Critical Infrastructure Protection

The Presidential Policy Directive (PPD) on Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience advances a national unity of effort to strengthen and maintain secure, functioning, and resilient critical infrastructure (The White House Office of the Press Secretary, February 2013). It is imperative for every nation to develop a critical infrastructure protection plan that will provide the essential services to its society. To archive this, a government must be proactive and coordinate its efforts that will reinforce and maintain secure, functioning, and resilient critical infrastructure. Examples of infrastructure are assets, networks, and systems that are critical to public confidence and the Nation’s safety, prosperity, and well-being. In order to answer the research questions, the monograph will examine the Department of Homeland Security’s.

The monograph will also explain what Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) initiatives are, what are protected, and the methods used to protect our assets. Also, the description of the vulnerabilities IS professionals need to be concerned with when protecting the U.S.’s critical infrastructure will be explained. The monograph will further evaluate the effectiveness of IS professionals in regard to protecting the U.S.’s critical infrastructure, and suggestions on methods improving the protection of our critical infrastructure and justifications recommendation will also be elaborated on (University of Strayer Materials, May, 2013). Examination of the Department of Homeland Security’s

In 2002, The Homeland Security Act came into effect; it provides the basis for Department of Homeland Security (DHS) responsibilities in the protection of the Nation’s critical infrastructure and key resources (CIKR). The Department of Homeland Security manages the Nation’s overall CIKR protection efforts and oversees National Infrastructure Protection Plan (NIPP) development, implementation, and integration with national preparedness initiatives. DHS works with cross-sector entities established to promote coordination, communications, and sharing of best practices across CIKR sectors, jurisdictions, or specifically defined geographical areas. DHS also team up with international partners around the world to boost information sharing, increase situational awareness, improve incident response capabilities and overall incident management, support law enforcement activities, and coordinate strategic policy issues. CIKR protection is an Essential part of the Homeland Security Mission.

There are five fundamental aspects of the homeland security missions: Prevent terrorism and enhancing security; Secure and manage our borders; Enforce and administer our immigration laws; Safeguard and secure cyberspace; and Ensure resilience to disasters; The Office of Operations Coordination and Planning is responsible for monitoring the security of the United States on a daily basis and coordinating activities within the Department and with governors, Homeland Security Advisors, law enforcement partners, and critical infrastructure operators in all 50 States and more than 50 major urban areas nationwide. The primary responsibilities of DHS are preventing terrorism, securing the borders, enforcing immigration laws, securing cyberspace and responding to natural disasters, terrorist attacks and large-scale emergencies. Definition of Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) initiatives, and what are protected, and the methods used to protect our assets Critical infrastructures are systems and assets, whether physical or virtual, that so vital to our nation that their incapacity or destruction would have a debilitating impact on national security, economic well-being, public health or safety, or any combination of these.

Vulnerabilities IS professionals need to be concerned with when protecting the U.S.’s critical infrastructure Evaluation of the effectiveness of IS professionals in regard to protecting the U.S.’s critical infrastructure (3) Methods to improve the protection of our critical infrastructure and justify each suggestion Efforts to build better, more resilient infrastructure have too often historically been restricted by funding shortfalls, policy and legal barriers, and poor access to reliable information about local climate-change risks. To knock down these impediments, the present administration must initiate an action plan that marshals federal resources and technical support wisely, helps cities and states understand their infrastructure vulnerabilities and identify their priority upgrades, and incentivize private-sector investment to rapidly drive a major wave of productive new investments. Below we outline the core elements of such a successful national strategy for infrastructure resilience. Launch a national infrastructure-vulnerability assessment

The Obama administration must conduct a single comprehensive assessment of our nation’s infrastructure. This survey would link the information that already exists within the agencies so it would look systematically at the needs and vulnerability of U.S. transportation, electricity, water, ports and other strategic infrastructure and identify pressing infrastructure needs nationwide. The survey would then help the administration develop a strategy to promote efficient and rapid deployment of advanced infrastructure at the national level and, in each individual case, create new infrastructure systems with an eye toward what is most vulnerable to more extreme weather and other emerging climate-change impacts. This assessment is essential to identifying priorities for increasing the resilience of these economic assets to future storms, floods, droughts, and wildfires. Establish an infrastructure and resilience council to coordinate deployment efforts The Obama administration can establish an infrastructure and resilience council of top-level agency leadership that will be reporting directly to the president and coordinated by the National Economic Council.

The president must also create a mechanism for ensuring accountability and leadership in seeing these planning and coordination efforts through to implementation. Each agency would be instructed to identify new executive actions that support infrastructure modernization, and wherever discretion is allowed within agency authorities, this body should prioritize and expedite those efforts outlined in the national infrastructure vulnerability assessment. This interagency effort must also provide additional resources to support the administration’s efforts to expedite the approval process for strategically important infrastructure projects, while preserving fundamental environmental protections. This would advance the president’s goal of cutting timelines in half for better highways, bridges, railways, ports, waterways, pipelines, renewable energy, and other infrastructure projects, while ensuring resiliency in the face of a changing climate Build on the budget proposals to establish a comprehensive federal-infrastructure-investment strategy.

In his budget, the president laid out several vitally important financing programs that together could serve as key building blocks in establishing an even more systematic and comprehensive financial foundation to ensure efficient flows of both public and private capital into urgently needed infrastructure upgrades. It is now incumbent upon Congress to pass these vital measures. This is a wise policy suggestion that would have a powerful impact in supporting pressing infrastructure projects of both national and regional significance. Realizing the goal of launching an infrastructure bank will require congressional action, and though this proposal is essential over the long term, current political realities present significant challenges to its passage. Conclusion

The evolving threats we faced in the 21st Century go beyond national borders and disrupt the security and economic prosperity of the entire international community. Critical infrastructure must be protected and able to resist and promptly recover from all hazards. Proactive and coordinated are the key efforts that must be implemented to fortify and sustain these resilient critical infrastructures that including assets, networks, and systems that are important to public confidence and the Nation’s safety, prosperity, and well-being. For stakeholders to protect Critical Infrastructure, DHS must continue to enhance its policy of sharing cyber threat information with private and public sector partners, as well as critical infrastructure owners and operators.

References

http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/02/12/presidential-policy-directive-critical-infrastructure-security-and-resil. Retrieved May 10th, 2013 http://www.gao.gov/assets/590/587529.pdf . Retrieved May 14th, 2013 http://www.dhs.gov/blog/2013/05/13/working-international-partners-critical-infrastructure-protection. Retrieved May 14th, 2013 http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/economy/report/2013/04/18/60960/infras
tructure-and-resilience-forging-a-national-strategy-for-reconstruction-and-growth/ Retrieved May 16th, 2013