Transnational organized crime has long been identified as an international security threat. In October 1995, President Clinton signed Presidential Decision Directive 42, which formally classified transnational organized crime a security threat to the US and its interests. By 2000, the UN had followed suit with the completion of the Convention on Transnational Organized Crime. The international community has rapidly adopted local, regional and international policies and practices to curb the growing threat from organized crime and corruption.

While the discussions that led to the foundation of the concept of homeland security began well before September 11th, 2001, but it was the terror attacks of that day that brought homeland security to the forefront. Homeland security is most commonly associated with the need to secure the homeland against terrorism, but homeland security is actually a broader concept that is predicated on the prevention and defense against aggression targeted at the U.S. and its interests. In this larger context, it is no surprise that elements of the fight against transnational organized crime are now integral to the US Department of Homeland Security.

The goals of TraCCC have always overlapped with the larger efforts to support national, homeland and international security organizations. For example, TraCCC assisted the US Border Patrol Academy in Artesia NM to revise and update the Law and Spanish curriculum. Among conferences TraCCC has held which address homeland and international security, the most relevant is 'Transnational Crime and Peacekeeping: Comparative Perspectives', held in early September 2001, which was sponsored by the McCormick-Tribune Foundation to analyze the impact of transnational crime on peace missions. Finally, TraCCC's staff has delivered lectures at numerous security-related institutions, including the National Defense University, the US Special Operations Command, the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies, and the Naval Postgraduate School.