The Naval Postgraduate School Center for Homeland Defense and Security (CHDS) has announced their Annual Essay Competition to stimulate original thought on issues in homeland security and homeland defense.
CHDS launched the contest in 2008 to provide people from around the country the opportunity to express their opinions on homeland security issues and to suggest new ideas. The variety of the essay topics submitted, as well as the backgrounds of the authors, highlights the vast scope of the impact that homeland security policies, programs, and challenges have on our communities and professions.
This year’s topic is: What is a dangerous idea you have about homeland security, and why is it dangerous?
The competition is open to anyone with an interest in homeland defense and security. Responses may be general or focus on a specific aspect (organizational, policy, strategy, practice, technological innovation, social impact, etc.) or discipline, (emergency management, public health, law enforcement, critical infrastructure, intelligence, etc.). Essays may be written from any perspective – e.g. government, private sector, cultural, local community, or citizen.
The 2012 CHDS essay contest topic was to “Identify a theory or insight from a field outside homeland security that has not been applied to homeland security but should be.” The winning entry was “What Biological Systems Can Still Tell Us About Information Security” by Dorian Deane; and three finalists essays: “The Foraging Tango: The Application of Optimal Foraging Theory to Counterterrorism Activities” by Don Arp Jr.; “Improving Homeland Security Through Loops and Links” by John M. Hartzell; and “Fighting Fear Appeal; Adopting Social Psychological Models to Inform Government Risk Communication” by Sage Moon. All four essays are available to read in the CHDS Homeland Security Digital Library.
Essays must be original works not published elsewhere. The winner will receive a $500.00 cash award and along with the top four finalists will have their papers considered for publication by Homeland Security Affairs, the online journal published by the Naval Postgraduate School’s Center for the Homeland Defense and Security.
The deadline for submission is January 31, 2013. Further details on the competition are available at the CHDS website.
