Strategy for Homeland Defense and Civil Support

Protecting the United States homeland from
attack is the highest priority of the Depart‐
ment of Defense (DoD). On September 11,
2001, the world changed dramatically. For the
first time since Pearl Harbor, we experienced
catastrophic, direct attacks against our
territory. This time, however, the foe was not
another nation but terrorists seeking to
undermine America’s political will and
destroy our way of life. As a result, the
United States has become a nation at war, a
war whose length and scope may be
unprecedented.