The University of Tennessee, Knoxville has established a masters and PhD in nursing with a concentration in homeland security degree to meet the need of advanced nursing expertise to provide nursing care in mass casualty incidents related to natural disasters, accidental exposure to toxic agents, war and terrorism or other threats to the homeland. Homeland security nurses will prepare and execute comprehensive plans for major public health emergencies. Utilizing Neuman's Systems Model, the nursing process and goals of the Department of Homeland Security are compared and contrasted to form the theoretical and practice base for homeland security nursing. An application of homeland security nursing utilizing Neuman's Systems Model is provided.