United States and China. The report provides recommendations for securing 5G networks and mobile devices of the United States, its allies, and foreign partners.
This report presents best practices in risk assessment; challenges in implementing the National Critical Function (NCF) risk assessment framework to characterize risk that the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic poses to critical infrastructure; recommendations for improving the framework; and suggestions for further characterizing NCFs' interdependence, vulnerability, and geographic variation to improve risk assessment processes.
