DHS Releases Interim Protection Plan and Interim Preparedness Goal

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has issued an Interim National Infrastructure Protection Plan (Interim Protection Plan) and an Interim National Preparedness Goal (Interim Preparedness Goal) to improve the security of critical assets and enhance emergency preparedness. The following provides a synopsis of both documents and the potential implications for the private sector and state and local governments.

Interim Protection Plan

In response to Homeland Security Presidential Directive 7, which required the development of a “comprehensive, integrated national plan for critical infrastructure and key resources protection,” DHS has issued an Interim Protection Plan to facilitate development of a national Critical Infrastructure Protection Plan. The Interim Protection Plan, which provides a unifying structure for identifying and protecting Critical Infrastructure and Key Resources (CI/KRs), is based on a risk management framework that contains the following five elements:

• Identification of Critical Assets. Sector Specific Agencies (SSAs) (e.g., DOE for energy facilities, EPA for water systems, DOT for transportation facilities) and DHS will identify CI/KRs across 17 sectors.
• Identify and Assess Vulnerabilities. Once the CI/KRs have been identified, vulnerability assessments will be conducted to identify potential areas of weakness, as well as protective measures that would be effective in mitigating those weaknesses. The assessment of vulnerabilities will include an examination of the interdependencies among assets and sectors (i.e., the potential impact of blackouts on water supply).
• Normalizing, Analyzing, and Prioritizing Study Results. DHS and SSAs will “normalize” information in a particular sector and then prioritize assets from multiple sectors. This process will identify the sectors, subsectors, regions, or specific assets that face the greatest risks.
• Implementing Protective Programs. After risks are prioritized, the risk management framework calls for the development and implementation of protective programs to reduce risk for the highest priority assets from specific threats and general areas of vulnerability. To ensure that protective actions are implemented, DHS will work with various federal departments and agencies and consult with the private sector to identify cost-effective incentives or strategies for enhanced security investments.
• Measuring Performance. To ensure that protective programs are sustainable and effective, performance metrics will monitor the process for identifying critical assets, conducting vulnerability assessments, and applying protective programs.

Next Steps. The Interim Protection Plan identifies only federal responsibilities. DHS and SSAs, however, are working to develop a more fully integrated plan that defines roles and responsibilities for state and local governments, tribal entities, and the private sector. SSAs also are beginning to implement Sector-Specific Plans to protect CI/KRs within particular sectors, and DHS intends to issue a new version of the National Infrastructure Protection Plan later this year.

Industry involvement will be critical to shaping the development and implementation of the final Infrastructure Protection Plan (including Sector Specific Plans). The Interim Protection Plan encourages the private sector to, among other things, utilize Sector Coordinating Councils to identify and promulgate accepted best practice standards. Owners and operators of CI/KRs should provide input to DHS and SSAs to ensure that their security, commercial, and legal concerns are adequately reflected in the final plan.

Interim Preparedness Goal

On March 31, DHS issued an Interim Preparedness Goal to address a directive established by Homeland Security Presidential Directive 8: National Preparedness (HSPD-8). HSPD-8 requires, among other things, “standards for preparedness assessments and strategies, and a system for assessing the Nation’s overall preparedness to respond to major events, especially those involving acts of terrorism.” To that end, the Interim Preparedness Goal provides guidance to federal departments and agencies; state, territorial, local and tribal officials; the private sector; non-government organizations; and the public regarding preparedness for terrorist attacks, major disasters, and other emergencies.

Specifically, the Interim Preparedness Goal establishes priorities and identifies core capabilities that will inform DHS’s efforts to establish “measurable readiness benchmarks and targets.” The three priorities include: (1) implementing a National Incident Management System and National Response Plan; (2) expanding regional collaboration; and (3) implementing the National Infrastructure Protection Plan. The core capabilities consist of: (1) information sharing and collaboration; (2) interoperable communication; (3) medical surge and mass prophylaxis; and (4) detection, response, and decontamination resources for chemical, biological, radioactive, nuclear, and explosive weapons. Pursuant to the Interim Preparedness Goal, specific capabilities and levels of capability will vary based on risk.

Next Steps. DHS will work with stakeholders over the next several months to identify appropriate levels of capabilities for various types of jurisdictions. Additionally, within the month, DHS intends to issue a National Preparedness Guidance document that will include a description of how the Interim Preparedness Goal will be used to allocate federal preparedness assistance. The Administration and House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Christopher Cox (R-CA) have indicated a strong preference for distributing federal homeland security grants to state and local governments based on risk, instead of utilizing population-driven formulas. DHS expects that the Final National Preparedness Goal will be issued on October 1, 2005.