**REPLY TO EACH POST 100 WORDS MIN EACH**
1. There are many challenges when it comes to Homeland Security. Protecting America and all those that call it home is the top priority when it comes to Homeland Security. In the National Security Strategy it is obvious that there are many threats that the United States faces and it will likely always be that way. One of the main points in the National Security Strategy is to promote American prosperity, through that it does not directed solely on financial means. Giving Americans peace of mind through safety and security is a huge deal and the threat of terrorism has been a huge issue in the United States for decades. Ensuring that our nation’s borders are secure from any threats has been a huge discussion in recent years as it should be. Terrorist organizations such as ISIS have been another major issue not only to the United States but throughout the world, ISIS is nowhere near as strong as it once was and the United States played a major role in that. When it comes to terrorism, many people think of those that live far from the United States but in recent history it is proven that many threats to Homeland Security are homegrown and seem to live normal everyday lives right here in the United States and I believe that this is one of the major issues that could be a danger for years to come.  In the National Security Strategy from 2017 many changes were made to ensure the safety of the United States and its people would be better protected, with changes in office coming soon it is very important that these changes that were made to better protect America remain intact or are improved so that there are no added threats or vulnerabilities that could be detrimental to safety. With the advancement to technology it seems like terrorists and other threats can always try and use this against the United States but working to ensure things like this never happen or are severely decreased is very important and needs to be a priority for all involved. 

2. Challenges in Homeland Security In the 2017 report, published during President Trump’s reign, the National security strategy identified foreign attacks as a critical threat to the United States. In particular, since its withdrawal from the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, North Korea’s pursuit of mass destruction is a menace to the United States” (Trump, 2017). As of early 2020, the country is estimated to have 30 to 40 nuclear weapons and an arsenal of chemical and biological weaponry (Weaver, 2018). Another foreign threat the report highlighted is Iran’s support of terrorist groups and jihadist terrorist groups like ISIS and al-Qa’ida. Their ideals intend to harm the United States and its citizens. The report also recognized attacks from non-state actors who “undermine social order through drug and human trafficking networks, which they use to commit violent crimes and kill thousands of Americans each year” (Trump, 2017). The report categorized other threats into six; national security, energy, finance and banking, safety and health, communications, and transportation. To curb the threats, the Department of Homeland Security aims to harden key attack areas to withstand potential attacks. The department is also tasked with identifying and sealing porous regions in the United States borders (Weaver, 2018). Such implementations include the campaign-strategy wall that is already underway. While the report addressed almost all major threats that the country faces, some threats may have been left out. One such threat is a pandemic. The coronavirus pandemic hit the world only two years after the report was drafted, yet no strategy was in place to protect the country against it. The growing death rates from the virus and the high infection rate in the United States reflect ill-preparedness.