The Center for Homeland Defense and Security is currently reviewing its websites and materials in accordance with recent Executive Orders and related guidance. During this review, some pages and publications will be unavailable. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.
Multi-Layer Network PageRank for Critical Infrastructure Analysis
The multi-layer PageRank algorithm provides a portable and flexible tool that can be modified by practitioners to specific infrastructure networks of interest.
By Jacob Miller, Dr. Bill Kay, Patrick Mackey, Dr. Samrat Chatterjee
A Perfect Storm: Hamas Terrorist Escalation
“Terrorist groups are not only learning organizations. They are also calculating, rational actors who may perceive a change when the level of violence previously used is no longer effectively communicating their political message.”
By David W. Brannan
Comparing Significant Acts of Anti-Government Violent Extremism: A Research Note
In this research note, the authors examine the utility of the new anti-government/anti-authority violent extremism category by comparing event-level characteristics of domestic terrorism incidents committed by AVEs, SCVEs, and MVEs.
By Michael K. Logan, Clara Braun, Seamus Hughes
Security on the Southern Border: What is the National Guard’s Role?
The United States border remains a concern as the number of border crossings has drastically increased over the last few years, highlighting concerns about U.S. immigration policy and the simultaneous issues of international criminal activities.
By Michael K. Logan, Clara Braun, Seamus Hughes
A Review of Four Battlegrounds, Power in the Age of Artificial Intelligence by Paul Scharre
“The intersection of AI and national security offers fertile ground for experts, pundits, and fear mongers alike. Scharre makes clear that it is the nature of the relationship between human and machine that will determine the ways in which AI will contribute to or erode the security of nations.”
By Daniel E. Levinson
From the CHDS Theses Executive Summaries

Outstanding Thesis Award Winner, September 2024
Future Extreme Heat Considerations for Emergency Managers
Formulating solutions to this complex problem is challenging, but recognizing extreme heat concerns and threats within the emergency management community will facilitate better planning and mitigation when extreme heat events occur.
By Troy Christensen
Importance of Hand Hygiene Compliance in Reducing Occupationally Acquired Infections for Emergency Departments and Emergency Medical Services
Healthcare workers in Emergency Departments and Emergency Medical Services are at particularly high risk for occupationally acquired infectious diseases due to their close contact with infected patients and insufficient protection, resources, training, and compliance. This article stresses the importance of hand hygiene as a key strategy to reduce these risks and recommends implementing multimodal strategies to improve hand hygiene compliance, which is vital for protecting workers and strengthening the healthcare system’s resilience.
By Ryan S. Houser, Alexander Linder, and Erin Sorrell
Emergency Management: A Practitioner-Based Evaluation of the 2017 Core Competencies
Emergency Management practitioners and academicians have worked for over two decades to professionalize and standardize the EM field. This article presents findings from a Capstone Project at FEMA’s Emergency Management Institute’s National Emergency Management Executive Academy, focusing on the importance of Next Generation Core Competencies for EM professionals in the face of evolving challenges.
By Kimberly Campbell, Sarah Custer, Mary Jo Flynn-Nevins, Alex Schubek, Robert Granzow III, and Kristy Moore
A Bipartisan Perspective: Integration of Equity into Emergency Management
This article explores the necessity for emergency management to be nonpartisan as our nation encounters frequent disasters. It further discusses the implications for both political parties to cease politicization and enhance support for communities facing escalating disaster impacts through equitable practices.
By Yali Pang, Nakeina E. Douglas-Glenn, Curtis Brown, Jennifer J. Reid, and J. Herman Tomasi