The National Planning Scenarios (NPS) and the establishment of the National Preparedness Priorities have steered the focus of homeland security toward a capabilities-based planning approach. Capabilities-based planning focuses on planning under uncertainty, since the next danger or disaster cannot be forecasted with complete accuracy.
Department of Homeland Security
Department of Homeland Security, FEMA
Exercise DETERMINED ACCORD Situation Manual (SITMAN)
The Situation Manual (SITMAN) with Facilitator notes provides guidance in conducting the Determined Accord influenza pandemic tabletop exercise (TTX). This guide is for “Facilitator Use Only” and provides more detailed information on the guidelines for conduct of the TTX, as well as the exercise objectives, scenario, and discussion topics.
Department of Homeland Security
2006 & 2007 Pre-Hurricane Scenario Analyses
The National Infrastructure Simulation and Analysis Center (NISAC) is a modeling, simulation, and analysis program comprised of personnel in the Washington D.C. area as well as at the Sandia and Los Alamos National Laboratories. NISAC is mandated by Congress to be a “source of national expertise to address critical infrastructure protection” research and analysis.
Intelligence Fusion Centers
Meth Lab Hazards to Emergency Responders
In November 2008, two special education teachers in South Bend, Indiana were arrested after a meth lab exploded in their home and caused a fire. According to law enforcement statistics, in 2008 the state of Indiana had a 31% increase in methamphetamine lab seizures since 2007. Recent disruption of meth “super labs” in Mexico may have opened up the market to smaller producers throughout the nation to supply demand for the drug.
Department of Homeland Security
Securing the Chemical Sector
Of the 3 major areas of activity; this briefing focuses on Field Operations:
* Development of the Regulation and supporting tools, rules, guidelines, etc.;
* Development of an organizational/program structure to include Field
* Operations that can implement the Regulation; and
* Development of administrative structures that are necessary to support the regulatory environment established within the sector.
Department of Homeland Security
Strategic Sector Assessment: Commercial Facilities Sector
(U//FOUO) This Strategic Sector Assessment is one in a series that provides an overall assessment of the potential terrorist threats to critical infrastructure and key resources, and provides decision makers with the broad, analytically-based threat information necessary to inform investment priorities and program design.
Department of Homeland Security, FEMA
National Level Exercise 2010 (NLE 10) Exercise Overview
# Tier 1 National Level Exercise as per the National Exercise Program
# Domestic Terrorism focused
# Guided by National Planning Scenario #1: Nuclear Detonation
# Fully Integrated with Eagle Horizon 2010 (continuity exercise)
Department of Homeland Security
National Planning Scenarios
The Federal interagency community has developed fifteen all-hazards planning scenarios (the National Planning Scenarios or Scenarios) for use in national, Federal, State, and local homeland security preparedness activities. The Scenarios are planning tools and are representative of the range of potential terrorist attacks and natural disasters and the related impacts that face our nation. The objective was to develop a minimum number of credible scenarios in order to establish the range of response requirements to facilitate preparedness planning.
Department of Homeland Security, Federal Bureau of Investigation
Recent Terrorist Plots Highlight Insider Threat
Information from several recent planned or thwarted terrorist plots shows the importance of the use of insiders to gain access to targets and collect preoperational information. Al-Qa‘ida planner Dhiren Barot, whom UK authorities arrested in 2006, had tasked a member of his group to secure employment at a hotel in the United Kingdom to learn how to deactivate fire and security systems.
Alaska, Department of Homeland Security
Alaska State Homeland Security Strategy 2009
Through this State Homeland Security Strategy (SHSS), Alaska will improve its protection of the people, its economy, and its culture. The State of Alaska will reduce vulnerabilities to terrorist attacks, major disasters, or emergencies. This vital mission requires coordination, cooperation, and a focused effort throughout the state, federal agencies (military and civilian), State agencies, local jurisdictions, tribal, private, and non–profit organizations.
Department of Homeland Security
Swine Influenza Outbreak
The outbreak is affecting adults and spreading through human-to-human transmissions, which is atypical as influenza typically targets young children and elderly individuals, and human contraction of swine influenza is normally associated with close contact with pigs.
Department of Homeland Security
DHS Coordinates National Level Exercise to Prevent Terrorist Attacks with Federal, State, Local Tribal, Private Sector, and International Partners
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will launch on Monday the five-day National Level Exercise 2009 (NLE 09)—the first national level exercise to focus on terrorism prevention—in conjunction with federal, state, local, tribal, private sector and international partners.
Department of Homeland Security
Oral Testimony of Secretary Napolitano Regarding “Identification Security”
Pass ID is a bill that I support. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) worked with governors and other stakeholders to provide technical assistance in its drafting and—so the approach that Pass ID takes to fix REAL ID is one that I support. I think it makes sense. This is an important piece of national security legislation that is designed to help fulfill the 9/11 Commission’s recommendation that the Federal Government set security standards for driver’s licenses.
Department of Homeland Security
United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team Operations
The National Cyber Security Division (NCSD) United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT) is a partnership between the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the public and private sectors. Established in 2003 to protect the nation’s internet infrastructure, US-CERT coordinates defense against and responses to cyber attacks across the nation. The organization interacts with federal agencies, state and local governments, industry professionals, and others to improve information sharing and incident response coordination and to reduce cyber threats and vulnerabilities.
Department of Homeland Security
DHS Senior Leadership Brief 2009 H1N1 Flu
As of Monday, 04 May 09, 698 schools in 33 States were closed due to confirmed and probable cases of H1N1 Flu. The closures impacted over 358,220 students and 20,684 teachers. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Reports 403 confirmed cases of H1N1 Flu in 38 States; 702 probable cases of H1N1 Flu in 41 States and the District of Columbia. Number of deaths remains at 1 (Texas). A state-by-state breakdown is listed in Table 1.
Department of Homeland Security
Introduction brief to the ISCe Satellite and Communications Conference
The National Communications System is responsible for assuring key national security and emergency preparedness (NS/EP) decision-makers have the ability to communicate through the full spectrum of crises. With the vast majority of the communications infrastructure owned by corporations, any successful strategy requires regular and meaningful interaction with industry.
Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Homeland Security
Leftwing Extremists
This assessment examines the potential threat to homeland security from cyber attacks conducted by leftwing extremists, a threat that DHS/I&A believes likely will grow over the next decade. It focuses on the more prominent leftwing groups within the animal rights, environmental, and anarchist extremist movements that promote or have conducted criminal or terrorist activities (see Appendix). This assessment is intended to alert DHS policymakers, state and local officials, and intelligence analysts monitoring the subject so they can better focus their collection requirements and analysis.
Department of Homeland Security
Rightwing Extremism
Rightwing extremist paranoia of foreign regimes could escalate or be magnified in the event of an economic crisis or military confrontation, harkening back to the “New World Order” conspiracy theories of the 1990s. The dissolution of Communist countries in Eastern Europe and the end of the Soviet Union in the 1990s led some rightwing extremists to believe that a “New World Order” would bring about a world government that would usurp the sovereignty of the United States and its Constitution, thus infringing upon their liberty. The dynamics in 2009 are somewhat similar, as other countries, including China, India, and Russia, as well as some smaller, oil-producing states, are experiencing a rise in economic power and influence.
Department of Homeland Security
Federal Continuity Directive 1
This Federal Continuity Directive (FCD) provides direction to the Federal executive branch for developing continuity plans and programs. Continuity planning facilitates the performance of executive branch essential functions during all-hazards emergencies or other situations that may disrupt normal operations. The ultimate goal of continuity in the executive branch is the continuation of National Essential Functions (NEFs).
Department of Homeland Security
Endgame
Endgame is the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Office of Detention and Removal (DRO) multi-year strategic enforcement plan. It stresses the effective and efficient execution of the critical service DRO provides its partners and stakeholders to enforce the nation’s immigration and naturalization laws. The DRO strategic plan sets in motion a cohesive enforcement program with a ten-year time horizon that will build the capacity to “remove all removable aliens,” eliminate the backlog of unexecuted final order removal cases, and realize its vision.
Department of Homeland Security, FEMA
National Response Framework Overview
This document was developed expressly for emergency management practitioners as an overview of the process, roles, and responsibilities for requesting and providing all forms of Federal assistance. This overview also presents a summary of each of the 15 Emergency Support Function Annexes and 8 Support Annexes including their purpose, capabilities, membership, and concept of operations. The complete annexes are contained in the online NRF Resource Center.
Department of Homeland Security, FEMA
National Response Framework
This National Response Framework (NRF) [or Framework] is a guide to how the Nation conducts all-hazards response. It is built upon scalable, flexible, and adaptable coordinating structures to align key roles and responsibilities across the Nation. It describes specific authorities and best practices for managing incidents that range from the serious but purely local, to large-scale terrorist attacks or catastrophic natural disasters. This document explains the common discipline and structures that have been exercised and matured at the local, tribal, State, and national levels over time. It describes key lessons learned from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, focusing particularly on how the Federal Government is organized to support communities and States in catastrophic incidents. Most importantly, it builds upon the National Incident Management System (NIMS), which provides a consistent template for managing incidents.
Department of Homeland Security
Domestic Extremism Lexicon
This product is one in a series of reference aids designed to provide operational and intelligence advice and assistance to other elements of DHS, as well as state, local, and regional fusions centers. DHS/I&A intends this background information to assist federal, state, local, and tribal homeland security and law enforcement officials in conducting analytic activities. This product provides definitions for key terms and phrases that often appear in DHS analysis that addresses the nature and scope of the threat that domestic, non-Islamic extremism poses to the United States. Definitions were derived from a variety of open source materials and unclassified information, then further developed during facilitated workshops with DHS intelligence analysts knowledgeable about domestic, non-Islamic extremism in the United States.