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Master's Theses

A keystone of the CHDS mission is to lead the cultivation of homeland security as an academic field. Every CHDS Master's degree program participant serves this mission through the generation and synthesis of cutting-edge knowledge in the form of a thesis.

Browse or search almost all of the 499 CHDS Theses in the Homeland Security Digital Library. (Faculty, students, and staff can browse the Thesis Center for both completed and in-progress theses.)

Recent "Outstanding Thesis Award" Winners [show all]

Richard Fleece; Dec 2012 (cohort NCR1103/1104)
Social Media, Social Networking, Facial Recognition Technology and the Future of Law Enforcement Undercover Operations
John Zambri; Sep 2012 (cohort CA1101/1102)
Charles Eby; Mar 2012 (cohort CA1005/1006)
Kenneth Fletcher; Dec 2011 (cohort NCR1003/1004)
Michael Biasotti; Sep 2011 (cohort CA1001/1002)
Michael A. Brown; Mar 2011 (cohort CA0905/0906)


Faculty & Student Publications

Books & Chapters  |  Peer-Reviewed Articles  |  Other Articles & Presentations  |  Working Papers  |  Citations
Books and Book Chapters

This is a list of books and book chapters authored by CHDS faculty and participants in the Master's, Executive Leaders, or Fusion Center Leaders programs.

Nick Catrantzos September 07, 2012 10:30

Catrantzos, Nick. Managing the Insider Threat: No Dark Corners . CRC Press. (May 2012.)

An adversary who attacks an organization from within can prove fatal to the organization and is generally impervious to conventional defenses. Drawn from the findings of an award-winning thesis, Managing the Insider Threat: No Dark Corners is the first comprehensive resource to use social science research to explain why traditional methods fail against these trust betrayers. In this groundbreaking book, author Nick Catrantzos identifies new management, security, and workplace strategies for categorizing and defeating insider threats.

The book begins with problem definition and research findings that lead to the "No Dark Corners" strategy for addressing insider threats. With these foundational underpinnings, the book then examines agents of change within the workplace—namely, key players in positions to effectively support or undermine the No Dark Corners strategy, including corporate sentinels and leaders affecting application of this approach.

From there, the author goes on to examine key areas where No Dark Corners-style engagement can make a difference in the way an institution counters insider threats—through rethinking background investigations, recognizing deception, and using lawful disruption. Moving progressively from the theoretical to the practical in applying the strategy within an organizational framework, the book looks at implementation challenges and offers a framework for introducing new insider defense insights into an organization.

Each chapter offers questions to stimulate discussion and exercises or problems suitable for team projects. This practical resource enables those charged with protecting an organization from internal threats to circumvent these predators before they jeopardize the workplace and sabotage business operations.  

David Tucker March 08, 2012 09:34

publicationTucker, David. Illuminating the Dark Arts of War: Terrorism, Sabotage, and Subversion in Homeland Security and the New Conflict. Continuum. (March 2011).

Illuminating the Dark Arts of War is a comprehensive survey of the threats posed by terrorism, sabotage and subversion to the security of the United States. By looking at how these threats connect and what their limitations are, the book calls into question the belief that the United States is now facing unprecedented and unmanageable threats to its security from the "new conflict" carried on by al Qaeda, other non-state actors, and states using the dark arts of war. The book contrasts the limited threats posed by terrorism, sabotage and subversion with the resilience and power of America's government and political system.

The book should interest anyone concerned about America's security, particularly those involved in homeland security and those working to counter unconventional threats to the United States.  

Anders Strindberg November 15, 2011 00:00

Strindberg, Anders.  Islamism. Polity (2011).

Islamism has emerged as one of the most significant political ideologies of the 21st century. From the Islamic Revolution in Iran to the grinding struggle of Hizballah in Lebanon and the devastating 9/11 attacks by al-Qa'ida, Islam has become both a critical discourse and a framework for active resistance, which levels a potent challenge against the ideals of modern secularism and the structures of Western hegemony. This book offers a rigorous and balanced analysis of how and why Islamism has risen to the fore as the dominant voice of Islamic discourse and what accounts for the often vastly different political agendas, tactical choices and strategic objectives of individual Islamist groups. It shows how a common Islamist language of resistance and defiance acquires distinctive meanings and implications in different local contexts, as well as how these local struggles connect to each other. Drawing on important insights from social psychology, critical studies, and post-colonial studies, the book pinpoints the underlying dynamic that drives Islamist struggles in the world today, and shows how diverse experiences of repression and humiliation - real or perceived - are translated into an equally diverse collection of struggles aimed at promoting an alternative social order of independence and dignity framed by Islam. Islamism will be essential reading for students and scholars of Islamic Studies, as well as general readers with an interest in the role and status of Islam in contemporary international politics.

Nadav Morag August 31, 2011 00:00

publicationMorag, Nadav.  Comparative Homeland Security: Global Lessons. Wiley Press (October 2010).

Students and practitioners of Homeland Security have generally not looked beyond U.S. borders in terms of searching for solutions to existing H.S. policy problems. Comparative Homeland Security: Global Lessons examines overseas homeland security practices, allowing readers to integrate counter-terrorism, emergency response and other H.S. practices from around the world into our own policies. The book covers strategies for combatting terrorism, countering radicalization, emergency response, border and transportation security, critical infrastructure protection, public health and military support for civil authorities from a number of the world's democracies. Organized topically, the book allows scientists, policymakers, law enforcement professionals, government workers and students of H.S. to easily compare and integrate the concepts presented into practice.

Martin Alperen April 01, 2011 00:00

Alperen, Martin.  Foundations of Homeland Security: Law and Policy. April 2011.

This book is the complete guide to understanding the structure of homeland security – its underlying law and policy. Created from a broad and in depth, yet edited collection of statutes, policy papers, presidential directives, and other documents, it cultivates a detailed understanding of the foundations of homeland security. It is arranged in a topic-by-topic format structured to include only the documents and statues that affect a particular subject, making for much easier understanding. Thus, the chapter on FEMA contains only the portions of the statutes and other documents that relate to FEMA. There are twenty-five topic areas. It contains hundreds of end notes, references, and suggestions for further study. This book offers important legal guidance that students, law enforcement officers, lawyers, and other homeland security professionals need to accurately interpret, understand, and apply homeland security policy.

The Introduction provides an in-depth overview of the subject of homeland security and includes a discussion of what is homeland security, definitions of homeland security and terrorism, what is homeland security law, its development, and what is a homeland security curriculum. There are contributing chapters about homeland security in Europe, and homeland security in China and Japan.

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Library
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Homeland Security Digital Library

The Homeland Security Digital Library (HSDL) is the nation's premier collection of documents related to homeland security policy, strategy, and organizational management. The HSDL collections are composed of homeland security related documents collected from a wide variety of sources. These include federal, state, tribal, and local government agencies, professional organizations, think tanks, academic institutions, and international governing bodies. Resources are carefully selected and evaluated by a team of librarians and subject-matter specialists.
Published by CHDS
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Homeland Security Affairs

Homeland Security Affairs is the peer-reviewed online journal of the Naval Postgraduate School Center for Homeland Defense and Security (CHDS), providing a forum to propose and debate strategies, policies, and organizational arrangements to strengthen U.S. homeland security. The instructors, participants, alumni, and partners of CHDS represent the leading subject matter experts and practitioners in the field of homeland security. Homeland Security Affairs captures the best of their collective work, as well as that of scholars and practitioners throughout the nation, through peer-reviewed articles on new strategies, policies, concepts and data relating to every aspect of Homeland Security. These articles constitute not only the "smart practices" but also the evolution of Homeland Security as an emerging academic and professional discipline.