General U.S. Policy Documents

"The purpose of the 2010 National Vaccine Plan is to provide strategic direction for the coordination of the vaccine and immunization enterprise for the NVP. The Program's goals are to prevent infectious diseases and their sequelae and reduce adverse reactions to vaccines in the U.S. The Plan will achieve this through coordinated implementation of a strategic vision implemented by vaccine and immunization stakeholders across and outside of the federal government."

"Ours is a Nation of entrepreneurs, inventors, innovators, and artists. The ideas that American citizens generate catalyze cutting edge research, ensure longer and healthier lives, and power the globe's most productive economy. Our ingenuity and entrepreneurial spirit make the United States great, and we must fiercely defend that competitive advantage. As President Obama has said, 'if the playing field is level, I promise you--America will always win.' In June 2010, we issued the Administration's first Joint Strategic Plan for Intellectual Property Enforcement. Since then, we have made great progress: law enforcement operations have increased in scope and efficiency, and investigations, seizures, arrests, and convictions have increased significantly; several industry-led voluntary initiatives to reduce infringement online have been concluded and are in force; there is more efficiency and coordination among Federal agencies; the Federal government is now more aware of and active in eliminating counterfeits in its supply chain; and gains have been made in coordination and cooperation with our trading partners. We have worked cooperatively with Congress, and as a result of these efforts, seven Administration legislative recommendations to improve our enforcement system have become law."

"Like electricity a century ago, broadband is a foundation for economic growth, job creation, global competitiveness and a better way of life. It is enabling entire new industries and unlocking vast new possibilities for existing ones. It is changing how we educate children, deliver health care, manage energy, ensure public safety, engage government, and access, organize and disseminate knowledge. […]. A broadband-enabled Smart Grid could increase energy independence and efficiency, but much of the data required to capture these benefits are inaccessible to consumers, businesses and entrepreneurs. And nearly a decade after 9/11, our first responders still lack a nationwide public safety mobile broadband communications network, even though such a network could improve emergency response and homeland security. Government can influence the broadband ecosystem in four ways: 1. Design policies to ensure robust competition and, as a result maximize consumer welfare, innovation and investment. 2. Ensure efficient allocation and management of assets government controls or influences, such as spectrum, poles, and rights-of-way, to encourage network upgrades and competitive entry. 3. Reform current universal service mechanisms to support deployment of broadband and voice in high-cost areas; and ensure that low-income Americans can afford broadband; and in addition, support efforts to boost adoption and utilization. 4. Reform laws, policies, standards and incentives to maximize the benefits of broadband in sectors government influences significantly, such as public education, health care and government operations."

From the document's Executive Summary: "This Plan details a series of coordinated actions to strengthen the reach and effectiveness of services provided to all victims of human trafficking, regardless of the victims' race, color, national origin, disability, religion, age, gender, immigration status, sexual orientation, or the type of trafficking they endured. The purpose of this Plan is to describe the steps that federal agencies will take to ensure that all victims of human trafficking in the United States are identified and have access to the services they need to recover. This includes steps to create a victim services network that is comprehensive, trauma-informed, and responsive to the needs of all victims. While prevention and prosecution activities fall outside the scope of this document, the Administration recognizes that addressing human trafficking through prevention, exploring and implementing demand reduction strategies, and using prosecution to hold offenders accountable are critical elements in the U.S. Government's comprehensive approach to combating all forms of human trafficking. The Plan focuses on providing and coordinating support for victims and it aligns with all other efforts of the Federal Government to eliminate human trafficking and prevent further victimization, particularly as outlined in the 'Attorney General's Annual Report to Congress and Assessment of U.S. Government Activities to Combat Trafficking in Persons.' […] Finally, the quality of the services, not merely the quantity, must be addressed to ensure that victims are supported throughout their long-term journey as survivors." The Plan includes introductory letters by President Barack Obama and Planning Co-Chairs Eric H. Holder, Jr. (Attorney General), Kathleen Sebelius (Secretary of Health and Human Services), and Jeh Charles Johnson (Secretary of Homeland Security).

From the overview: " The DHS FY14-18 Strategic Plan focuses on how we will implement the goals laid out in the 2014 Quadrennial Homeland Security Review. It describes the missions and goals of homeland security, the strategies we use to achieve those goals, and the ways in which we measure our success. It also sets several key, priority efforts under each mission and describes how those priorities will be achieved through the DHS Unity of Effort Initiative. The Homeland Security vision is a homeland that is safe, secure, and resilient against terrorism and other hazards, where American interests, aspirations, and way of life can thrive. This requires the dedication of more than 240,000 employees in jobs that range from aviation and border security to emergency response, from cybersecurity analysis to chemical facility inspections. Our duties are wide-ranging, but our goal is clear -- keeping America safe. The 2014 Quadrennial Homeland Security Review reaffirmed the five-mission structure of DHS: (1) Prevent Terrorism and Enhance Security (2) Secure and Manage our Borders (3) Enforce and Administer Our Immigration Laws (4) Safeguard and Secure Cyberspace; and (5) Strengthen National Preparedness and Resilience."

"Violent extremism presents a critical threat to the United States. Individuals who commit acts of violent extremism are inspired by diverse political, religious, and philosophical beliefs, and are not limited to any single population or region. No matter the motivation, attacks by violent extremists have devastating effects on our communities. The United States unequivocally condemns ideologically-motivated violence. Although counterterrorism and law enforcement efforts to disrupt plots are a continuing priority, the evolving threat environment requires more proactive, community-based prevention and intervention. The United States must work to counter violent extremism by dissuading individuals from radicalizing to violence in the first place. This means supporting and building trust with diverse communities across the country. Research shows that parents, neighbors, colleagues, peers, teachers, and community leaders are best positioned to address the underlying causes of violent extremism, recognize when an individual becomes ideologically-motivated to commit violence, and intervene before an individual or a group commits an act of violent extremism. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is dedicated to countering violent extremism and plays a leading role in the Federal Government's efforts. To accomplish this, DHS equips CVE [countering violent extremism] community partners with the necessary information, grants, tools, training, and other support to help them identify and counter radicalization to violence. Through these efforts, the Department ensures that families and communities are empowered and well-informed to resist violent extremism."

From the Scope and Purpose of the Strategic Plan: "The DHS Strategic Plan comprehensively reflects the Department's complex mission. Every day, each operator and employee across the Department advances the strategic goals and objectives contained herein to keep Americans safe, secure, and resilient. The DHS Strategic Plan establishes a common framework to analyze and inform the Department's management decisions, including strategic guidance, operational requirements, budget formulation, annual performance reporting, and mission execution. Along with the DHS Strategic Plan, DHS also conducts the Quadrennial Homeland Security Review, which identifies strategic homeland security priorities based on extensive analysis and stakeholder engagement. Together, these documents inform internal operations and our interactions with Congress, interagency counterparts, and the American public."

From the Introduction: "Threats and hazards present long-term risks to people and their property. Risk is the potential for an unwanted outcome resulting from an incident, event, or occurrence, as determined by its likelihood and the associated consequences. Risk is assessed based on applicable threats and hazards, vulnerabilities, and consequences. Mitigation is risk-management action taken to avoid, reduce, or transfer those risks. By reducing the impact of disasters, mitigation supports protection and prevention activities, eases response, and speeds recovery to create better prepared and more resilient communities. The National Mitigation Framework (NMF) establishes a common platform and forum for coordinating and addressing how the Nation manages risk through mitigation capabilities. This Framework describes mitigation roles across the whole community. The Framework addresses how the Nation will lessen the impact of disaster by developing, employing, and coordinating core mitigation capabilities to reduce loss of life and property. Building on a wealth of objective and evidence-based knowledge and community experience, the Framework seeks to increase risk awareness and leverage mitigation products, services, and assets across the whole community."

"The 2010 Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Quadrennial Homeland Security Review states 'ultimately Homeland Security is about effectively managing risks to the Nation's security.' With risk defined as the likelihood and consequences of potential unwanted events, managing risks from naturally-occurring, accidental, or deliberate biological events such as emerging infectious disease or bioterrorism is difficult to accomplish through activities that attempt to reduce these events' likelihood of occurrence. Although much is being done to prevent these types of events, such events could and do still occur. Instead, activities that mitigate these risks largely focus on reducing, managing, or limiting the consequences of biological events once they begin to occur. Surveillance plays an import role in early detection of such events, allowing an early response, limiting the spread and effects of such events. Doing this effectively requires the earliest possible warning that an event is occurring, as well as continuing shared situational awareness throughout the event, to enable effective decision making regarding what actions should be taken. The mission of the National Biosurveillance Integration Center (NBIC) is fundamentally about the integration of biosurveillance information to enable early warning and shared situational awareness, and disseminate it to the appropriate people in a timely fashion. The National Biosurveillance Integration Center Strategic Plan first provides an overview of national biosurveillance in general, as well as current NBIC activities and operations, then outlines the goals and objectives required to achieve the NBIC's mission over the next five years. These strategic goals, objectives, and activities represent a balance of efforts that enable early warning and shared situational awareness through information ingestion and analysis; synthesis of existing government, private non-governmental, open-source, and classified information; and innovating advanced analytics and models, all in collaboration with federal partners and state, local, territorial, tribal, private, and international stakeholders. NBIC's goals and objectives outlined in this plan include these stakeholders and will be measured for success against specific milestones developed in collaboration with them."

"Networked technologies touch every corner of the globe and every facet of human life. They have driven innovation, nurtured freedoms, and spurred economic prosperity. Even so, the very technologies that enable these benefits offer new opportunities for malicious and unwanted cyber activities. The risks associated with the Nation's dependence on these networked technologies led to the development of Presidential Policy Directive 41 (PPD-41): United States Cyber Incident Coordination, which sets forth principles governing the Federal Government's response to any cyber incident, whether involving government or private sector entities. [...] The National Cyber Incident Response Plan (NCIRP or Plan) was developed according to the direction of PPD-41 and leveraging doctrine from the National Preparedness System to articulate the roles and responsibilities, capabilities, and coordinating structures that support how the Nation responds to and recovers from significant cyber incidents posing risks to critical infrastructure. The NCIRP is not a tactical or operational plan; rather, it serves as the primary strategic framework for stakeholders to understand how federal departments and agencies and other national-level partners provide resources to support response operations. Authored in close coordination with government and private sector partners, the NCIRP expounds upon the concurrent lines of effort, defined by PPD41, for how the Federal Government will organize its activities to manage the effects of significant cyber incidents. The concurrent lines of effort are threat response, asset response, intelligence support, and the affected entity, which undertakes efforts to manage the effects of the incident on its operations, customers, and workforce."

"The National Disaster Recovery Framework (NDRF) establishes a common platform and forum for how the whole community builds, sustains, and coordinates delivery of recovery capabilities. Resilient and sustainable recovery encompasses more than the restoration of a community's physical structures to pre-disaster conditions. Through effective coordination of partners and resources, we can ensure the continuity of services and support to meet the needs of affected community members who have experienced the hardships of financial, emotional, and/or physical impacts of devastating disasters. The primary value of the NDRF is its emphasis on preparing for recovery in advance of disaster. The ability of a community to accelerate the recovery process begins with its efforts in pre-disaster preparedness, including coordinating with whole community partners, mitigating risks, incorporating continuity planning, identifying resources, and developing capacity to effectively manage the recovery process, and through collaborative and inclusive planning processes. Collaboration across the whole community provides an opportunity to integrate mitigation, resilience, and sustainability into the community's short- and long-term recovery goals."

"The National Emergency Communications Plan is a strategic national emergency communications plan that promotes communication and sharing of information across all levels of government, jurisdictions, disciplines, and organizations for all threats and hazards, as needed and when authorized."

"The tropical cyclone warning service is an interdepartmental effort to provide the United States and designated international recipients with forecasts, warnings, and assessments concerning tropical and subtropical weather systems. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) of the Department of Commerce (DOC) is responsible for providing forecasts and warnings for the Atlantic and Eastern and Central Pacific Oceans while the Department of Defense (DOD) provides the same services for the Western Pacific and Indian Ocean. NOAA, along with other Federal agencies such as the U.S. Navy and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), also conducts supporting research efforts to improve tropical cyclone forecasting and warning services. The bottom line--this interdepartmental cooperation achieves economy and efficiency in the provision of the tropical cyclone forecasting and warning services to the Nation. The National Hurricane Operations Plan provides the basis for implementing agreements reached at the Interdepartmental Hurricane Conference (IHC), which is sponsored annually by the Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorological Services and Supporting Research. The goal of the IHC is to bring together the responsible Federal agencies to achieve agreement on items of mutual concern related to tropical cyclone forecasting and warning services for the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans."

"Communities across the Nation experience a diverse set of threats, hazards, and events. The size, frequency, complexity, and scope of these incidents vary, but all involve a range of personnel and organizations to coordinate efforts to save lives, stabilize the incident, and protect property and the environment. Every day, jurisdictions and organizations work together to share resources, integrate tactics, and act collaboratively. Whether these organizations are nearby or are supporting each other from across the country, their success depends on a common, interoperable approach to sharing resources, coordinating and managing incidents, and communicating information. The National Incident Management System (NIMS) defines this comprehensive approach. NIMS guides all levels of government, nongovernmental organizations (NGO), and the private sector to work together to prevent, protect against, mitigate, respond to, and recover from incidents. NIMS provides stakeholders across the whole community with the shared vocabulary, systems, and processes to successfully deliver the capabilities described in the National Preparedness System. NIMS defines operational systems, including the Incident Command System (ICS), Emergency Operations Center (EOC) structures, and Multiagency Coordination Groups (MAC Groups) that guide how personnel work together during incidents. NIMS applies to all incidents, from traffic accidents to major disasters. The jurisdictions and organizations involved in managing incidents vary in their authorities, management structures, communication capabilities and protocols, and many other factors. NIMS provides a common framework to integrate these diverse capabilities and achieve common goals. The guidance contained in this document incorporates solutions developed over decades of experience by incident personnel across the Nation."

"The National Infrastructure Protection Plan provides the unifying structure for the integration of a wide range of efforts for the enhanced protection and resiliency of the nation's critical infrastructure and key resources (CIKR) into a single national program. The overarching goal of the NIPP is to build a safer, more secure, and more resilient America by preventing, deterring, neutralizing, or mitigating the effects of deliberate efforts by terrorists to destroy, incapacitate, or exploit elements of our nation's CIKR and to strengthen national preparedness, timely response, and rapid recovery of CIKR in the event of an attack, natural disaster, or other emergency. The 2009 NIPP replaces the 2006 version and reflects changes and updates to program elements and concepts. It captures the evolution and maturation of the processes and programs first outlined in 2006 without changing the underlying policies. The revised NIPP integrates the concepts of resiliency and protection, and broadens the focus of NIPP-related programs and activities to an all-hazards environment."

"Threats and hazards present long-term risks to people and their property. Mitigation is risk management action taken to avoid, reduce, or transfer those risks. By reducing the impact of disasters, mitigation supports protection and prevention activities, eases response, and speeds recovery to create better prepared and more resilient communities. The National Mitigation Framework establishes a common platform and forum for coordinating and addressing how the Nation manages risk through mitigation capabilities. This Framework describes mitigation roles across the whole community. The Framework addresses how the Nation will lessen the impact of disaster by developing, employing, and coordinating core mitigation capabilities to reduce loss of life and property. Building on a wealth of evidence-based knowledge and community experience, the Framework seeks to increase risk awareness and promote resilience building by leveraging mitigation enhancing products, services, and assets across the whole community."

"The National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy are pleased to announce the release of the 2011 NNI Strategic Plan. As called for by the 21st Century Nanotechnology R&D Act, the NNI plan is updated every three years. The February 2011 NNI Strategic Plan retains the overall vision, the four goals, and the eight program component areas outlined in the previous edition of the plan (released in December 2007). For the first time the 2011 plan includes specific objectives under each goal, outlining the concrete steps that the NNI member agencies will take toward collectively achieving the NNI vision and goals. Developed under the auspices of the National Science and Technology Council's Subcommittee on Nanoscale Science, Engineering, and Technology, the plan will be used by the NNI member agencies to guide the coordination of their research, training programs, and resources. The plan benefits from and builds upon recommendations from the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology and the National Academies, and incorporates a broad rage of stakeholder input obtained through NNI-sponsored workshops."

"In April 2013, the National Ocean Council (NOC) published the National Ocean Policy (NOP) Implementation Plan. The Implementation Plan aligned the efforts of the Federal government under five major themes: Ocean Economy, Safety and Security, Coastal and Ocean Resilience, Local Choices, and Science and Information. Since then, Federal agencies have made tremendous progress in carrying out actions described in the Implementation Plan. In March 2015, the NOC released the 'Report on the Implementation of the National Ocean Policy,' providing the status of all 214 actions described in the Implementation Plan. The Implementation Plan provides a solid foundation for enhanced agency collaboration and effectiveness, and resulted in meaningful, beneficial results. The many accomplishments realized through the original Implementation Plan set the stage for a targeted approach to future NOP implementation. As many of the actions in the current Implementation Plan are completed, progress on the NOP will continue under Annual Work Plans to focus on pressing issues in a defined timeframe. A longer-term, higher-level implementation guide (Guide) based on the original Implementation Plan themes will provide the overarching context and vision for crafting the Annual Work Plans and implementing the NOP in future years."

"President Bush has led a committed effort to strengthen the Nation's preparedness capabilities. The national preparedness architecture encompasses the full spectrum of prevention, protection, response, and recovery efforts to prepare the Nation for all hazards -- whether terrorist attack or natural disaster. Homeland Security Presidential Directive-8 (HSPD-8) of December 17, 2003 ('National Preparedness') directed the Secretary of Homeland Security to develop a national domestic all-hazards preparedness goal. As part of that effort, in March 2005 the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released the Interim National Preparedness Goal. Publication of the National Preparedness Guidelines (Guidelines) finalizes development of the national goal and its related preparedness tools. The Guidelines, including the supporting Target Capabilities List, simultaneously published online, supersedes the Interim National Preparedness Goal and defines what it means for the Nation to be prepared for all hazards."

"The National Prevention Framework describes what the whole community--from community members to senior leaders in government--should do upon the discovery of an imminent threat to the homeland. An imminent threat is intelligence or operational information that warns of a credible, specific, and impending terrorist threat or ongoing attack against the United States. This Framework helps achieve the National Preparedness Goal of a secure and resilient Nation that is optimally prepared to prevent an imminent terrorist attack within the United States. The processes and policies described in this document will be conducted in accordance with existing laws and regulations. This Framework provides guidance to individuals and communities, the private and nonprofit sectors, faith-based organizations, and all levels of government (local, regional/metropolitan, state, tribal, territorial, and Federal) to prevent, avoid, or stop a threatened or actual act of terrorism by [1] Describing the core capabilities needed to prevent an imminent act of terrorism; [2] Aligning key roles and responsibilities to deliver Prevention capabilities in time-sensitive situations; [3] Describing coordinating structures that enable all stakeholders to work together; and [4] Laying the foundation for further operational coordination and planning that will synchronize Prevention efforts within the whole community and across the Protection, Mitigation, Response, and Recovery mission areas."

"The National Preparedness System outlines an organized process for the whole community to achieve the National Preparedness Goal. The National Preparedness System integrates efforts across the five preparedness mission areas--Prevention, Protection, Mitigation, Response, and Recovery-- in order to achieve the goal of a secure and resilient Nation. The National Protection Framework, part of the National Preparedness System, sets the strategy and doctrine for how the whole community builds, sustains, and delivers the Protection core capabilities identified in the National Preparedness Goal in an integrated manner with the other mission areas. This second edition of the National Protection Framework reflects the insights and lessons learned from real-world incidents and the implementation of the National Preparedness System."

"The National Response Framework is a guide to how the Nation responds to all types of disasters and emergencies. It is built on scalable, flexible, and adaptable concepts identified in the National Incident Management System to align key roles and responsibilities across the Nation. This Framework 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. The National Response Framework describes the principles, roles and responsibilities, and coordinating structures for delivering the core capabilities required to respond to an incident and further describes how response efforts integrate with those of the other mission areas. This Framework is always in effect and describes the doctrine under which the Nation responds to incidents. The structures, roles, and responsibilities described in this Framework can be partially or fully implemented in the context of a threat or hazard, in anticipation of a significant event, or in response to an incident. Selective implementation of National Response Framework structures and procedures allows for a scaled response, delivery of the specific resources and capabilities, and a level of coordination appropriate to each incident."

From the Introduction: "Space activities are critical to the Nation's technological advancement, scientific discovery, security, and economic growth. As outlined in the 'National Space Policy,' the utilization of space has transformed every aspect of society, and the United States remains committed to maintaining its role as the leading space-faring nation. Space transportation capabilities play a vital role in enabling these space activities by providing the United States with access to diverse regions of space. The U.S. space transportation sector is undergoing a period of change as new actors and capabilities emerge and nontraditional public-private partnerships are established. At the same time, the sector faces challenges to include increased proliferation concerns and international competition. To assure continued leadership in this arena, it is essential that the United States foster more efficient and capable space transportation systems and approaches that can address such challenges and enable new activities and discoveries in and from space. Maintaining an assured capability to meet United States Government needs, while also taking the necessary steps to strengthen U.S. competitiveness in the international commercial launch market, is important to ensuring that U.S. space transportation capabilities will be reliable, robust, safe, and affordable in the future. Among other steps, improving the cost effectiveness of U.S. space transportation services could help achieve this goal by allowing the United States Government to invest a greater share of its resources in other needs such as facilities modernization, technology advancement, scientific discovery, and national security. Further, a healthier, more competitive U.S. space transportation industry would facilitate new markets, encourage new industries, create high technology jobs, lead to greater economic growth and security, and would further the Nation's leadership role in space."

"This report responds to Section 102 of the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010, which directs the Committee on Technology of the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) to develop a strategic plan to guide Federal programs and activities in support of advanced manufacturing research and development. Advanced manufacturing is a matter of fundamental importance to the economic strength and national security of the United States. Our analysis of patterns and trends in U.S. advanced manufacturing reveals both opportunities for Federal policy to accelerate the development of this vital sector and challenges to its continuing health. The acceleration of innovation for advanced manufacturing requires bridging a number of gaps in the present U.S. innovation system, particularly the gap between research and development (R&D) activities and the deployment of technological innovations in domestic production of goods. This strategic plan lays out a robust innovation policy that would help to close these gaps and address the full lifecycle of technology. It also incorporates intensive engagement among industry, labor, academia, and govern¬ment at the national, state, and regional levels. Partnerships among diverse stakeholders, varying by location and objective, are a keystone of the strategy. The strategy seeks to achieve five objectives. These objectives are interconnected; progress on any one will make progress on the others easier. A large number of Federal agencies, coordinated through the NSTC, have important roles to play in the implementation of the strategy."

This U. S. Department of Homeland Security Strategic Plan Fiscal Years 2008-2013 discusses the department's vision, strategy and goals for the coming years listed. The following is taken from the report: "The 2008 Strategic Plan serves to focus the Department's mission and sharpen operational effectiveness, particularly in delivering services in support of Department-wide initiatives and the other mission goals. It identifies the goals and objectives by which we continually assess our performance. The Department uses performance measures at all levels to monitor our strategic progress and program success. This process also keeps the Department's priorities aligned, linking programs and operations to performance measures, mission goals, resource priorities, and strategic objectives. Faced with the challenge of strengthening the components to function as a unified Department, DHS must coordinate centralized, integrated activities across components that are distinct in their missions and operations. Thus, sound and cohesive management is the key to Department-wide and component-level strategic goals. We seek to harmonize our efforts as we work diligently to accomplish our mission each and every day."

"Open government has long been a cornerstone of democracy in the United States. Principles of transparency and an accountable, responsive government are embedded in Federal law and the U.S. Constitution, and the United States was one of the first countries in the world to adopt an access to information law - the 1966 Freedom of Information Act. Building on this longstanding tradition, President Obama early in his Administration launched the Open Government Initiative that has catalyzed significant steps to open up the Federal government, make government more efficient, and provide citizens with unprecedented access to government information. The United States reached another important open government milestone in 2014 when President Obama signed legislation passed unanimously by the U.S. Congress, requiring Federal agencies to publish their spending data according to clear standards that will help improve the quality of government information, help inform government decisions, and make government work more efficiently for the American people."

From the Introduction: "The National Preparedness System outlines an organized process for the whole community to achieve the National Preparedness Goal. The National Preparedness System integrates efforts across the five preparedness mission areas - Prevention, Protection, Mitigation, Response, and Recovery - in order to achieve the goal of a secure and resilient Nation. One component of the National Preparedness System is a Federal Interagency Operational Plan (FIOP) for each mission area that provides a detailed description of roles and responsibilities, specifies the critical tasks, and identifies Federal resourcing requirements for delivering national preparedness core capabilities. The FIOPs are designed to provide state, local, tribal, territorial, and insular area planners an understanding of how the Federal Government functions in its response, so that they may develop or modify plans to bolster an integrated and whole community effort to make the collective response stronger and more effective. This document is comprised primarily of excerpts from the FIOPs and presents a high-level introduction to each."

"The legacy of success in space and its transformation also presents new challenges. When the space age began, the opportunities to use space were limited to only a few nations, and there were limited consequences for irresponsible or unintentional behavior. Now, we find ourselves in a world where the benefits of space permeate almost every facet of our lives. The growth and evolution of the global economy has ushered in an ever-increasing number of nations and organizations using space. The now-ubiquitous and interconnected nature of space capabilities and the world's growing dependence on them mean that irresponsible acts in space can have damaging consequences for all of us. For example, decades of space activity have littered Earth's orbit with debris; and as the world's space-faring nations continue to increase activities in space, the chance for a collision increases correspondingly. As the leading space-faring nation, the United States is committed to addressing these challenges. But this cannot be the responsibility of the United States alone. All nations have the right to use and explore space, but with this right also comes responsibility. The United States, therefore, calls on all nations to work together to adopt approaches for responsible activity in space to preserve this right for the benefit of future generations. From the outset of humanity's ascent into space, this Nation declared its commitment to enhance the welfare of humankind by cooperating with others to maintain the freedom of space. The United States hereby renews its pledge of cooperation in the belief that with strengthened inter¬national collaboration and reinvigorated U.S. leadership, all nations and peoples--space-faring and space-benefiting--will find their horizons broadened, their knowledge enhanced, and their lives greatly improved."

"While no single step can reverse the effects of climate change, we have a moral obligation to future generations to leave them a planet that is not polluted and damaged. Through steady, responsible action to cut carbon pollution, we can protect our children's health and begin to slow the effects of climate change so that we leave behind a cleaner, more stable environment. In 2009, President Obama made a pledge that by 2020, America would reduce its greenhouse gas emissions in the range of 17 percent below 2005 levels if all other major economies agreed to limit their emissions as well. Today, the President remains firmly committed to that goal and to building on the progress of his first term to help put us and the world on a sustainable long-term trajectory. Thanks in part to the Administration's success in doubling America's use of wind, solar, and geothermal energy and in establishing the toughest fuel economy standards in our history, we are creating new jobs, building new industries, and reducing dangerous carbon pollution which contributes to climate change. In fact, last year, carbon emissions from the energy sector fell to the lowest level in two decades. At the same time, while there is more work to do, we are more energy secure than at any time in recent history. In 2012, America's net oil imports fell to the lowest level in 20 years and we have become the world's leading producer of natural gas -- the cleanest-burning fossil fuel."

From the Introduction: "The National Preparedness System establishes a consistent and reliable approach to achieve the National Preparedness Goal and prepare for the threats and hazards that pose the greatest risk to the security of the Nation. The National Preparedness System integrates efforts across the five preparedness mission areas-Prevention, Protection, Mitigation, Response, and Recovery-and includes a series of planning documents to enhance national preparedness. As part of this effort, the National Planning System integrates planning across all levels of government and with the private and nonprofit sectors around key capabilities that can be scaled, as needed, to provide an agile, flexible approach to prevent, protect, mitigate, respond, and recover. [...] This Recovery FIOP [Federal Interagency Operational Plan] provides guidance to implement the National Disaster Recovery Framework (NDRF), which sets the doctrinal guidance for how the whole community builds, sustains, and delivers the Recovery core capabilities identified in the National Preparedness Goal. It describes the concept of operations for integrating and synchronizing existing national-level Federal capabilities to support local, state, tribal, territorial, insular area, and Federal plans and is supported by Federal department-level operational plans, where appropriate."

From the "Purpose" section of the document: "This FIOP [Federal Interagency Operational Plan] describes how the Federal Government delivers core capabilities for the Response mission area. Specifically, the Response FIOP is an all-hazards plan that describes how the Federal Government coordinates its efforts to save lives, protect property and the environment, and meet basic human needs following an emergency or disaster. The Response FIOP is built on the National Incident Management System (NIMS) concepts and principles and reflects the whole community concept, which incorporates a full range of stakeholders-individuals, families, communities, the private and nonprofit sectors, faith-based organizations, and local, state, tribal, territorial, insular area, and Federal governments-in national preparedness activities and as full partners in incident response operations. Collectively, the National Planning Frameworks provide comprehensive and interlocking strategic guidance on how to deliver and integrate core capabilities through each mission area's FIOP."

"The Target Capabilities List describes the capabilities related to the four homeland security mission areas: Prevent, Protect, Respond, and Recover. It defines and provides the basis for assessing preparedness. It also establishes national guidance for preparing the Nation for major all-hazards events, such as those defined by the National Planning Scenarios. The current version of the TCL contains 37 core capabilities. A 'Consensus of the Community' approach was used to develop the Target Capabilities List. Stakeholders from Federal, State, local, territorial, and tribal governments, the private sector, and nongovernmental organizations came together in four national workshops and capability working groups to define the capabilities. The Guidelines will serve as a framework to guide operational readiness planning, priority-setting, and program implementation at all levels of government. The Guidelines provide a call to action by all Americans as they consider their personal and shared responsibility to be part of A Nation Prepared. The Target Capabilities List provides guidance on building and maintaining capabilities that support the Guidelines."

"This strategic plan describes and prioritizes several research themes worthy of further inquiry, and end-states and capabilities that must be achieved in order to fundamentally improve cyberspace. The Plan does not focus on specific technical problems and challenges, e.g., developing better firewalls or more secure operating systems. Rather, by articulating desired end-states and capabilities, the themes reveal important underlying causes of cybersecurity vulnerabilities. By defining the end-states, rather than the paths to get there, the themes invite a diversity of approaches and encourage innovation across disciplines and sectors. Of course, along the way to achieving these larger solutions, many perennial problems and technical challenges will have to be solved."

"Presidential Policy Directive 18 (PPD-18)1 established United States Government policy on Maritime Security and provided for the development of scalable, flexible frameworks on specific maritime issues to guide and clarify roles and responsibilities for strategic goals of the United States. This document: [1] Affirms the vital national interest in global maritime security and articulates United States Government policy for countering piracy, robbery at sea, and related maritime crime; [2] Provides the overarching guidance to develop objectives to enhance maritime security in other regions of the world as required based on evolving and emerging threats; and [3] Supersedes the Countering Piracy off the Horn of Africa: Partnership and Action Plan."

"There is a growing global water crisis that may increase disease, undermine economic growth, foster insecurity and state failure, and generally reduce the capacity of countries to advance priorities that support U.S. national interests. To address these challenges and contribute to a healthier, safer, and more prosperous world, the United States will work to support a water secure world where people have sustainable supplies of water of sufficient quantity and quality to meet human, economic, and ecosystem needs while managing risks from floods and droughts. This work will be guided by four interconnected strategic objectives: Increasing sustainable access to safe drinking water and sanitation services, and the adoption of key hygiene behaviors; Encouraging the sound management and protection of freshwater resources; Promoting cooperation on shared waters; and, Strengthening water-sector governance, financing, and institutions."