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  1. Home
  2. About DHS
  3. Mission
  4. Guiding Principles

Guiding Principles

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security holds five guiding principles that shape our mission.

Champion “Relentless Resilience” for All Threats and Hazards

DHS will remain resolute against today’s threats and hazards by keeping pace with our adversaries and preparing for those of tomorrow by identifying and confronting systemic risk, ensuring the Nation’s citizens remain resilient, building redundancy and resilience into community lifelines, and raising the baseline of our security across the board—and across the world.

Reduce the Nation’s Risk to Homeland Security Dangers

DHS will mitigate risks to the Homeland by interdicting threats, hardening assets to eliminate vulnerabilities, and enhancing rapid recovery efforts to reduce potential consequences from physical attacks, natural disasters, and cyber incidents.

Promote Citizen Engagement and Strengthen and Expand Trusted Partnerships

Homeland security is a whole-of-society endeavor, from every federal department and agency to every American across this Nation. We will work together and empower partners to leverage national capacity and capabilities, improve training exercises, and develop contingency plans that make America safe, secure, and resilient against all threats and all hazards.

Uphold Privacy, Transparency, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties

DHS will continue to implement safeguards for privacy, transparency, civil rights, and civil liberties when developing and adopting policies and throughout the performance of its mission to ensure that homeland security programs uphold privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties.

Ensure Mission-Driven Management and Integration

As a unified Department, DHS will leverage the collective capabilities of its operational Components to identify opportunities for jointness and integration. Through a comprehensive and collaborative approach, DHS will ensure its operators and employees have the necessary tools, resources, and authorities to execute its mission.

Last Updated: 07/03/2019
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