Introduction The department of homeland security was created by President George W. Bush after the terrorist attacks of September 11 th 2001 in the United States (Baker, 2008). The main purpose of the office was to protect and safeguard the United States together with its citizens from terrorist attacks in present and future times. The department would therefore safeguard, protect and respond to any future terrorist attacks which may occur in the country. After the September 11 th attacks, the people of the United States questioned the ability of their government to protect them against terrorist attacks. Creation of the Department of homeland security was a solution to their problems since its main mandate was to ensure the safety of the country against any future terrorist attacks. The department of homeland security has several mandates. These mandates may either be formal or informal in nature. They have a strong implication to the strategic planning and success of the organisation. This is because they act as guidelines that have to be followed by the organisation to ensure that it achieves its goals and objectives in the short run and in the long run. As per the recommendations of the 9/11 commission, it is the mandate of the department of homeland security to establish a method which will physically screen 50% of the cargo contained in all passenger airplanes in the united states by February 2009 and 100% of the same by August 2010 (GAO, 2008). This move ensured that all the flights will be safe from any terrorist attacks by the year 2010. This mandate was one among the many obligations and duties which the department owes to the citizen of the United States to ensure that they are free and safe from any terrorist attacks. Due to the conduct of its activities and operations, the Department of Homeland Security has an informal mandate of ensuring that the United States has a reputation of not condoning terrorism of any kind. Although there is no written document to give the department a direct authority to this mandate, through its operations and conduct, this mandate falls under the arms of the department. It works hard to minimise internal and external terrorism; making the country to be safer than before. Through its mandates, the department of homeland security guarantees safety and protection to its citizens (Alperene, 2011). The Mission Statement of the Department of Homeland Security As stated earlier, the department of homeland security was established a few days after the September 11 th terrorist attacks in the United States. It was established to prevent the occurrence of similar events in future. To achieve this goal, the department of homeland security has a vital mission statement; to secure the nation from any threats we face (DHS, 2011). To achieve this mission, the department has a workforce of more than 230,000 employees. They work in different departments to ensure that the nation is secure from all angles. These employees range from airport security personnel to border security, cyber analysts to chemical analysts and a standby emergency response unit that is ready to act at 24 hours a day (DHS, 2011). To ensure whether the mission statement of the department of homeland security is