Homeland security

The term homeland security refers to a security effort by a government to protect a nation against perceived external or internal threats.

The term is almost exclusively used in the United States; elsewhere, the activities of "homeland security" fall under a combination of national security and associated security services or the customs services of the country (for example, HM Revenue and Customs in the UK). The term arose following a merger of several U.S. governmental agencies to form the U.S. Department of Homeland Security after the attacks on September 11, 2001.